A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

"With ten years of service, you should be able to support your family right now. Why did you decide to take this step?" Zhou Mingyu continued to press.

"I'm an only child. After my parents found out I signed up, they didn't speak to me for several days. My mom kept saying that Xinjiang is too far away, and if I got sick, they wouldn't be able to get there in time to take care of me. My dad was even more direct, saying that I was giving up a peaceful life to go and suffer."

Li Chao then added, "Not only is my family against it, but my friends don't understand either."

I was having dinner with some childhood friends the other day, and I told them I wanted to go to Xinjiang to help with the aid work. They all advised me against it: Xinjiang is a great place for tourism, where you can see grasslands and eat barbecue, but if you work there for a long time, the conditions are tough, so it's not worth the trouble.

Some people even said I was out of my mind, giving up a good life in the city to go and suffer in the Gobi Desert.

"Then why are you still so insistent?"

"I understand what they're saying. It's true that conditions in Xinjiang are tough and it's true that it's far from home."

But I've worked in agriculture and forestry for ten years, and I've always wanted to do something more practical.

I saw on the news that Shihezi is an important cotton-producing area, and many farmers there are encountering difficulties in planting. I have the technical expertise, so I might be able to help if I go there.

"Once a decision is made, it cannot be abandoned halfway. That's just how I am; once I've decided to do something, I'll do my best to accomplish it, no matter what others say."

"My purpose in going to Shihezi this time is to bring the planting techniques from Dalian there, to help the villagers grow their crops better, and to make their lives more prosperous. That way, their lives will have some meaning and value."

Zhou Mingyu looked at the brother next to him who was not much younger than himself and couldn't help but feel a deep respect.

"Well done! With your dedication, we're sure to succeed in Shihezi."

Don't worry, once we get there, we'll look out for each other and solve any difficulties together.

Zhou Mingyu turned to look at Jiang Hengli again, "What's the situation on your end?"

"I come from No. 58 Middle School and am a Chinese language teacher. I also want to share what I have learned with the children in Xinjiang."

Hearing their conversation, Zhou Mingyu nodded in satisfaction. Although he didn't say anything, he had already given the two young men a thumbs up in his heart.

Jiang Hengli then asked, "Team Leader Zhou, do you think winters in Shihezi are particularly cold? I saw that your unit leaders even gave you a cotton-padded coat."

"However, it is really cold in winter, with the lowest temperature reaching minus twenty degrees Celsius, but we have heating in our living and office areas, so we don't have to worry too much about that."

After a flight transfer, we finally arrived in Xinjiang.

As the hatch opened, a rush of dry, crisp air rushed in. Zhou Mingyu took a deep breath; the feeling was completely different from the warm, salty sea breeze of Dalian, carrying the vastness unique to the Gobi Desert and a hint of early winter's chill.

Looking at the unfamiliar faces around him, filled with a mixture of confusion and anticipation, he knew that the real challenge had only just begun.

In the conference room of the Xinjiang aid team's apartment, the new and old team members sat clearly separated.

Zhou Mingyu observed for a moment, his gaze settling on several dark-skinned cadres.

"Comrade, and these people next to you, are they comrades from the previous batch who stayed behind to support Xinjiang?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

……

These comrades spoke in turn.

Everyone looked at him with surprise. Zhou Mingyu turned to face the new team members and said, "Did you all see that? This dark skin is the standard for us Xinjiang aid workers. It's a medal awarded by the Gobi Desert and the Tianshan sunshine."

Before long, you'll all look like them. When you return to Dalian, your families probably won't recognize you.

Zhou Mingyu's expression quickly turned serious: "Comrades, before we officially begin our work in Xinjiang, I would like to ask you to consider two questions."

He walked to the center of the conference room and said firmly, "First, why did we come to Xinjiang? Second, what are we going to do now that we're here?"

He paused for a moment, "We're not here to gild our resumes, nor are we just going through the motions. Besides the footprints we've left on the land of Shihezi, what else can we truly leave here? We've come with a mission."

I hope everyone will do something meaningful for this place and leave something behind.

Li Chao unconsciously sat up straight; Zhou Mingyu at this moment was completely different from him on the plane.

Is it technology? Is it a project? Or...?

Zhou Mingyu surveyed the entire room. "A spirit? A hope?"

Jiang Hengli looked down at his hands and murmured to himself, "Besides teaching, what else can I leave for the children?"

Veteran team member Kong Fanlong chimed in, "Team Leader Zhou is right. I was also confused when I first arrived, but when you see the smiles of the villagers after they've harvested using the new technologies you introduced, and when your apprentices can stand on their own, you realize that what we need to leave behind are the seeds that will make this place a better place."

Zhou Mingyu clapped his hands loudly, "Well said! We must be the ones who sow the seeds, not just passersby. When we leave three years from now, we must make sure that the seeds we leave behind can take root, sprout, and grow strong here."

"This land doesn't need fleeting visitors; it needs dedicated builders. Starting tomorrow, each of you must make your own plan to stay. What will you leave behind for Shihezi?"

The meeting room fell silent instantly, everyone pondering this weighty yet mission-driven question. Outside the window, the Tianshan Mountains stood out sharply in the setting sun, as if witnessing the solemn promise made by yet another group of aid workers to Xinjiang.

Li Chao wrote forcefully in his notebook: "Leave behind high-yield cotton planting techniques and train a local technical team."

Jiang Hengli also wrote: "Leaving behind innovative teaching methods to ignite children's thirst for knowledge."

Seeing his team members deep in thought, Zhou Mingyu knew that the seeds of ideas had been sown. He believed that when these seeds blossomed and bore fruit, they would bring new life to this land.

At seven o'clock in the morning, the sky over Xinjiang was still a thick, inky blue, the stars had not yet faded, and the wind was biting cold. Zhou Mingyu got up on time, and when he went to wash up, he found that some of his comrades had gotten up even earlier than him.

Seeing everyone full of energy, Zhou Mingyu was also very happy. "Let's not waste this precious time and work together to figure out what we can do in the units we're assigned to."

This intense work environment is something that cadres supporting Xinjiang rarely encounter in their previous units. Zhou Mingyu did this to fully mobilize everyone's initiative.

After checking the headcount, Zhou Mingyu suddenly remembered Li Chao, "Have you seen Li Chao?"

Apart from a few former teammates, the others were all strangers to each other. Having only met once, many of them couldn't even call each other by name.

After searching around without finding Li Chao, Jiang Hengli finally came out of the room after a while.

Have you seen Li Chao?

"Are you still resting?" Jiang Hengli replied, yawning repeatedly.

"Go check on him. If he's still sleeping, wake him up. Can't you see everyone's already discussing today's work?"

The actual work hadn't even started yet, and they were already discussing it. Jiang Hengli found it all rather absurd, but since it was the team leader's arrangement, he had no choice but to comply.