“Yang the Omnipotent” in a small town

In Jinsong Town of Songling District of Great Khingan, Heilongjiang Province, everyone would raise their thumbs when the couple of Yang Yuzhuo and Ma Shujuan are mentioned. The deft and hardworking couple not only made sculptures out of abandoned rocks, tree roots, and wood materials, which transformed their courtyard into a garden, they also led their town to practice the environmental protection ideal of saving water and electricity. In 2020, Yang's family received the national "Most Beautiful Family" award.

Jinsong Town is a forestry center deep in the Great Khingan region. Residents depended on timber from the mountains for heating and for using fire, and this lifestyle continued for decades. In 2014, the forest district of Great Khingan stopped deforestation completely. From different publications, Yang learned that from then on, the forest district will develop ecological protection and construction, which deeply touched him: "Growing up in the forest district, I am saddened when I see timber gradually diminishes. The loggers in our district will also need to put down their axes and saws and become forest protectors, and preserve the green treasures of our motherland for the next generation."

Yang began pondering ways to reduce the use of timber in his daily life. Since solar water heaters can still be used in freezing winter, after conducting research from different aspects, he decided to give it a try. Yang personally installed a shower bathroom in his bungalow, and set up a solar water heater on the rooftop. "There is plenty of wood, why spend thousands of money to install this?" When the heater was first installed, neighbors could not understand it. But, out of curiosity, they still came to ask: "Does it work well? Is it expensive?" "It works great! Even during winter we can still take hot showers. Whether to wash dishes or to mop the floor, just turn on the faucet and there is hot water. This is not only convenient but also saves money, I meticulously calculated that this can save up two-third of the money than using electricity and timber. Though it takes some money to install, but you have to look at the long-term financial gains," Yang took the opportunity to promote.

Yang’s advocating led many families to install water heaters. When anyone ran into problems, Yang would patiently offer solutions and even provide door-to-door services. This alleviated the families’ worries regarding the water heaters.

Not only do the couple save electricity, but Yang and Ma also advocated the idea of saving water to those around them. “In the early years, there was no tap water at home, we had to get water and carry it home. Since the national policies of 2008 which renovated the shantytowns of the forest district, every family installed tap water and the faucet can be used at any time. We feel extremely happy and cherish this a lot,” Yang exclaimed.

When visiting the homes of neighbors, Yang saw some always leave their faucets running to prevent them from freezing during winter. Yang became distressed when he saw this, and attempted to solve the problem of freezing and to promote the benefits of saving water. Gradually, his colleagues and neighbors also got accustomed to saving water.

Aside from saving water and electrify, Yang also creates woodcarving works. In recent years, he created over 500 pieces from timber. “The Origin of Wood” and “Full of Life” won “Excellent Works Award” at the First Longjiang Cultural Creative Design Competition.

In Yang’s home, there are many woodcarving works. Some neighbors even come to learn the craft of woodcarving with him. “My home is very lively in the summer, there are plants and flowers in the courtyard, much like a garden. Everyone gathers around to recall the times when the forest district of Great Khingan was developed and talk about the current happy life, and we also study woodcarving together.”

Under the influence of Yang and Ma, the town residents are now learning woodcarving and are planting more plants and flowers. Their courtyards hence become greener, cleaner, and more beautiful.

“The things that I do are very small. However, as someone who lives in the forest district, I hope that my actions can impact more people and enhance everyone’s environmental awareness, to protect our green hills and clear waters,” said Yang.

Contributed by Zhang Shiying, Guangming Daily reporter

Translated by Zhang Junye