Qin Yuefei: Endeavors Towards Better Country Life

By staff reporter JIAO FENG

QIN Yuefei， a Yale graduate who now works in a mountainous village， was star guest at the 2013 Fortune Global Forum.

After graduating in 2005 from senior high school in his hometown in Hunan Province， Qin Yuefei took up the offer to do a B.A. at Yale University with a full scholarship. Upon returning to China after graduating from Yale， Qin chose to start his career as a village official near Hengshan Mountain in Hunan. He first set about encouraging villagers to raise money to build a road. Qin then convinced certain NGOs to help with the building of an irrigation system and a retirement home. He was also instrumental in raising donations towards equipping the local school with tablet computers. Qin is known in the village as “Yale brother.” In last years election of deputies to the Hengshan County Peoples Congress he won 85 percent of votes of his electorate， so becoming Chinas first county legislator with an overseas education.

When asked about his career choice after returning from the U.S.， Qin Yuefei replied， “I come from a workers family. My parents have sacrificed much for my growth and education. While in Gansu Province during a summer vacation， I observed many farmers who， like my parents， make huge sacrifices in expectations of a decent living for their offspring. I felt obligated to help them change their situation.”

As the saying goes， when in Rome， do as the Romans do. Urbanite Qin Yuefei accordingly adapted to his new rural environment. He has abandoned trendy sneakers， and generally wears the sturdy， time-honored “liberation” green canvas shoes with soft rubber soles and toecaps. When a villager offers him a cigarette he follows the local etiquette of stowing it behind one ear. He also squats by the roadside when waiting for bus as locals normally do. Qin has consequently won villagers trust. Local residents have moreover taken him under their wing. Concerned about his light wardrobe in wintertime， they have given him a military overcoat， and frequently present him with home-cooked dishes. In true country fashion， they also have no scruples about enquiring about his private life. On the other side of the coin， they look to him to carry out domestic repairs， for example， to water heaters. Qin is now considered as part of the village.

All but 50 of the 3，527 constituents， or more than 85 per- cent in the electoral district， voted for Qin in the 2012 local legislature elections. The general consensus was， “This city boy cares about our living and has helped improve our living conditions， so we want him to represent us.”

Qin is moved by the trust they place in him. It springs from his adaptation to local life as well as the work he has done for the village. Villagers truly appreciate his raising money to build a road， irrigation system and retirement home， and the help he gives senior residents with everyday tasks like carrying home vegetables and water. They also admire his resourcefulness in finding the right people to deal with problems he cannot solve alone.

Qin Yuefei shied away from talking about what he has accomplished. But he admitted to the China Today reporter that he had followed the public service concept after first encountering it at college， and that it approximates his dream. He believes that working in a rural community provides a platform of open access to the relevant contemporary issues of country life， such as rural education， health care， and migrant workers left-behind children. His ultimate aim is to gain a comprehensive understanding of these matters and see whether or not he is fit for work in the public service.

Upon being elected a deputy to the National Peoples Congress， Qins first proposal was to run a rural school bus service.“Rural families have the same expectations as any others of a well rounded education for their children， steady jobs， pleasant living environment， good health care， and other social security guarantees. The pervasive dream in China is for a better life. I too have this dream， and hope I can help other people to achieve theirs. Individuals and families constitute a country. Helping everyone live in dignity is both an important and practical expectation. I agree with the dream of a good life and believe that doing public service can help more people make it come true.”

Qin Yuefei also believes that his generation should be innovative and cherish ambitions to create a more prosperous future for all in the world.