Nestled in central Guizhou Province, Huishui County sits within the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, deriving its name from the convergence of the Lian and Meng rivers. The year 2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the Red Army's Long March victory, and this region carries a profound revolutionary heritage. On April 10, 1935, following the fourth crossing of the Chishui River, Red Army forces captured Dingfan (present-day Huishui town), convened a mass rally at the local Catholic church, and distributed confiscated grain and clothing from landlords to the impoverished populace. During their occupation, troops upheld strict discipline with fair trade practices, and before departing, they exchanged Soviet paper currency for silver dollars to shield residents from financial loss.

Nearly a century later, on this land where revolutionary seeds were sown, a new campaign for rural revitalization is unfolding. In 2021, a resident work team from China Southern Power Grid's Guizhou subsidiary arrived in Jieshang Village, Yashui Town. At that time, this settlement where over 90% of residents are Buyi and Miao ethnic minorities had a nearly non-existent collective economy. After four years of sustained effort, the village's collective income has surpassed 1 million yuan, and average annual earnings per villager have risen 30.24% compared to pre-arrival levels. When the Red Army trekked through Huishui ninety years ago, they fought for the survival of the working masses; today, a central state-owned enterprise empowers the countryside through electricity, igniting industrial vitality in this remote mountain community. How did Jieshang Village achieve this transformation from an "empty-shell village" to a rural revitalization model exceeding one million yuan in revenue? To answer this question, our reporter recently interviewed Li Huarong, Party branch secretary of Jieshang Village, and Wang Kelei, the first secretary stationed there by China Southern Power Grid.

With electricity flowing, industry can "come alive"

Before the arrival of the China Southern Power Grid team, Jieshang Village suffered from unstable power supply that failed to support farmland irrigation pumps. Rice cultivation across the village's 5,000 mu was largely dependent on natural rainfall, leaving yields vulnerable to drought. China Southern Power Grid invested 260,000 yuan to construct an agricultural irrigation pumping station and upgrade the village's entire irrigation power network, enabling round-the-clock drought resistance and fundamentally ending reliance on weather conditions. Post-upgrade, agricultural resilience improved dramatically, while household appliances and agricultural processing equipment now operate reliably, tangibly enhancing daily production and living conditions.

Upon arriving in Jieshang Village, our survey identified two prominent issues: seasonal voltage instability during tea production peaks that disrupted processing, and an over-reliance on a narrow range of agricultural products with limited sales channels. In response, China Southern Power Grid's Duyun Power Supply Bureau conducted a specialized assessment, expanding capacity of two existing 50kVA transformers and adding a new one. Generators were also deployed during tea harvesting seasons for emergency backup. These upgrades have significantly improved power reliability, permanently resolving seasonal electricity shortages.

During industrial assistance efforts, a rice processing facility went from planning to operation through a collaborative process. Prior to this, the village only had small-scale milling equipment that produced low-quality rice at depressed market prices, dampening farmers' enthusiasm for grain cultivation. Following research and application by the previous village secretary, the Duyun Bureau allocated 100,000 yuan in assistance funds to coordinate land leasing, factory construction, power line installation, and equipment procurement. The facility commenced operations in July 2022 and now processes over 300,000 jin of local paddy annually. Leveraging the exclusive "Herz Purchasing" e-commerce platform established by China Southern Power Grid, the village gained access to expanded sales channels—a distinctive advantage of this partnership.

The power grid upgrades have also transformed daily life: fluctuating voltages and unexpected outages have been eliminated, old wiring replaced to ensure safety for elderly residents living alone, irrigation pumps run with sufficient power, agricultural products can be dried around the clock, public streetlights illuminate the village, and broadcasts operate steadily to share agricultural news and weather information. Overall, the electrical experience for residents has been comprehensively upgraded.

Three-way win through a linked interest mechanism

The village's collective income exceeding one million yuan derives from multiple streams. Self-operated ventures form the cornerstone, with rice processing and sales generating 600,000 yuan in revenue—the largest single contributor. Additional income comes from vegetable cultivation, a village supermarket, labor services, and plowing services. Dividend income of 80,000 yuan flows from investments in a white tea plantation and industrial road projects, while the remainder stems from land consolidation and re-greening initiatives. Collective funds are allocated to sports court construction, village road improvements, Party building facilities, and public welfare programs such as Senior's Day respect activities and autumn education scholarships. Surplus capital is reinvested as working capital for continued industrial development.

The "central enterprise + cooperative + farmer" linkage mechanism operates as a standardized closed loop. Farmers cultivate designated rice varieties per cooperative standards, the cooperative conducts unified door-to-door purchasing, the village's processing facility handles milling, and sales run through China Southern Power Grid platforms. Distribution benefits each party: acquisition prices are set 0.1 yuan above market rates, with transportation costs waived to boost farmer incomes and reduce expenses; the village collective receives 0.3 yuan per jin sold. This model ensures operational sustainability, collective growth, and farmer prosperity simultaneously—a genuine win-win-win arrangement.

Both online e-commerce and offline sales through power bureau canteens have achieved stable, normalized operations. Looking ahead, we will leverage central enterprise platform advantages to guide farmers toward high-quality rice cultivation while expanding offerings to include free-range eggs, cured meats, specialty teas, and other local products. These initiatives aim to broaden agricultural sales pathways, increase farmer earnings, and strengthen the collective economy.

Beyond grid and factory improvements, infrastructure projects have included securing 20,000 yuan in county-level funds to repair three damaged village access roads and restarting an 8.5-kilometer farm machinery road renovation now under construction. Throughout these projects, we coordinate closely with the local power bureau to resolve electrical issues and proactively engage various government departments to systematically address construction bottlenecks, ensuring smooth implementation.

Building on the rice processing foundation established by the previous team, I have deepened the village's industrial strategy. We now promote a rice-vegetable rotation model with enhanced greenhouse electrical infrastructure, and invested 298,000 yuan in grid upgrades that fully support seasonal processing demands for agricultural products and tea drying—closing gaps across the entire industry chain. China Southern Power Grid's cumulative assistance investment of 1.39 million yuan has effectively leveraged 4.5 million yuan in external agricultural and social resources. Future plans include precision upgrades to the village's smart grid, expansion of rice milling and tea drying facilities, and leveraging stable power advantages to attract small-scale food processing enterprises through investment promotion, thereby diversifying the collective economy and driving continuous industrial improvement.

Farmers' "cost reduction account" and cadres' "original intention account"

Over four years, villagers' incomes have grown 30.24%, primarily through two channels: employment driven by local specialty industries and industrial dividends. Village breeding farms, planting cooperatives, and the white tea plantation offer year-round positions, absorbing approximately 3,000 person-times of nearby employment annually. Meanwhile, targeted white tea dividends benefit poverty-alleviated households and monitored families. Through the "farmer + cooperative + central enterprise" model, residents achieve stable income through base employment and unified product sales, resolving issues like unsold agricultural goods and limited local job opportunities—allowing families to prosper without leaving home.

Infrastructure upgrades have also dramatically cut production costs. With improved electricity, irrigation, and roads, villagers have eliminated expenses for diesel pumping, off-site rice transport and processing, and manual field hauling. Irrigation time has been halved, raising planting efficiency. Calculations show typical farming households save over 1,000 yuan annually in reduced fuel and labor costs—a tangible benefit demonstrating the practical value of infrastructure investment.

During initial grid renovation and industrial park construction, some villagers worried about crop damage from construction and resisted land occupation. I visited households door-to-door to explain the benefits, clearly demarcated construction boundaries, and committed to restoring farmland post-completion. For irrigation line installation, we adopted segmented, staggered scheduling to minimize seedling damage. After the grid was completed and pumping efficiency doubled, harvests noticeably improved, dispelling all concerns. In subsequent infrastructure projects, villagers have proactively cooperated and supported the work.

One particularly memorable experience involved farmers who previously relied on heavy, inefficient, and costly diesel pumps for irrigation. Upon discovering this during home visits, I helped them apply for dedicated pumping electricity meters, greatly simplifying their irrigation work. The villagers remembered this assistance and now warmly invite me to their homes during festivals. Though village affairs consume significant weekend time and reduce opportunities for professional development, witnessing this community evolve from an "empty-shell village" to one generating over one million yuan in collective income, with steadily rising farmer earnings, keeps me firmly committed to grassroots electrical assistance work.

In daily interactions, I've observed overwhelmingly positive feedback from villagers regarding China Southern Power Grid's assistance. Their appreciation centers on three key aspects: first, electric irrigation projects have fundamentally resolved farmland watering challenges, mitigating drought risks and preventing grain output declines—ending the era of "depending on the heavens for harvest"; second, various industrial projects have created local employment platforms, enabling nearby work and stable income increases; third, comprehensive upgrades to power grids, industrial roads, and other infrastructure have visibly improved the living environment and overall quality of life.

The unique "power empowerment" advantage

The most distinctive advantage of China Southern Power Grid's targeted assistance lies in positioning electricity as the core underlying support for rural industrial development. We provide one-stop services encompassing grid planning, power assurance, energy conservation, and supporting infrastructure—capabilities difficult for other assistance entities to replicate. Moving forward, we will tailor dedicated electricity solutions for local rice, tea, and greenhouse cultivation industries while deploying photovoltaic energy-saving projects. By leveraging stable, low-cost power resources, we aim to continuously consolidate the village's industrial competitiveness, strengthen the collective economy, firmly uphold poverty-prevention bottom lines, and solidify achievements in poverty alleviation efforts.

For the next phase of collective economy development, the village will rely on China Southern Power Grid's stable electricity assurance to expand core industries. Plans include scaling up rice processing and white tea cultivation, extending deep-processing chains, and fully utilizing both online e-commerce and offline procurement channels to broaden sales. Additionally, the village intends to launch several new business formats this year: establishing a chick hatchery, organizing a village suona performance troupe, and creating a village labor services company. Concurrently, we will actively pursue rural revitalization linkage funds to strengthen transportation and irrigation infrastructure in industrial zones, diversify economic activities, and expand income pathways—ultimately driving long-term, stable increases in villager prosperity.