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Last year, this photo struck a chord with millions of people across China. It shows Jia Wenqi (L) and Jia Haixia, an armless man and his blind friend, planting trees together.
Both men are in their mid-50s and live in the same village in Hebei Province. Jia Wenqi lost both arms due to an electric shock and Jia Haixia lost his eye-sight due to illness.
In 2002, the two friends decided to work together to make a living for themselves. Jia Haixia suggested they plant trees on some wasteland in their village so that they could earn some money while at the same time the trees could help prevent their village from flooding and improve the environmental surroundings.
Moved by their determination, the local government granted them the right to reclaim land plots along the river for tree planting. Since then, Jia Wenqi serves as the eye and Jia Haixia serves as the hands for the pair.
"When we work together, two become one," the pair said.
Although only two trees out of 800 survived after the first year, they did not give up. They have kept working for 15 years and now the wasteland is home to more than 10,000 trees.
When they began working together on the project, other villagers were cynical about what two disabled men could do. Now, convinced by what they saw, the villagers have changed their attitude, and started to help them by fixing tools, watering the trees and even offering financial support. Their story spread far and wide, making cover stories for many domestic and international media.
After reading their story, I admired their courage for the fact that they did not depend on disabled welfare, but relied on their own efforts to make a living. I applaud their spirit for the fact that they did not infringe on others’ rights or interests by asking to contract the wasteland along the river.
I hail their wisdom for the fact that they did not give up hope by working together to overcome their disabilities. I praise their vision for the fact that they did not only work for a better life for themselves, but also for the common good for the village.
Today’s world is composed of countries with different sizes and different powers, ranging from the rich to the poor, from the developed to the developing and to the under-developed.
Some are rich in natural resources while others are rich in human labor and still others boast money and technology. But we all face the same problems and challenges such as natural disasters, environmental pollution and terrorist attacks.
Since no country can escape from these problems nor deal with them alone, I think we can learn a lot from the two disabled villagers in Hebei Province.
We need the same courage when facing global problems and challenges so that we can stand up against them.
We need the same spirit when planning national development so that we can contribute to world peace and global development.
We need the same wisdom when building a new international order so that we can improve global governance.
We need the same vision when seeking win-win cooperation with other countries so that we can build a community with a shared future for mankind.
The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of APD.
(CGTN)
