Recently, a grand gathering to mark the nation’s poverty-alleviation accomplishments was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. 

Among the role models receiving awards, one soldier distinguished himself: Yu Xiwen, an outstanding student in the Bayi School of the Open University of China (OUC), and a third-class master sergeant in a rocket-force regiment. Yu was the only soldier to be named “National Anti-poverty Role Model”.

Yu Xiwen is a student in the 2020 Administration Management class at the OUC’s Bayi School. For several years, he has been engaged in the cause of poverty-alleviation, helping 102 young drop-outs to return to school, and funding 28 college-entrants. Yu has been to 33 schools and aided over 2000 low-income students in provinces such as Jiangxi, Anhui, Guizhou and Tibet. He has been named  a “most beautiful solider” for his benevolence and contributions, has received three individual third-class merits, and been named an “Anhui Moral Role Model”, “Anhui Benevolent Youth”, “China Good Person”, and one of the “100 Network Positive Energy Role Models”, among other honours. The “Yu Xiwen Benevolence Association” he established has been commended by the state Publicity and Civilisation departments as an advanced model of “National Lei Feng Volunteer Service”. In September 2019 Yu was commended as an “Individual Role Model for National Ethnic Unity”, and in December 2020 named an “Outstanding Soldier Putting the CPC’s Innovative Theories into Practice”. His deeds have been widely reported across China.

By Zeng Jianhua, OUC Bayi School