On the morning of the second day, they rushed to Chaozhou. When everyone learned that they had come such a long way again for the village road, they were both surprised and moved. Most of the townsfolk once again generously donated money. The last stop was Shantou. Because the motorcycle couldn't go in, they went through great trouble to find Luo Xulai, a mobile party member. To save money, they walked one by one to find their compatriots scattered all over the place for donations. When hungry, they would eat some biscuits; when tired, they would find a place to take a nap. In the borrowed worker's shed, some out-of-town workers asked curiously: "You ride thousands of kilometers to raise money like this, are you stupid or what?" Tang Wenji replied without hesitation: "It's not a big deal to endure some hardships for the villagers. If we don't seize the time to build the road to prosperity, then that would be really stupid!"
Seeing batches of navel oranges and other specialties transported out of the mountains, Tang Wenji and Hu Dongnan smiled with relief.
In July 2009, Tang Wenji, then the Party branch secretary of Zhuhu Village, began his first solo journey of a thousand miles, raising funds to build a road. He set off on an old motorcycle with Hu Dongnan, the village committee director, taking two sets of clothes, starting the fundraising journey.
At the end of last year, in order to catch up with the construction schedule, Tang Wenji simply made the village office his home, eating and sleeping there. Currently, with the support of all sectors of society, the 11.2-kilometer cement road from Zhuhu to the outside world has been completed. From now on, the mountain dwellers who have lived here for generations will bid farewell to the history of carrying goods on their shoulders and walking on mountain roads.
In daily life, Tang Wenji and Hu Dongnan are close friends who talk about everything. Seeing how difficult it is to build the road that hinders the villagers' prosperity, they feel anxious. They often chat until late at night about the road: the villagers should no longer suffer, no matter how difficult it is, the road must be built. In April 2009, Tang Wenji made a bold decision: to go out and raise funds to build the road.
There's no turning back once the arrow is released. These two Hakka men, facing the vast mountains, made a vow: no matter how much hardship they endure, they must build this road out of the mountains!
When they woke up early in the morning, their fellow villagers working in Jieyang were both surprised and delighted to see the two village cadres standing before them. After learning the reason, they donated money one after another. Thereafter, they endured wind and rain, traveling thousands of miles, successively visiting Chaozhou, Shantou, Shenzhen, and other places in Guangdong Province. In a week, they covered more than 3,000 kilometers, changed a tire and an exhaust pipe, spending a total of 385 yuan, but successfully raised more than 60,000 yuan, marking the initial success of their fundraising efforts!
On May 24, 2011, Tang Wenji made the decision again to go out and raise funds on his motorcycle. This time, they were silent on the road, actually unsure themselves. After all, the income of the compatriots working outside is not high, and they had already raised funds before.
The touching story of these two "good buddies" riding thousands of miles alone was reported as the newly constructed 11.2-kilometer cement road connecting Zhuhu Village to the outside world was successfully completed at the beginning of the new year. With the road open, travel became more convenient, and the confidence of the townsfolk to get rich increased. Tang Wenji and Hu Dongnan were planning new industries for the New Year to further broaden the path to prosperity.
The thousand-mile fundraising allowed the villagers to see the determination of the village to build the road, leading them to voluntarily contribute money and effort. The town government also helped secure the rural road construction project. In February last year, the cement road to Zhuhu was started amidst the anticipation of the villagers. Looking at the road under construction, Tang Wenji and Hu Dongnan were both happy and worried. Although most of the funds had been raised, there was still a shortfall of more than 120,000 yuan.
In the hot month of July, the scorching sun could not dampen their enthusiasm for raising funds to build the road. After five hours, they reached their first destination in Ganzhou City, finding villagers Lin Weizhen, Lai Zhulin, and others working there. The townsfolk were deeply moved seeing the two cadres nearing fifty running around sweating profusely for the road, and they generously opened their wallets.
These two individuals are Tang Wenji and Hu Dongnan, cadres of Zhuhu Village in Tianxin Town, Anyuan County.
Small characters, true heroes. Many party members, officials, and private entrepreneurs in Anyuan County were moved by the spirit of Tang Wenji and Hu Dongnan's commitment to building the road, and they donated generously. Some "three-sending cadres" from the county actively requested to be assigned to Zhuhu Village to assist in road construction. Many villagers working outside frequently called Tang Wenji to inquire about the progress of the road construction.
Several rounds of village cadres wanted to build the road, but upon seeing the long distance, perilous terrain, and lack of relevant project support, they could only sigh and give up. Due to the difficulty of transportation, many people in the village had emigrated. Originally, the village had more than 180 households and over 1,000 people, but now only 146 households and 747 people remain.
Early the next morning, Tang Wenji and Hu Dongnan rode their motorcycles from Ganzhou to Jieyang, Guangdong. By noon, heavy rain poured down, soaking them to the skin, but they did not stop moving forward. At 11:30 PM, they arrived at Jieyang, exhausted, and stayed overnight at the home of Hu Dongnan's relatives.
Busy raising funds while enduring wind and rain
When they reached Shuichetown, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, the motorcycle tire was punctured, and they were far from any village or store. Thus, they had to push the motorcycle forward, walking three kilometers before finding someone to repair it, and continued on their journey.
No matter how hard or difficult, the road must be built
Two rounds of fundraising saw Tang Wenji and Hu Dongnan riding motorcycles through Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces, covering 13 counties and cities, but spending no more than 800 yuan.