KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for new achievements on China’s path to modernisation, recalling the story of “Half a Quilt” at a gathering marking the 90th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory in the Long March, China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported.
“Only by remembering history can we create a brighter future,” said Xi, stressing that the people’s support was crucial to the Long March’s victory.
In the winter of 1934, three female Red Army soldiers stayed at the home of Xu Jiexiu, a poor villager in Shazhou Village, Hunan province. Seeing that her family had little to keep them warm, the soldiers cut their only quilt in half and left a portion with her.
The gesture became known as the story of “Half a Quilt”, a symbol of the bond between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the people.
Shazhou now provides monthly subsidies for residents aged 60 and above, covers half of villagers’ basic medical insurance contributions and runs a child-friendly service programme across nine neighbouring villages, according to CGTN in a statement.
Xu’s grandson, Zhu Xiaohong, who once lived in poverty, opened a restaurant after receiving culinary training with support from local authorities. “In the past, the Red Army gave us half a quilt; now the Party has brought us happy lives,” Zhu has said.
The village has also restored revolutionary sites, developed tourism around them and improved its environment through river management, sewage treatment and waste collection, while the wider area has promoted speciality fruit growing and agritourism.
Shazhou was removed from the list of impoverished villages in 2018. By 2025, villagers’ annual per capita net income had risen to more than 25,000 Chinese yuan from less than 4,000 Chinese yuan (about US$634) in 2012, while collective village income grew from virtually zero to over one million Chinese yuan. (US$1 = RM4.07)
Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor of politics and international relations at East China Normal University, told CGTN that the Long March showed public trust is built by addressing people’s needs, a lesson he said also applied to poverty alleviation today.
— BERNAMA
