Xi's stories: Strengthening the seed industry to advance agriculture

On the afternoon of March 5, President Xi Jinping attended a meeting with deputies from Jiangsu Province at the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing.

Yang Hengjun, an NPC deputy and village chief of Desheng in Jingjiang, Jiangsu, was one of the six representatives speaking at the meeting.

Yang highlighted his village's development achievements over the past two decades. Under his leadership, villagers improved organizational structures and built industries, transforming the previously impoverished village on the north bank of the Yangtze River into a nationally recognized example of rural progress.

"In recent years, as various sporting events have gained popularity, more villagers have started watching soccer and taking part in sports," Yang said.

Chinese modernization, just as Xi noted in the 2022 report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, is the modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement. Nurturing social civility is essential to revitalizing rural areas, Xi once said.

Xi said to Yang, "From what you have described, the village's economic conditions have improved and at the same time, great importance has been attached to cultural-ethical progress. That is very important. In rural areas, it is not enough to merely solve the problem of food and clothing."

Xi added, "Great importance must be attached to promoting cultural-ethical progress in rural areas, strengthening education, transforming outdated customs and practices, and advancing cultural development."