Film on everyday anti-poverty heroes charms Chinese audiences

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- A documentary film that highlights how young Communist Party of China (CPC) members have contributed to China's historic victory in the fight against extreme poverty has won over Chinese audiences, some of whom were grassroots officials themselves.

Produced by Xinhua News Agency, the documentary film "My People My Devotion" was released on Dec. 3.

With a Chinese title that roughly translates to "We are the first Party secretaries," referring to often young individuals dispatched to villages across China to aid the nation's anti-poverty fight, the film depicts their spirit of dedication in support of the poor, fulfilling their mission and pledge to the people.

Jie Shunhu, a 35-year-old teacher at a middle school in east China's Zhejiang Province who was a first Party secretary himself, said after watching the film that he was "deeply touched by the professional capabilities, down-to-earth work style and dedicated spirit of the first Party secretaries" in the film.

"When watching the film, I found myself unconsciously putting myself in the position of those first Party secretaries. If I were them, what would I do to increase the incomes of the villagers?" Jie said.

"I tip my hat to the first Party secretaries for their courage, audacity, and defiance in the face of difficulties and obstacles," Jie said.

In early 2021, China held a grand gathering in Beijing to honor model poverty fighters and mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments.

At the gathering, China announced that it had eliminated absolute poverty after lifting its remaining 98.99 million rural residents out of poverty over the past eight years.

In the war against poverty, China has, since late 2012, selected over 500,000 cadres as the first CPC secretaries of villages and has sent more than 3 million cadres to impoverished villages to battle poverty on the front lines.

According to a white paper, more than 1,800 Party members and officials lost their lives in the cause of poverty alleviation.

Chen Chen, a 25-year-old moviegoer from Hefei, the capital of east China's Anhui Province, said it was absolutely necessary to dedicate a film to present the stories of the everyday heroes in the anti-poverty fight.

"The film allows me to learn more about their hard work, perseverance and courage. They have set an example for youths," Chen said.

According to the producer, the filming took more than two years. The film aims to provide moviegoers with a true "emotional immersion" experience through the inclusion of relevant news stories.

One of the stories in the film took place in a village in Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. By the end of 2019, all registered poor residents in Tibet had shaken off poverty, marking the elimination of absolute poverty in the region for the first time in history.

Wang Xuzhang, head of an assistance team in a village of Nagqu City in Tibet, had similar experiences to those depicted in the film.

"We live and work together with farmers and herdsmen. We listen to their opinions, help resolve their difficulties and increase their incomes, thus ensuring the implementation of Party and government policies at the grassroots level," Wang said.