Small favor leads to big changes for ordinary villagers

In 2013, Dai Xiaoyong was working at a hospital when officials from his hometown of Xinghong in Chishui, Guizhou province, asked for help with basic administrative paperwork because they were unfamiliar with computers.

With the hospital just a few minutes away by car, Dai agreed to lend a hand. What began as a brief favor soon grew into a decadelong commitment that transformed both his life and the community around him.

As his responsibilities in the village mounted, balancing two roles became impossible. Dai made the tough choice to leave his higher-paying hospital job and dedicate himself to public service full time. He was appointed deputy Party secretary in 2017 and stepped into the role of village Party secretary the following year.

"I felt there was a lot I could do in the village," he said. "When it comes to personal fulfillment, I knew I could achieve something meaningful here. I was born and raised in Xinghong, and I feel a deep attachment to this land and our village."

When he first returned, the village had only a few kilometers of cement roads and no money in its collective coffers. Today, more than 40 km of paved roads connect all the village settlements, running water reaches every household, and an online business helps residents with limited mobility earn money by selling eggs.

In 2022, Dai began making short videos to explain policies to rural residents. As his audience grew, he started livestreaming to promote local agricultural products, including eggs from black-bone chickens.

"Elderly people and those with limited mobility can raise chickens in the bamboo forests around their homes. They collect about a dozen eggs a day, and we help sell them," the 41-year-old said.

Dai estimates villagers can earn between 3,000 yuan ($446) and 8,000 yuan a year from egg sales.

Li Caiming, 55, has raised chickens for years, but he used to keep only a small number. Since the village established a reliable sales network, he has expanded his flock.

"We raise more now because we don't have to worry about finding buyers or selling at a low price. We don't have to take the eggs to market ourselves," Li said.

For Dai, helping villagers increase their incomes is part of a broader effort to build a sustainable economic foundation for Xinghong.

"When I first arrived, the village had no money," he said. "I realized that a village needs its own source of income. With money, we could do much more to help villagers solve their problems."

Under his leadership, the village committee developed a cured meat processing plant, built an e-commerce livestreaming hub, introduced rice-fish farming, and put idle collective assets and other resources to productive use.

These initiatives have accompanied improvements in basic infrastructure and public services.

"Over all these years of hard work, our village has undergone huge changes ... No villager has been left unable to afford food, medical care or schooling," Dai said.

Xinghong's transformation has also shaped Dai's understanding of his responsibilities as a village official. The area carries a significant place in revolutionary history. In early 1935, the Central Red Army crossed the Chishui River four times, breaking through the encirclement of Kuomintang forces. The campaign was a pivotal episode in the Long March, helping the Red Army overcome a numerically superior enemy and regain the strategic initiative.

For Dai, the historical episode offers a lesson in serving the people.

"What stands out most from the Red Army's four crossings of the Chishui River is their wholehearted commitment to the people. When it comes to people, nothing is too small to matter. Every little concern they bring to us is a big deal. Get these small things right, one by one, and together they add up to something truly significant," he said.

More than a decade after returning to Xinghong, Dai remains committed to the village and its residents.

"I have given everything to the people of Xinghong. I want villagers to feel that we officials are on their side. Each generation has its own responsibility and mission. As a Party member, I have a duty to lead the people here to prosperity," he said.

Contact the writers at lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn