Xi Jinping Sends a Reply to Students at the Science and Technology Courtyard of China Agricultural University

Release Date:

2023-05-03

　　BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently replied to a letter from students at the Science and Technology Courtyard of China Agricultural University, expressing his earnest expectations. On the occasion of the May Fourth Youth Day, he also extended festive greetings to young people across the country.

　　In his reply, Xi Jinping said he was gratified to learn that, through the university‑established “Science and Technology Courtyards,” you have gone deep into the fields and villages, working alongside farmers to address people’s livelihoods and advance academic research in support of rural revitalization.

　　Xi Jinping emphasized that, as you wrote in your letter, only by delving deep into the rural heartland of China can one truly grasp the spirit of seeking truth from facts and learn how to connect with the people. He added that young people should “seek out hardship for themselves,” a sentiment he found very well expressed. In the new era, Chinese youth should embody this same vigor and determination. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has laid out plans for building a strong agricultural nation. He urged students to set lofty aspirations while remaining grounded, closely integrating classroom learning with rural practice, cultivating a deep love for agriculture, honing the skills needed to revitalize the countryside, and making meaningful contributions on the grand stage of rural revitalization—thus dedicating their youthful energy to accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and to the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country.

　　In 2009, China Agricultural University pioneered the establishment of “Science and Technology Courtyards” in Quzhou County, Hebei Province, dispatching graduate students pursuing agricultural professional degrees to the front lines of agricultural production. Building on their academic and theoretical studies, these students conduct research to address practical challenges in rural and agricultural development, cultivate high-caliber agricultural talent, and contribute to the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. To date, the university has set up 139 Science and Technology Courtyards across 91 counties, county-level cities, and banners in 24 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government. Recently, student representatives from the university’s Science and Technology Courtyards wrote a letter to General Secretary Xi Jinping, sharing their achievements and insights and expressing their firm resolve to make contributions to building China into a strong agricultural nation.