Cultural Projects Benefit the People of Tailai County

By+XU+YING

NATIVE culture is a key component of a peoples identity and the cornerstone of a nations civilization. It often supplies spiritual drive for social development， catalyzing revolution and innovation.

Tailai， a small county under the jurisdiction of Qiqihar City in Heilongjiang Province， is located at the junction of Heilongjiang， Jilin and Inner Mongolia. It has a robust， multifaceted cultural sector whose vigor is rare for any region of such modest-sized territory and population and outlying location. The benefits of cultural development there are palpable， enriching the daily lives of people in each local community and invigorating the local economy.

Tailai sits on the Nenjiang River， which nurtured the ancient civilizations of northern China. It was first inhabited prior to 2100 BC， and later became stronghold of the Khitan and Jurchen people， founders of the Liao（907-1125） and Jin （1115-1235） dynasties. It was the site of the Chinese peoples earliest organized resistance against Japanese invaders in November 1931. But Tailai is also bestowed with a trove of natural resources， most prominently， wetlands.

Over the past years the local government has overhauled and integrated its cultural and natural resources to cultivate a tourism industry with scintillating local features. And its success is evident.

Tazicheng， a military town in the Liao and Jin eras over 1，000 years ago， is one of the three best preserved ancient cities in Heilongjiang Province， and is still a fully functioning town. The distilled spirit produced there is famed throughout history and is an integral part of the frontier vibe. The town is now promoting it as a local specialty and has restored some time-honored distilleries. Meanwhile， it has built an industrial park specializing in alcoholic beverages， where buildings mimic the Liao and Jin styles.

On November 4， 1931， Chinese troops in Jiangqiao Town， Tailai， fired the first shot at Japanese invaders. On the 70th anniversary of this event， the local authority commenced construction of a 30，000-square-meter park to commemorate the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and a themed museum， in addition to a number of statues of war heroes including General Ma Zhanshan （1885-1950）. The town also rebuilt 14 local-styled hostels， a five-kilometer long marina on the bank of the Nenjiang River and viewing platforms. Today， Jiangqiao is a base for patriotic education and hub of “red” tours， receiving more than 100，000 visitors annually.

In the summer of 1998 a flood， the largest in a century， swept across regions along the Nenjiang River， including Tailai County. More than 10，000 local residents were evacuated. To accommodate the homeless， a temporary settlement named Hongsheng New Village（meaning reborn in the flood） was set up on a highland four kilometers from Daxing Town. The site was later transformed into a museum and plaza in honor of the tenacity and resilience of the local people in combating and recovering from the massive natural disaster.

Taihu seats a national wetland park. Over the past years， Tailai County has built a full infrastructure including highways， a public square， a lotus pool and an aquatic recreational park in the area， allowing tourists easy access and enriching their experiences there. The green space has also been extended and urban planning executed in a discreet and sensible manner to ensure commercial development compatible with ecoenvironmental preservation.

Mass Participation

A group of elders perform a folk opera while in another room children rehearse a dance. Despite the chill of the winter day outside， scenes inside the Peoples Cultural Palace of Tailai County are ebullient.

“It is great to get together with people of my age. Dancing can dispel all fatigue from a days work，” said Ms. Zhao who is a member of the countys Golden Age Troupe for senior amateur artists. Before joining the troupe in 2012， her life as a retiree consisted of nothing more than cleaning， cooking and watching TV. “Now my teammates and I dance together and chat， sharing our thoughts and joys.” The troupe has grown from 20 members to 300-plus and meets regularly， even in the bone-biting cold of winter in Northeast China.

According to Tailai magistrate Li Yansong， there are more cultural facilities for public activities in the county， a result of increasing financial and policy incentives for cultural undertakings. They include nine urban plazas that total 200，000 square meters and a cultural and sports center that includes a stadium， a theater， a library and an exhibition space.

“The broad masses should play the leading role in the progress of Tailais cultural sector，” commented Li Yansong. To kindle the publics interest in cultural activities and encourage their participation， the county has， with the backing of the local government， founded 25 cultural organizations with a membership topping 3，000. They include the calligraphers association， the dancersassociation， a community art troupe and a Yangge dance （a collective folk dance） team for senior citizens. These organizations draw on local events and native culture for their repertoire， and offer regular performances and exhibitions in neighborhoods， schools and factories in both rural and urban areas. Many have bifurcated into sub-associations. For instance， the literature associations now have five branches on poetry， painting and other subjects. One poetry branch alone consists of 158 clubs under it， thanks to the traditional penchant for the art in the region.

It is a long-held mission of the Chinese government at all levels to close the urban-rural divide， which is found not only in economic but also cultural development. In 2007 Tailai set the goal of cultivating “cultured farmers and a culturally advanced countryside.” It has since funded 200-odd musical instruments or other provisions for rural residents and supported the establishment of 60 or more farmers art groups who give free performances to fellow villagers in the slack season and at festivals.

The county government also sponsored a rural library scheme aimed to promote agricultural science and technology among rural residents. On the day this reporter visited one such library in Jieji Village， a score of farmers were in the reading room. One of them， who was poring over a booklet on how to grow high-yield vegetables， said， “It is good to do some reading here during the slack season as books enrich my knowledge and broaden my vision. It also helps me prepare for the farm work next spring.”

There are at present 83 village libraries across the county with a total collection exceeding 200，000 books and daily average visits above 2，000.

The varied cultural activities in Tailai have injected vigor in both urban and rural communities， lifting local morale and improving peoples quality of life as well.

Improving Prospects

In recent years， Tailai County has launched a range of livelihood projects， allowing the average citizen to benefit from the development of the county –infrastructure， environment and life. Urban construction reflects improvement in peoples living standards and quality of life. Designated zones for recreation， business and residence， and the “twodistrict， one-town” project to transform the shantytowns， old buildings and adobe thatched cottages are examples of Tailais makeover. In the last couple of years， the county has renovated 783 houses in the shantytowns and 3，715 thatched cottages and dilapidated houses， and constructed 110 low-rent apartments. This project allowed over 4，500 households to realize the dream of a safe and stable home.

For years， people had to grin and bear illness because of a lack of funds to pay for care. “We would ignore minor ailments， and suffer through major ones，” one resident commented. Now， the new rural cooperative medical care and urban residents basic medical care plans cover almost all people living in the county. Joining a health care scheme allays peoples worries of developing major illness. In 2013， 24，023 people participated in the urban workers basic medical care scheme， 34，578 people in the urban residents basic medical care scheme and 198，807 in the new rural cooperative medical care plan.

As well as sound healthcare provisions， education is regarded as key to developing the county and is central to Tailai decision-makers strategy. In recent years， the county has allocated special funds to renovate and build teaching institutions， and update teaching equipment. It also rallied donations from all social sectors for primary and junior high boarding school students living expenses. In 2013， the county also earmarked funds for nutritious meals for rural students in compulsory education.

Gainful employment is widespread. The local government strives to increase employment subsidies， small loans， training subsidies and welfare positions. It also launched a range of policies to promote job growth and help the unemployed or disadvantaged find jobs. The government has also stimulated the employment rate by providing training， loans and technological guidance for new entrepreneurs， as well as promoting labor service export.

In the last several years， Tailai has improved the living environment and livelihoods of its residents， and enriched their cultural life. Residential communities， road networks and well-functioning senior care homes， as well as schools， hospitals， activity centers and public squares， are the keys to a more colorful and happy life.

Cultural Projects for Senior Citizens

Jiangqiao is known as the site of the earliest organized resistance against Japanese invaders in China. But today， among local people， it has a different significance as the site of a new retirement home for senior citizens.

On entering， we are greeted by welllighted spacious rooms. On the walls hang paintings and calligraphic works created by the centers residents. They sit in small groups， playing chess， dancing or chatting. “Here， we eat the vegetables we grow ourselves， live in wellappointed rooms， and watch the LCD TV，” said one resident surnamed Zhao.“It is our home.”

The nursing home covers 50，000 square meters of land， with a construction area of 10，860 square meters. This is the largest nursing home in Heilongjiang Province and has about 1，000 residents. They include seniors from rural areas with no income or children， disabled soldiers and those with special needs due to physical disabilities.

This is not the only facility for senior citizens. In Tailai， about 85 percent of the rural elderly without income or children live in public nursing homes like this one. In the past， it was not easy for the elderly to find safe sites for exercise. Moreover， outdoor exercise had many limits – freezing cold in winter， burning hot in summer and too many rainy days. In 2011， the local government relocated several departments to clear a space of 5，165 square meters， and earmarked RMB 28 million to transform it into high-end activity centers for the elderly. In addition to the original retirement center， Tailai now has four well positioned centers that can accommodate as many as 2，000 people. Tailai Countys actions in this area have received much praise.

When we visited the senior care home on Jinyuan Street， we heard melodious orchestral music and laughter. On an LED screen in the lobby， the weekly activity schedule， offered to men over 60 and women over 55， showed a plethora of options： music， gym， yoga， painting， Peking Opera. All classes and activities are free. All participants need to do is apply for a membership card. Teachers from the senior peoples university and coaches from cultural and sports associations are themselves elderly volunteers that provide services and manage the centers. In the last several years， elderly art troupes have taken part in various competitions in Qiqihar City or Heilongjiang Province， and won awards. The four activity centers have now established management systems， service organization， learning plans and stable expense sponsors. Tailais trial allows the elderly in both urban and rural areas to enjoy their retirement.

By the end of my visit one question remained： With a limited budget， why did the county government allocate such a large proportion of funds to senior care？ Liu Haicheng， secretary of the CPC Tailai County Committee， explained that people aged 60 and above amount to 48，000， accounting for 14.5 percent of the countys total population. In other words， elder issues concern every family and are， therefore， a focus of livelihood projects. If the elderly dont live well， a series of problems could come to light. But if they feel appreciated， immeasurable social benefits would accrue.

Indeed， the silver generation has become a positive force， promoting family harmony and community peace in Tailai. They are active advocates of economic development and monitors of livelihood projects. Tailais cultural projects have succeeded on several levels， reawakening emotions among people and achieving a big leap in senior care with modest revenue.