Where service takes root

Leading by example

While Li documents the dedication of those serving mountain communities, Shang Yingchun has spent the past decade protecting residents of the neighboring Xizang autonomous region.

Now political commissar of the Zuogong brigade under the Nyingchi mobile fire and rescue detachment, Shang oversees Party building, political education and disciplinary management.

After graduating from the China Fire and Rescue Institute in Beijing, Shang chose to serve in Zuogong county, where towering mountains, deep valleys and difficult roads make rescue operations particularly challenging.

Firefighters often must carry heavy equipment up steep slopes while coping with thin air and unpredictable weather.

During a cross-regional firefighting operation near the border, Shang's brigade traveled about 1,800 kilometers along National Highway 318 over two days before spending 10 days and nights battling a fire.

For four nights, the firefighters camped in the mountains, facing dangers from wild bears, burned trees and falling rocks. Shang said containing the blaze was essential to protecting the lives and property of people in nearby villages.

"The oath we take when joining the Party is not something we recite only once," Shang said. "We have to live up to it in our daily work and rescue operations. When danger arises, Party members should take the lead."

Such experiences have shaped Shang's approach to leading his team. He said the plenary session's emphasis on Party spirit and discipline reinforced the importance of rigorous management, particularly in remote areas where demanding missions require close coordination.

But he also believes building an effective team involves more than enforcing rules. Young firefighters need to understand why their work matters and whom they are serving.

He recalled a new recruit who struggled to adapt to the high-altitude environment and strict routines, showing little enthusiasm for training or political study. Shang wanted to help him understand the people his work was meant to protect.

Rather than relying solely on disciplinary measures, Shang and his colleagues spoke with him regularly and took him on village fire-prevention visits and frontline assignments.

After some missions, residents gathered to thank the firefighters, presenting them with hada, traditional ceremonial scarves, as a gesture of appreciation.

These encounters gradually changed the recruit's attitude. He became more engaged in training, volunteered for assignments in remote areas and eventually applied to join the CPC.

"Watching him change from being uncertain and reluctant to taking responsibility on his own initiative showed me what education can really achieve," Shang said.

For Shang, the experience reinforced his belief that effective leadership involves not only maintaining discipline but also helping young people develop a sense of responsibility and purpose.

Putting people first

Helping others build better futures is also central to the work of Wang Yuxin, political instructor at the Pingyuan border police station under the Dehong border management detachment in Yunnan province.

After arriving in Dehong in 2011, Wang initially handled paperwork for residents, some of whom had to travel long distances to obtain documents.

Later, as a community police officer, he began visiting families in border villages, where residents often welcomed him into their homes. These encounters taught Wang to see problems from the residents' perspective and deepened his understanding of public service.

"We need to roll up our sleeves and make a real difference in people's lives, while allowing them to oversee our work. Both are essential," he said.

In 2012, Wang began an online charity initiative to connect donors with disadvantaged children in border communities. He has since received the "China Good Person" honor and the Yunnan Youth May Fourth Medal.

He remembers meeting a boy whose father had died of illness and whose mother had remarried, leaving him and his sister without parental care. When Wang asked about his future, the boy said he wanted to become a doctor.

"When he said that, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes," Wang recalled. "I just thought about how difficult life had been for these children."

Wang later found donors who could provide monthly financial support for the boy's education.

Over the years, encounters like this have changed his understanding of what it means to help others. He came to realize that encouragement can be just as important as material assistance.

"At first, I thought it was mainly about solving their immediate problems, perhaps giving them new clothes or helping them obtain financial assistance," he said. "But later I realized that encouraging them emotionally was even more important."

Today, Wang and his colleagues regularly visit the students they support, talking with them about their studies, aspirations and challenges.

After 15 years in Dehong, Wang no longer sees the border region simply as a place where he was assigned to work.

"I've devoted my youth to a place where my country needs me," he said. "Now I regard the border region as my hometown."