"The depth, extent, and difficulty of comprehensively implementing the strategy of rural revitalization are no less than those of poverty alleviation. We must enhance top-level design, take more powerful actions, and converge stronger force to carry forward." During the recent Central Rural Work Conference, Communist Party of China General Secretary Xi Jinping presented an important speech, advancing the strategy of rural revitalization from a historical height and a comprehensive angle, emphasizing the priority of solving the problem of "agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents" for the entire Party, and providing the program of action and fundamental principles to abide by for the new development stage of "agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents" work.

Since the establishment of the Communist Party of China, we fully realized that the key issue underlying the Chinese revolution is that of the peasants, and placed seeking happiness for peasants as an important mission. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, with comrade Xi at the center of the Party Central Committee, the Committee was united in leading the Party and the population in the battle to overcome poverty which was the strongest in strength, the largest in scale in the history of humanity. The Party launched the strategy for rural revitalization, drove agriculture and rural villages to obtain historical achievements, and actualized a historical shift. Overall agricultural productivity was raised, farmers' income more than doubled in comparison with 2010, and livelihoods improved significantly, villages now have entirely new looks. These inspiring achievements and changes are the solid foundation for building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round manner and initiating the new journey of achieving socialist modernization.

To rejuvenate the nation, rural areas must prosper. Standing at the new beginning of continuing with the past and opening up the future, how to solidify and expand the achievement of overcoming poverty is a new question for the land of 9.6 million square kilometers. After the success of poverty alleviation, to comprehensively drive rural revitalization is the new priority of "agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents" work. During the conference, the Party Central Committee earnestly decided that after reaching the target of poverty alleviation, the counties that overcame poverty will have a five-year transitional period. During the transitional period, the principal assistance policies need to maintain its stability, to not leave any blank in work or in policy-making, to maintain the willpower and patience, and to ensure that there will be more "Tales of Springtime" to emerge on China's vast rural land.

The progress from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization is a more difficult and complex mission. Rural revitalization is a comprehensive revitalization which include industry, talent, culture, environment, and organization revitalization. The general requirements are prosperous industries, livable environments, rural civilization, effective governance, and prosperous livelihoods. To fully implement the strategy of rural revitalization, we need to accelerate the development of rural industries, strength the construction of socialist culture and ideology, reinforce the construction of ecological civilization, deepen rural reforms, carry out village reconstruction, push the development of urban-rural integration, strengthen and improve rural governance, propel the overall agricultural upgrade, progress of rural villages, and farmers' comprehensive development .

We have to strive for happiness. To carry out the magnificent blueprint of rural revitalization, we need to put in arduous effort. To accomplish the new development stage of "agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents" work, consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation, comprehensively drive rural revitalization, these are big responsibilities, honorable missions, and difficult tasks. We need to unify our thoughts and actions to the principles of the speech by General Secretary Xi and the strategic deployment by the Party Central Committee, reinforce implementation, actively take on responsibilities, sturdily complete "agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents" work, to make outstanding achievements in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Party, and to guarantee the realization of a good opening of the "14th Five-Year Plan".

Contributed by commentator of Guangming Daily

Translated by Zhang Junye