In the Shanxi village elections which have just ended, 3900 college graduates have been elected members of village committees and village party branches with strong electoral support.

Last year Shanxi Province ruled that college graduates who had worked as village officials for over a year could register as candidates for village elections.

Among 18,359 college graduate village officials, 6700 qualified ones took part in the village elections. These talented young people equipped with a modern education and progressive ways of thinking have earned the recognition of villagers through their ability to deal with complicated problems and their achievements in helping villages to prosper.

Thirty college graduates were elected as village Party branch secretary and village director, 47 were elected village Party branch secretary, 1010 were elected deputy village Party branch secretary, 57 were elected village director, and 1110 were elected deputy village director. They will be a major force in building new villages.

These large numbers of college graduates have become village committee and village Party branch members as a result of the successful implementation of the "one college student for each village" program. Shanxi has attracted 20,000 college graduates to work in villages since 2006.

Shanxi will absorb another 10000 college students to work in villages in 2009.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Ming'ai, February 6, 2009)