From Party Secretary to Online Celebrity
China Today (English)|August 2020
ZHANG Fei, aged 34, is the first Party secretary for poverty alleviation in Ganjiagou Village, Xiaojin County, Abe Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. In July 2019, his short videos of his family having dinner at their mountain home were posted on social media, and in no time they went viral. The tens of millions of views have since helped Zhang achieve celebrity status, something he accredits to the scenery and appreciation of family life.
MA LI
From Party Secretary to Online Celebrity

“My videos show my family having dinner in our yard. In the forefront, there is our dining table loaded with steaming dishes, while in the background, there is a misty mountainside. Such an ethereal lifestyle is attractive to many people,” said Zhang. The popularity of his 10-second videos revealed to him the unlimited possibilities of the Internet, and sparked his hope about rural rejuvenation in Ganjiagou Village.

Since his first short video was released in November 2016, short videos and live streaming have become a way for local villagers to increase their income. “At the end of 2018, through short videos and live streaming, villagers sold sausages and bacon worth more than RMB 300,000. In the summer of 2019, they sold more than RMB 300,000 worth of matsutake mushrooms,” said Zhang. In his eyes, the Internet economy has given people living in the mountains more opportunities to make money and opened their hearts and minds which had been long closed. “This is very important. It is a change from the inside out, from thinking to action,” he said.

By the end of 2018, 109 people from 26 poverty-alleviation households in Ganjiagou had lifted themselves out of poverty with the help of the government and the poverty-alleviation team. Consolidating the gains and pursuing rural renewal are now part of Zhang’s daily routine.

There are still many things to be done,” Zhang told China Today. He is currently working with Ganjiagou villagers on a plan to develop tourism on the mountain and wineries below the mountain.

First Encounter with Ganjiagou Village

Zhang Fei comes from Anhui Province. He joined the cultural and tourism bureau of Xiaojin County in 2010, after being discharged from the army in Sichuan. In July 2016, he was sent to Ganjiagou Village to serve as the first Party secretary for poverty alleviation.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2020 من China Today (English).

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2020 من China Today (English).

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من CHINA TODAY (ENGLISH) مشاهدة الكل
A City with Vision for the Future
China Today (English)

A City with Vision for the Future

LOCATED on the edge of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at one of the farthest points in China from the sea, stands a city that began to embrace its great economic takeoff just 10 years ago.

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2021
Setting out on the Great Rejuvenation
China Today (English)

Setting out on the Great Rejuvenation

THE centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was marked by a grand gathering held on July 1 at Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August 2021
A Similar History Has United Us
China Today (English)

A Similar History Has United Us

— Interview with Carlos Miguel Pereira, Ambassador of Cuba to China

time-read
10+ mins  |
August 2021
The CPC's 100 Years of “Routine Miracles”
China Today (English)

The CPC's 100 Years of “Routine Miracles”

AT a grand ceremony commemorating the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square on July 1, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, solemnly declared the completion of building China into a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the country’s first centenary goal.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2021
An Open Xinjiang with Multi-Ethnic Beliefs
China Today (English)

An Open Xinjiang with Multi-Ethnic Beliefs

SINCE ancient times, Xinjiang has been a region where ethnic groups live together, religious beliefs are diversified, and many cultures coexist. Primitive religion and Shamanism were initially prevalent in the region.

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2021
Xinjiang in My Eyes
China Today (English)

Xinjiang in My Eyes

ON May 24, 2021, I boarded a flight to Urumqi from Beijing with a group of Chinese and foreign journalists to learn more about Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a vast territory that is home to many ethnic groups and diverse cultures. The visit has left me with lasting memories and a deeper understanding of the people and the region as a whole.

time-read
6 mins  |
August 2021
Stability and Development Are the Strongest Evidences of Human Rights
China Today (English)

Stability and Development Are the Strongest Evidences of Human Rights

OVER the past months hostile elements in certain Western countries have trumped-up charges against China concerning human rights in Xinjiang, spreading lies about “forced labor,” “genocide,” and “religious oppression” in the region.

time-read
6 mins  |
August 2021
BRI Nexus Promoting Multilateralism in a Post-Pandemic World
China Today (English)

BRI Nexus Promoting Multilateralism in a Post-Pandemic World

BORN of centuries-long interactions between China and other civilizations along the ancient Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) appears as the quintessential manifestation of multilateralism on the world stage since the Second World War which was, sad to say, one of quite a different kind.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2021
Tourism Boosts Rural Revitalization in Ili
China Today (English)

Tourism Boosts Rural Revitalization in Ili

THEY say you never know how big China is until you come to Xinjiang, and never know how beautiful Xinjiang is until you come to Ili.

time-read
6 mins  |
August 2021
Xinjiang's Cotton Industry Gets Smart
China Today (English)

Xinjiang's Cotton Industry Gets Smart

LOCATED in the northwest of China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region boasts long hours of sunshine and ample water for irrigation — making the region geographically ideal for growing cotton. Cotton grown in Xinjiang, which has good coloration and long fiber, is favored in both domestic and foreign markets.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2021