Wang Bahai lives in a dilapidated cave-house with shabby wooden door and windows. In the timeworn cave-house, beside the left wall stand three vats and two wooden closets; on the right side lies a big kang (a kind of heated brick bed used in north China); across from the door, two huge wooden cases lean on the back wall, on which a wall clock ticks away day and night -- these are the entire family belongings.

In the words of the local cadres, “The Wang’s is among the last three families in the village that still live in cave-houses and his dwelling is the most dilapidated.”

But Wang is by no means the poorest person in the village. As early as some 10 years ago, he contracted with the local government to afforest 150 mu (10 hectares) of fields on a barren hill and now his forest is producing useful timber. He once donated 5,000 yuan (US$604.82) to build bridges and pave roads for his village; this year, he mortgaged his fields and borrowed nearly 10,000 yuan (US$1,209.64) from a bank to dig five motor-pumped wells for the villagers; to help the 40 poorest families in the village, he borrowed a loan of 5,000 yuan to buy 200 stud goats; to raise funds for the village primary school, he cut down and sold 64 of his trees worth several thousand yuan; he once borrowed 1,000 yuan (US$120.96) to buy a horse for a poor family of four and later he himself repaid the loan; he once donated money to build a primary school for another village …

Fengzhou village has a population of 440 with more than 40 disabled persons. Compared with the lives of these disabled villagers and the other 30 or so families lacking food, income and ability of self-help, Wang’s life is not bad. But why does he still live in his old cave-house dug by his grandfather as those poorer families are moving from their cave dwellings into new houses one after another?

“How can a Party cadre always think of himself? He should try to do other people good whilst make them live well. As the Party branch secretary of the village, my mind can be at ease only if every family has moved out of cave-houses. I won’t live in a new house until all other villagers have moved into brick-tile structured houses,” said Wang.

Sitting on the kang in his dilapidated cave-house, the 70-year-old Wang Bahai looks sturdy and energetic, with deep furrows on his tanned face.

Wang Bahai has a motto: no jobbery; serve the people. Having been a village cadre for over 30 years, he has handled many relief funds. Nevertheless, he has never taken a penny from the funds despite having a sick wife who needs to take medicine over the years and his family often being hit by disasters.

“How can I use the relief funds as so many people have more difficulties than I do?” asked Wang.

Wang once took charge of the work of recommending villagers to go to college. Although his daughter was eager to be a college student, he finally chose another young man. Later the man became a journalist for the Shanxi Public Health Weekly.

A village cadre has a yearly allowance of 1,000 yuan (US$121), but Wang never takes his.

“We never audit Fengzhou village because Wang Bahai organizes villagers to do the accounts and puts every item of income and expenditure on a blackboard before the villagers,” said the local township head.

A good heart wins trust. Since 1981 when Wang first became the village Party secretary, he has built up a reputation for his dedication and selflessness. He resigned his post several times, but every time villagers refused to accept his decision.

“Some young people of today can’t match our old secretary and we don’t believe in them,” explained villager Wang Man.

“A cadre should first think of making contributions to the state and do people good. So long as you keep these things in your heart, people will forgive you even though you did something wrong,” said Wang Bahai.

According to Chen Guorong, secretary of the Lanxian County Party Committee: “Party members like Wang Bahai are our Party’s wealth. Wang always represents the interests of the overwhelming majority of the grassroots masses, works silently, and devotes himself unselfishly and wholeheartedly to serving the people. He fully embodies the realm of thought of grassroots rural Party cadres. Common people see the image of the Party in him.”

(china.org.cn by Chen Chao July 29, 2002)