“The first time I came to Zhadong village, I was struck by its natural beauty. The adobe homes fit perfectly with the green environment,” recalls Hansen Nico Rene, a 63-year-old retired policeman. “But when we entered the houses, we found people were poor. There was a fireplace, a table, and some chairs.”
The village Hansen visited is in a remote mountainous area in Guangxi’s Hechi city. Before coming to Zhadong, Hansen had settled in downtown Hechi for six years. What brought the retiree to Zhadong was a notice for volunteers to aid the poverty campaign in March 2018. At the time of Hansen’s first visit, there were still some parts of the village that were not accessible by road. It was a rainy day, but dozens of people were busy in the fields working with cables, bamboo, and iron posts, so Hansen went to see what was going on and found out that they were preparing to grow passion fruit to help people out of poverty.
After the visits, Hansen suggested that the village use the land behind it to build a farm, and he also participated in the construction work himself. “It was a jungle. We brought electricity and water, and then we built a small farm. Now there are nearly 2,000 pigs and 200 cows. It is still growing,” Hansen says. Today, this farm brings over 100,000 yuan in income to the villagers each year. With Hansen’s assistance, the village’s officials and other volunteer workers, developed featured industries, including cattle and sheep breeding and fruit planting. Hansen is quite satisfied with his work in the village. “Now everything has changed. The adobe homes have gone.
Today everyone lives in new houses with a separate kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedrooms. There is also electricity and internet connection.”
Hansen returned to the city in May 2021. However, he maintains a deep attachment to Zhadong, and often goes back to the village to see his old friends and promote tourism by sharing pictures of local landscapes and cultural events on social media with his friends in Europe and beyond.
【小题1】What impressed Hansen first when he visited Zhadong village?| A．The adobe homes. | B．The natural beauty. | C．The friendly people. | D．The green lifestyle. |
| A．To settle there. | B．To grow passion fruit. | C．To mend a road. | D．To be a volunteer. |
| A．Took part in. | B．Checked out. | C．Searched for. | D．Went off. |
| A．Creative and ambitious. | B．Talented and productive. |
| C．Devoted and selfless. | D．Careful and cooperative. |
