Xiao Guangpan: Listening to the "trivial hardships" and leading villagers to prosperity

Listening to the "trivial hardships" and leading villagers to prosperity

--A profile of Xiao Guangpan, "First Secretary" of a mountain village in Longnan

Xinhua News Agency, Lanzhou, Nov. 29 (Reporter Tu Guoxi) -- In Yezha Village, Awu Township, Tanchang County, Longnan City, Gansu Province, a remote area, 72-year-old Bao Xionghu still clearly remembers that three years ago, a short young man wearing glasses came to his small shop, "looking at first glance like he was not from this village." The young man bought a box of milk to visit an elderly woman in the village who had been bedridden for years.

He casually asked the young man: "Are you a relative of hers?"

"No, I'm the secretary stationed in the village."

Bao Xionghu pressed on: "Then can you help us get the road built?"

The road Bao Xionghu spoke of was the 20-li road from the foot of the mountain to the top, the main route villagers used to haul grain and medicinal herbs. At the time the road was so narrow that only a mule or horse pulling a cart could pass, and on several occasions the animals fell down the slope.

"I will find a way to get this road built," the young man promised.

Three years later today, all the paths leading to every household in the village have been paved, the village road has been widened, and tractors and cars can drive all the way to the top of the mountain. Bao Xionghu and many villagers in Yezha Village give a thumbs-up, praising this young man from the "provincial level" as a "capable man."

This young man is named Xiao Guangpan, a division-level researcher in the Coordination and Guidance Division of the Rural Work Office of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee. From the time he came from the provincial capital to this small village to serve as "First Secretary," he set a goal for himself: he must settle down, stay in the village, and help the masses open a path out of poverty.

Xiao Guangpan went into every household, listening to villagers talk about the "trivial and bitter things" of rural life. He said: "Only by listening to everyone's ideas can I fully understand and grasp this village." He believed that only by clearly understanding the current state of development and the contradictions and difficulties could assistance be better targeted.

Thirty-nine-year-old Bao Shezhong was someone Xiao Guangpan often "dropped by" to visit. Bao Shezhong was a "household in difficulty" in the village. Eight years ago he contracted a rare disease called "Behcet's disease," which drained more than 100,000 yuan from the family. In recent years his condition worsened, and he could no longer work in the fields or go out to find work. His wife ran back to her parents' home five years ago and has not returned since, leaving him and his 8-year-old daughter to depend on each other.

"If Secretary Xiao hadn't constantly encouraged me, I would have long since been unable to go on living." After years of treatment, Bao Shezhong's illness improved. With Xiao Guangpan's help, Bao Shezhong and his brother joined forces to transfer 80 mu of village land, preparing to plant medicinal herbs after the coming spring; together with the 8 sows he had raised over the past two years, he believed that next year he could definitely win a "comeback battle" against poverty. Xiao Guangpan also helped village officials get in contact with his wife and urged her to come back. He felt that "as long as life gets better, the family can be whole again."

This "First Secretary" also brought a new atmosphere to the village. In the past, after meetings, village officials sometimes spent their own money to buy liquor, which easily caused misunderstandings among the masses. Xiao Guangpan set an ironclad rule: no drinking at the village office. One Party member's family ran a small shop and set up a mahjong table to attract customers, but Xiao Guangpan strictly ordered it stopped. In a very short time, the work style of village officials changed greatly, and they felt that "if you work seriously, there is always a way."

In three years since taking office, Xiao Guangpan helped the village secure more than 30 projects. Village officials and the masses worked together, and Yezha Village, once "dirty," "chaotic," and "poor," became a "beautiful village." The river embankment was repaired, so there was no longer any fear of mountain floods; with solar water heaters, villagers could bathe every day like city people; a cultural square was built, young people began playing basketball, and women began dancing square dances.

Xiao Guangpan not only led everyone to basically achieve poverty alleviation, but more importantly, he brought several new projects for the village's future development.

The region of southeastern Gansu where Yezha Village is located frequently suffers hail disasters, which often prevent apple, pear and other trees from bearing fruit. After inviting experts from the Forestry Academy to conduct on-site research, Xiao Guangpan introduced hazelnuts for planting. At present, the hazelnut cooperative established by 15 village households has expanded its planting area to 600 mu. In two or three years, when it enters the full fruit-bearing period, each mu can generate an annual income of 8,000 yuan to 12,000 yuan.

Tanchang County is an important production area for Chinese medicinal herbs in China, and the main income of the people of Yezha Village also comes from planting medicinal herbs. With Xiao Guangpan's support, "chicken-raising expert" Li Nongjian took the lead in establishing a chicken-raising professional cooperative, adding Chinese medicinal herbs to chicken feed to create a new breeding technique. Once the Chinese herbal health chickens were launched, they were widely welcomed by the market. At present, Yezha Village has become the largest specialized chicken-raising village in Tanchang County, with 70 to 80 households participating and benefiting. In order to help this cooperative develop rapidly, Xiao Guangpan lent 100,000 yuan as advance funds for the cooperative's cash flow.

The reporter learned that through Xiao Guangpan's efforts, broadband internet was recently connected to Yezha Village. Li Nongjian's son Li Xiaowen opened an online shop to sell the Chinese herbal health chickens and other local specialties here through the internet.

Now, Xiao Guangpan has been sent to another poverty-stricken village in Tanchang County to be stationed there. The villagers of Yezha Village, full of gratitude, made a pennant for this "First Secretary," but Xiao Guangpan left it at the village office. He felt that helping villagers escape poverty was his responsibility.