Reviewing Fei Xiaotong's "Integration of Knowledge and Action", the Century of Great Revival of Investigation and Research | Fei Xiaotong | Integration of Knowledge and Action

The whole party has been conducting investigations and research for quite some time, and I often think of Mr. Fei Xiaotong, who passed away for a full eighteen years.

From the "Jiangcun Economy" in the 1930s, which was hailed as a milestone in the development of anthropological field investigations and theoretical work, to the lengthy research report "Wenzhou Tour" in the early stages of reform and opening up, from conducting in-depth field investigations during university to writing outstanding works, to still visiting villages and households in his later years and standing at a high position, and being the first to voice the era's strong voice of "rural areas can also develop industrial economy", throughout Fei's life, he can be said to be a model of knowledge and action integration in investigation and research.

In that year, Fei Xiaotong, the newly married Yaner, went over mountains and mountains with his beloved wife to make a field survey in Dayao Mountains, Guangxi. He accidentally fell into a trap set by a hunter to catch wild animals, and his wife begged for help alone to save him. She accidentally fell into the abyss and died. Fei Xiaotong, who endured the pain of his passing, continued his research in Yaoshan for over a month with crutches. What people see is the fruitful achievement of Fei Xiaotong's overnight fame, but they are unaware of the difficult and inhumane hardships behind it. In 1957, Fei Xiaotong returned to Kaixian Gong Village for investigation, and he pondered hard: why are farmers still so poor? The land system has changed, and farmers now own land. Why is there still a shortage of food? Many domestic light industries do not necessarily have to be concentrated in a few cities in order to improve technology; Placing the processing industry in raw material production areas to solve the problem of rural sidelines... Fei Xiaotong's exploration has been significantly validated in the future reform and opening up process. When Fei Xiaotong visited Kaixian Gong Village for the third time in 1981 and wrote the article "Further Exploration of Small Towns", the household industry had already recovered, and the income from household sidelines accounted for half of the average personal total income.

From the 1940s to the 1970s, no country attempted to cultivate its own industrial foundation in rural areas. "Jiangcun Economy" was translated into Chinese and published in China, which was once expensive in Luoyang. In 1981, Fei Xiaotong, then Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, went to Wenzhou at the age of 71 to investigate the criticism of Wenzhou's private economy. The old man wearing a woolen coat still couldn't sit still in the cold, with a clean and runny nose, listened attentively to the introduction in the reception room of the township government where the window glass was missing. Wherever he went, the flourishing economic achievements of the towns and villages filled him with great satisfaction. The subsequent lengthy research report "Wenzhou Tour" was widely disseminated. Grassroots industries such as the "Wu County Model" and "Wenzhou Model" were compared with the history of the Western industrial revolution, recording and refining the remarkable innovations of Chinese farmers that convinced the world.

Wang Yangming said, "From the beginning of action, knowledge is achieved through action." This is also Fei Lao's lifelong understanding and practice. "What a clever organization is society, how can it withstand hard hands and hard feet? If the general public's knowledge is not enough to maintain a new system, this system will eventually take shape." This is based on the above understanding and practice, and comes to a targeted conclusion. "Once the problems of farmers and rural areas are solved, the problems of China will be solved." This is also a profound reflection made by Fei Lao, who has spent his whole life on dangerous beaches and overcoming difficulties. Behind this, one can learn to move forward and face difficulties, adhere to systematic concepts, go deep into reality, grassroots, and mass investigations to understand the situation, and understand how to grasp the current and long-term, macro and micro, major and minor contradictions, and promote overall work.

Today, I miss Fei Xiaotong and revisit his "unity of knowledge and action" to provide insights for current research and investigation. For every cadre, it is important to deeply understand the true meaning of "coming from the masses, going to the masses", always strive to do practical work, seek practical solutions, and be adept at closely integrating investigation and research with central work and decision-making needs. Truly understanding the situation, identifying problems, and implementing countermeasures is the beginning of "those who know" and "those who know".