Who Is Xi Jinping?

November 3rd is a very festive date for Eighteen Caves Village because residents celebrate the anniversary of Xi Jinping’s 2013 visit, and setting his goal to end poverty in China by 2020. But at the time, some villagers did not even recognize Xi Jinping.

“It does look like him,” said one villager, as Xi got off the minibus.

“But why visit our remote village?” his friend asked.

Xi warmly grasped the hands of a 64-year-old Miao named Shi Pazhuan, or “Big Sister Shi.” She had never left her village or watched TV, was illiterate, and spoke only Miao, so she had no idea who Xi was, but she warmly welcomed the stranger. The village’s Party secretary, Shi Jintong, translated as she said, “I don’t know what to call you.”

Xi Jinping said, “I am a servant of the people.”

When Shi saw she was still confused, he clarified, “This is General Secretary Xi. He has come to see you!”

Big Sister Shi asked, “Who is General Secretary Xi?”

“General Secretary Xi is the highest official in all of China,” Shi explained patiently.

“How high is that?” Big Sister Shi asked.

Shi said, “As high as Chairman Mao!”

Big Sister Shi’s eyes widened. She may have been illiterate but she did know about Mao. The Miao’s gifts of supplies and guides through their territory had helped Mao and the Red Army survive the Long March as they fled the Kuomintang. This is no ordinary visitor, Big Sister Shi realized, and she gripped his hand tightly.

Many villagers knew nothing of the world beyond their ancestral village because from time immemorial they had been isolated by impassible mountains and rivers raging through deep valleys. Only in March, 2012, was its isolation ended by the opening of the spectacular Anzhai Suspension Bridge—the world’s thirteenth highest bridge. I felt more like I was flying than driving as we crossed the bridge 1,000 feet above the lush valley floor, the bridge’s far end vanishing into clouds.

It is no surprise villagers celebrate November 3rd, because they have much to be thankful for. When Xi visited in 2013, their annual per capita net income was only 1,668 Yuan. Roofs leaked and wind wailed through mud patched walls. The village had electricity but few could afford anything but a dim light bulb dangling from the ceiling. Although the village was no longer isolated, it needed a kickstart—which Xi Jinping delivered when he inspected the village and shared his notion of “Precision Poverty Alleviation”.

For over an hour, Xi spoke of ending poverty through self-reliance, of shifting from transfusing blood to creating blood by boosting the local economy through ways unique to its own situation. And he ended with, “I think we can do this by 2020.”

No one could have imagined that during the next six years, China would lift 82.39 million from poverty, with the percentage in poverty plummeting from 10.2 to 1.7%. Even Eighteen Caves Village income shot up from 1,668 Yuan in 2013 to 12,128 Yuan in 2019. The village was declared free from poverty, but Miao villagers needed no official announcement. The droves of youth returning home from the cities was proof enough that Eighteen Caves Village had a bright future.

The Nation’s Big Sister

But precision poverty alleviation requires precise knowledge of conditions and causes, so Xi’s first step during his 2013 visit was to understand locals’ lives. As he gazed at the dark interior of Big Sister Shi’s home, Xi asked, “Do you have fruit trees, a vegetable garden? Is it enough to feed the family? Is there a pig?”

“No fruit trees,” Shi replied. “In good years, we’ve enough to eat, but not in bad years. As for pigs, we have two.”

“Will you eat the pigs or sell them?” Xi asked.

“How could we eat them?” she asked. “We must sell them for money to live on.”

Xi saw that her threadbare quilt was far too thin for cold mountain nights at 700 meters elevation, and that her rice jar and granary were almost empty. He immediately ordered that all 225 village households be given warm quilts, as well as rice, oil and other daily necessities.

After checking to see if Big Sister Shi’s pigs were fat and strong, he led her by the hand to sit on stools before the fire pit. “How old are you this year?” Xi asked her.

“I am 64 this year,” she replied.

Xi smiled. “You are 64 this year; I am just 60. You are 4 years older than me, so you are my big sister.”

From that day, Shi Pazhuan has been Big Sister to the nation, with visitors from home and abroad flocking to Eighteen Caves Village to take photos with her.

As Xi prepared to leave, he said, “If you ever have any needs or difficulties, be sure to let me know.”

With no hesitation, Big Sister Shi blurted out, “I want to see Beijing Tiananmen Square!”

Shortly after Xi’s departure, Shi and two other elders whom Xi had chatted with were invited to Beijing. They’d never ridden a plane, and were thrilled as they toured Tiananmen and appeared on CCTV’s “Avenue of the Stars”, and then returned home with enough memories to regale the entire village for years.

Xi’s next visit was the home of a couple in their 70s, Shi Chengfu and Long Decheng. With five years of school under his belt, Shi was a scholar by village standards, and recognized Xi Jinping. As they shook hands, the General Secretary asked, “How did you recognize me?”

“I’ve seen you on TV,” Shi said.

“Do I look the same in person as on TV?” Xi asked.

“The same!” Shi said.

Shi’s wife, who had never gone to school, had already led Xi by the hand into their home before learning that he was China’s top leader. “I stood right next to him,” she said later, “and only came up to his shoulders!”

After Xi had toured their home and inquired about their harvest, he chatted with villagers for over an hour on the small flat square in front of Shi’s house. Xi explained precision poverty alleviation, and suggested they capitalize upon their alluring Miao culture, which intrigues both Chinese and foreigners, by creating pillar industries of cultural tourism and handicraft production. He also suggested they raise fruits such as pear and kiwi (New Zealand’s famous kiwi fruit originated in China 100 years ago).

Xi’s vision captured the villagers’ imagination, but no one was more excited than Yang Chaowen, though he was over 1,000 km away in coastal Zhejiang where he’d sought work after giving up on his home village.

Yang Chaowen: Mr. Eighteen Caves Village

I almost laughed when I saw that the 45-year-old Miao entrepreneur Mr. Yang Chaowen had the characters for Eighteen Caves Village shaved on the back of his head. He certainly has a head for business!

Mr. Yang is now well loved and respected for helping lift his village from poverty, but when younger, he’d fled to the big cities in search of work—and hopefully a wife as well. His village was so destitute that no girl would marry into such poverty.

Even as a child, Yang had dreamed of escaping poverty. He saw no point in wasting more years on schooling that did not help put food on the table so he dropped out of junior high school and tried numerous schemes to get rich. He planted crops, made and sold charcoal, hawked rice noodles, raised chickens and ducks—but success eluded him. “I felt my whole life would be that way,” he said.

Yang finally fled to the cities. “The pace of city life was stressful,” he recounted, “but it beats staying home in Eighteen Caves Village.”

City life was good for Yang. Though he began as an unskilled laborer, his rapid mastery of technical skills and his work ethic impressed his boss, who gave him a generous salary of 5,200 a month and days off. Yang was happy—until he saw the TV news about Xi Jinping’s visit to his home village.

Yang was so excited that he trembled, and could not eat his dinner. He did not want to abandon a good job with a future, but, “I yearned to help lead my village’s elderly and children out of poverty.”

Yang’s wife was doubtful. “What future could we and our two sons have in Eighteen Caves Village? Please don’t quit your job! Just take a leave of absence so you can return.”

So Yang took a leave of absence, and when his wife phoned weeks later to ask why he’d not returned, he said, “You know train tickets are very expensive at the moment. Fares will be cheaper at New Year!”

His wife agreed, but at New Year, Yang’s passion was reignited when the county sent a precision poverty alleviation taskforce to lead villagers in starting businesses. “My wife was unhappy,” Yang said, “but I was confident I’d succeed and she’d eventually join me.”

Xi had suggested cultural tourism, so in the spring of 2014, Mr. Yang asked his older brother’s wife to set up Eighteen Caves Village’s first Nongjiale. They opened their doors with visions of success, only to close their doors two months later. They had few tourists, and the food they prepared for the crowds that never came spoiled because they had no refrigerator.

Undaunted, Yang tried raising chickens. The first seven or eight all died, but he bought a dozen more and they all survived. Emboldened, he bought 700 chickens, but discovered that they were expensive to raise and not easy to sell. Yang looked sober as he recalled, “I lost 20,000 to 30,000 Yuan that year – most of it borrowed from friends and family.”

But Yang’s determination and persistence had impressed his village’s leadership. “You are really capable!” a leader said. “Help us develop the village!” So Yang set his heart and mind to helping promote rural tourism and commercial production. The beautiful traditional Miao wooden architecture was restored, and they built an impressive arch on the newly widened road to the village entrance.

Yang also promoted the rich Miao culture. I was greeted at the village by Miao girls in beautiful embroidered costumes and silver headdresses. They sang, danced and beat massive Miao drums, and afterwards offered me an earthen bowl of corn whiskey—a mellow brew that warmed my already happy mood.

“Our goal was for our village to prosper,” Yang said to me, grinning, “and we achieved that goal!”

Happy Family Nongjiale

Yang was happy developing his village but he still dreamed of opening a Nongjiale, especially after witnessing the success of Qiaoxífu (Skillful daughter-in-law) Farmhouse, which opened in 2015.

“I wanted to give it another try,” Yang said, “but my family was poor. I had old and young to care for. I had already borrowed and lost money. But my uncle, who treated me like a son, urged me to try again.”

“But I don’t have a house!” I said to him.

“No problem,” his uncle said. “Use my home in the Pear Village for free. If no rent to pay, what are you afraid of? You can do it!”

Villagers grateful for Yang’s help in developing Eighteen Caves Village helped him secure loans for his new project, and the head of the precision poverty alleviation taskforce helped Yang register and obtain his Nongjiale’s official name of “Happy Family”.

By 2018, Yang had so many guests that he opened a second Nongjiale in Bamboo Village. His two farmhouses now employ over 10 villagers, and he has led over ten other households to prosperity through rural tourism. Yang had finally achieved his childhood dream of riches, and he has even greater plans for the future, but he said, “When you drink water, don’t forget who dug the well. When you’re happy, don’t forget the Party. Without precision poverty alleviation and Xí’s concern for us, we’d not have the happy life we enjoy now. We are beside ourselves with gratitude!”

While Yang is grateful for the government’s help, he is also quick to emphasize the need for self-reliance. “We must cheer ourselves on!” Yang said. “Why? Because the government has done a good job on our village appearance and infrastructure, but we must rely on ourselves to be self-reliant and start a business. The government cannot just dole out money to us. This is impossible. We must come up with ideas ourselves. If I have a good idea, I can apply for help and the government will certainly support me – but we must do our own part!”

The Source of Happy Family

As we ate lunch at “Happy Family” farmhouse, Mr. Yang asked, “Do you know the root of ‘Happy Family?’ It began the day my uncle sat by his fire, tired, and decided to take a stroll. When he opened his front door, he could not believe his eyes when he saw that General Secretary Xi was visiting our village! The village head told Xi Jinpíng, ‘This is our retired teacher.’

“Xi smiled, shook hands with my uncle, and asked, ‘Are you a retired teacher?’ When he answered yes, Xi said, ‘Good! Good! Very good!’”

Xi’s thrice-repeated praise rings in Yang’s uncle’s ears and heart to this day. To commemorate the event, Yang’s uncle wrote three couplets, one of which reads, “Happy Family”.

“And that,” Yang said triumphantly, “was the inspiration for ‘Happy Family’!”

Today, Yang does indeed have a happy family. His wife and children live with him in Eighteen Caves Village and he has achieved his childhood dreams of success.

“Is your wife happy with life here?” I asked.

Yang grinned. “Well, she thinks things could be better, but I’m getting there!”

I laughed. “I’ve been married 38 years and I’m still getting there too!”

“At least tourists are very happy,” Yang said, as we perched on bamboo stools at his low wooden table. He pointed to a dozen lunch dishes and said, “These are all local – fresh mountain vegetables, homemade tofu and duck eggs straight from the duck! People also come for large banquets, or to camp out in the beautiful mountains. We have over 20 outdoor venues!”

“When we worked in the cities,” Yang said, “we were so envious of their high-rises and parks. Why couldn’t we transform our own village? We can’t build high-rises, of course – our buildings must retain traditional Miao architecture – but our village is now much better than anything you’ll find in the cities!” Yang grinned, and added, “And we did it ourselves!”

My young Miao tour guide said, “I too sought my future in the city, but I returned home from Shenzhen.” She smiled and added, “There’s no place like home, especially when it’s prosperous!”

I marveled at the government’s efforts to help one tiny, remote Miao minority village, but it is not unusual. Days later, in S.E. China’s Yunnan on the Myanmar border, we met Lisu people who only a decade ago were some of the poorest people on the planet but today have new lives and new homes—though a few hundred had no idea how to open the new homes’ doors….