78
Y. Zhang
Disaster prevention and mitigation. There are many types of disasters in China,
with wide distribution, high frequency, and heavy losses caused. China is actually
one the hardest hit by severe disasters in the world. After the founding of the People’s
Republic of China, under the leadership of the Party, the Chinese people have
launched various disaster prevention and mitigation campaigns. The fight against
the 1998 flood is a typical example. In 1998, abnormal climate brought floods to
the Yangtze River, Nenjiang River and Songhua River. To fight against the extraordinary natural disaster, the People’s Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force
of China dispatched over 360,000 people, and local Party committees and government organizations mobilized more than 8 million people. Adding to these were
many more supportive forces and the total number of direct participants in the fight
amounted to over a hundred million. Many more extended care and support through
different channels. As a result of united efforts, we finally won this battle against
floods. Another example is the relief work after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake.
After hearing about the devastating earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan, 13 peasants
from Tangshan City, Hebei Province, formed a volunteer team and traveled day and
night over thousands of miles to the disaster area to participate relief work headed
by the People’s Liberation Army, together with local government officials and other
volunteers. Up to 25 survivors were rescued from under the rubbles, and more than
60 dead bodies were found. Realizing that many students were temporarily out of
school in the disaster-hit area, they sent 246 students from the disaster area to Yutian
County, Tangshan City, to attend Yinhe Middle School for a year before they returned
to their rebuilt homes in Sichuan. Some of these 13 farmers are survivors of the 1976
Tangshan earthquake and their descendants. What they did is a great example of
the Chinese tradition of rewarding every bit of help one receives and helping hands
from all walks of life to those in need. They contributed to the reconstruction of the
disaster-stricken areas and to China’s capacity for sustainable development. As president Xi Jinping pointed out, “we must adhere to the mass viewpoint and mass line,
and broaden the channels for the masses to effectively participate in public security
governance.” In this sense, mass disaster prevention and mitigation campaigns are
also green campaigns with Chinese characteristics.
In short, since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese people
have actively responded to the calls of the Party and the government, delivered
volunteer services in all kinds of construction projects with a daring spirit and the
signature selflessness of Lei Feng for a more environment-friendly China. This is a
strong driving force for ecological civilization development in China.
3 Valuable Experience in Using the Mass Line in Ecological
Civilization Development
In the process of implementing the Party’s mass line in ecological civilization development, it is necessary to mobilize people across society to pool forces for the
Y. Zhang
Disaster prevention and mitigation. There are many types of disasters in China,
with wide distribution, high frequency, and heavy losses caused. China is actually
one the hardest hit by severe disasters in the world. After the founding of the People’s
Republic of China, under the leadership of the Party, the Chinese people have
launched various disaster prevention and mitigation campaigns. The fight against
the 1998 flood is a typical example. In 1998, abnormal climate brought floods to
the Yangtze River, Nenjiang River and Songhua River. To fight against the extraordinary natural disaster, the People’s Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force
of China dispatched over 360,000 people, and local Party committees and government organizations mobilized more than 8 million people. Adding to these were
many more supportive forces and the total number of direct participants in the fight
amounted to over a hundred million. Many more extended care and support through
different channels. As a result of united efforts, we finally won this battle against
floods. Another example is the relief work after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake.
After hearing about the devastating earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan, 13 peasants
from Tangshan City, Hebei Province, formed a volunteer team and traveled day and
night over thousands of miles to the disaster area to participate relief work headed
by the People’s Liberation Army, together with local government officials and other
volunteers. Up to 25 survivors were rescued from under the rubbles, and more than
60 dead bodies were found. Realizing that many students were temporarily out of
school in the disaster-hit area, they sent 246 students from the disaster area to Yutian
County, Tangshan City, to attend Yinhe Middle School for a year before they returned
to their rebuilt homes in Sichuan. Some of these 13 farmers are survivors of the 1976
Tangshan earthquake and their descendants. What they did is a great example of
the Chinese tradition of rewarding every bit of help one receives and helping hands
from all walks of life to those in need. They contributed to the reconstruction of the
disaster-stricken areas and to China’s capacity for sustainable development. As president Xi Jinping pointed out, “we must adhere to the mass viewpoint and mass line,
and broaden the channels for the masses to effectively participate in public security
governance.” In this sense, mass disaster prevention and mitigation campaigns are
also green campaigns with Chinese characteristics.
In short, since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese people
have actively responded to the calls of the Party and the government, delivered
volunteer services in all kinds of construction projects with a daring spirit and the
signature selflessness of Lei Feng for a more environment-friendly China. This is a
strong driving force for ecological civilization development in China.
3 Valuable Experience in Using the Mass Line in Ecological
Civilization Development
In the process of implementing the Party’s mass line in ecological civilization development, it is necessary to mobilize people across society to pool forces for the