March 3 fell on Chinese traditional Lantern Festival. In Wujiazi Village, a remote village in north China’s Inner Mongolia, the lingering chill of early spring was softened by the warmth of the festive season. Red lanterns swayed gently in the morning breeze, while curling cooking smoke mixed with the scent of firecrackers, reminding everyone that the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse was still being celebrated.
By nine o’clock in the morning, the activity room of the village committee was already filled with people. The sounds of an accordion, laughter and singing blended together as villagers rehearsed for the Lantern Festival gala that evening. Good Days and On the Fields of Hope followed one after another, filling the room with warmth.
Behind this lively scene lies the friendship that has grown over several years between CHN Energy Guohua Energy Investment Eastern Inner Mongolia Branch and the village.
In the livestock sheds on the eastern edge of the village, dozens of sheep were leisurely chewing their feed. The facility was built with a startup donation of 100,000 yuan (around 14,500 USD) from the branch, becoming the village’s first large-scale livestock breeding project. Since then, the village collective has gained a stable source of income, and the flock has grown from the initial 100 sheep to more than 300. Every day, Mr. Zhang, one of the breeders, comes by to check on them. “In the past we relied entirely on experience,” he said. “Now the company helps connect us with technicians and e-commerce channels, and we’ve learned scientific feeding methods.”
Walking through the village, the most eye-catching sights are the blue-glinting photovoltaic panels on rooftops and in courtyards. These are part of a household solar project introduced by Guohua Energy Investment by leveraging its industry expertise. So far, five households have installed the systems, each increasing annual income by more than 3,000 yuan (around 435 USD) on average.
During the rollout, Shao Zhenhao from the company visited the village frequently, going door to door to survey rooftops, calculate returns and explain policies. His colleague Shi Shuanglei often came to follow up on construction and noticed that many elderly residents and women were left behind in the village. He suggested prioritizing them for lighter tasks such as photovoltaic maintenance. Standing in her courtyard and looking up at the panels on her roof, Ms. Li could not hide her smile. “I used to think solar power was something far from farmers like us,” she said. “Now my own rooftop can earn money. I never imagined that!”
During a break in rehearsal, villager Jiang Wei held his accordion, his fingers dancing across the keys. At this time last year, the raspberries he planted were unsold, and he feared losing his entire investment. After learning about the situation, Chen Haishan, a village-based official, spent two months traveling between the county seat and Tongliao, eventually helping sell more than 1,800 boxes of raspberries and increasing Jiang’s income by 60,000 yuan (around 8,700 USD). Now Jiang often tells others, “The company saved my orchard.”
This is just one example. Over the past few years, assistance has gradually blended into villagers’ daily lives: when an elderly resident falls ill, help is provided to contact hospitals; when children face difficulties attending school, scholarships are arranged; and during holidays, rice, flour and cooking oil are brought to check on how everyone is doing.
As evening approached, the lights in the activity room came on, and the accordion sounded again, this time playing The Sun Rises over the Grassland.
At six-thirty in the evening, the gala began right on time. The room was packed. Children sat cross-legged in the front rows, while the elderly lined up along the walls. Jiang Wei played the accordion as several women sang along. When the melody reached its high notes, laughter filled the room. Mr. Zhang sat in the front row, holding a handful of candy and pressing it into everyone’s hands he met. The village Party secretary joked from the side, “Brother Zhang is especially happy today. There are more lambs at home, his son came back for the New Year, and he even installed solar panels. Life is getting better and better!”
In a corner, several young employees from Guohua Energy Investment clapped along. No one stepped up to give a speech. They simply watched the singing on stage and the smiling faces below. When one song ended, someone called out, “Comrades from the company, give us a performance too!” They waved their hands in refusal, but were eventually pulled onto the stage. In the end, they said only a few simple words: “The changes in the village over the past few years are the result of everyone working together. We are happy to be part of it. It’s the Lantern Festival today. Let’s celebrate happily tonight, and tomorrow, we keep working.”
The applause was even louder than before.
By the time the gathering ended, it was nearly nine o’clock. The village lights shimmered softly in the night, radiating warmth. Under the moonlight, the photovoltaic panels glowed faintly, and the sheep in the sheds lay quietly at rest. In the wind, the lingering echo of singing could still be heard: “Our hometown lies on the fields of hope…”
This beam of light comes from Guohua Energy Investment Eastern Inner Mongolia Branch, and from everyone who has contributed to Wujiazi Village. It shines on the panels atop the roofs, on the sheep in the sheds, on the smiling faces of villagers, and on the shared path of revitalization forged by enterprise and community together.
