(Ecns.cn)--In a bid to improve agriculture, rural areas and farmers (the "three agricultural questions") and build a "new socialist countryside," from 2008 to 2013 100,000 college graduates are to be sent to work in villages, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
But life in the country's 600,000 administrative villages – the lowest level of government administration in China – is tough for millions of officials currently under tremendous pressure as they struggle to improve life in the countryside, according to a People’s Daily report on Monday.
With limited power and low pay, China's village officials suffer from a "bleak future," according to the newspaper.
Graduates lack experience
Though encouraged and inspired by friendly policies, many college graduates who take up the challenge of running a village find "it hard to fulfill the mission," said 26-year-old Li Jiangchong.
"We have theories, but no work experience, which means we stumble often," said Li.
Li said his passion vanished when he first arrived in Kedi – the village under his watch – and tried to promote projects, which failed due to unsupportive villagers and lack of money.
"Without profits from the collective economy, it's hard for me to work out my new ideas," said Li, referring to his ongoing "headache" project of building a public toilet, which lacked the necessary 10,000 yuan ($1,546).
"My current salary is 1,100 yuan ($170) per month, but this is not the most difficult part of working as a little village official. I feel lost about my future," Li told People's Daily.
Before Li arrived, there were two other college graduates had who worked as officers in Kedi village. Both left within a week.
According to the policy, Li can stay in the village for six years. After that, he must find another job.
Ambition not rewarded
Zhang Yan, the Party Secretary of Beihuo village in Shandong Province, is more ambitious. He helped raise money to construct the village's roads. But he told People’s Daily that the job didn't help his personal development, since he probably couldn't get promoted.
"Last year, there were two positions available for village officials under the age of 45 in the municipal government, but there were 300 of us fighting for them," said Zhang.
Though he works hard, Zhang said as the Party Secretary of the village he only earns 1,327 yuan ($205) a month.
Female officials under greater pressure
Dang Jinju is a female official working in a once "troubled village" where locals lived in poverty and resented the hostile natural conditions along the Yellow River. In 2008 she decided to promote the planting of lotus roots, yet was criticized by the villagers as "being nuts."
Some villagers tried to convince her to give up the idea, saying that because she was a woman she didn't have to work so hard.
"I then borrowed money and planted lotus roots with my husband. In this way I finally convinced the villagers," Zhang said.
Despite being paid a meager 300 yuan ($46) a month, Zhang works even harder than other village officers. As a woman in a remote rural area of China, she must prove to uneducated people that she has what it takes to "run a village."
Senior village officer devoted to countryside
In 1997, 51-year-old Wei Chong gave up his business and an annual income of more than 200,000 yuan ($30,929) to become a village official in Jiangxi Province, where he earns only 2,000 yuan ($309) a year.
Since then his Shanghai business has declined.
"You have to be prepared to devote yourself in order to do a good job in the countryside," said Wei.
He explained that in most countryside villages people value clan loyalty, which makes it difficult for village officers to interfere in local business.
As a senior village officer, Wei said that he would like assistance from a talented college graduate, but with the current financial situation they couldn't afford to hire one.
