Village celebrates Chairman Mao's words of encouragement
Liziyuan, one of Shanghai’s richest villages in Putuo District, has celebrated the 65th anniversary of Chairman Mao Zedong writing to encourage the once poor village to strive for prosperity.
The village, covering 1.9 square kilometers in Taopu Town, has been listed as the city’s “civilization village” for 12 consecutive years. Many villagers are living in villas with an average annual revenue of 77,600 yuan (US$11,608) per person. The total business revenue of the village reached 80.95 million yuan in 2019.
The village launched a celebration over the weekend to commemorate the proud, historical moment when Chairman Mao wrote a comment to praise and guide Liziyuan’s economic development on October 24, 1955.
The comment has been the key aspiration for the village and its residents over the last 65 years.
The village was once dubbed the “bare foot village” because of its poverty. Li Miaofu, one of the oldest villagers, recalled during the celebration on Saturday that his father used to plant and sell vegetables in nearby Zhenru Town every day to make ends meet.
Conditions remained the same until the establishment of the Liziyuan agricultural producers’ cooperation in 1953. The first batch of 15 households of farmers, including Li’s father, gathered their limited personal belongings to jointly develop agriculture and businesses. The village’s vegetables and products soon gained a reputation for quality across the city.
Family members of the 15 initial members of the cooperative were invited to the celebration along with some 150 villagers. They sang praises to Chairman Mao and the homeland, and presented dances to showcase their now happy life.
As part of the celebration, an office building commission was established for the Liziyuan Building, one of the most profitable office buildings in the city. Companies based in the building had a total tax revenue of 271 billion yuan in 2019.
The commission then launched the first batch of projects to offer medical services, cultural activities, a library and gym space for the building's workers. Doctors from the community medical center will visit the building every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for consultations.
The building was constructed in 2008 under a reform of Taopu’s rural collective asset management method and began attracting businesses soon after.
Yummy Town, a leading beverage company which owns popular franchises such as Real Brew Tea and Happy Lemon, was among the first companies to set up base in the building. Yidiandian (A Little Tea), another popular milk tea brand, is also based in the building.