Editor’s note: Zhao Cheng is a Master student of Translation and Interpreting who graduated this summer from the School of Foreign Languages and Literature. He will work as a civil servant in Nanyingmen Street, Heping District in Tianjin.
I appreciate a saying by Zeng Guofan (a Chinese politician, strategist, writer and calligrapher in the late Qing Dynasty), “To live in a dynamic manner like the spring”. It stresses that no matter where we are, whether in times of trouble or in times of joy, we should maintain an optimistic and open-minded attitude and move forward to strive for the final victory. I find that it is this spirit that drives TJU’s students to keep positive and make endeavors.
I choose to work as a grass-root official serving the general public in order to become a great person like Jiao Yulu.
Jiao was appointed as the secretary of the CPC Committee of Lankao County, Henan Province in 1962. As a poverty-striken county, Lankao was then plagued by severe disasters including waterlogging, sandstorms and soil salinization. Despite suffering from the liver cancer, Jiao persisted in fighting against the natural disasters together with the people and officers across the county to make transformations in Lankao. His tangible efforts turned into the Jiao Yulu Spirit with “only people in hearts ” at its core. On May 14, 1964, Jiao died of liver cancer in Zhengzhou. The only request he made was that after his death, “I wish to be brought back to Lankao and buried in the dunes there. I didn’t solve the sand problem while I was alive, so I want to witness your success even after I left”.
As Jiao wished, Lankao became the first county to get rid of poverty in Henan Province in March 2017. The paulownia trees Jiao Yulu led people to plant in Lankao can be used to make musical instruments and furniture and have become one of the important industries for Lankao to boost its development.
As a veteran, I feel it my duty to take a job that can serve people better. To do so, I am selected to become a civil servant to go down to the grassroots level and cater to people’s needs. My dream finally comes true.
Translated by Zhang Huiting
Editor: Eva Yin
