Recently, the results of the selection of outstanding alumni of the Open University of China (OUC) were announced, recognising 328 alumni from various industries across the country.

These individuals, with accomplishments as their foundation and technology as their wings, demonstrate resilience, confidence, and a pragmatic, enterprising spirit, writing a unique chapter of progress of the OUC people. From today on, the stories of some alumni will be selected for sharing. By reviewing their outstanding deeds and listening to their life insights, the OUC’s achievements in talent development over the last 45 years are highlighted.

From March 2008 to June 2010, Li Liancheng, a member of the Communist Party of China, studied rural administration at the Rural Revitalization School, OUC Henan Branch, supported by the Ministry of Education's “One College Student for One Village Programme.” Since 1991, he has served as the Party Branch Secretary of Xixinzhuang Village in Puyang County of Henan Province. In 2001, he was recognized as a national-level outstanding Communist Party member; in 2006, he received the title of National Model Worker. He has been elected as a delegate to the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th National Congresses of the Communist Party and as a deputy to the 10th through 14th National People's Congress.

In August 1991, after seven years of relentless effort, Li Liancheng became the richest person in the village. Meanwhile, during the village committee elections, amidst the hopeful gazes of the villagers, he was elected as the Party Branch Secretary of Xixinzhuang Village and resolutely took on the important task of leading them out of poverty and toward prosperity.

Pursuing economic development and village building with open-mindedness and vision

Under the leadership of Li Liancheng, Xixinzhuang Village has diversified its economy and embarked on a path to prosperity. Over the years, leveraging his keen market insight, Li has guided the community to engage in vegetable cultivation. The village established over 40 greenhouses in just one year and provided the villagers with free technical training, which resulted in an average income increase of more than 500 yuan per person. In 1994, the village also established cooperative enterprises such as an industrial clay factory, dairy farm, textile factory, and winery, paving the way to the community's common prosperity.

During his tenure, Li has vigorously attracted investment and organized the construction of a specialized industrial park. He has had a natural gas pipeline installed for Xixinzhuang Village, with a daily supply capacity of 150,000 cubic meters and it currently supplies 50,000 cubic meters daily. Based on the exsiting infrastructure, Li coordinated the construction of 60,000-square-meter factory space to attract medium and large enterprises from coastal regions to settle in the village. In April 2006, he actively promoted the village's abundant natural gas resources, highlighting them as a key advantage. He ultimately signed joint venture agreements with six Taiwanese companies, totaling 320 million yuan in investment.

In 2014, Xixinzhuang Village welcomed its second industrial upgrade and transformation. With approval from the Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the village established a food processing industrial park that housed listed companies such as Shanghai Golden Monkey Group, Huiyuan Sheep Industry, and Songshan Noodle Industry. In 2015, the first rural official academy in the country—the Rural Party Branch Secretary Academy—was officially founded in Xixinzhuang Village. On March 28, 2016, the academy held its first training session for rural party officials, creating a high-quality platform for building grassroots party organizations in rural areas.

Gathering momentum for development, committed to building a moderately prosperous life

While leading the healthy development of Xixinzhuang Village, Li Liancheng has also been concerned about the well-being of surrounding villages. “Unless all of us get wealthy, my heart cannot be at ease,” he said.

"In 2003, based on the opinions of the villagers, he extended labor and shareholding rights in Xixinzhuang's enterprises to neighboring villages, distributing over 4 million yuan in dividends to those villages each year. The village invested 32 million yuan to build a first-class educational park in the province and an additional 350,000 yuan to create a cultural square and cultural room. Each year, they subscribe to newspapers and magazines worth several thousand yuan and purchase over 10,000 books, providing educational materials for the community.

Under Li Liancheng's leadership, Xixinzhuang Village has transformed from a poor village with an average annual income of less than 600 yuan into a well-known prosperous village, with an average annual income reaching 28,000 yuan per person, truly achieving common prosperity. Today, the village boasts industrial enterprises, a Rural Party Branch Secretary Academy, a community hospital, an educational park, and cultural facilities. With its clean appearance and beautiful living environment, the village has received numerous honors, including "National Model Village for Agriculture and Industry Tourism," "National Demonstration Village for Rule of Law Construction," "National Demonstration Village for New Rural Construction," and "National Civilized Village." The village's Party branch has also been awarded the title of "National Advanced Grassroots Party Organization" multiple times by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Staying true to his roots and original mission as a honored role model

As an outstanding representative of grassroots rural officials, Li Liancheng has received significant recognition and numerous honors from the Party and the state.

In May 2005, Li Liancheng was named a "National Model Worker" by the State Council and awarded a bonus of 10,000 yuan. However, he stated, "This honor does not belong to me alone; it belongs to the entire village. This 10,000 yuan bonus should go to our village." On the day he received the bonus, he donated the entire amount to the village for the construction of its primary school.

On March 17, 2014, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, met with Li Liancheng in Lankao, Kaifeng, and had a warm conversation.

In the past thirty-three years of hard work on the path to prosperity, Li Liancheng has transformed Xixinzhuang from a poor village into a thriving community. He has led villagers in developing enterprises, building roads, nurturing talent, and creating a beautiful village, collectively painting a grand picture of rural revitalization.

By OUC