Changing one village at a time: Volunteer's tale

Jiang Haoshu, founder of Rural Cultural Renewal Initiative. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

How many volunteers do you have now? And who are they?

By the end of the year we had enrolled hundreds of volunteers, organized 12 salons and bonded with near a dozen villages. Our volunteers included professors, civil servants, university students and designers alike. We estimate that by the end of 2015, the number of our volunteers will reach a few thousand and we will be able to reach all different provinces of China through solid work.

China has millions of villages. How do you choose which village to offer help, and how does it work?

Villages seeking volunteer work need to first share their requirements with us and apply for service through social media, and after we confirm their needs, we will help to find their nearest volunteer teams to form a taskforce. The volunteers then could follow four stages: field study and systematic research, cultural record and creative communication, on-spot meeting and training, social networking, local service and seed project incubation.

In view of the fact that in China different government departments normally oversee only one piece of the rural jigsaw such as farming, trade, environment or housing, whereas on the grassroots level people are often unable to bring those pieces together in a creative and synergic whole, we have developed a pool of multi-disciplinary rural experts who can help design "solution kits" for the villagers to choose, the volunteers therefore could serve as a bridge between those villagers and those otherwise inaccessible talents and experts.

China has always been a farming country, agriculture and agri-related culture will always be relevant.

How do you understand rural culture?

In my definition, rural culture refers to a sustainable lifestyle that bridges the past with present, and helps mankind to enjoy nature and human communities more. It could be very creative and traditional at the same time.

What does rural culture mean to Chinese culture?

Both root and future

You have travelled to many counties in the world. Have villages in other nations inspired you?

I went to seek international experiences in places like Europe, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States. It seems that the countryside does have a bright future if we slow down and respect its past.

I was particularly impressed by a case in the United States in which a young designer named Emily Pilloton helped revive the underprivileged rural areas in the United States through creative design and community work. I became more and more convinced that the countryside is a "promised land" not only for China but also for the whole world.

What kinds of people and groups will play important roles in village service?

People with special expertise will be helpful for Chinese countryside, particularly those who have international experiences. I have known quite a few foreign expats, including designers, bloggers, teachers and even hikers, who have helped the Chinese countryside a lot.

I hope to invite many more foreigners to join this meaningful initiative. My email address is: jhsbook@126.com and we have a website www.xiangcun360.com with an English website under construction. In my opinion, volunteer work is like torch relay, which can help connect the limited resource of one person with another, thus help the rural area as a whole. If you're interested in helping Chinese countryside, please feel free to write me.