Under the Same Blue Sky: Entering Shitou Village, Kaiyang County (Part 1) — Lighting Up Hope

On August 7, 2019, led by the Guiyang Municipal Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, Guizhou Haiyue Technology visited Shitou Village in Chengguan Town, Kaiyang County, to conduct on-site assessments of households in need of educational poverty alleviation.

This is a photograph that fills me with deep sadness: the little girl gazes at me, utterly bewildered, unaware that my phone has already captured this poignant, heartrending moment.

In the 21st century, there are still houses that can’t even keep out the wind and rain. Fortunately, a new home—built with government funding and corporate support—is right before her eyes. Yet the little girl has grown accustomed to lingering alone in her dilapidated old house. Most people simply cannot fathom why.

According to reports, the head of the household is Kuang Xuejun, and his family consists of four members, including two daughters. His wife has a noticeable intellectual disability, leaving the husband as the sole breadwinner supporting the family. The house, built with government assistance, remains sparsely furnished, with hardly any decent furniture, and the young girls have not a single proper piece of clothing.

As I was leaving, I tried to give the child a hug, hoping to show her that our family had already drawn attention from the outside world; but the little girl refused, which only made me even more heartbroken. Secretary Wu Guilan of Shitou Village told me that both parents are away working to support the family, while their two daughters are cared for at home by their mother, who has an intellectual disability and has virtually no contact with the outside world. As the saying goes, parents are a child’s most direct first teachers; the fact that the children dare not interact with outsiders is directly linked to their mother, which is truly heartbreaking. Fortunately, thanks to the regular visits of the village‑stationed cadres, the elder daughter’s condition has improved markedly—she can now communicate normally with others...

Nie Xiaobo from the Intellectual Support for Border Areas Office of the Kaiyang County CPPCC exchanges with his eldest daughter.

With the assistance of the government and the community, Kuang Xuejun’s family is about to move into their new home.

A group photo of the Guiyang Municipal Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, staff from Haiyue Technology, and the family of Brother Kuang Xuejun.

Poverty alleviation begins with empowering minds; education must take the lead. Only when poverty alleviation addresses people’s thinking can it truly achieve the goal of teaching them how to fish rather than simply giving them fish. Under the same blue sky, we are all one family. The encouraging changes taking place today in remote mountainous areas would not have been possible without the country’s ever‑improving policies—and, above all, thanks to the dedicated officials who have taken up temporary posts in villages, traveling from provincial and county seats to these rural communities and returning with deeply tanned skin. Some have stayed for years, even until retirement, vowing that only by truly transforming their villages can they be said to have made a real difference. Thank you!

As a corporate entity, we have a responsibility to give back to society while pursuing growth, thereby fulfilling our social obligations. Children are the future of our nation; when our youth are strong, the nation is strong, and when our youth are wise, the nation is wise. We hope that more people will join us in the cause of education‑based poverty alleviation, contributing what we can to the realization of national prosperity, strength, and the rejuvenation of our people.