Zhang Zuguang, a company's poverty alleviation worker stationed in the village, was awarded the honorary title of "Advanced Individual in Poverty Alleviation in Yunnan Province".

On April 30th, Yunnan Province held a grand summary and commendation conference for poverty alleviation at the Haigeng Hall, commending advanced individuals and collectives in the province's poverty alleviation efforts. Zhang Zugu, a company's village-based poverty alleviation team member, attended the commendation conference and was awarded the honorary title of "Advanced Individual in Yunnan Province's Poverty Alleviation Efforts."

Zhang Zugu, born in February 1984, is a member of the Communist Party of China and an employee of the Eighth Engineering Project Department of Yunnan JianTou Second Installation Engineering Co., Ltd. He served in the military from December 2002 to July 2015. In December 2015, he was awarded the honorary title of "Outstanding Communist Party Member" by Yunnan Second Installation Engineering Company. In February 2021, he received the honorary title of "Advanced Worker" for 2020 from Yunnan Second Installation Engineering Co., Ltd., and the honorary title of "Advanced Worker" for 2020 from Yunnan JianTou Group in February 2021.

In March 2018, with the responsibility and courage of a Communist Party member and a veteran, Zhang Zugu volunteered to join the group's village-based poverty alleviation team and served as a village-based poverty alleviation team member in Delu Village, Delu Township, Xuanwei City, embarking on the path of poverty alleviation. Facing the important task of poverty alleviation entrusted by the organization, he, deeply aware of the great responsibility, wholeheartedly devoted himself to the front line of precise poverty alleviation with the determination and enthusiasm of "never returning until Loulan is broken."

Staying and Settling Down

Upon arriving at Delu Village, Delu Township, Xuanwei City, the first problem arose quickly: many files and forms for poverty alleviation work needed to be uploaded electronically to the township poverty alleviation office work group. However, the village committee staff had not received computer training, making filling out forms on the computer a headache for them. Zhang Zugu, with his proficient computer skills, took on all kinds of tasks in the village while also attending to his assigned impoverished households. The village's tasks were diverse, and sometimes the workload was heavy, but he never complained, cooperating with the deputy director to handle village affairs. He often told the villagers, "I'm new here, and I'm not familiar with many things in the village. Handling tasks helps me quickly understand and familiarize myself with village conditions. I'm young now, so doing more work is a kind of exercise and improvement for myself. This little hardship and tiredness is nothing."

In the initial stages of village residency, the understanding of the village by the village team was limited to introductions from others and reviewing materials, which greatly hindered the progress of the work. Zhang Zugu knew that being familiar with policies was paramount in poverty alleviation work. He used poverty alleviation work meetings and the two books, "Should Know and Should Be Able to Do Handbook" and "Poverty Alleviation Team," issued by the township, studying policies whenever he had time. Once he became familiar with the policies, the work quickly progressed. Whenever the village cadres and village group cadres encountered policy issues they didn't understand, they would seek him out. They felt that this young man was reliable, capable, and eager to learn. Whenever the village needed help with tasks, he would immediately assist, rarely making mistakes. During the "State Grid" opening, he not only diligently entered information for his assigned impoverished households but also helped village group cadres with data entry. The amount of data entry was substantial, so to minimize errors, he would check three or four times each time and open the information for each household for the assigned cadres to review, confirming accuracy before submission. There were many similar instances, all of which he handled diligently and without complaint. During the interview, we also noticed many professional books in Zhang Zugu's living quarters. He told us: "When the poverty alleviation task is completed, I will return to my job. Now, I use my spare time at night to study my profession and accumulate knowledge for my future return to work."

Visiting households is a daily routine for Zhang Zugu. Through numerous visits and in-depth investigations, he has ascertained the family population, basic crop planting situation, and main causes of poverty for all impoverished households in the village. Whenever he mentions Delu Village, Zhang Zugu can talk endlessly, recounting the village's affairs clearly and in detail. Curious about how he could know so much, we wanted to see what was in his daily-carried "Village Work Diary." Opening his "Village Work Diary," we found it filled with detailed notes: which child from which family is attending which school, whether tuition fees have been reduced, whether scholarships have been received; which elderly person in which family is sick, what medicine they are taking, how much has been reimbursed; Li Dad's family is impoverished due to illness; Pu Shen's house has a leaky roof that needs repair. These records of "small matters" filled us with sincere admiration. It records not only the thoughts, needs, hopes, and worries of the impoverished masses but also Zhang Zugu's every bit of poverty alleviation work, his diligence and dedication, and his sense of responsibility and commitment are self-evident.

Zhang Zugu said: "Whenever I go to the village and visit households, I bring a notebook to carefully record the current situation and difficulties encountered by the impoverished households. Sometimes, I also meet people who come to report difficulties, and they are more willing to talk to the village-based poverty alleviation team. After returning to the village, I summarize the problems they mentioned and submit them to the village-based poverty alleviation team leader for discussion at the village committee meeting. After discussing and proposing solutions, we promptly inform the villagers, and the villagers also feel this affection. Whenever the village-based poverty alleviation team passes by villagers' homes, they invite us in for a sit."

When asked about his feelings about village-based poverty alleviation, he said: "Looking back on the three years plus in the village, my feeling is that the responsibility has become even greater. I grew up in the countryside, and now I'm back working on the front line of rural poverty alleviation. I've made up my mind to do this work well and fully utilize the good work style I learned in the military in poverty alleviation work. Moreover, as a Party member, I must play the exemplary role of a Party member."

Finding a Path, Promoting Development

Previously, transportation between Delu Village and other natural villages was extremely inconvenient, with roads mostly being pitted and dilapidated dirt roads. "To get rich, build roads first" has become an important slogan for transportation poverty alleviation. To address the shortcomings in transportation and meet the needs of the masses' travel, Zhang Zugu and other poverty alleviation team members prioritized road construction as a top priority for village-based assistance. After several discussions with the village committee, with the support of the group and the local government, the roads from the Delu Village Committee to nine natural villages have been paved, becoming convenient roads for travel and increased income. This road embodies the hope and confidence of Delu Village in achieving poverty alleviation.

With the road issue resolved, helping villagers achieve stable income increases became the most challenging problem for Zhang Zugu and his team members. After careful consideration, they believed that employment poverty alleviation was the most direct and effective way to win the battle against poverty. They immediately began closely tracking the situation of those who had gone out to work, actively collecting recruitment information from employment enterprises, and encouraging impoverished people with the conditions to go out to work. At the same time, they established one cooperative, forming multiple models such as order agriculture, shareholding cooperation, and land transfer based on "Party branch + cooperative + farmer + company." The idea was good, but many farmers were resistant, believing that transferring land would leave them with no land to cultivate, making the work difficult to implement. After understanding the concerns of the villagers, Zhang Zugu and his colleagues immediately took action, visiting households. When encountering difficult villagers, Zhang Zugu and his colleagues could only repeatedly talk, patiently explaining policies, advantages, and development, hoping that the villagers would change their minds and work together to become prosperous. After several weeks of persistent efforts, they finally dispelled the farmers' concerns about having no land to cultivate after land transfer. In the end, 350 mu of land was transferred for planting soft-seed pomegranates and 400 mu for chili peppers, providing long-term employment for more than 40 registered impoverished households, with an estimated increase in income of 11,000 yuan per household and 3,000 person-times of seasonal employment annually. The effects of industrial poverty alleviation were significant.

Improving the human living environment is also a key part of poverty alleviation work. During the demolition and renovation of rural dilapidated houses, some farmers did not fully understand the policies. They believed that the land would also be reclaimed after the demolition of old houses, so they remained unmoved during the demolition of old houses. Some farmers went to the village and demanded an explanation. Zhang Zuoguo and other poverty alleviation team members warmly received the farmers and inquired about the specific situation. Then they patiently informed the farmers of the policies and answered their questions, completing the renovation project of 267 dilapidated houses. Zhang Zuoguo said: "Seeing the farmers leave happily and contentedly in the end, I also feel happy."

Sacrifice small family for the greater mission

"The more soil you get on your feet, the more true feelings you will have in your heart." In order to do a good job in poverty alleviation, Zhang Zuoguo is always available, regardless of personal difficulties. From his wife's pregnancy to the birth of his child, he strictly abided by the "eight prohibitions and eight musts" of the village work team, rarely taking leave. Zhang Zuoguo said: "All the big and small things at home can only be managed by my wife. In the past two years, I have spent less time with her, and I feel quite guilty towards her. However, in the days of working side by side with the masses to overcome poverty, I have witnessed the transformation of this village. Using my own hands to help them get rid of poverty and embark on the road to a well-off life is a very meaningful thing."

No matter how small, increasing the income of the masses is important; every detail matters. For more than three years, one after another, the people-oriented practical matters have condensed Zhang Zuoguo's persistent pursuit and a lot of hard work in poverty alleviation. Zhang Zuoguo has also been widely recognized by the villagers, and he has become one with the villagers,

becoming a confidant of the villagers. With a sincere heart, he interprets the original aspiration and mission of a Communist Party member, and puts into practice his solemn commitment to the Party!

【Party Committee Work Department/Wang Fei Metal Structure Processing Center/Kong Dezun】