Social progress in Sun Geng Town

Literature, Education, Technology Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were many private schools in Sun Geng, and most of the students enrolled were children from wealthy families. In 1910, the earliest rural primary school in Jiyang County, Gaoguantun Junior School, was established in Gaoguantun Village. In 1918, Mozhuang Junior Primary School in Jingxian District, Jiyang County was established at Sanyi Temple on Sungengdong Street. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, early childhood education, general education, and adult education were fully developed. By 1966, every village had a primary school. In 1969, 6 joint middle schools were built in the town, which basically popularized junior middle school education. However, due to poor conditions in all aspects, the quality of education was very low. In 1985, the town government merged the former Dalu, Houzhang and Yanchang joint middle schools into Sungeng Town Middle School. After that, it continued to expand investment. In 1996, it reached the second-class standard issued by the ministry, with 2 teaching buildings and 2 high-standard laboratories. The student dormitory can accommodate about 1,000 people. By 2000, the town had 2 middle schools (including Jiyang No. 3 Middle School), 5 central primary schools, 30 village primary schools, with 4,850 students enrolled, and the enrollment and retention rate reached 98.6%. Since the 1980s, it has sent 503 college and technical secondary school students to the country, including 106 undergraduate students, 172 junior college students, and 225 technical secondary school students.

The people of Sun Geng have a glorious tradition of revolutionary struggle. During the Anti-Japanese War, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the people of Sun Geng carried out the struggle of reducing rent and interest, hiring workers and increasing capital, and eradicating traitors and anti-hegemony. They also actively supported and cooperated with the Eighth Route Army in dozens of battles with the Japanese and puppet troops, shattering the The Japanese and puppet troops launched many counterattacks and "clearance campaigns". During the War of Liberation, the people of Sun Geng actively supported the front line and fought a life-and-death struggle against the Kuomintang reactionaries. 83 people in the town sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the Chinese people.

The people of Sun Geng created a splendid culture in social practice. Such as Yangko, local drama, calligraphy, painting, dragon lanterns, stilts, land boats, etc., which have been passed down from generation to generation. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, mass cultural activities became more prosperous. In 1958, the town cultural station and theater were established. In 1960, the town radio station and cultural center were built. In 1978, the film screening team was established. In 1985, 4 various document archives and scientific and technological archives were built in the town.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were few medical personnel and poor medical conditions in the country. Medical treatment mainly relied on private Chinese medicine shops and Western medicine clinics. There are three traditional Chinese medicine shops in the town, and their business methods include opening a shop to practice medicine, hiring doctors, and inviting doctors. In 1952, Sungeng District Health Center was established with 3 health technicians. In 1957, there were 3 health clinics and the number of health technicians increased to 9. In 1961, the commune health center was established, with departments of internal medicine, surgery and 11 health technicians. After 1964, every village trained health workers (later renamed Barefoot Doctors) and set up clinics. The cooperative medical system was implemented in 1970. There are 23 villages implementing cooperative medical care, accounting for 51% of the villages in the town. Since then, cooperative medical care has been implemented throughout the country, which was discontinued in 1978. In 1971, Sungeng Health Center was changed into a branch of the County People's Hospital, with departments of internal medicine, surgery, traditional Chinese medicine, women's medicine, and laboratory testing. In 1988, the Sungeng Branch of the County People's Hospital was changed to Sungeng Town Hospital. The hospital has 37 health technicians, 68 beds, and 4 health clinics. It has more than 6,000 outpatients and more than 700 inpatients annually. The town has 45 village clinics and 51 rural doctors and health workers. In 2000, there was 1 town health center, 45 village-level clinics, and 70 hospital beds.

Domestic school sports activities are vigorously carried out, and sports competitions are held regularly. Town agencies, enterprises and some villages also have stadiums and cultural activity rooms, enriching people's cultural, sports and entertainment life. Jiyang No. 3 Middle School, Town Middle School, and Town Education Group participate in the spring and autumn sports meets of primary and secondary schools in the county every year, and have achieved good results.

People’s Life Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the living standards of farmers were generally not high. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, with the recovery and development of the economy, they gradually improved. In 1949, the town's per capita grain supply was 229 kilograms; in 1954, the per capita grain supply was 349 kilograms. In the 1970s, rural areas mainly ate dried sweet potatoes, supplemented by a small amount of corn. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, economic system reforms were implemented in rural areas, and farmers' income increased significantly. In 1978, per capita grain was 379 kilograms, and net income was 95 yuan. In 1990, the per capita grain consumption was 391.5 kilograms, and the net income was 385 yuan. In 2000, the per capita grain consumption was 1,280 kilograms, and the net income was 2,724 yuan.

In terms of consumption, for a long period after the founding of the People's Republic of China, farmers' lives did not improve much. Their food and clothing were mainly made of cotton and coarse grains; their residences were mostly flat-roofed houses with civil structures; farmers visited relatives and friends, went to markets and went to shops, and mostly relied on walking or using Animal drawn cart. Since the reform and opening up, farmers' daily necessities, food, clothing, housing and transportation have undergone tremendous changes. Most of the rations are white flour and fine rice, and non-staple food accounts for a considerable proportion of the food composition. Chicken, duck, and fish often appear on the dining table. Clothing has changed from the past situation of mainly coarse cloth and cotton with single and outdated styles. Chemical fiber, Woolen, woolen and other fabrics have entered ordinary people's homes, with novel styles, various colors, and beautiful appearance; in terms of housing, the former civil structure houses have been replaced by lock-leather houses and front-outdoor platform houses with steel and cement prefabricated structures. , more than 170 households have built buildings, and the per capita housing area in the town has reached 22 square meters; in terms of appliances, bicycles, sewing machines, watches, high-end furniture, motorcycles, etc. are basically popular. Motorcycles, motorized tricycles, and various cars have become means of transportation. In 2000, the town's per capita deposit balance was 2,000 yuan. Every village in the town has telephone access, with 3,576 telephones, 8,021 television sets, and 7,872 motor vehicles of various types, 7,840 of which are owned by individuals. After the town nursing home was built in 1991, 22 lonely elderly people spent their remaining years here.

Town and Village Construction Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the buildings in the villages within the territory were simple and crude, and the layout was messy. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, development was not rapid. By the 1960s, most houses were mainly made of civil structures. In the late 1970s, farmers with good conditions began to build bungalows with brick and wood structures. After the 1980s, houses were mainly made of brick and wood structures, and a few farmers built buildings. In 1984, 11 villages in the town carried out village planning and unified design and construction. After the 1990s, the construction of towns and villages accelerated. Three new streets were built in the town area, all of which are paved with asphalt roads. In 1991, 1.02 square kilometers of land was set aside for small town development. In 1992, the first industrial development community on the north bank of the Yellow River was initially built along National Highway 104. In 2000, 38 villages carried out unified planning. The township government invested 960 million yuan; the lighting project was completed, 130 street lights were installed, Fuqiang Street from the development zone to Sungeng Daji was opened, and 87,500 square meters of asphalt pavement was paved. Sungeng Town was designated by the country as a “National Small Town Comprehensive Reform Pilot Town” and was awarded the title of “Advanced Unit for Small Town Construction” by Shandong Province.