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Economist explores human stories behind development_我的网站

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Zhou Jiang speaks at an event. Photo: Courtesy of Zhou Jiang
Zhou Jiang, a researcher at the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, has a favorite book:
White Deer Tableland or
Bai Lu Yuan by renowned writer Chen Zhongshi.
As vice president of the Regional Science Association of China (RSAC), Zhou told the Global Times that a lifetime of reading has profoundly shaped the way he sees and understands the world. It ultimately led him to a career in research and academia, where he teaches and pursues scholarly work.
Since earning his PhD in economics in 2000, he has devoted himself to the study of regional science and economics, a field that demands a constant crossing of disciplinary boundaries, drawing on the fields of geography, sociology, history, and ecology among others.
"Reading has kept alive my sense of curiosity and taught me to ask questions with patience and persistence: Where do disparities in regional development come from? How do policies affect different groups in society? And how can a region pursue both efficiency and equity so that development is not merely effective, but also imbued with a greater sense of humanity and warmth?" Zhou noted.
Founded in 1991, RSAC is a national academic society dedicated to advancing domestic and international academic exchange and cooperation, providing consulting services on spatial planning, urbanization, and regional development, and offering intellectual support for China's modernization drive.
The 57-year-old researcher noted that reading has empowered him in two distinct ways.
"The first is discernment. When confronted with a complex issue, I try not to settle for a simple conclusion. Instead, I make an effort to understand its broader context, how it has unfolded, and the perspectives of the different people involved," he said.
"The second is a sense of inner steadiness. Setbacks are an inevitable part of both life and work. Good books remind us that hardship is never ours alone to bear; countless people before us have faced circumstances more difficult than our own, made difficult choices, and found the strength to carry on. Reading cannot solve every problem for us, but it can help us remain calm when challenges arise, giving us the clarity and resilience that allow us not to panic or give up too easily," he said.
Historical depth
Each time Zhou returns to the White Deer Tableland, he finds something different in its pages.
"When I first read it as a young person, I was drawn primarily to the characters and the twists and turns of their lives. Later, as I began researching regional economics, I found myself paying closer attention to the changes in the land, the countryside, families and social order presented in the story. Now, approaching 60, I have come to appreciate more deeply the choices the characters make, the constraints they face, and the quiet perseverance they show amid the sweeping currents of their times," he said.
White Deer Tableland uses Bai Lu village in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province as a microcosm, tracing the feuds and intertwined fortunes of three generations of the Bai (literally meaning white) and Lu families. Through their stories, it captures more than half a century of sweeping historical change, from the final years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the 1970s and 1980s. The novel won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of China's top literature awards, in 1997.
Zhou prefers literary works with historical depth and a keen eye for social change.
Regional economics may appear to be concerned with the spatial distribution of industries, population and resources, but at its heart, it is about how people live on a particular piece of land, and why some places flourish while others decline, he noted.
In this sense, literature and history are more than pastimes beyond professional research. They often help him understand the historical context, cultural traditions and social mentality that lie behind economic data, he said.
When reading novels, Zhou said that he often pays close attention to the relationship between people and the places they inhabit: How the land shapes the local character, how transportation transforms a region, and how shifts in industry reshape families and villages. Such details may not offer a direct conclusion, but they broaden a researcher's perspective. They also serve as a reminder that research should look beyond growth rates and statistical indicators to consider the sense of fulfillment experienced by ordinary people and the dignity of human beings.
Understanding ourselvesOnce, while tidying his study, he came across a book filled with notes he had scribbled in his early years. Among them was a question that particularly caught his attention: "In the face of sweeping changes in the times and profound social transformation, what can a person truly determine for himself?"
Looking at those words he had written in his youth was like coming face to face with the person he had been decades ago.
Reading is not simply the act of understanding a book; it is also a record of a person's own growth, he said. The same book can reveal something entirely different when read at different stages of life.
When we are young, we turn to books in search of answers; but when we become seasoned, we read more to understand life, to understand others, and ultimately, to better understand ourselves, Zhou said.
In this era of fragmented information, AI can help people access information quickly, organize materials, and gain a basic understanding of unfamiliar fields. Yet deep reading, Zhou said, allows people to see how a conclusion is reached — what evidence supports it, where its boundaries lie, and what alternative interpretations it may invite.
What truly shapes a person, after all, is not how much information they have browsed, but the words that have made them pause and reflect - and the words that have remained with them for many years, he added.
。 杭州日报讯 “这多肉造型做得跟真的一样!”“操作简单易上手,做完还能把作品带回家。”夏日午后,建德市梅城镇严州古街红领商圈服务驿站内热闹非凡,新设的泥彩塑体验点位前围拢着不少游客,大家一边动手捏制,一边赞叹。

二 | 这处原本仅供过往群众歇脚饮水的便民空间,如今已然成为严州古城炙手可热的文化打卡点。家住古街的李阿姨一边体验泥塑制作,一边笑着说:“以前驿站就是过来歇歇脚、喝口水,现在反倒成了我们日常休闲的文化好去处。”这般喜人变化,源自梅城镇在党群阵地运营模式上的创新破题。红领商圈服务驿站坐落于严州古城核心商圈,区位条件得天独厚,却长期受功能单一、开放时段受限等问题制约,陷入“有阵地、缺人气,有空间、缺活力”的发展困境。今年上半年,依托浙疆山海协作与统战文化润疆工作契机,梅城镇引入鹤小陶泥彩塑非遗工作室,探索推行“场地换服务”“公益+低偿”的合作模式,由专业团队承接驿站日常运维,同步联动党员志愿服务力量,摸索党群阵地长效运营的新路径。

三 | “引入专业团队,绝非简单的资源置换。”梅城镇相关负责人介绍,入驻运营方需要完成规定公益服务时长,参与商圈联席会议,落实新就业群体关爱服务,配合镇街开展各项重点工作。入驻之后,鹤小陶泥彩塑工作室全面负责驿站日常管理、传统文创展销以及研学体验活动,变身商圈治理的“合伙人”,纳入商务社区委员会议事体系。该团队联动16家爱心店铺、10家小哥友好商铺,围绕商圈提质、镇村联动、片区共富等议题,累计提出十余条务实建议;先后策划开展端午包粽、夏日送清凉等3场惠民活动,持续延伸驿站的服务触角。“引入社会化运营团队,让专业的人做专业的事,既扩充了共建力量,也凝聚起基层治理合力,推动党群阵地真正活起来、商圈治理实起来、共富路子宽起来。”该镇相关负责人说。

四 | 下一步,梅城镇将不断完善商圈“合伙人”机制,有序开放更多党群阵地资源,为不同空间匹配适配的运营主体,引导社会力量深度融入基层治理,让商户、居民、游客多方受益,在千年古街持续释放基层治理的温暖动能。
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