BEIJING, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On a sunny afternoon in early November, the warm sunlight pours into a solarium by the Huangpu River in downtown Shanghai. Huang Baomei and several other senior citizens gather around a table, excitedly reading a special letter together.
A day earlier, they received a letter from President Xi Jinping, after writing a letter to him weeks before to share their experiences and thoughts of providing free lectures to local residents in recent years as members of "Laoyangshu," or "Old Poplar," a grassroots lecture program in Shanghai consisting of retired officials, military officers, experts, teachers, and role models.
In his reply to the "Old Poplar" members, Xi praised the initiative as a meaningful approach to recount historical events, explain the Party's new theories, and share the positive changes in the city with residents by blending the lecture content with the lecturers' personal experiences.
Underlining the principle that cities should be built by the people and for the people, Xi called on the members of the program to inspire more people to embrace and implement the concept of a people-oriented city, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
"Xi's letter has given us tremendous encouragement and strength," Huang told the Global Times with a big smile on her face.
"Even though I'm not young anymore, I never find delivering lectures tiring," she said. "Instead, sharing the positive changes that have happened, and are happening, in Shanghai and China with my personal experiences, brings me great joy."
Simplify the profound
With her straight posture and quick reflexes, Huang appears much younger than her actual age of 93. This elegant and energetic elderly lady was selected as China's first generation of "model workers" in the 1950s as a textile worker, and was awarded the "July 1st Medal" - a top medal for lifelong contribution - by President Xi in 2021. She has been a role model for her dedication and professionalism for generations.
Huang worked for 42 years at a textile factory in Shanghai. Now, as one of the eldest members of the "Old Poplar," she passionately engages with residential communities, enterprises, and schools, sharing stories about China's development with young people.
"At my busiest, I gave three lectures in a day, each lasting two hours, and the audience would give me a thumbs up," Huang said proudly.
Development is a grand topic. Instead of discussing abstract concepts, Huang often shares her personal experiences filled with vivid and encouraging moments.
"When I worked in the textile factory, I tried many methods to improve efficiency and yield," Huang told the audience that she made a lot of effort in optimizing the work process, and later successfully doubled the efficiency to simultaneously operate 800 spindles alone. Inspired by Huang's talent and endeavor, the spinners at the local factory produced nearly half of China's cotton cloth in the 1950s, a manufacturing miracle by then.
Moreover, Huang once had an opportunity to become a movie star, but she rejected. "Spinning is my specialty and life career," she said.
Huang's heartfelt narrations embody the dedication and relentless spirit of the older Chinese generation, and vividly represent the past decades of rapid development in the country, which have resonated deeply with many in the audience. "As long as my health permits, I will continue to try hard to inspire more people, especially the young ones, in ways that they like," Huang told the Global Times.
Similarly, 75-year-old Hu Jun, another "Old Poplar" member, is also good at using relatable details to explain macro policies in methods that resonate with the public.
The "Old Poplar" program mainly targets residents of Shanghai's downtown Yangpu district. When discussing China's industrial restructuring, Hu used Yangpu as an example to illustrate how this cradle of modern Chinese industry has continuously adapted its industrial structure to keep pace with the times.
"Yangpu was once known as the 'golden belt' of industry. After China's reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, it became the 'Rust Belt.' Now, through years of industrial upgrading, Yangpu has transformed into the 'beautiful belt,' evolving into a green and livable community," said Hu.
Hu was an official in the Yangpu district government before retirement. He expressed his excitement and enthusiasm upon receiving the reply letter from Xi, saying it reflects the president's great expectations for grassroots retired officials and his affirmation of Shanghai's urban construction.
"Even though I am retired, I will continue to serve as a promoter and practitioner of constructing a people-oriented city."
Both teachers and friends
The "Old Poplar" members have conducted more than 2,600 free lectures over the last five years. They not only do well in vividly explaining macro topics, but are also good at sharing relatable life experiences tailored to audiences of different ages, becoming both teachers and friends to local residents.
Li Peirong, 75, used to work in a local township-level subdistrict before retiring, from which she gained rich experience dealing with the elderly. Now as an "Old Poplar" member, Li's lecturers are mainly for senior citizens, whom she teaches how to use electronics such as smartphones. "Most of my elderly audience members have learned how to use [smartphones]," she said.
Li also promotes knowledge about electronic fraud prevention in her lectures. "We want to help more elderly people bridge the digital divide, and enjoy the benefits of modern technology."
She said that receiving the reply from Xi makes her very proud, and further appreciates the significance of what she and other "Old Poplar" members are doing. "I never feel old," she told the Global Times. "Even in retirement, we can continue to harness the power of our 'silver generation' in contributing to society."
For young audiences, the "Old Poplar" has also made many efforts to prepare its lectures.
As former chairman of the board of supervisors of a technological innovation enterprise, 64-year-old Xin Peihua now mainly engages with young people through the "Old Poplar" program, giving lectures at internet companies.
Xin said she usually keeps her lectures to about half an hour, considering that most young people have busy work schedules. During and after the lectures, she talks with the young employees about work-related stress and their anxieties regarding potential layoffs, much like a caring senior family member. "Now when they're feeling confused, they sometimes come to me to share their concerns and seek advice," Xin told the Global Times.
Xin also regularly talks with the new couples at Yangpu's marriage registries, sharing with them experiences of getting along with spouses and in-laws, maintaining marriage, and building a happy family. These small talks are so popular, that some new couples from other districts choose to register their marriages at Yangpu, said Xin.
She said that receiving a reply from President Xi is a "supreme honor" to her. "I want to serve as a flourishing old poplar, contributing my strength to the joint effort of building a beautiful city for the people, and creating a happy and fulfilling life together."
Attract the young
The "Old Poplar" program was established in 2020, following Xi's inspection trip to Shanghai the previous year.
In November 2019, during his visit to the city, Xi proposed the concept that "the cities are built by the people and are for the people," and has issued several important directives regarding the construction of a people-oriented city in Shanghai.
During that visit, Xi met Huang and encouraged her to further share her experiences with the young people, to strengthen their confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Inspired by Xi's words, Yangpu district established the "Old Poplar" program to share with the public the Party's stories and promote the spirit of Shanghai city. The program has gathered over 300 retired senior citizens who are well-versed in theory, skilled in public speaking, and eager to contribute as volunteer lecturers, according to Deng Qing, head of the Bureau of Retired Veteran Cadres of the CPC Yangpu District Committee, which built the program.
To date, the "Old Poplar" has had a cumulative audience of more than 280,000. How to make young people interested in this format of lectures, and enjoy listening to the stories shared by these "grandpas" and "grandmas," have been topics that the "Old Poplar" keeps considering.
To attract a Gen Z audience, the program has created accounts on popular video platforms like Bilibili, inviting its members to host livestream lectures. "A Huang lecture, for example, attracted 5,000 viewers during the live broadcast, with a total of over 50,000 views for the replay," Deng told the Global Times.
The engaging and diverse lectures have been well received by the younger audience. Xu Yifan, a staffer at a Shanghai-based internet enterprise, said he has watched livestream and videos of "Old Poplar" lectures on Bilibili, and felt the deep love of the elderly lecturers for Shanghai and China.
"Their lectures convey knowledge but also power to us, strengthening our young generation's aspirations for the future, and encouraging us to actively participate in the development of a people-oriented city," Xu told the Global Times.
Cheng Yunuo is a fifth-grader at a primary school in Yangpu. She has attended many lectures held by the "Old Poplar" at her school.
"The experiences and insights of the older generation have made me deeply realize that, as a Chinese teenager in the new era, I have a responsibility to study hard and continuously improve my knowledge and skills," Cheng said.