On the afternoon of March 21st, Chen Xiwen, the Chairman of the Agricultural and Rural Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, former Deputy Leader and Office Director of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, Honorary Dean of the School of Agricultural and Rural Development at Renmin University of China, and an alumnus of the 1978 class of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Renmin University of China, was invited to the School of Agricultural and Rural Development at Renmin University of China to deliver a lecture for the faculty and students as part of the Forum on Forestry and Agricultural Economic Management in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the department and the 20th anniversary of the school. The lecture was chaired by Qiu Huanguang, the Dean of the School of Agricultural and Rural Development.

Chen Xiwen's lecture, titled "Rural Reform and Institutional Innovation," discussed the formation and evolution of several fundamental systems in China's agricultural and rural development. He pointed out that reform is synonymous with institutional innovation and that the most significant achievement from the perspective of rural reform over the past 45 years has been the establishment of the basic rural operational system. This system, based on household contracting and combining unified and diversified management, is the most crucial institutional achievement formed by rural reform, an invention and creation of the people, summarized and elevated by the Party and the state.

  He introduced important fundamental systems such as the collective ownership of rural land, rural collective economic organization, and rights of rural collective members. He suggested further research and improvement on the issue of collective ownership of rural land to consolidate and improve the basic rural operational system and enhance the efficiency of rural production and business activities. Additionally, further research and improvement on the rural collective member rights system are needed to effectively protect farmers' lawful rights and interests and maximize the benefits of rural collective economic organizations.