福建——精准扶贫的摇篮

Fujian—Cradle of Precise Poverty Alleviation

福建—精准扶贫的摇篮

思明区理论宣讲轻骑兵  潘维廉博士

Many think that history will remember 2020 for China’s victory over COVID-19, but an even greater victory this year is China’s eradication of absolute poverty through “precise poverty alleviation”—a philosophy that Xi Jinping crafted and honed during his 17 years in Fujian. His policies and practices were so insightful and effective that many were adopted nationwide long before anyone dreamed that the young provincial leader would become Chairman Xi.

很多人认为，因为中国战胜新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情，历史将铭记2020年，但今年更伟大的胜利是中国通过实施“精准扶贫”消灭绝对贫困。“精准扶贫”是习近平在福建工作17年间提出并完善的思想。他的政策和做法富有见地、卓有成效，许多政策和做法早在人们预见这位年轻的省领导将成为主席之前就在全国范围内被采纳。

Xi likely inherited some of his farsightedness from his father. When Xin Zhongxun saw that many Guangdong youth were fleeing to prosperous Hong Kong, he suggested resolving the problem not with a “Hong Kong Wall” but by narrowing the gap in living standards between Hong Kong and Guangdong. This led to the creation of Shenzhen as one of 4 Special Economic Zones, and in 1985, Xi Zhongxun’s young son became vice mayor of Xiamen Special Economic Zone.  

习近平很可能继承了他父亲的远见卓识。当习仲勋看到广东许多年轻人偷渡到繁荣的香港时，他建议解决偷渡问题，不要建造“香港墙”，而是要缩小广东和香港的生活水平差距。作为4个经济特区之一的深圳特区因此应运而生。1985年，习仲勋年轻的儿子成为了厦门经济特区的副市长。

From day one, the 32-year-old Xi tackled Xiamen’s problems the same way he would later approach provincial and national issues. He carefully explored the island, engaged in careful research, and engaged in precision targeting of problems and solutions implemented with such long-term comprehensive plans as the "1985-2000 Xiamen Economic and Social Development Strategy." Xiamen was so successful that in 1994 the city became one of only 15 cities elevated to vice-provincial level status.

履职第一天起，32岁的习近平就用他后来处理省和国家问题的方法来处理厦门的问题。他对厦门进行了细致的考察调研，对“1985年-2000年厦门经济社会发展战略”等长期综合规划实施中存在的问题和解决办法进行了精准定位，取得了显著成效。1994年，厦门成功晋级为全国仅有的15个副省级城市之一。

Xi was very pragmatic, and warned that it wasn’t enough for an SEZ to simply offer tax exemptions and then sit back and wait for foreign investment to pour in. “Foreign companies not only want to save money,” he said “they also want to make more money and be able to do business easily and smoothly,” hence Xi’s emphasis on building stable business environments and good infrastructure.

习近平非常务实，他告诫说，仅提供税收减免，然后坐等外国投资涌入，对经济特区而言是不够的。他说：“外国公司不仅想省钱，还想赚更多的钱和轻松顺利地做生意”，因此，习近平强调要建立稳定的商业环境和良好的基础设施。

To ensure sustainability, Xi addressed not just economic issues but also environmental protection, such as reclaiming Yuandang Lake. As he would say years later, “Don’t destroy a real treasure to gain a false one.”

为确保发展的可持续性，习近平不仅关注经济问题，还关注环境保护，比如筼筜湖治理。正如他多年后指出：“不要为了得到一个虚假的宝藏而毁掉一个真正的宝藏。”

Even as Xi embraced Xiamen’s future, he cherished and sought to preserve its rich past. Some of his ideas, such as restoring Bagua Mansion, helped lay the groundwork for Gulanyu’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site almost 30 years later. And years later, his understanding of Fujian’s Maritime Silk Route led to his historic One Belt One Road Initiative.

在习近平拥抱厦门的未来之际，他十分重视厦门丰富历史的保护。他的一些观点，譬如修复八卦楼，为30年后鼓浪屿被联合国教科文组织列为世界遗产奠定了基础。多年后，他对福建海上丝绸之路的理解，促成了他具有历史意义的“一带一路”倡议。

In 1988, Xi was transferred from beautiful Xiamen Island to Northeast Fujian’s Ningde, one of China’s 18 poorest counties. When his family worried about his poor living conditions, he replied cheerfully, “At least the scenery is beautiful.”

1988年，习近平从美丽的厦门岛调到福建东北部的宁德任职，这是全国18个贫困区之一。当家人担心他生活条件差时，他高兴地回答：“至少风景很美”。

China’s First “Barefoot First Secretary”

中国第一个“赤脚第一书记”

For decades, China’s Barefoot Doctors lived and worked with those they served, and even today, global leaders hold up Barefoot Doctors as a model for poor nations’ universal health care. While we no longer have Barefoot Doctors, thanks to Xi Jinping’s lead, we do have what I have termed Barefoot First Secretaries.

几十年来，中国的赤脚医生与他们所服务的人一起生活和工作。即使在今天，全球领导人仍将赤脚医生视为贫穷国家全民医疗保健的模式。虽然我们不再有赤脚医生，但由于习近平的领导，我们确实有我所说的赤脚第一书记。

In 1986, China established a special poverty alleviation agency, the State Council’s Leading Group for Economic Development in Poor Areas. This did help county economies but the weak link was the lack of direct contact with poor farmers and households. But at that very time, Xi Jinping in Ningde was working at the grassroots level in ways that would later be emulated by the First Secretaries across China. I’ve met many of them, from Fujian to Ningxia and Tibet, and they live and serve just as “barefoot” as the Barefoot Doctors before them.  

1986年，中国成立了专门的扶贫机构，国务院贫困地区经济开发领导小组。这确实有助于县域经济，但薄弱环节是缺乏与贫困农户和家庭的直接联系。也就在那个时候，习近平在宁德基层的工作方式，后来被全国各地的第一书记所效仿。从福建到宁夏和西藏，我见过很多第一书记，他们像以前的赤脚医生一样“赤脚”地生活和服务。

Xi immediately won peoples’ hearts by visiting every Ningde village, talking to the farmers themselves and even working their fields with them. He scrutinized the specific causes of poverty in each setting and stressed using precise force to cure problems’ root causes. He stressed blood production over blood transfusion. While aid is often needed initially, aid can foster dependency, but fostering internal motivation and ability empowers the people, engenders self-sufficiency and helps heal the “poverty of spirit.”

习近平走遍宁德的每一个村庄，亲自与农民交谈，甚至与农民一起种田，迅速赢得了民心。他仔细研究每一个环境中贫困的具体原因，并强调使用精准的力量从根本上解决问题。他强调造血胜于输血。尽管初期的援助常常是需要的，但援助会养成依赖，而激发人民的内在动力，提升能力，自给自足，有助于治愈“精神贫困”。

Like today’s Barefoot First Secretaries, Xi wholeheartedly fought poverty and accepted no less from others. In 1988, he criticized government offices for displaying “Excellence” and “Number One” awards that had nothing to do with economic development.  He wrote,

像今天的赤脚第一书记一样，习近平全身心投入脱贫工作，且要求其他人同样如此。1988年，他批评政府部门陈列与经济发展无关的“优秀奖”和“第一名”的奖项。他写道，

“Hanging up so many award banners without one for economic development was not very impressive. To put it more politely, it reflected working hard without performing a true service. Working without setting priorities and sticking to the fundamentals is simply tinkering.”

“悬挂这么多获奖横幅，却没有一条与经济发展有关，无法给人深刻印象。委婉地说，这反映的是没有提供真正服务的努力工作。工作不分主次，不坚持根本，简直是乱弹琴。

Xi also lashed out at corruption, prompting some to urge caution. Xi replied, “Should we upset three million people or thousands of officials who violate Party discipline?”

习近平还强力反腐，敦促一些人谨慎行事。习近平的答复：“我们该得罪300万人民，还是该得罪违反党纪的几千名官员？”

In Xiamen, Xi had learned to craft comprehensive long-term plans, and he did the same for Ningde, including improved infrastructure, education and technical training, and medical care.

习近平在厦门学会了制定全面的长期规划，他也为宁德制定了长期综合规划，包括改善基础设施、教育、技术培训以及医疗保健。

At the same time as Xi Jinping oversaw large-scale longterm macro plans, he also made pragmatic suggestions for each area, such as Gutian mushrooms, Xiapu seawee and mustard root, Fu’an electricial machinery, Zherong pharmaceuticals. Xi expected that as one industry grew, it would drive the growth of others and lead to the areas’ development. His vision bore fruit. Today, the formerly 18th poorest county in China now exports fruits, seafood and specialty teas such as its famous white tea—an industry spearheaded by one of Ningde’s first college graduates to return and seek his fortune in his hometown. Xi also especially emphasized preserving the natural environment and promoting cultural tourism with rural farmhouses, rafting, sales of local cultural products and handicrafts, etc.

在习近平主持大规模长期宏观规划的同时，他还对古田香菇、霞浦海带和榨菜、福安电机、柘荣医药等各个领域提出了务实的建议。习近平希望一个产业发展起来，带动其他产业的发展，并带动地区的发展。他的远见结出了硕果。如今，这个曾经的全国18个贫困地区现在大量出口水果、海鲜和特色茶。比如著名的白茶，这是宁德第一批返乡创业的大学毕业生所开创的行业。习近平还特别强调保护自然环境，以及以农村民宿、漂流、销售当地文化产品和手工艺品等促进文化旅游。

Ningde was also where Xi first had close contact with a minority, the She, and he and his wife both emphasized preserving their culture and heritage, especially their music. In Xi “Ethnic Work Briefing, he emphasized,

宁德也是习近平第一次与少数民族－畲族接触的地方，他和妻子都强调保护畲族的文化和遗产，特别是他们的音乐。习近平在民族工作报告中强调，

"To achieve a well-off society in an all-round way, there must be no minority and no one left behind."

“全面建设小康社会，少数民族一个都不能少，一个都不能掉队。”

In 1999, Xi wrote, "I and the She people have fate (缘分)…My heart is tied to the She people."  But as we’ve seen since then in his visits across the country, his heart is tied to all of China’s people—minorities and Han Chinese alike.

1999年，习近平曾写道：“我和畲族有缘份……，我的心系着畲族人民”。但正如我们从他在全国各地的访问中看到的那样，他的心系着全国各族人民，少数民族和汉族人民一样。

After two years of remarkable changes in Ningde, Xi moved to Fuzhou, where he immediately developed the Fuzhou 3820 Project with strategic goals for 3, 8 and 20 years, but even as he oversaw a large number of complex programs, he continued to travel across Fujian, visiting every corner of Fujian even as he had Ningde, as well as poor areas in other provinces.

在宁德经历了两年的显著变化后，习近平调到福州。上任后，他立即着手谋划“福州3820工程”，提出3年、8年和20年经济社会发展的战略目标。即使在他监督大量的复杂项目的时候，他仍如在宁德一样，继续在福建各地考察，走遍福建每一个角落，以及其他省份的贫困地区。

In 1996, Xi Jinping, led a delegation to Ningxia and a year later proposed a resettlement program to move entire communities from desolate areas such as Xihaigu to more fertile land. Over 1 million people have now benefited from this program, which was so successful that it was later adopted across the entire country.

1996年，习近平率团来到宁夏，并在一年后提出将像西海固这样荒凉地区的社区整体搬迁到更加肥沃的地方的异地搬迁安置计划。目前已有超过100万人受益于这项计划，该计划非常成功，后来在全国范围内推广。

For 3 decades, I’ve watched the career of the man who would eventually lead China to become the first nation in history to vanquish absolute poverty. The sheer magnitude of China’s victory is seen only when you compare it with the failure of even the wealthiest nations to help their poor.

三十年来，我一直关注着习近平的事业，他将引领中国成为历史上第一个战胜绝对贫困的国家。只有将中国的胜利与即使是最富有的国家扶贫的失败相比较时，才能看到中国胜利的伟大。

In September, 2000, China joined all UN nations in fighting poverty by signing the Sustainable Development Goals. China was the first developing nation to reach that goal, even though it had less than 10% of the world’s cultivated land to feed almost 20% of the world’s population.

2000年9月，中国与联合国全体成员国共同签署旨在消除贫困的可持续发展目标。中国是第一个达成这一目标的发展中国家，中国拥有不到世界10%的耕地，却养活了世界近20%的人口。

When Xi Jinping became president in 2012, China still had nearly 100 million poor people—greater than the population of all but 11 of the world’s 233 countries at that time. But far from being intimidated, in 2015, President Xi declared that China would vanquish absolute poverty by 2020.

2012年习近平就任国家主席时，中国仍有近1亿贫困人口，超过当时世界233个国家中除11个国家外的所有贫困人口的总和。但习主席非但没有被吓倒，反而在2015年宣布中国将在2020年前战胜绝对贫困。

On 3 Feb. 2016, the World Economic Forum noted,

2016年2月3日，世界经济论坛指出，

“For more than two decades [1990-2015] China served as the most potent anti-poverty weapon the world has ever known….Of every five people in the world who escaped poverty during this span — a total of roughly 1.1 billion people — three were Chinese.”

“20多年来（1990-2015年），中国一直是世界上最强大的反贫困武器……。在这段时间里，全球约11亿人摆脱贫困，每五个就有三个是中国人。”

Yet in spite of China’s astonishing achievements, the World Bank now projects that half a billion people will still live in extreme poverty in 2030. 　The rest of the world’s utter failure to alleviate poverty led the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to say,

尽管中国取得了惊人的成就，然而世界银行现在预计，2030年仍有5亿人生活在赤贫状态。世界其他地区在减贫方面的彻底失败导致联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯说，

“China’s targeted poverty alleviation is the world’s only way to help the poor and reach the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

“中国的精准扶贫是世界帮助贫困人口、实现《2030年可持续发展目标议程》的惟一途径。”

Xi is also using precise poverty alleviation to tackle poverty in other nations, thanks to his Bridge and Road Initiative, which was inspired by Fujian’s ancient Maritime Silk  Route. My youngest son, Matthew, and his wife do volunteer medical work in Africa, and even in the remotest regions, Matthew has seen Chinese helping to build Africa’s roads, highways, railways, dams, hospitals, schools, ports—the very same practices that China used to lift itself from poverty. So in spite of the World Bank’s dire predictions and Western nations’ inaction, the poor nations of the earth do have some hope—but only because of the visionary leader who honed his philosophies and practices while he spent, as he himself said, the “most beautiful young years of his life in Fujian.”

由于受福建古代海上丝绸之路启发而提出的“一带一路”倡议，他还利用精准扶贫来帮助解决其他国家的贫困问题。我最小的儿子马修和他的妻子在非洲作医疗志愿者，即使在最偏远的地方，马修都看到中国人帮助非洲修建道路、高速公路、铁路、水坝、医院、学校和港口，与中国过去帮助自己摆脱贫困的做法一样。因此，尽管世界银行做出了可怕的预测，西方国家无所作为，但地球上的穷国确实有一些希望－这仅仅是因为这位有远见卓识的领导人，如他自己所说的“在福建度过他生命中最美好的年轻岁月”的同时，历练了他的思想和实践。

After watching Xi Jinping for over 3 decades, I think that the best description of his character was made by former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who in 2007 said of Xi Jinping,

在观察了习近平30多年之后，我认为新加坡前总理李光耀最能描述他的性格，他在2007年谈到了习近平，

“I would put him in the Nelson Mandela class of persons. A person with enormous emotional stability who does not allow his personal misfortunes or sufferings to affect his judgment. In other words, he is impressive.”

“我会把他归入纳尔逊·曼德拉级别的人物。他沉着冷静，不会让自己的不幸或痛苦影响自己的判断。换句话说，他令人印象深刻。”

Thanks to Xi Jinping and Fujian, China has achieved its dream of eliminating poverty.

My dream is that we persist until this China Dream becomes the World Dream.

感谢习近平和福建，中国实现了消除贫困的梦想。

我的梦想是我们坚持到这个中国梦成为世界梦。

（作者单位：厦门大学管理学院　推荐单位：思明区委宣传部）