The “Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Renovation” Project: The Path of Chinese-Path Modernization of Rural Governance

The “Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Renovation” Project (hereinafter referred to as the “Thousand-Ten-Thousand Project”) is a major project proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his work in Zhejiang Province, taking as its concept the practice of “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,”[1]1 The “three forms of governance” (三治) refer to self-governance (自治), rule by law (法治), and rule by virtue (德治) in the context of rural governance. aiming to improve the rural living environment and build beautiful and harmonious villages that are desirable for living and working. Over the past 20 years, Zhejiang Province has solidly promoted the “Thousand-Ten-Thousand Project” with persistent effort, achieving a great improvement in the province’s rural ecological environment, laying a solid foundation for advancing rural revitalization and common prosperity, becoming an important source of demonstration for China’s rural ecological environment improvement, and contributing “Chinese wisdom” and the “Chinese solution” for rural revitalization to the international community.

“千村示范、万村整治”工程（以下简称“千万工程”）是习近平总书记在浙江工作期间提出的一项以践行“绿水青山就是金山银山”为理念，以改善农村人居环境为目的，打造宜居宜业和美乡村的重大工程。20年以来浙江省扎实推动“千万工程”，久久为功，实现了全省农村生态环境的极大改善，为推进乡村振兴和共同富裕奠定了坚实的基础，成为我国乡村生态环境整治示范的重要策源地，为国际社会贡献出乡村振兴的“中国智慧”和“中国方案”。

Effective governance is one of the general requirements for achieving rural revitalization, and realizing rural revitalization objectively requires the modernization of rural governance. Looking back on the 20-year practical course of the “Thousand-Ten-Thousand Project” in Zhejiang Province, Party building leadership, the primacy of the masses, rule-of-law guarantees, promoting rule-of-virtue governance, and digital empowerment are among its important governance experiences. In the New Era, it is necessary to uphold and develop the rural governance experience of the “Thousand-Ten-Thousand Project,” empower the path of Chinese-path modernization of rural governance, and better advance rural revitalization and the construction of a Beautiful China.

治理有效是实现乡村振兴的总要求之一，实现乡村振兴客观要求乡村治理的现代化。回顾浙江省“千万工程”的20年实践历程，党建引领、群众主体、法治保障、弘扬德治和数字赋能是其中重要的治理经验。在新时代需要坚持和发展“千万工程”的乡村治理经验，赋能中国式乡村治理现代化之路，更好推进乡村振兴和美丽中国建设。

I. Party Building Leadership: Comprehensively Uphold the Party’s Leadership, Steadfastly Grasp the Direction of Progress.

一、党建引领：全面坚持党的领导，把握前进方向不动摇。

Upholding Party building leadership is an important experience of the “Thousand-Ten-Thousand Project” in Zhejiang Province. Since the implementation of the “Thousand-Ten-Thousand Project,” Zhejiang Province has upheld high-level promotion, with Party and government “first-in-command” leaders personally taking charge; it has upheld and strengthened Party leadership, and by leveraging the Party’s organizational advantages, political advantages, and the role of Party-member cadres going down to the grassroots, it has promoted the development of rural industries and the improvement of the ecological environment. During his work in Zhejiang Province, General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the province’s “Thousand-Ten-Thousand Project” on-site work meeting every year, clearly requiring that for any major issue in the “Thousand-Ten-Thousand Project,” local Party and government “first-in-command” leaders must personally attend to it, thereby forming a work promotion mechanism where Party and government “first-in-command” leaders personally take charge, leaders in charge directly take charge, one level takes charge of the next, and implementation is grasped layer by layer, enabling the achievements of rural modernization construction to benefit all farmers more and more fairly.

坚持党建引领是浙江省“千万工程”的一条重要经验。“千万工程”实施以来，浙江省坚持高位推动，党政“一把手”亲自抓；坚持和加强党的领导，通过发挥党的组织优势、政治优势和党员骨干下沉作用，推动乡村产业的发展和生态环境的改善。习近平总书记在浙江工作期间，每年都出席全省“千万工程”工作现场会，明确要求凡是“千万工程”中的重大问题，地方党政“一把手”都要亲自过问，从而形成了党政“一把手”亲自抓、分管领导直接抓、一级抓一级、层层抓落实的工作推进机制，得以让乡村现代化建设成果更多更公平的惠及全体农民。

To advance the modernization of rural governance in the New Era, it is necessary to uphold Party building leadership and implement the Party’s leadership in all aspects and every link of grassroots governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping refers to grassroots Party organizations as the “last kilometer

新时代推进乡村治理现代化，要坚持党建引领，把党的领导贯彻到基层治理的各个方面和每个环节。习近平总书记将基层党组织称作贯彻落实党中央决策部署的“最后一公里”，提出要坚持大抓基层的鲜明导向，抓紧补齐基层党组织领导基层治理的各种短板，把各领域基层党组织建设成为实现党的领导的坚强战斗堡垒。要坚持党建引领，统筹规划，确保各项任务落到实处；要加强基层党组织的建设，切实履行自身的主体责任，聚焦基层治理的难点和痛点，补齐短板弱项；要提升党员骨干的素养，下沉基层，体察民情，提升服务能力和服务水平，满足广大人民群众对于美好生活的向往；要发挥村级干部的“领头羊”作用，通过“第一书记”“干部包村”“驻村工作队”和“村级组织一肩挑”等方式实现党建引领的制度化，为乡村振兴提供组织保障和人才资源。以数字中国的建设助推中国式现代化的发展

II. Practising Self-Governance: Upholding the Principal Position of the Masses and Stimulating Their Enthusiasm for Participation

二、践行自治：坚持群众主体地位，激发群众参与积极性。

Villager self-governance is a great creation of the grassroots masses under the leadership of the Party and an important manifestation of grassroots consultative democracy. In the process of implementing the "Ten-Thousand-Village Project," Zhejiang Province has consistently upheld the system of villager self-governance and guaranteed villagers' right to self-governance. Various localities have introduced diverse forms of self-governance systems such as "villager supervision" and "villager evaluation" to ensure that grassroots management neither oversteps nor falls short of its role. In the course of building beautiful villages, the principal role of farmers has been fully brought into play, with the initiative and the right to speak in village improvement handed over to farmers, creating a favourable situation of "thinking with one mind and exerting strength in one direction" for common struggle. Self-governance platforms such as "people's deliberation councils," "village sage councils," and "all-purpose service groups" have been established, truly enabling the people to be masters of their own affairs and manage their own matters. These measures have injected powerful momentum into the masses' efforts to persist in building a happy homeland through the self-governance system.

村民自治是党领导下的基层群众的伟大创造，是基层协商民主的重要体现。在实施“千万工程”过程中，浙江省始终坚持村民自治制度，保障村民自治权利，各地纷纷出台“村民监督”“村民评议”等形式多样的自治制度，保证基层管理不错位不越位；在美丽乡村的建设过程中，充分发挥农民的主体作用，把村庄整治的主动权、话语权交给农民，形成“心往一处想，劲往一处使”共同奋斗的良好局面；建设“百姓议事会”“乡贤参事会”“百事服务团”等自治载体，真正让人民当家作主，管理自己的事情等，这些举措为群众坚持自治制度建设幸福家园注入了强大动力。

To advance the modernization of rural governance in the New Era, it is necessary to uphold mass self-governance and guarantee the people's status as masters of the country. General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed the need to bring into play the role of all sectors of society and stimulate the vitality of the whole society, to consult more with the masses on matters concerning them, and to have everyone participate in matters concerning all. Under the leadership of the Party, more powers and functions should be delegated to mass self-governance, granting it greater room for activity. Self-education, self-management, self-supervision, and self-service should be truly implemented. In grassroots management, it is necessary to comprehensively deepen the reform of "delegating power, improving regulation, and upgrading services" and one-stop services, to promote the sinking of various management resources, to mobilise the initiative and enthusiasm of the people in building a beautiful homeland, and to give them a greater sense of participation and honour. This will invigorate rural self-governance, promote the development of the modernization of rural governance, and truly achieve effective governance for rural revitalization.

新时代推进乡村治理现代化，要维护群众自治，保障人民当家作主的地位。习近平总书记强调要发挥社会各方面作用，激发全社会活力，群众的事同群众多商量，大家的事人人参与。在坚持党的领导下，将更多的职权让位于群众自治，使其拥有更大的活动空间；让自我教育、自我管理、自我监督和自我服务真正落实到位；在基层管理方面，要全面深化“放管服”改革和一站式服务，推动各种管理资源下沉，调动人民群众建设美好家园的主动性和积极性，使其拥有更多的参与感和荣辱感，从而使得乡村自治充满活力，推动乡村治理现代化的发展，真正实现乡村振兴的治理有效。

III. Strengthening the Rule of Law: Systematic and Comprehensive Deployment, Opening Up the "Last Kilometre" of Popularising Law in Rural Areas

三、强化法治：系统全面部署，打通乡村普法“最后一公里”。

The essence of the modernization of the rural governance system and governance capacity is legalisation; the rule of law is the fundamental guarantee of good governance in rural areas. Since Zhejiang Province implemented the "Ten-Thousand-Village Project," it has strengthened the construction of the rule of law in rural areas. In the major decision of the "Eight-Eight Strategy"[1]1 The “three forms of governance” (三治) refer to self-governance (自治), rule by law (法治), and rule by virtue (德治) in the context of rural governance. made by the Provincial Party Committee in 2003, the construction of the rule of law was listed as the central task of Zhejiang's development. The province planned the overall strategic layout of "Rule of Law in Zhejiang" and carried out local pilot work on a solid preparatory basis, with public satisfaction rising year by year. In recent years, the pace of rule-of-law construction in Zhejiang Province has never stopped. In line with Xi

乡村治理体系与治理能力现代化的本质是法治化，法治是乡村善治的根本保障。浙江省实施“千万工程”以来，加大乡村法治建设，在2003年省委作出的“八八战略”重大决策中，法治建设被列为浙江省发展的中心工作，全省谋划“法治浙江”的整体战略布局，并在坚实的前期准备中开展地方试点工作，群众满意度逐年上升。近年来，浙江省法治建设的步伐从未停止，其对照习近平法治思想，在“互联网+法治”的倡导下，通过线上线下相结合的方式，以法律讲座、普法宣传和法律咨询等方式，开展法治宣传教育；利用国家反诈中心App，广泛普及法律知识，乡村法治建设取得了较大成效。截至2023年，浙江省县级以上的民主法治村占比90%以上，全省累计建成省级以上民主法治村1643个，17784个村实行“一村一辅警”制度，18886个村建立法律顾问、法律服务工作室。

In the New Era, advancing the modernization of rural governance requires strengthening the rule of law as a safeguard and comprehensively building a legal ecosystem in rural society. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out that law-based governance is a profound revolution in national governance, bearing on the Party's governance and rejuvenation of the country, on the well-being and happiness of the people, and on the long-term stability of the Party and the state. It is necessary to better leverage the fundamental, stabilizing, and long-term protective role of the rule of law, and comprehensively build a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law. To continue advancing the construction of a modern rural path, it is essential to promote rural legal construction with Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, always keeping in mind the task of popularizing legal knowledge, so that the people know, understand, and use the law, protecting their own rights and interests with legal weapons; constantly reflect on whether judicial work keeps pace with the demands of the times, whether it stands on the people's side and serves the people; always remain people-centered, intensify legal publicity and education, and enhance the people's reserve of legal knowledge; persist with sustained effort to ensure the rule of law is implemented in practice, not merely as a slogan; and aim to raise the level of legalization in rural areas, forging a path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics that suits China's national conditions.

新时代推进乡村治理现代化，要强化法治保障，全面打造乡村社会法治生态。党的二十大报告指出，全面依法治国是国家治理的一场深刻革命，关系党执政兴国，关系人民幸福安康，关系党和国家长治久安。必须更好发挥法治固根本、稳预期、利长远的保障作用，在法治轨道上全面建设社会主义现代化国家。要持续推进乡村现代化道路建设，必须以习近平法治思想促进乡村法治建设，始终牢记普法任务，让人民知法懂法用法，用法律的武器保护自身权益；时刻反思司法工作是否能紧跟时代要求，是否站在人民的立场上，为人民服务；始终以人民为中心，加大普法宣传，提高群众的法治常识储备；久久为功，让法治落实到位，不能仅仅成为一句口号；要以提升乡村法治化水平为目的，走出一条符合中国国情的中国特色社会主义法治道路。

IV. Promoting Rule by Virtue: Building a New Trend of Rural Civilization, Consolidating Spirit and Forging Ahead with Determination

四、弘扬德治：建设乡村文明新风尚，凝魂聚气砥砺前行。

Rule by virtue is, alongside rule by law, another important means of rural governance and an inherent requirement for realizing the modernization of rural governance. The Ten-Thousand-Village Project has not only changed the physical environment of Zhejiang’s countryside but also responded to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s call for “coordinated development of cultural-ethical progress and material progress.” It has built a number of family tradition and family instruction halls, strengthened the supply of public cultural services, and met the diverse spiritual needs of villagers; actively utilized internet technology to publicize models of good deeds and positive examples, guiding more people to be proactive and upward-looking; and, through Party members going down to villages to conduct propaganda and carry out sustained cultural-ethical activities, effectively transformed the outdated concepts that had existed in the countryside, so that simple family and village customs have been widely promoted across rural areas. At present, Zhejiang Province has achieved notable results in rural rule by virtue. By the end of 2022, it had built a cumulative total of 20,511 rural cultural auditoriums, achieving full coverage for administrative villages with a population of over 500; and had built 25,335 village libraries, achieving full coverage of village libraries in all administrative villages across the province. The Ten-Thousand-Village Project has not only created thousands of beautiful villages but also cultivated a batch of high-quality, high-caliber new-type farmers, fostering a favorable moral environment for effective rural governance in the New Era.

德治是除了法治之外乡村治理的又一重要手段，是实现乡村治理现代化的内在要求。“千万工程”不仅改变了浙江农村的硬环境，同时响应了习近平总书记的“精神文明和物质文明协调发展”的号召，建成了一批家风家训馆，加强公共文化服务的供给，满足村民多样的精神需求；积极利用互联网技术，宣传好人好事典范，引导更多的群众积极向上；通过党员下乡宣传，进行持续性的精神文明活动，有效改善了乡村原有的陈旧观念，淳朴的家风村风在乡村之间得到广泛弘扬。目前，浙江省在乡村德治方面已取得显著成效，截至2022年底，累计建成20511家农村文化礼堂，实现500人以上行政村全覆盖；建成农家书屋25335个，全省行政村农家书屋全覆盖。“千万工程”不仅造就了万千美丽乡村，而且培养了一批高素质高水平的新型农民，为新时代乡村的有效治理营造良好的道德环境。

To advance the modernization of rural governance in the New Era, it is necessary to promote rule by virtue and enable socialist advanced culture and fine traditional culture to “take root and sprout” at the grassroots level in the countryside. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that we must combine law-based governance with rule by virtue, so that rule by law and rule by virtue complement and reinforce each other. We must vigorously promote the national spirit with patriotism at its core and the spirit of the times with reform and innovation at its core. Especially in the current society, where the pace of life has accelerated, diverse cultures coexist, and mainstream values are under assault, it is all the more necessary to strengthen the construction of rule by virtue, promote social righteousness, and ensure the smooth development of rural rule by virtue. Law brings peace to the world, virtue warms people’s hearts. Rural rule by virtue must integrate core socialist values with traditional Chinese virtues, guiding the masses toward goodness and upward striving, active enterprise, and pioneering innovation, so that rule by virtue truly becomes the ideological and moral support for the modernization of rural governance.

新时代推进乡村治理现代化，要弘扬德治，推动社会主义先进文化和优秀传统文化在乡村基层的“落地生根”。习近平总书记强调，要坚持依法治国和以德治国相结合，实现法治和德治相辅相成、相得益彰。大力弘扬以爱国主义为核心的民族精神和以改革创新为核心的时代精神。尤其是在当前社会，生活节奏加快，多元文化并存，主流价值观受到冲击，更需要加强德治建设，弘扬社会正气，保障乡村德治的顺利开展。法安天下，德润人心，乡村德治要将社会主义核心价值观与中华传统美德相结合，引导群众向上向善，积极进取，开拓创新，使德治真正成为乡村治理现代化的思想道德支撑。

V. Digital Empowerment: Comprehensively Applying Digital Technology to Deeply Advance Digital Village Construction

五、数字赋能：全面运用数字技术，深入推进数字乡村建设。

Digital empowerment is an opportunity brought by the digital age. In implementing the Ten-Thousand-Village Project, Zhejiang Province has paid particular attention to reform and innovation, using new technologies, new tools, and new means to improve rural social governance. China Mobile Zhejiang Company responded to the call of primary-level Party organizations and built a digital platform for primary-level governance. This digital platform, built by China Mobile Zhejiang Company for Yanshang Village in Yongjia County, Wenzhou, is a rural service platform supported by digital technology. Although Yanshang Village has a superior geographical location and broad prospects for tourism development, it had long been neglected because its industries were small-scale and relatively scattered. In recent years, however, with the help of digital technology dissemination, Yanshang Village has become widely known, radiated vitality, and transformed itself into an “internet-famous village,” showing a trend of leapfrog development.

数字赋能是数字时代带来的机遇，浙江省在实施“千万工程”中特别注重改革创新，借助新技术、新工具和新手段改善乡村社会治理。浙江移动顺应基层党组织号召，搭建基层治理的数字化平台。该数字化平台是浙江移动为温州永嘉县岩上村打造的，以数字技术为支撑的乡村服务平台。岩上村虽地理位置优越，旅游业发展前景广阔，但受制于产业规模小且较为分散，一直处于无人问津的状态。但近年来借助数字技术的传播，岩上村美名远扬，焕发活力，一跃摇身成为“网红村”，呈现出跨越式发展的态势。

To advance the modernization of rural governance in the New Era, it is necessary to comprehensively apply digital technology to realize cloud-based processing of primary-level affairs. On the new journey, empowering rural modernization with digital technology inevitably requires adopting an “Internet+” approach: “Internet + primary-level Party building,” incorporating various permissions for Party member management into the internet platform, enabling online cadre assessment and cadre training, and realizing dynamic management and real-time supervision of Party member work; “Internet + Party-mass services,” allowing the masses to communicate directly through online platforms, put forward their demands, and engage in efficient interaction, no longer constrained by time and place; “Internet + primary-level management,” enabling Party members and cadres to have more time to visit the grassroots, listen to the voices of the people, and do practical things for the masses, saving work costs and improving public satisfaction; “Internet + integration of the three forms of governance” [1]1 The “three forms of governance” (三治) refer to self-governance (自治), rule by law (法治), and rule by virtue (德治) in the context of rural governance. — self-governance is the foundation of rural governance, rule by law is the guarantee, and rule by virtue is the root. When self-governance, rule by law, and rule by virtue are kept in separate, non-overlapping tracks, the governance effect achieved is limited. Empowering rural self-governance with digital technology stimulates vitality; empowering rural rule by law strengthens safeguards; empowering rural rule by virtue promotes healthy trends; with the support of a digital platform, taking Party building as the guide, organically interacting and cross-developing these three elements can truly unleash the maximum effectiveness of self-governance, rule by law, and rule by virtue. Only then can farmers’ wallets be filled, rural industries be enriched, and a new rural governance system led by Party building in the New Era be improved.

新时代推进乡村治理现代化，要全面运用数字技术，实现基层事务的云处理。在新征途上，以数字技术赋能乡村现代化发展，势必要采取“互联网+”的方式：“互联网+基层党建”，将党员管理的各种权限纳入互联网平台，可以在线上进行干部考核和干部培训，实现党员工作的动态管理和实时监督；“互联网+党群服务”，群众可以通过网络平台直接沟通，提出自己的诉求等，高效互动，不再受制于时间地点的约束；“互联网+基层管理”，党员干部拥有更多的时间走访基层，倾听民声，为群众办实事，节省了工作成本，提高了群众满意度；“互联网+三治融合”，自治是乡村治理的基础，法治是保证，德治是根基。脉络分明、互不交叉的自治、法治、德治，所取得的治理效果是有限的，以数字技术赋能乡村自治，激发活力；赋能乡村法治，强化保障；赋能乡村德治，弘扬正气；在数字化平台的支持下，以党建为引领，将三者进行有机互动，交叉发展，才能真正发挥自治、法治、德治的最大效能，才能够使农民腰包鼓，农村产业富，健全新时代党建引领的乡村治理新体系。

In summary, it is necessary to take the experience of the Ten-Thousand-Village Project as a guide, take Party building as the lead, take self-governance as the foundation, take rule by law as the guarantee, take rule by virtue as the goal, and take digital technology as the means, thereby constructing a path of rural governance with Chinese characteristics, maximizing the transformation of Party-building advantages into primary-level governance effectiveness, raising the level and capacity of primary-level governance, accelerating the construction of a new primary-level social system, and opening a new chapter in the modernization of the rural governance path. Only in this way can rural revitalization be truly realized.

总之，要以“千万工程”经验为先导，以党建为引领，以自治为基础，以法治为保障，以德治为目标，以数字技术为手段，从而构建一条有中国特色的乡村治理道路，最大限度地把党建优势转化为基层治理效能，提高基层治理能力和治理水平，加快构建基层社会新体系，开辟乡村治理道路现代化的新篇章，才能真正实现乡村振兴。

(Author bios: Li Bin, Associate Professor, PhD, Master’s Supervisor, School of Sociology and Political Science, Anhui University; Sun Xue, Graduate Student, School of Sociology and Political Science, Anhui University; Fang Lu, Research Assistant, Digital Economy Innovation Research Center, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (Shenzhen))

（作者简介：李斌，安徽大学社会与政治学院副教授，博士，硕士生导师；孙雪，安徽大学社会与政治学院研究生；方錄，电子科技大学（深圳）高等研究院数字经济创新研究中心研究助理）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧