The First Secretaries of Grassroots Party Committees and the Silver-Haired Force: The Role of Intergenerational Coordination in Promoting Rural Revitalization in Ethnic Minority Areas

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2024.10.010

Abstract： Chinese-style modernization is a modernization of a huge population， and also a modernization of a significant number of elderly inhabitants. Ethnic minority areas" face" the dual problems" of promoting" and coordinating rural revitalization" as well as addressing" population aging，" presenting" serious challenges to their economic and social development. Since 2015， China has cumulatively sent more than 3 million first secretaries and village-stationed cadres to impoverished， border，" and ethnic minority areas." Their interactions and" cooperation with the" silver-age group" offer" a vivid" example of Chinese characteristics" in" coordinated" rural revitalization and active aging，" with significant implications for rural revitalization policy innovation， inheritance of national filial piety and aging culture， and" exploration of new supportive models for the aged.

The intergenerational synergy between the first secretaries and the “silver-age power” of the diversified elderly group" holds historical， practical， and valuable implications for the promotion of rural revitalization in ethnic areas. Historically， the Communist Party of China has a fine tradition of respecting， loving， and assisting the elderly and promoting harmonious coexistence among different age groups. In practice， this" intergenerational collaboration between the first secretaries and the “silver-age” group represents an inevitable strategy to harness the endogenous potential of rural areas in the context of an aging society. In terms of value， the intergenerational collaboration between the first secretaries and the silver-age force enables" the elderly" to" share the fruits of reform and development and" contributes to the aged-care" approach in Chinese-style modernization.

Based on data from the seventh national census， this study carefully analyzes the aging characteristics， phases， and trends of different ethnic groups. Under the" “country-village” framework， it examines" the intergenerational synergies between the first secretary and local and" external silver-haired" forces in 42 ethnic villages" across" seven major geographical regions of China， involving 17 ethnic groups at different levels of aging." Through" interpretive analysis techniques，" it" finds" six key aspects of" the first secretary’s intergenerational collaboration with the silver power： Trust building， goal alignment， motivation activation， model cultivation，" educational empowerment，" and resource linking.

This investigation" concludes that appropriate countermeasures" should be formulated considering the relatively lower and slower rural aging in ethnic areas，" and the potential of four key elderly demographics should be actively explored. Firstly，" this includes strengthening" synergy with veteran" cadres and party members to enhance" organizational capacity; secondly， it is necessary to" collaborate with the general elderly population to unleash" their creativity; thirdly， it is" imperative to cooperate with" local elderly self-governance organizations to" consolidate" internal thrust; and lastly， it" would be needed to align with" elderly volunteer" teams to unify" traction. In addition， ethnic" regions" should take demographic factors into account in" rural revitalization policy design， strengthening the transfer of resources，" addressing spatial disparities， enhancing the coordination and planning of intergenerational synergy， and constructing a scientific" evaluation and measurement system for intergenerational" projects.

KeyWords： the first secretary; the silver age power; intergenerational synergy; rural revitalization in ethnic areas