Small woman makes big difference

Updated: 2015-04-21 07:37

By Huang Zhiling in Yingjing, Sichuan province(China Daily)

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Village chief becomes source of strength as quake victims recover their lives and thrive

Standing less than 1.5 meters tall and weighing under 40 kg, Li Guoqiong might not come across as a strong woman.

But the 47-year-old Party chief of Jianle village in Yingjing county, Sichuan province, has been the backbone of 1,554 villagers, of whom 113 are members of the Yi ethnic group.

A native of Jianle, Li taught villagers how to treat plant diseases for 10 years. She was chief of the women's affairs section for nine years before she was chosen to head the village, right after the Lushan earthquake, which killed 196 in Sichuan two years ago. The magnitude-7.0 temblor hit the county on April 20, 2013.

In Li's village 208 of 403 households suffered damage.

"Despite the fact that her husband suffered from a brain tumor and needed somebody to take care of him at home, Li visited construction sites every day to ensure that villagers purchased quality construction material at reasonable prices and that builders followed quality standards," said Wang Jian, chief of the government of Minjian Yi township, of which Jianle is a part.

Before the second anniversary of the quake, all 208 houses were rebuilt or repaired.

Zhou Guangrong, a 60-year-old with mental disabilities who had never married because of poverty, also moved into a new house. Zhou has a 14-year-old adopted Yi son who lives with Zhou's 90-year-old mother.

Their house collapsed in the quake. But with the help of government subsidies and 20,000 yuan ($3,270) from the Red Cross Society of China, Li led villagers to build a house for Zhou.

Most villagers in Jianle also used to rely on farming to eke out a living.

"We planted corn, rice and rape and could hardly make ends meet," said Weng Qingrong, a middle-aged villager, as she tended to her tea plants.

Nestled in the Daping mountainous area, the village, which is between 900 meters and 1,100 meters above sea level, is considered ideal for growing tea. As tea is more profitable than corn, rice or rape, Li, who has experience in building tea plantations, showed villagers how to cultivate the crop.

"The tea plantation area in the village has risen from 80 hectares to 187 hectares," Weng said.

Because road conditions were bad, villagers had to trek mountain paths with tea harvests on their backs.

Using post-quake reconstruction funds from the township government, Li led villagers to lay a 5-km-long road linking the village with the outside area. Some villagers did not want to be relocated to make way for the road.

"Li Guoqiong visited them many times and told them what the road meant for the poor village. Her persistence moved them and they all moved," Weng said.

Thanks to the new road, trucks are able to reach the village, and a kilogram of tea is sold for about 6.5 yuan. Almost half the villagers now enjoy the profits from the lucrative trade, said villager Li Guoli.

The village also suffered from water shortages, and tea plantations were swarmed with pests during the dry season. Soon after she became Party chief, Li and her villagers searched in the mountains for more than 20 days before finding a spring. Pipelines provided by the township government have since enabled villagers to tap the crucial water source.

Still, with more villagers owning tea plantations, water remains in short supply. Li plans to build five ponds to store rainwater for the plantations.

"The township government has approved the plan, and building will begin soon," she said.

huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn

Small woman makes big difference

Small woman makes big difference

Small woman makes big difference

(China Daily 04/21/2015 page8)