The Paper's reporter Chen Yue
Nineteen years ago, a trip to Yunnan changed the trajectory of Zhang Zhiyong's life.
He came to Xishuangbanna with a yearning for the south of Caiyun, but found that many children were wearing worn-out clothes and barefoot... So he visited left-behind children and poor families all the way, donated money, extended his one-week trip to nearly two months, and then went on a 19-year-long road to poverty alleviation.
In order to let the children in poor areas have school and clothing, Zhang Zhiyong has long sponsored more than 800 students, and various public welfare donation activities have benefited nearly 50,000 poor students.
Today, Zhang Zhiyong won the title of "Most Beautiful Veteran" in 2021. He said that retirement does not fade, "Since you are a retired soldier, you must have the appearance of a retired soldier, and you can help society to do a little." ”
In March 2018, Zhang Zhiyong was with the children of Yuanbao Primary School in Jiangzhen, Dafang County, Guizhou Province. The pictures in this article are all pictures of the Shanghai Municipal Veterans Affairs Bureau
Become "Shanghai Abba"
In 1976, at the age of 17, Zhang Zhiyong actively responded to the call of the state and became a naval warship fighter. However, an accidental injury four years later forced him to leave the army and be assigned to work in a state-owned store in Shanghai. Taking advantage of the spring breeze of reform and opening up, Zhang Zhiyong "went to the sea" to start a business, and in just a few years, he managed his foreign trade company well.
During his business career, he often donated the company's foreign trade clothing to poor mountainous areas. He said: "People always have to do something for society, otherwise there is no point in succeeding." ”
In September 2020, Zhang Zhiyong exchanged with primary school students in Menghai County, Yunnan Province.
In 2002, he came to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, and found another side of the beautiful scenery here: children in Menghai County's Mengsha Primary School, children wearing old clothes that did not fit, classrooms were dim and dilapidated; outside the farmers' market, preschoolers were barefoot, "seeing strangers, running away like rabbits."
Zhang Zhiyong visited many places and learned that many children are left-behind children, living with the elderly, and the family is poor. He donated all the money and belongings on his body, and did not even leave the money that was originally prepared to be purchased, and the planned week's trip was extended to nearly two months.
After returning to Shanghai, Zhang Zhiyong was still worried about the children, he decided to go deep into the countryside to help the poor and help students, closed his six shops, sold cars, used 100,000 yuan to buy clothes, stationery and other materials, and threw himself into the cause of poverty alleviation in Yunnan.
In the first few years, he would live in Yunnan for more than half a year every year, driving around in a borrowed car and visiting to understand the situation. In the remote mountain village, the unspeakable embarrassment of the poor family made him tug at the heart: a family of four or five people took turns to wear a set of clothes to meet guests; the bridesmaids who had just finished primary school were booked early by their parents; and the children of the poor families could only use a small amount of brown rice to offset the tuition fees.
Zhang Zhiyong exerted his ability to do business and raise materials. When he first delivered a truckload of clothes to Xishuangbanna and saw the elderly and children put on their clothes and shoes, he felt "healed." He also funded 28 students at once, and promised the children that as long as they studied hard, he would continue to fund them. "These fees can change a child, and a child going to school will drive a piece of the child to school." Zhang Zhiyong feels that if a child loves school, he can slowly change a family.
Over the years, his helpers have traveled all over Yunnan, and no matter how difficult the mountain roads are, no matter how remote the mountain villages, they can't stop him. I don't know when the children's title of him has changed from "teacher" and "uncle" to "Shanghai Abba".
In September 2020, Zhang Zhiyong donated school uniforms, books and other materials to Leifeng Primary School in Xundian County, Yunnan Province.
Bringing together love and support
After all, his own strength is limited, and as Zhang Zhiyong's story spreads, more and more charitable organizations and caring people have joined the road of poverty alleviation.
In June 2014, Shanghai Zhang Zhiyong Public Welfare Service Agency was officially established. Through this platform, Zhang Zhiyong integrates various love resources to solve the difficulties of poor children in mountainous areas in life and learning.
Less than half a year after the establishment of the public welfare service society, Zhang Zhiyong rushed to the remote mountainous areas such as Menghai and Honghe in Yunnan with 2,000 sets of bedding, stationery, books and other school supplies donated by all walks of life to send warmth from Shanghai to the poor teachers and students there. In 2016, Zhang Zhiyong set up a "love wall" in Liming Farm in Menghai County, and regularly donated clothes to poor families, and has donated more than 3,000 pieces of love clothes so far. In 2018, Zhang Zhiyong Public Welfare Service Agency's screen side station was listed, and the first batch of donated materials and funds totaled 186,000 yuan; he also contacted and raised funds from many parties to help Li Yaofen, a Yunnan Hani girl who could only squat on the ground and crawl due to illness, to Shanghai for treatment, realizing the dream of this "crab girl" to stand up and walk. There are many volunteer service projects like this, and Zhang Zhiyong has only one thought, "I am at ease when the children are well."
In September 2020, Zhang Zhiyong took a group photo with students wearing new uniforms at Lei Feng Primary School in Xundian County, Yunnan Province, encouraging children to learn from Lei Feng.
Today, Zhang Zhiyong's public welfare action and volunteer team are growing day by day, and 27 teams have been formed so far, with more than 1,000 volunteers. Together with Zhang Zhiyong, the volunteers received, sorted, transported and distributed all kinds of love materials, and passed on the love of "Shanghai Abba" to Yunnan, Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet and other places. Up to now, Shanghai Zhang Zhiyong Public Welfare Service Co., Ltd. has donated more than 2.8 million yuan and donated more than 580 tons of various materials, benefiting nearly 50,000 poor students and more than 500 teachers.
"The more people who support me, the more I have to spend every penny and be responsible for every caring person and volunteer." Zhang Zhiyong's public welfare actions and volunteer projects are regularly released through the public account "Zhang Zhiyong Public Welfare Service Society", and the volunteers and the public are informed of the progress of the project, the whereabouts of donations, and accept social supervision.
On December 5, 2020, Zhang Zhiyong and his volunteer team sorted out more than 700 boxes of love materials and prepared to send them to Yunnan.
"Hope everyone is not short of love"
After the year of Hua Jia, Zhang Zhiyong is still full of spirits, the children have no books to read, the school facilities are poor, the children with congenital heart disease come to Shanghai for medical treatment, and the local agricultural products want to find a market, he will manage. Acts of kindness are like throwing stones into a lake, creating ripples and splashes that bring about tangible changes for poor families.
Since 2002, Zhang Zhiyong has provided scholarships for more than 800 primary school students, middle school students, college students and graduate students. In 2014 and 2015 alone, 30 of them were admitted to college, and after graduation, they changed their fate and their families by their own struggles and stable incomes.
In the past 19 years, Zhang Zhiyong has also witnessed the rapid changes in the general environment: there are cement roads in villages and villages, teachers can stay, school building conditions are a little new, and most importantly, people's ideas have changed - "In the first few years, many lands were deserted and no one paid attention to them, and now everyone is willing to use their brains on them." For example, the development of agricultural planting, the development of processing industry, the development of local commerce and so on. As long as the brain is alive and the hands and feet are diligent, it is certain that you will get rich. ”
In addition to material money, Zhang Zhiyong is willing to convey the concept and idea of hard work and prosperity. In the past two years, he has taught local farmers how to connect to the market through the Internet and sell local products. More and more people in the local area have made a fortune, and the villagers have built buildings and thanked him with the most handy things, but he has never been greedy, only saying "because everyone has caught up with the good times."
What did Zhang Zhiyong gain on his own? Maybe I can't say the specifics, but the local life baby will invite him to name him, the building of the house will invite him to drink, the fortune will give him the best tea cake, the child admitted to school, find a job, and be rated as an excellent Communist Party member, will be the first time to announce the good news.
From Shanghai to Yunnan, more than 2,700 kilometers, Zhang Zhiyong's round trip times can not even count himself. If you must ask what makes him insist on poverty alleviation until now, it is just a simple idea: "I grew up in love, I hope that everyone does not lack love, and can help one is one." ”
Editor-in-Charge: Gao Wen
Proofreader: Zhang Liangliang