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China News Service, Guigang, Guangxi, August 14, Title: Guangxi veterans become experts in poverty alleviation: "225 handprints" continue to write the road to prosperity

Author Yu Jing

"There are two greatest and most meaningful things I have done in my life: one is to go to the battlefield to defend my country; the other is to respond to the country's call in 2018, go to the front line of the fight against poverty, and work with the people to get rich." Recalling the past, Zheng Chongjie said with emotion.

Dark skin, simple clothes, determined eyes... Zheng Chongjie, who is nearly 60 years old, was once an excellent border defense soldier. In 1991, he retired and chose to return to his hometown of Guiping, Guangxi to work. In 2018, he took the initiative to volunteer to come to Longmen Village, Nanmu Town, Guiping City, Guangxi to serve as the first secretary.

Zheng Chongjie (center) often helped villagers harvest fruits when he served as the first secretary of Longmen Village, Nanmu Town, Guiping City, Guangxi. (Provided by the interviewee)

Backward infrastructure, no pillar industries, poor village appearance... Zheng Chongjie still remembers the realistic problems that faced him when he first arrived in Longmen Village. "I used to be a veteran, but I was a 'new soldier' ​​when I was working in the village to help the poor and revitalize the countryside," Zheng Chongjie said with a smile, "but soldiers must win battles, and we cannot lose in the work of revitalizing the countryside."

With determination, Zheng Chongjie did what he said. He led the team members to visit villages and households during the day to carry out work, and communicated with the masses at night to find out the basic situation of the village. He actively planned the way for the village to get rich through industry, and launched the "211 Wealth Project" with Longmen Village characteristics - adopting the forms of transferred cultivated land and land trusteeship, cooperating with social funds to build 200 acres of original Xishan tea, 100 acres of passion fruit, and 100 acres of citrus industry bases, laying the foundation for Longmen Village to get rid of poverty and become rich. At the same time, through the overall renovation of dilapidated houses, paving village roads, and improving the facilities of the elderly activity center, the whole village has achieved housing safety, road hardening, safe drinking water and power electricity coverage for farmers, effectively improving the basic conditions for production and life of villagers.

In the hearts of the villagers of Longmen Village, Zheng Chongjie is a good cadre who is down-to-earth and considerate. For villager Liu Lijian, the two sows Zheng Chongjie gave him changed his fate.

Liu Lijian recalled that in June 2018, Zheng Chongjie saw that five poor households in the village had no jobs and wanted to start their own businesses but had no funds. So he bought 10 piglets with his own money and distributed them to the poor households for breeding. He also kept track of their industrial development at all times, and he was one of them.

"I later sold 10 big fat pigs and made more than 40,000 yuan in one go." Liu Lijian was so happy about this that he couldn't stop smiling. "I went from a poor household to a large pig farmer in our village, thanks to Secretary Zheng."

Time passed quietly as Zheng Chongjie got along with the villagers day and night. At the beginning of 2020, Zheng Chongjie's term was about to end and he was facing transfer. The people of Longmen Village were reluctant to let him go and tried their best to keep him.

In March 2020, the Organization Department of Guiping Municipal Committee of the Guigang City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region received a special letter. It was a joint letter from all the villagers of Longmen Village, Nanmu Town, Guiping City. The letter pleaded: "The congress of all villagers unanimously passed and pleaded to continue to arrange for Secretary Zheng Chongjie and the working team members to serve in Longmen Village. This is the wish of all the villagers in Longmen Village." Attached to the letter were 225 red handprints.

"These red handprints are my medals of honor! I can't let down the trust of my fellow villagers." Zheng Chongjie was moved by the 225 red handprints, so the first secretary was retained by the villagers' red handprints.

During the year he remained in office, Zheng Chongjie worked even harder. The roads in Longmen Village were paved, street lights were lit, the three-sided light canal was repaired, a park was built, an industrial park was built... The villagers smiled even happier. "Each bright red fingerprint is a responsibility," he said.

In May 2021, Zheng Chongjie returned to his original unit due to age reasons. At the farewell party, the villagers bid him farewell in tears. Today, as the Party General Branch Secretary of the Management Office of Xishan Scenic Area, Guiping, Guigang City, Guangxi, he still cares about his fellow villagers and the development of Longmen Village.

Zheng Chongjie said that he will continue to inherit the fine style of the army, meet challenges head-on and promote the development of Longmen Village's original Xishan tea industry, so that each piece of tea can be transformed into real money and put into the pockets of villagers, making the life of Longmen Village more prosperous. (End)