He Zhixin is passionate about cultural and artistic activities, wholeheartedly enriching the cultural life of the masses

In the villages around Shenze County, if you ask about He Zhixin, people may find the name unfamiliar, but mention "He Wa" and everyone knows who you mean.

"He Wa" is the childhood nickname of the elderly He Zhixin. Now 68 years old, he is a resident of Zhaozhuang Village, Mali Office, Shenze County. Perhaps because he exercises regularly, he looks much younger than his actual age.

He Zhixin loves the arts. As early as 1990, he paid out of his own pocket to set up a big drum team, buying large drums and costumes. Once everything was purchased, however, no one knew how to play the drums, which put him in a bind. He Zhixin rode his bicycle all over the county and surrounding counties and cities, searching for drumming experts, and finally tracked down 8 skilled drummers. He hired the 8 masters to come to his home at a wage of 40 yuan per day, paying out of his own pocket so that the big drum team members could learn drumming skills from them.

In 2006, He Zhixin went to the county seat on an errand and saw people doing square dancing. He thought to himself that the women in the village, with nothing to do, either played cards or gossiped, and often quarreled over gossip, which made people very unfriendly toward one another. If the village women could be organized, there would be no more card players or gossips, and this would greatly promote harmony among the villagers.

The idea was grand, but reality was stark. Never mind whether anyone would be willing to come; just buying a sound system would cost a lot of money. As the saying goes, "Nothing is difficult in the world for one who has a mind to do it." He Zhixin persuaded his son to donate the sound system bought for his son's wedding for everyone to use.

With the sound system in place, the next step was organizing people. He Zhixin noticed that many villagers came to watch the fun, but few knew how to dance, let alone dance well. So he selected a few clever and nimble young women from among them, rented a car, and took them to the city to learn from the city dwellers. In order to help them master square dancing, He Zhixin also spent several thousand yuan on a video recorder, went to the parks in the city to record, and after returning had the village women dance along with the recordings.

Hard work pays off. A few months later, the team members' graceful dancing attracted more villagers to join the dance team. No one in the village played cards anymore, and there was less gossip. Families became harmonious, and no more quarrels or disturbances over mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts could be heard. All of this is inseparable from He Zhixin's efforts. Every evening, he is the first to arrive at the square to set up the sound system and lighting, and after the dancers disperse at night, he packs up the sound system and stools, cleans the venue, and only then goes home.

Three years ago, under He Zhixin's initiative, Zhaozhuang Village also established a theatrical troupe. Guided by the idea of carrying on local opera, they overcame all kinds of difficulties, unearthed old plays, and arranged new ones, letting the flower of art bloom among the people.

Over the years, whenever the county organized cultural performances, whether it was the big drum team or the dance team, Zhaozhuang Village either took first place or second place. Everyone praised He Zhixin endlessly for his dedication to the arts.

Wang Qiao Zhao Xudong