News//Beautiful Villages

China's Beautiful Villages policy will bring prosperity to its vast rural areas offers many benefits. It also discourages belief in God.

The promise

China has many beautiful cities. One-third of its population lives in its cities.

That leaves about one billion people who live in rural areas. Until recently, those rural areas missed out on a fair portion of the government's economic aid. But "President Xi Jinping has demanded nationwide efforts to emulate the transformation of East China's Zhejiang province in building a beautiful countryside with a pleasant living environment to increase the sense of gain and happiness for all rural residents."  

Huang Zuhui, dean of the China Academy for Rural Development at Zhejiang University explained to China  Daily, "Through implementing the rural vitalization strategy, the longtime imbalance in the development of China's urban and rural areas and the insufficiency in China's rural area development will be addressed."

According to The Diplomat, "In keeping with President Xi Jinping’s goal to transform China into “a beautiful country” by 2050, the central government plans to turn ailing villages into themed “charming villages” in the hopes that they will become prime tourist attractions, create a thriving economy, and help narrow the urban-rural divide that has left much of the rural population in poverty.

The catch

Bitter Winter warns of a sinister threat to China's villages in the Beautiful Villages initiative. "[The concept] evokes bad memories for older Chinese. It was part of Chairman Mao’s Great Leap Forward, …[although] Xi Jinping insists that there is now a new and different NSC policy. However, the general concept remains rooted in Mao’s era. Villages are proclaimed 'beautiful' if they conform to parameters decided in Beijing, not at the local levels. There is a complicated system of points. 1,000 points are available, and in order to be declared a “Beautiful Village” one should come close to the maximum. There are a number of advantages in becoming a “Beautiful Village,” including for local leaders aspiring to be promoted.

"The Beautiful Village Policy is sold to foreigners as China’s answer to the worldwide concern for ecology and for protecting historical heritage…. What is really happening is a 'museumification' of religious buildings. They are protected or even restored, but holding religious rituals there becomes forbidden…. 'Beautiful Villages' are supposed to be free of illegal religious activities. The 2021 Central Document asks to 'intensify the crackdown on illegal religious activities in rural areas and overseas religious infiltration activities, and stop the use of religion to interfere with rural public affairs.' Also, 'feudal superstitions' should be eliminated, which is a code word for Feng Shui and divination.”

 Sources: China Daily, The Diplomat, Chinadaily, Xinhuanet, Bitter Winter