Luo Jianning: The "good man of China" Deng Xuedong that I know

In my mind, Elder Deng is a kind elder, a wise elder, and a mentor in life. I have known Deng Lao since I worked as an old cadre, and I have been working for almost 10 years. I personally feel that Elder Deng is a good teacher at work and a good friend in life. I am also very fortunate that in my work, study and life, I can meet such a respected elder and teacher, who helps me experience, educates me to grow, encourages me to move forward, and makes me benefit and inspired. Every contact and coexistence with Elder Deng can make me have new touches, new gains and new inspirations.

In my impression, Deng Lao is not only a good person in China, but also has won many honors in recent years, such as the national advanced individual of retired cadres, the national advanced individual concerned about the next generation of work, the most beautiful family in the country, the province's moral model, the province's outstanding Communist Party member, the province's most beautiful volunteer, and so on. As a representative of advanced models, in 2019, he was invited to participate in the series of activities "Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China" held in Beijing. It can be said that Deng Lao has gathered many honors from the whole country, provinces and municipalities, and this heavy honor is not only the encouragement given to him by the relevant departments, but also reflects his sincerity and deep affection for the party, the country, society, and the masses. Generally speaking, I think that his main deeds can be summarized with "three truths": first, "sincerity" to the masses, second, "real work" to work, and third, "real money" to help.

It is mainly manifested in four aspects:

First, he is a "model" of loyalty to the party. Deng Lao's WeChat name is "Old Scalper Deng Xuedong", and his life motto is "Loyalty for a lifetime, dedication for a lifetime". He often told us, "Everything I have is given by the party and the people, and I will unconditionally repay the party's kindness and feel the people's feelings." Strive to practice the spiritual pursuit of good Chinese people, and insist on serving the people all their lives. That's what he said, and that's what he did. In 2004, he retired honorably from the leadership post of the former Wangcheng County CPPCC, and he should have spent his old age in peace with his grandson, but he continued to shine. Because the house was bought in Kaifu District, he took the initiative to apply to transfer the party-organization relationship to the community. He also took the initiative to contact the community party committee, won support from many parties, and paid more than 100,000 yuan out of his own pocket to build an activity position for the elderly, truly uniting the old party members and comrades from all over the world, creating conditions and building a platform for everyone to enjoy their old age in peace, and at the same time established the party branch of the community elderly activity center to encourage old comrades to serve and serve at the grassroots level, and this branch won the honorary title of the provincial model party branch.

Second, he is a "pioneer" in rural revitalization. In November 2015, the central government made comprehensive arrangements for "targeted poverty alleviation and targeted poverty alleviation". To this end, Deng Lao gave full play to his own advantages, and with the strong support of Academician Chunyun, Professor Shi Xuehui and other expert teams of Hunan Agricultural University, he led the establishment of the Changsha Silver Poverty Alleviation Expert Volunteer Service Team, which not only covered 84 provincially designated poor villages in Changsha, but also went deep into Longshan County and Baojing County in the province, coordinating and supporting more than 2 million yuan of various poverty alleviation funds. In 2022, the central government proposed to comprehensively promote the strategy of rural revitalization, and Deng Lao led the establishment of 4 "Five Elders Help Rural Revitalization Base" in Zhongxing Community and Shuyi Village in Wangcheng District, Wanghu Village in Pingjiang County and Zhu'an Village in Kaifu District, with currently 1.8 million yuan of personal coordination and assistance funds, leveraging various funds to invest more than 10 million yuan, making their own contributions to the establishment of a new socialist countryside with prosperous industry, ecological livability, civilized rural customs, effective governance and rich life.

Third, he is a "model" for donating to education. In May 2017, together with Liu Zhenglin, former chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Kaifu District, and other old comrades, Deng Lao established the "Five Elders" student aid team in Kaifu District, and among the 35 members absorbed, there were 4 "good people in China", 6 "good people in Hunan", 7 "good people in Changsha", 12 party branch secretaries of retired cadres, and 10 party building instructors of the "two new" organizations. Over the past five years, the "Five Elders" student aid team has gathered as a fire, scattered the sky full of stars, and the moral sky is full of stars. They traveled on the road of poverty alleviation and education assistance, and worked tirelessly to set foot in 25 districts, counties (cities) in eight prefectures and cities in the province, including Changsha, Huaihua, Xiangxi, Shaoyang, Yiyang, Yueyang, Loudi and Chenzhou, donating a total of more than 5 million yuan to support education, lighting up the "beacon of hope" for more than 10,000 poor students. Over the years, Deng Lao himself has also sponsored 10 students in difficulty in "1+1" pairs, and 5 are still helping "one-on-one". According to the standard of 3,000 yuan/year for primary school, 6,000 yuan/year for middle school, and 8,000 yuan/year for universities, it is promised to be funded until university graduation.

Fourth, he is the "benchmark" of family style inheritance. Deng Lao's family now has 10 people, of which 6 adults are all Communist Party members, and 3 of the 6 are grassroots party branch secretaries, which is a veritable family of party members, a family of good people, and the most beautiful family. Last year, when his granddaughter was admitted to graduate school, he also strictly demanded that she actively move closer to the party organization. Elder Deng often said: "I lost my parents when I was a child, it was the party and the government that sent me to school, it was the hundred family meals that raised me, without the party and the people, I would not be where I am today, and even though I am retired, I will be loyal and dedicated for a lifetime!" The Communist Party has a grace to me, and I know that I want to report it. My sons and daughters should remember that without the Communist Party, there would be no happy life now, and that our family should be duty-bound to have difficulties for the masses. "In 2020, during the anti-epidemic period when the whole country worked together to overcome the difficulties, Deng Lao's family donated love 10 times and donated 272,000 yuan.

Advocating good people will lead to good people, and striving to be good people can produce good people. Deng Lao is Lei Feng's fellow countryman, and he is always practicing to devote his limited life to unlimited service to the people. He did not forget the party's kindness and original intention, and devoted almost everything to the society, to poor students, and to the cause of poverty alleviation, and his spirit deeply touched us and constantly inspired us to move forward courageously.

Changsha is a red city, the birthplace of the "pioneer of the founding of the party", the source of the ideological line of seeking truth from facts, the ten-step grassland of heroes, and a city of good people and kindness. Let us start from now, start from ourselves, learn from Elder Deng, strive to be a good person, be a burning fire, shine brightly, carry forward virtues, and contribute our own strength to the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!

【Writer's Bio】

Luo Jianning, Director of the Veterans Education Division of the Changsha Municipal Party Committee Veterans Bureau, Secretary-General of the Municipal "Five Old Red" Volunteer Service Corps