The unadorned Sun Guohua. Photograph by Wu Meina.
By correspondent Yuan Shukai and Li Jiawei, stationed in Cangzhou
At first glance, few people would believe that this plainly dressed man, who looks like an old farmer, is a wealthy entrepreneur; even fewer would imagine that this seemingly ordinary sixty-year-old man has been enthusiastically supporting the public welfare of his village for many years, donating over 1.2 million yuan in total. Recently, Sun Guohua, the secretary of Dawa Village in Wobei Town, Suning County, was nominated as one of the "Good People of Cangzhou" due to his well-known contributions over the years.
■ Self-funding road construction, well digging, and school building
Sun Guohua, now 65 years old, was recommended to be the village secretary in 1984. At the time, the village faced numerous challenges: difficulty accessing drinking water, poor road conditions, and a dilapidated primary school. Therefore, repairing roads, digging wells, and rebuilding schools became top priorities.
Back then, Sun Guohua's brick factory had just started operations, so his donations to the village were counted in thousands of yuan. As his business improved year by year, the amount he donated also increased significantly. By the 1990s, his donations reached tens of thousands of yuan each time: In 1997, he personally funded 280,000 yuan out of the total investment of 310,000 yuan to construct a 2,000-meter main street leading to the town government. In 1998, he invested 20,000 yuan to dig a 200-meter deep drinking water well, solving the problem of water access for the villagers. In 2008, he spent over 300,000 yuan to build a 4,000-meter asphalt road within the village...
He made six donations towards school construction: From 1999 to 2003, he annually donated around 40,000 yuan to build five classrooms for the village primary school. In 2007, during the reconstruction of the school buildings, he donated bricks worth 70,000 yuan...
■ Helping fellow villagers without hesitation
During the years Sun Guohua served as the village secretary, the electricity and water fees for all village cadres were almost entirely covered by him. He also established the "Sun Guohua Reward Fund" at the village primary school. Not only that, he never took a single penny of salary, instead directing all funds toward the village's public welfare projects. In 2007, when a villager’s child was admitted to university but was struggling with tuition fees, Sun Guohua immediately handed over 5,000 yuan without any hesitation. On another occasion, a villager lost their only valuable asset—a cow—after the unexpected death of their young son. Upon hearing about it, Sun Guohua gave them 700 yuan, claiming it was a subsidy issued by the "higher authorities."
Every year, the town allocated ten poverty assistance quotas to the village, but there were twelve eligible households in the village. What to do about the two extra? Sun Guohua told them, "Don't worry, I'll go negotiate with the town for you." After going out and making a round of inquiries, he pulled out several hundred yuan from his own pocket: "Alright, I've negotiated it. This money is from the town..."
Sun Guohua said that he has always been vague about money matters. Over 80% of the villagers with serious illnesses have borrowed money from him, along with others who sought financial help for various difficulties they encountered. The total amount easily reaches tens of thousands of yuan. If someone could repay, fine; if not, no problem—he never asked for repayment. Over time, he himself couldn’t even remember who borrowed how much.
■ Whistleblower letter reveals donation deeds
Sun Guohua said that over the years, he never kept track of how much money he contributed to the village. Even the members of the leadership team working alongside him only knew part of the story. To find out exactly how much he donated over the years, one would need to consult the village accounts, which are managed by the village accountant. However, Sun Guohua has given strict instructions: these accounts should not be shown to others easily.
In 2008, Sun Guohua encountered something quite unexpected. Some villagers noticed the numerous roads built in recent years and assumed that the "higher authorities" must have provided substantial funding, implying that Sun Guohua must have benefited greatly from being the village secretary. Consequently, a whistleblower letter was sent to the Discipline Inspection Commission. After checking the accounts and conducting interviews, the commission staff were astonished—Sun Guohua had been quietly contributing his own money to the village for years, amounting to approximately 1.2 million yuan, excluding the funds used for regular charity work.
From then on, Sun Guohua's accomplishments gradually became known to the public. Yet, he remains unchanged—no smoking, no drinking, no playing cards, wearing clothes costing just a dozen or so yuan, and enjoying plain food like raw eggplant dipped in soybean paste. Currently, he is busy improving the village's appearance, constructing a vegetable garden, and leading everyone in building a new socialist countryside.