On the vast loess plateau of northern China’s Shanxi province, a group of people follow the wind wherever it leads. They come from all across the country, yet have made Youyu, a remote county of Shanxi, their home. They safeguard green electricity beneath towering wind turbines while also sowing the spirit of selfless service across the rural landscape. They are employees of CHN Energy’s Longyuan Power Shanxi Company.
“Treating village affairs as my own”
“Chaizhanggou village can only prosper by building on its ecology!” In the morning sunlight at the village’s ecological sheep farming base, Huang Dazhuo looked over the neatly arranged pens with firm conviction. Sent by Longyuan Power Shanxi Company as a rural revitalization cadre, he never saw himself as an outsider from the day he arrived.
Huang Dazhuo helps villagers at a grain-drying yard built with support from Longyuan Power.
When he first came to the village, Huang carried a worn notebook and went door to door, recording villagers’ most urgent needs one by one. After gaining a full understanding of local conditions, he focused on Youyu’s ecological strengths and decided to develop sheep farming as a breakthrough for increasing collective income. In 2024, a breeding base funded and built by Longyuan Power was established in Chaizhanggou. He worked closely with villagers to calculate returns and address concerns, turning previously scattered sheep farming into a thriving village industry.
Today, Chaizhanggou features orderly sheep pens and clean, well-paved roads. Huang remains especially attentive to elderly people living alone and households at risk of falling back into poverty. “Since Huang came, our lives have become more hopeful,” villagers often say, offering him their highest praise.
“Helping whenever we can”
In the golden autumn season, the cornfields of Zhaojiayao village in Youyu are filled with ripened crops, where Lü Jie and his colleagues stand out along the ridges.
Lü Jie helps an elderly villager living alone harvest corn in the field.
As a member of the Laoqianshan Wind Farm of Longyuan Power, Lü Jie treats the difficulties of nearby villagers as his own. Several elderly residents in Zhaojiayao face labor shortages during planting and harvest seasons. In response, Lü organized a volunteer team from the wind farm, turning technical staff into helpers in the fields. In spring, they assist with seeding and mulching; in autumn, they begin harvesting and transporting crops before dawn, often working late into the night. “Grain is the lifeline for these elderly villagers. Helping them bring in the harvest makes every bit of effort worthwhile,” he said.
Beyond farm work, Lü also uses his technical expertise to serve as a “household electrician” for villagers. Whenever a circuit trips, one phone call brings him and his colleagues to the scene with tools in hand. Like a steadfast screw, Lü contributes through small but meaningful acts, weaving warmth from Longyuan employees into villagers’ daily lives.
“Letting the story of wind be seen”
“Look, when this small blade spins, it turns wind into electricity that lights up a bulb!” In a classroom at Lianfeng Primary School in Youyu county, Li Ying demonstrated a wind power model as children watched with wide-eyed curiosity.
Li Ying spends the Double Ninth Festival with elderly residents.
As a young employee of Longyuan Power, Li Ying transforms complex wind power concepts into engaging lessons by creating cartoon-style materials and catchy rhymes. After class, she joins the children in drawing “the windmills in my heart”, encouraging them: “Study hard, and one day let the wind of your hometown light up even more homes.”
After caring for the young, Li also extends her warmth to the elderly. In assisted villages, she chats with seniors and offers companionship. At the company-funded community canteen, she serves meals, cleans tables and washes dishes. One of the most touching moments comes from the company’s Double Ninth Festival photo initiative. Li and her colleagues visit elderly residents with cameras, helping them tidy their appearance and capturing their smiles. Holding his photo, an octogenarian said with emotion, “In more than eighty years, this is my first proper photograph.”
These individuals may not perform earth-shaking feats, but they leave warmth in everyday life. Like the resilient pines of Youyu and the enduring winds of the plateau, they remain steadfast, empowering development with green energy and touching hearts with genuine care.
