The spirit of production self-rescue helps Fan Haiting overcome all difficulties
Fan Haiting, a Communist Party member from Dongye Village, Pingshan Town, Pingshan County, is 70 years old this year. In 1997, he personally established the Oriental Giant Turtle Garden tourist area, leading the villagers to prosperity and a better life. On July 19, a rainstorm caused unprecedented damage to the Oriental Giant Turtle Garden scenic area. Among the hardest hit was the large-scale water recreation base "Joy Island," which was left unrecognizable after being battered by floods. On August 2, reporters walked into the Oriental Giant Turtle Garden scenic area and saw that construction work was proceeding in an orderly manner.
Of the more than 100,000 poplar trees planted along the Ye River over 20 years, averaging over a chi in diameter, fewer than one-tenth remain; all tourism infrastructure and equipment for skiing, rafting, and water skiing were destroyed; more than 3,000 m of tourist roads connecting the scenic spots were destroyed... The sudden rainstorm brought severe losses to the Oriental Giant Turtle Garden, and almost none of its original appearance could be seen.
????Construction work is underway at the Oriental Giant Turtle Garden tourist area. Photo by Han Xiaohan
Production self-rescue, sharing hardship together
On the 20th, employees rushed over one after another. Seeing the scene before them, some had tears in their eyes. Soon, under Fan Haiting's leadership, everyone sprang into action, clearing silt and helping with reconstruction. "We had always been reluctant to change this area of Joy Island before, but now we have the chance. We plan to clean it up first, then redesign it, and the new Joy Island will be a notch above the old one." Facing the situation, Fan Haiting always maintained an optimistic attitude.
Twenty years of hard work turned into a vast expanse of water overnight, washing away all of Joy Island's entertainment and infrastructure. Fan Haiting led more than a hundred employees in continuous battle, fighting on the front line of production self-rescue, relying on their own efforts and overcoming difficulties. He insisted on directing construction on site every day and was called a "roly-poly" in the face of the flood disaster. Employees all urged him to take care of his health.
????Villagers from nearby came to help. Photo by Han Xiaohan
Villager Sun Haiwen, in his 60s, had more than 2 mu of crops completely destroyed by the flood. When he heard that the scenic area founded by Fan Haiting had been hit by the disaster, he disregarded his own farmland and voluntarily came to help. Like Sun Haiwen, the more than 100 people doing production self-rescue work in the scenic area every day were either disaster victims themselves or from village households with poor economic conditions. At present, the scenic area is facing difficulties in cash flow, but Fan Haiting still insisted on not letting the villagers help for free. He smiled and encouraged Sun Haiwen, saying: "I'll pay you for your labor every day. Don't neglect your own disaster relief, and don't add trouble to the Party and the government!"
"As long as we have the spirit of hard struggle from the old revolutionary base areas, that is the power to overcome all difficulties!" Fan Haiting's words inspired every employee. "We have the confidence and determination to restore the scenic area!" Liu Chunyan, deputy general manager of the scenic area, told reporters that the employees are united, and everyone is actively throwing themselves into the reconstruction without fear of hardship or fatigue. They believe that the rebuilt Joy Island will bring everyone a new experience. (Reporters Ren Junpeng, Fang Shujing, Liu Liyan, Han Xiaohan)