In the early 1980s, my country's rural areas experienced a major change, followed by the birth of the household contract responsibility system.

This represents the wisdom of Chinese farmers, which not only breaks through the shackles of the old system, but also promotes the rapid development of the rural economy.

Since the establishment of this system, many fascinating stories have emerged during its nationwide promotion, and it also carries profound meaning.

In the late 1970s, China's rural areas were still facing many problems.

At that time, rural production conditions were relatively poor. Under the collective production method, farmers were not very enthusiastic about working.

For example, in Xiaogang Village, Liyuan Commune, Fengyang County, Anhui Province, farmers have been facing poverty for a long time.

At that time, the integrated system of collective land ownership failed to effectively mobilize farmers' enthusiasm for production, and it was difficult to increase grain production, which became a major problem in rural development.

In order to improve the quality of life, eighteen villagers in Xiaogang Village had the courage to break the traditional thinking and signed the "Declaration of Life and Death" in November 1978. This move is proof of their eager pursuit of a better life.

At that time, all parts of China were facing similar situations, and rural areas were in urgent need of change.

Sichuan and other provinces have also tried to implement measures similar to "guaranteeing production to the group".

At that time, signs of reform began to show in rural areas across our country, and people were exploring new methods to improve production efficiency.

The household responsibility system has unique provisions.

In this system, households sign contract contracts with collective economic organizations.

For example, a farmer can contract a certain amount of land.

The means of production, especially land, are still collectively owned, but distribution is based on work.

Farmers can make arrangements based on their own circumstances and land conditions during production and operation.

In production and management, the collective and the family have their own differences and cooperation.

In some matters that require joint arrangements, everyone has to make decisions together; in many actual production steps, farmers can do it themselves.

When farmers cultivate crops, they will decide the types of crops to plant and the specific time for fertilizing and watering based on their accumulated experience and judgment of the market.

This model gives farmers a certain degree of autonomy.

This system is significantly different from the original collectivized production method.

In the era of collectivization, production tasks were mainly planned by collectives. The new policy highly recognized the unique position and specific needs of rural households in production and management.

The year 1982 was an important milestone in the development of the household responsibility system.

That year, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China forwarded the "Minutes of the National Rural Work Conference", thus allowing the system to officially take root.

Starting from the innovative attempts initiated by 18 farmers in Xiaogang Village, through independent exploration by farmers from all over the country, to the formal confirmation of central documents, this development process has not been smooth all the way.

In this process, there are also collisions of various ideological trends and debates on concepts.

Despite the growing experience in exploration and practice, the central government still relied on its foresight and clear recognition of this innovative system.

With the active support and strong advocacy of the central government, this responsibility system has been gradually rolled out across the country.

As of the beginning of 1983, data showed that the promotion of this responsibility system was very rapid; 93% of production teams in rural areas of our country had adopted this system.

Many rural areas in the North China Plain, Jiangnan Water Town and other places have begun to implement this system, and initial results have been shown.

The household responsibility system has a huge all-round promotion effect on the rural economy.

This system has changed the past situation where people worked hard but did not contribute.

Farmers work hard to improve their own lives, thereby increasing labor productivity.

For example, after implementing this system in a village in Hebei Province, the grain output per mu increased significantly.

At the same time, this system improves the comprehensive benefits of the rural economy.

As farmers' enthusiasm was greatly mobilized, diversified operations began to develop in rural areas.

In rural areas of Jiangxi, many farmers rely on their own mountainous areas to develop orchards and tea gardens. This move not only ensures the food and clothing of farmers, but also brings additional income, effectively stimulating the vitality of the rural economy.

It adapts to the characteristics of Chinese agriculture itself.

China's agricultural territory is vast, and the conditions vary greatly from place to place.

The terrain is diverse, ranging from vast plains to undulating mountains and hills; the climate is diverse, and conditions such as precipitation and temperature vary from region to region.

This system can be adapted to decentralized small-scale operations such as small-area terrace farming in mountainous areas.

For example, in some small mountain villages in Fujian, farmers cultivate small terraced fields intensively.

At the same time, some large plains in the north can also adapt to relatively concentrated moderate-scale operations.

In rural areas around some large farms in Heilongjiang, people can achieve moderate-scale planting by subletting part of the land.

And the system also adapts to the development level and management level of rural productivity.

In the 1980s, the productivity level in rural my country was not high, so this system did not require overly cumbersome management. Farmers will engage in production activities based on their own abilities and experience, while the collective will provide necessary support and coordination.

This system has a profound impact on China's reform.

The rural reform marked by the “household responsibility system” has kicked off China’s internal reform.

China's reform process began with breakthroughs in rural areas and then expanded to cities.

The household contract system is a successful example of the transformation of rural production relations to adapt to the development of productivity.

It laid the foundation for a series of subsequent reforms in rural areas.

With the continued growth of the rural economy and the advancement of urbanization, both of these are somehow related to the household responsibility system.

After the implementation of this system, farmers' living standards have been significantly improved. They no longer have to worry about food and clothing, and more comfortable residences have been built in many rural areas. At the same time, the educational and medical conditions of rural children have gradually improved.

For decades, the household responsibility system has been implemented. Nowadays, in the face of the rapid advancement of science and technology and changes in the structure of the rural labor force, we need to think deeply: Does this system need to be adjusted or improved?