Expert Opinion: Authoritative Interpretation of the Construction of Socialist New Countryside

Author: Sun Jun, Wang Foquan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: The issues of rural China and its farmers were brought forward as a social transformation and development problem against the backdrop of modernization. In ancient times, society was an agrarian one, with agriculture as the primary industry and the population mainly consisting of farmers. A homogeneous society characterized by agricultural civilization developed according to its own logic. Therefore, in ancient times, agriculture and farmers did not constitute social or political issues. It was only with the emergence of modern elements such as industry, cities, and workers, which carried industrial civilization, that rural areas and farmers closely related to traditional agricultural civilization became social and political issues. Particularly for China, as its modernization process was initiated under the impact of Western industrial civilization, in this context, the rural and farmer issues as traditional factors became particularly prominent. Since this century, under the impact of a large number of modern elements carried by Western industrial civilization, China's rural and farmer issues have become increasingly prominent, becoming a major issue of concern and resolution for the intellectual community and the government. As a result, research on China's rural and farmer issues in this century has exhibited a clear "problem-oriented" characteristic. Looking back at the past and facing today, what should we do and how should we think? Mr. Du Run's view that "practice is a university" is the best proof.