Narrowing the urban-rural gap is an urgent task

President Xi Jinping helps make the dough for ciba, a glutinous rice delicacy that is a local Spring Festival favorite, during a visit to the village of Shenshan, Jiangxi province, on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

A Shanghai woman posted a breakup letter online after she was invited to visit her boyfriend's rural hometown in Central China's Jiangxi province on Chinese New Year's Eve, in which she said she was utterly "shocked" by how poor his family is. Bridging the urban-rural income gap requires more concerted efforts to serve rural residents and modernize their community, says Qianjiang Evening News:

Apparently, so-called urban-rural differences have a lot to do with the Shanghai woman breaking up with her boyfriend over a meal. The truth is she is not alone in turning a deaf ear to what is needed in the country's rural governance, judging by many online comments in her favor.

For example, many rural residents can afford a motorcycle now, but still, few of them wear a helmet, and there are no signs on the country roads reminding them to do so. They should be informed of the importance of safe driving by local officials, who are clearly failing to fulfill their obligation to serve them.

Suburban dwellers should be encouraged to embrace modern life as well as the rules, because their old way of living, such as their ignorance of traffic rules, is obsolete.

China's ongoing modernization is pretty much about the rural areas and the people who live there. The key to modernizing the local management lies in relevant officials' willingness to serve the rural residents and help them live efficiently and affluently.