The story of Xi Jinping and Project Hope

"The healthy growth of young people is the future of the country and the nation. Entering the new era, the Communist Youth League must do a better job in the Hope Project, strive to provide new support for young people and sow new hope." On November 19, 2019, on the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Hope Project, General Secretary Xi Jinping sent a heartfelt message.

Since 1989, 35 years of ups and downs, this social welfare project named "Hope" with the original intention of improving basic education facilities in poor areas and helping out-of-school teenagers in poor areas to return to school has conveyed the warmth of the party and lit up the dreams and future of millions of young people.

From the local to the central level, Xi Jinping always puts the education and training of young people in an important position in his heart, always thinking about the Hope Project, leaving behind touching stories.

"Strongly support and actively participate in the Hope Project"

"Dongmei is very inspiring. I am very happy that she was admitted to Fujian Normal University. It is not easy for a poor family to have a college student. When I leave Fujian, the comrades in the county should give more care and care on my behalf so that my child can grow up better in college." In October 2002, before leaving Fujian to take up his post in Zhejiang, Xi Jinping specifically instructed the comrades in Pingtan County to take care of Lin Dongmei.

In 1994, Lin Dongmei, who was studying at Xinmen Hope Primary School in Pingtan County, Fujian Province, had excellent academic performance, but could not pay tuition due to poverty. During his work in Fujian, Xi Jinping funded this poor and out-of-school child through the Hope Project.

According to the regulations at the time, after the assisted students graduated from primary school, the sponsor could no longer provide assistance. But for 12 consecutive years, Xi Jinping sponsored Lin Dongmei until she graduated from university.

To this day, Lin Dongmei still remembers that day 30 years ago, Uncle Xi braved the rain to visit her home and said to her kindly: "You study hard and don't worry about not being able to pay the tuition. I am here to help you." "It is our responsibility to participate in the Hope Project to help children on the verge of dropping out of school to return to school. While participating, we are also deeply educated."

These heartfelt words warmed Lin Dongmei's heart and ignited the hope of poor students to grow up and become talents.

Eight visits and five replies, Xi Jinping's care and concern have always guided Lin Dongmei's growth path. "Uncle Xi has sown the seeds of hope, struggle, and gratitude in my heart, taught me to grow steadily, be self-reliant, and taught me to care for others and give back to society." After joining the work, Lin Dongmei funded many children in poor areas through the Hope Project and passed on this care.

"No matter how hard it is, we must not make children suffer, no matter how poor we are, we must not be poor in education" "Poverty alleviation must be intellectual"... Whether working at the local or central level, Xi Jinping has always been concerned about the healthy growth of children in mountainous areas. He knows that only by breaking the vicious cycle of "poverty" and "ignorance" can the "weak bird" spread its wings and fly high.

In the cold winter, in the Yangjialing Fuzhou Hope Primary School next to the Yangjialing Revolutionary Site in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, energetic students are running and exercising on the playground, laughing constantly.

On the eve of the Spring Festival in 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping came here and left a heartfelt exhortation: "Education is very important. The old revolutionary base areas and poor areas should grasp the development at the root or do a good job in education, so as not to let children lose at the starting line."

Xi Jinping has corresponded and visited this primary school twice, and has a special fate.

As early as 1995, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee, initiated the "Thousand Enterprises Build Thousand Schools" charity event, and Yangjialing Primary School was helped to rebuild. In March of that year, Xi Jinping wrote a letter to the school principal. The letter said: "I am very happy to have the opportunity to establish contact with you through donating to build a Hope Primary School. Helping old revolutionary bases and poor areas to develop education and solve the problem of students' enrollment difficulties is an important way to achieve common prosperity and a meaningful part of poverty alleviation work in the new era." In April of that year, Xi Jinping attended the donation ceremony for the Yangjialing Fuzhou Hope Primary School in Fuzhou, pointing out that "the Hope Project, as a civilization project and talent project, will benefit the present and future generations" and "let the children under the same blue sky have a beautiful today and tomorrow together." In Liangjiahe, literacy classes were held; in Zhengding, donations were made to mountain village primary schools; in Fujian, the "Minning Ten Thousand Out-of-School Children Rescue Project" was launched; in Zhejiang, the "Hope Project" fund was required to be established to ensure that migrant workers' children have access to education and can afford to go to school; in Shanghai, the Hope Project was instructed to continue its efforts... Along the way, Xi Jinping personally delivered true feelings and warmth, and used the light of "hope" to illuminate the path of growth and success for students. In General Secretary Xi Jinping's heart, the Hope Project has played an important role in helping to fight poverty, promote educational development, serve the growth of young people, and lead social trends. He stressed that Party and government officials at all levels and people from all walks of life should strongly support and actively participate in the Hope Project.

Over the past 35 years, an average of more than 580 children in need have received funding from the Hope Project every day. The Hope Project has been persistently pursuing a simple goal: to ensure that every child no longer loses their classroom due to poverty.

"We cannot let the children lose at the starting line"

"When I saw your letter, I recalled the scene of laying the foundation for your school 20 years ago."

On the eve of this year's International Children's Day, students at Zhijiang Primary School in Jialing District, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province received a heartfelt reply from General Secretary Xi Jinping.

The predecessor of Zhijiang Primary School was a mountain primary school on the hillside. The mountain was high and the road was steep, and the school buildings were old. Students had to walk a long way to go to school, and some children had to go out to school before dawn.

In early 2004, under the national east-west cooperation mechanism, Zhijiang Primary School became one of the more than 160 Hope Primary Schools built by Zhejiang in Nanchong. In May of that year, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, came here to lay the foundation for the school and earnestly asked "to build this school well and let the children in the mountain village become talents as soon as possible." Watering the flowers and roots, educating people and educating their hearts. Today, Zhijiang Primary School has all the hardware facilities such as the library, plantation, and plastic track. On the campus, a large stone engraved with the word "gratitude" is particularly eye-catching, and there are two rows of small characters on it: "Zhejiang Province's counterpart assistance, remember May 17, 2004." General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been concerned about the education of children in poor and backward areas and families with difficulties. "I went to some poor areas and saw that some children were seven or eight years old and still stayed at home and did not go to school. Education in poor areas must be improved. Children should not be left behind at the starting line. They should be given the opportunity to receive education and go to college. In another ten or eight years, they will be able to become rich and at least have the ability to earn a living, so they will not have to live in poverty again."

On the eve of the 2018 Lunar New Year, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Sanhe Village, Sanchahe Township, Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. When leaving the village, two Yi children shouted loudly: "Grandpa Xi, goodbye." The General Secretary waved to them and said: "Goodbye, children," and said to the relevant responsible comrades accompanying him: "Children's education should not lose at the starting line."

The slogans written in Yi and Chinese on the outer wall of the children's home seemed to be a vivid footnote to this scene - "Rivers are endless, and knowledge is endless."

"Does the child go to school?" "How is the child doing?" "Where does the child go to school?"... Over the years, when General Secretary Xi Jinping visited villages and households and visited the poor, he would carefully ask about the children in the family. He repeatedly emphasized that "every child in poor areas can receive a good education" and "the next generation must have culture first to live a good life." Education is the fundamental solution to block the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Focusing on education poverty alleviation and expanding the connotation of assistance is also the unremitting pursuit of the Hope Project. Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, is the location of the first Hope Primary School in my country and the hometown of "Big Eyes" Su Mingjuan. The Hope Project that changed the fate of "Big Eyes" was "sprouted" from here. In April 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Jinzhai for inspection and went to the home of Chen Zeshen, a poor household. Hearing that Chen Zeshen's grandson was about to take the college entrance examination, the General Secretary asked about the child's learning situation and emphasized that education poverty alleviation should be done well, and children should not be left behind at the starting line. If education cannot keep up, they will lag behind from generation to generation. Only by learning a skill can there be better protection. Today, Chen Zeshen's grandson has graduated from university and stayed in Hefei to work. The Hope Primary School in Jinzhai County has also changed from a "snail house" in the ancestral hall to a modern school with two campuses and several school buildings.

"I am deeply touched by what the General Secretary said, 'We must not let children lose at the starting line'. Education gives 'ambition' and 'wisdom' the possibility and space to take root and sprout in barren land." From a beneficiary of the Hope Project to a practitioner, Su Mingjuan, the initiator of the "Su Mingjuan Student Aid Fund", witnessed the transformation of "having a school to go to" to "going to a good school" in mountainous areas.

From poverty alleviation to rural revitalization, the mission of educational assistance and the Hope Project has also changed from "rescue" to "rescue-development", from material to spiritual, moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor comprehensive training, so that rural children can equally enjoy a vibrant education and embrace more opportunities to shine in life.

Knowledge supports life, and education lights up hope. This has not only changed the fate of countless "big eyes", but also carried and supported the dream of a strong country in education and national rejuvenation.

"Provide new support for young people and sow new hope"

Walking into Beiliang Village, Zhaojin Town, Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province, surrounded by mountains, several red teaching buildings are particularly eye-catching. The sound of reading and laughter make this place full of vitality.

Decades ago, the school building was dilapidated, and students had to bring their own braziers to keep warm in winter. In 2000, it was rebuilt as Beiliang Hope Primary School. More than ten years later, a new teaching building was built, and the Hope Project donated another 1 million yuan.

On the eve of Children's Day in 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping was very happy to hear that the school was about to be restored to a complete primary school, and the children could drink direct drinking water and take hot showers at school. He wrote back to the children, encouraging everyone to "cherish time with a grateful heart, study hard, and become useful people for the country, the people, and the society in the future."

The General Secretary's earnest teachings nourish the young hearts and breed boundless dreams. To be a scientist, a PLA soldier, a doctor... Whenever talking about dreams, the little friends can always talk for a long time.

Today, the school has been renamed Zhaojin Beiliang Red Army Primary School. The seven characters "Holding up the sun of tomorrow" on the roof of the teaching building are very eye-catching. This is also a vivid interpretation of the Hope Project.

Love holds up hope, and hope creates the future.

As of the end of October 2024, the Hope Project has built 21,141 Hope Primary Schools across the country and funded more than 7.5 million students from economically disadvantaged families. With the help of the Hope Project, thousands of children are grateful, study hard, and write a better tomorrow.

Education is the foundation of a century-long plan. Teachers are the foundation of an education plan.

In April 2019, braving the early spring drizzle, General Secretary Xi Jinping traveled along the winding mountain road for more than 3 hours to Huaxi Village, Zhongyi Township, Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, Chongqing.

"How long have you been teaching?" "How does the current salary level compare to the county or other places?" "How long can you go home?"... On the playground of Zhongyi Township Primary School, General Secretary Xi Jinping's heartwarming care made the teachers feel more cordial.

When he heard that teacher Ma Yingcui was a student of Zhongyi Township Primary School and chose to return to her alma mater to teach after graduating from university, the General Secretary happily said: "I hope to see a group of rural teachers who are rooted here and cultivate these excellent descendants for our country and our hometown."

Following the direction pointed out by the General Secretary, the "Hope Project Teacher Training" project strives to improve the education and teaching level of rural primary school teachers; the "Hope Rural Teachers" project attracts outstanding university graduates to volunteer to teach, bringing more diverse classrooms across the mountains to village primary schools...

Rooted in the tradition of respecting teachers and valuing education, the Hope Project insists on both "going out" and "inviting in", empowering schools and teachers with various measures, and constantly expanding the new dimension of this public welfare project with the purpose of helping students.

With the help of the Hope Project, more and more rural teachers are working in the field of hope to better help children open their minds and build dreams for the future.

In 2007, the Shanghai Hope Project advocated "donating to build the Hope Project Red Army Primary School", which received positive responses from citizens and many touching stories emerged. Old revolutionary Fang Yaoxiong and his wife lived a simple life, but they donated all their savings of 1 million yuan to show their love; retired employee Pu Youyuan sold one of his houses and donated 250,000 yuan to help build a school...

Around this work, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, made an important instruction, urging "to do practical things and do good things well", and praised "Shanghai's Hope Project has been working for more than ten years, gathering sand into a tower, gathering feathers into a coat, and the results are obvious".

Although the sand and stones are small, they can be gathered and compacted into a towering tower; although the glimmer is weak, thousands of gatherings can eventually shine brightly.

As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, the Hope Project "builds a bridge of love, mutual assistance and transmission".

As of the end of October 2024, the national Hope Project has received a total of 22.964 billion yuan in donations. Behind the numbers, there are billions of good deeds, and even more love and hope.

"The whole party and society should continue to pay attention to and support the Hope Project, so that the majority of young people can fully feel the care of the party and the warmth of the socialist family, and strive to grow into socialist builders and successors." On the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Hope Project, General Secretary Xi Jinping's message is full of deep feelings and guides this public welfare project that sows "hope" to help more flowers of youth bloom brilliantly.

There is no end to chasing dreams, and the pace of escorting hope will not stop. In the new era and new journey, more warm stories will continue to be written.