Xie Ai'e [Women of China/Zhang Jiamin]

Xie Ai'e, member of the village committee of Bindouhu, a village in Honghu (a city in Central China's Hubei Province), and president of the women's federation of Bindouhu Village, visited Beijing on November 6, 2021. As a non-voting delegate, she attended the opening ceremony of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee held on November 8. When Xie learned she was the only grassroots-working cadre from Hubei who was a non-voting delegate to attend the sixth plenary session, she felt it was a great honor. "In fact, it was more than an honor for me; it gave me a sense of mission, and responsibility," Xie recalls.

During the plenary session, Xie watched as delegates voted to adopt a landmark resolution on the major achievements and historical experience of the CPC over the past century.

"The resolution reviews the splendid, 100-year journey the CPC has gone through. It reflects the glory of socialism, with Chinese characteristics, and it represents an epic during the thousands of years of the Chinese nation's history," Xie says.

Three significant CPC-related events took place in 2021; the grand celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, the learning of Party history, and the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee. All three of the events involved the review of CPC members' hard work during the past 100 years.

"We, Party members and people from the grassroots, believe firmly that under the leadership of our General Secretary, Xi Jinping, and with the united efforts of our Party, and from people of all ethnic groups and from across our country, we will overcome whatever difficulties, and we will surely embrace a better future," Xie adds.

Taking Root

After she returned to Hubei, Xie began attending events to share what she had learned during the plenary session. She communicated with senior Party members, and with civil servants and villagers from Luoshan, a town in Honghu. Xie is a native of Honghu. "People from Honghu followed our Communist Party of China during the revolution, and they have built Honghu into a prosperous hometown since the People's Republic of China was founded. We have fought against flood disasters, the epidemic of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and we have shaken off poverty to live a well-off life. We have achieved these because we uphold the Party's leadership, put the people first and stand up for ourselves," Xie says.

As she is beginning a new journey of hard work, Xie wants to be a pioneer, who studies, promotes and implements the spirit of the plenary session. She vows to act as a bridge, to link the Party and government with ordinary people, and to help the spirit of the plenary session take root in people's hearts. "I should think about our people all the time, and keep in close connection with them. I should solve problems of pressing public concerns and enhance people's sense of gain, happiness and security, by providing them better and more efficient services," Xie explains.

People First

As a Party member, Xie has firmly implemented the concept of "putting the people first." In 1992, then-23-year-old Xie heard Chuantouzui, a village located on Honghu Lake, did not have a doctor. She had married He Taiyu, and both Xie and He were doctors. The newlyweds decided to open a clinic on a boat.

During the following 25 years, Xie and He treated combined 30,000-plus patients, they made more than 3,000 visits to patients' homes, and they helped transfer 100-plus pregnant women to hospital.

In 2016, residents of Chuantouzui, who had lived in boathouses on Honghu Lake, began moving onto the shore. Xie and He also settled in a new residential community that year. With support from the local government, Xie and other village cadres have established two workshops to help villagers earn stable incomes. As president of the women's federation of her village, Xie has organized local women to attend free training sessions, so the women can learn various skills, such as cooking, postnatal care, housekeeping and e-commerce.

To be a "bridge" that links the Party with ordinary people, Xie not only cures her patients' diseases, she also chats with her patients to learn about their needs. "After the villagers relocated from boathouses onto the shore, some of them found it was difficult to adapt to the new lifestyle. They liked to chat with me. I always helped them find solutions. Everything our ordinary people care about matters. I keep them in my mind, and I make those things a priority," Xie says.

Xie holds many titles; for example, delegate to the 19th CPC National Congress, national outstanding Party member, the most beautiful village doctor, and national March 8th Red-banner Pacesetter. Xie believes such honors represent the approval and trust of the people. Also, she has a greater sense of responsibility.

When asked what she plans to do during this year, Xie says she will continue promoting the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, especially to women. "I will work with cadres of our village to improve villagers' lives. I will also lead women of my village to grasp new skills and contribute their strength in rural revitalization," Xie says.

(Women of China English Monthly January 2022 issue)