On 24 November 2011, a symposium was hosted by the Scientific Research Office of the Open University of China (OUC) and organised by the Faculty of Agroforestry and Medicine (Rural Revitalisation College).
In order to study and implement the guiding principles of the 19th CPC National Congress and the OUC’s mission of supporting lifelong learning, and explore the training of professionals devoted to rural revitalisation, the symposium invited experts in the field to share their research and opinions. These included Professor Zhang Qi, an expert on rural development and poverty alleviation, secretary general of the Party Committee of the School of Economics and Resource Management at Beijing Normal University, dean of the China Institute for Poverty Reduction, and director of the Centre for Research in Rural Revitalisation and Development; Zhang Zhenghe, professor and doctoral supervisor at China Agricultural University, professor in the Organisation Department of the CPC Central Committee, visiting professor at Renmin University and Tsinghua University, top expert on the strategy of promoting agricultural modernisation while deepening industrialisation and urbanisation, member of the Agricultural Vocational Education Guiding Committee of the Ministry of Education, and director of the China County Economy Research Centre; and Hu Lifeng, associate OUC professor, doctor of Agriculture, postdoctoral fellow of Agricultural Engineering, member of the agriculture sub-association of the China Association of Agricultural Science Societies, and member of the Committee of Resources and Ecology of the China Society of Natural Resources.
The three experts discussed developments in agricultural sciences at the OUC in terms of legal innovations, industrial advances, and the promotion of agriculture for rural revitalisation. 1,663 teachers and students from 37 branches, 9 industry and corporate colleges, the Open University for Older Adults, and the OUC Publishing Group participated. After the lectures, branch teachers interacted with the experts on topics including selection of agricultural industries, methods of site selection, and support of rural revitalisation through non-degree education.
To conclude, Li Guangde, vice dean of the Faculty of Agroforestry and Medicine (Rural Revitalisation College) summarised the discussions, stating that cultivation of agricultural professionals at OUs was inseparable from cooperation with top universities and experts. The future would see continued strengthening of collaboration, and the training of professionals dedicated to rural revitalisation in terms of construction of course resources, promotion of research achievements, and case analyses, in order to contribute to the national strategy of rural revitalisation.
Written by Zhao Tingting; photos by Ma Jun, OUC