Decade-long commitment turns icy town into hot tourism spot

Editor's note: Tuesday marked the 104th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China, as the number of the world's largest political party surpasses 100 million. This page showcases the dedication and diligence of grassroots Party members who fulfill their vows when joining the Party — to serve the people.

Wen Zhu, 36, a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and Party secretary of Beiji township of China's northernmost city, Mohe, Heilongjiang province, has grown from college-graduate village official to an excellent township official, building Beiji into a popular tourist destination and transforming it from an internet famous spot to a long-lasting one in over a decade.

After graduating from Mudanjiang Normal University in 2013, Wen gave up job opportunities in prosperous southern cities and instead chose to dedicate herself to building her hometown — Beiji township.

Wen's first position was as an assistant to Party secretary of Luoguhe village in Beiji, which she obtained after passing the province's recruitment examination in 2013.

Enduring a bumpy ride, she finally reached the small village with only 47 households and 84 residents.

"Despite growing up in urban Mohe, I had never been to Luoguhe before," she said. "It is located around 90 kilometers away from the urban area, and the transportation was extremely inconvenient."

She quickly threw herself into the village's work, visiting each household to understand the village's situation, and organizing an art team collaborating with stationed troops to carry out activities, which greatly enhanced the sense of belonging and cohesion among the youth.

Wen was committed to establishing a good family atmosphere for the villagers, nurturing good civic virtues, improving the overall image of Beiji and enhancing the comprehensive quality of villagers through projects like ethics lectures and night schools.

On May 20, 2017, Beiji launched the activity of "Party Building in Scenic Areas" to strengthen Party work in the border area and provide better education and services for tourists. In a prime location of the Beiji Scenic Area, the Beiji Red Station was established with Wen as the station master.

Under Wen's leadership, the station has become a well-known Party building model nationwide, attracting numerous tourists and touring Party members for learning and exchange.

In early 2021, Wen was selected as the head of Beiji township.

During her service, Wen encouraged villagers to open farmhouse inns and yacht companies to promote local tourism, successfully boosting local economic income.

As Mohe raised the initiative to create a national-level civilized city and establish a tourism industry chain to transform cold resources into economic benefits, Wen immediately seized the opportunity.

She meticulously planned the Beiji Tourism Industry Chain through which tourists can taste the northernmost fruits and experience the charm of the courtyard economy, promoting the transformation of traditional agriculture into sightseeing agriculture.

"In each scenic area, we have set up a consultation desk where tourists can communicate directly with us if they have any opinions," she said. "I have posted my mobile phone number on the bulletin boards in the scenic areas."

The tourists' feedback inspired her to coordinate various departments for improvement and enhance the level of tourism services, she said.

In recent years, Wen has keenly perceived the potential of livestreaming industry development and actively promoted sales through social platforms to drive the local economy, attracting young people to return to their hometowns and encouraging more livestreaming influencers to contribute to the development of Beiji.

"Only through fully stimulating the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the people can we make the development of the tourism industry healthier and more sustainable," said Wen.

In November last year, Wen assumed a temporary post as deputy director of Jinwan district in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

While learning from the advanced development experiences of the southeastern coastal areas, she made every effort to promote interaction and exchanges in industries, economy and tourism between the north and the south.

Her work included organizing a tour to Mohe for young entrepreneurs from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, establishing the Hong Kong-Macao Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Workstation, and signing two agreements between the Jinwan district and Mohe to promote investment promotion cooperation and tourism strategic cooperation.