Public servant who helped villagers remembered for dedication

A public servant at a remote mountain town may not be a well-known figure nationally, but he is the angel to some because his dedicated work has changed the lives of thousands of people.

Qin Yanjun, the former Party chief at Longlin town in Lixian county, Gansu province, was dispatched by the county's Party committee to the town in April 2016 with a mission of lifting residents there out of poverty. He died of a heart attack at 42 in Jan 2018, when still ensuring that villagers were able to stay warm in the bitter winter.

During a period of less than two years, his efforts helped 1,641 poverty stricken villagers in the town escape poverty. On top of this 2,992 residents were relocated to new homes, more than 1,000 young and middle-aged people were equipped with employable skills, such as electrical welding and housekeeping.

He developed a reputation for caring for the people. "He wanted to help each one here live a better life, and for him, public issues always came before private affairs," said Wang Qin, the town's current Party chief and Qin's deputy at the time.

When assuming his post, Qin initiated a thorough survey of every household's financial situation in the town's 28 villages. He also examined the reasons for poverty and the potential of increasing villagers' incomes.

Qin was determined never to turn a blind eye to those mired in poverty.

A survey he carried out helped guide his future actions. The town was situated on a mountainous area with a lack of natural resources. Traditionally the area was used for planting prickly ash thanks to its suitable climate. Prickly ash is a spice used for cooking food.

But he found that tradition and expertise did not go hand in hand. A lack of technical knowledge, the use of out-of-date varieties and extensive over-management resulted in limiting output and quality.

Qin immediately rectified the situation. He purchased high-quality prickly ash seedlings, invited experts to give farmers technical guidance on how to care for the plants and expand planting.

"Farmers got better skills in fertilizing, preventing pests and pruning branches," Xi Baocang, Party chief of Pugou village in the town, said, adding he had planted prickly ash for almost two decades but never thought of upgrading and modernizing the procedure.

After the measures were introduced, the prickly ash's fruit became bigger and its color was more bright, meaning quality had improved, and so did output, Xi said.

In 2017, villagers' average income topped 4, 000 yuan ($567) annually, thus allowing the village to escape poverty. The bottom line for escaping poverty was 3,500 yuan in 2016, according to the Gansu provincial government.

The coverage of the prickly ash plants reached 533 hectares in the town. Under Qin's leadership, four major planting villages built five pepper drying rooms to process and scale up the business, Wang said.

With much work to do, Qin allowed himself just one rest day a week, Wang said.

"He put himself under too much pressure, for the benefit of villagers," she said.

Qin had suffered from cardiovascular disease for four years prior to his heart attack. In August, 2017, under the persuasion of his colleagues and families, Qin took a few days leave to go to Beijing to see doctors to treat his angina.

But the town was hit by severe flooding and he rushed back before getting treatment, Wang said.

"On Jan 25, 2018, he became ill again. On his way to hospital, he called me and urged me to supply heating equipment to the villagers as soon as possible to ensure they had a warm winter," Wang said. Qin died the next day.

Qin, born in Lixian county, started his career in 1998 as a public servant and worked in various town governments. After his death, Qin was named as an outstanding member of the Communist Party of China by Gansu province.