Carry the patriotic spirit and dedicate great love to humanity
Release Time:
2023-07-20 14:52
Source:
What kind of female entrepreneur do people usually imagine? Well-dressed, imposing, and walking with a brisk pace. But when it comes to Qiu Guimei, these impressions are completely overturned.
She started from scratch and, after more than 20 years of hard work, turned an unknown dry-cleaning shop into a well-known washing and dyeing enterprise in the province. As a result, she was elected president of the Tangshan Washing and Dyeing Industry Association, chairman of the Tangshan Washing and Dyeing Industry Trade Union Federation, recognized as a "Yanzhao Craftsman" in Hebei Province's washing and dyeing industry, a national model woman achiever, a "March 8th" Red Banner Holder of Tangshan, and a moral model of Luannan County.
While making her business flourish, Qiu Guimei always carries a strong sense of patriotism and shows great love for humanity. Although she is skilled in dressing well for the washing and dyeing industry and has the means, she is not keen on dressing up and remains frugal and simple. Except for special occasions, she is rarely seen wearing flashy clothes. She has worn the same sweater for many years and carries an old bag without replacing it; her daily food and drink are simple and unpretentious, never deliberately showing off. Like rural women in the past, she enjoys simple meals three times a day, savoring a bowl of rice with water and scallions dipped in sauce. In short, she does not look like a "rich person."
Although she is "stingy" with her own food and clothing, she is very generous when it comes to public welfare and helping others. As a successful female entrepreneur and a people's congress representative, she has always kept social responsibility in mind and put it into practice for more than a decade.
She has always adhered to her original intention, supporting the Spring Bud Project, rural appearance renovation, funding education, helping impoverished households and disabled people, and even donating to someone who had a car accident. Over the years, she has donated money and goods totaling 107,500 yuan. She also organized the Tangshan Washing and Dyeing Industry Association to help those in distress, donating to the family of patient Wu Shuhong and to the Fengcheng dry-cleaning shop affected by fire, among others.
She also educates her employees to be honest and trustworthy, returning money and valuables left in customers' pockets promptly and proactively. Over more than ten years, she has returned cash, rings, and other valuables dozens of times, with the largest amount being 4,000 yuan in cash.
After the outbreak of COVID-19, she took the initiative to act, organizing supplies to support epidemic prevention and control at the first opportunity, showing her love. She successively went to multiple units including Tangshan Children's Welfare Institute, the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions, the Women's Federation, and Tuoli Town Government, delivering 1,000 jin of disinfectant, 2,400 masks, 2 thermometers, and 320 jin of disinfectant to the bus company, fully supporting their epidemic prevention work, with a total value of over 20,000 yuan. She and county Women's Federation leaders visited and comforted eleven families of doctors aiding Wuhan and frontline community epidemic prevention workers, delivering over 2,000 yuan worth of living and epidemic prevention supplies. She donated 300 laundry cards worth 30,000 yuan to the Luannan Red Cross and applied to the county health bureau for free washing of sheets and quilts at quarantine points.
Someone asked her: "We are in business; don't you think endless donations and help are a loss?" Qiu Guimei said: "We came from poverty. Now that we are doing well, we should take on some social responsibility and help others when we can. It feels good in the heart!" Her kindness and good deeds have also inspired others. Members of the washing and dyeing industry association often contribute love under her influence, earning a good reputation. Her daughter-in-law often says: "My mother-in-law is addicted to doing good deeds!" Moved by her, the daughter-in-law also began helping and enthusiastically participating in public welfare.
Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him to fish. While donating money and goods, Qiu Guimei empathizes with the employment difficulties of vulnerable groups and decides to do her best to help them learn a skill. After careful planning, she established the Guimei Skills Training Base, offering classes in clothing mending, handicrafts, garment cutting, leather care, and more. She invited professional teachers from Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, and other places to provide free training to disabled persons, registered poor households, laid-off and unemployed people. So far, eight sessions have been held, training more than 400 students from various counties and districts of Tangshan.
Among the students is a couple: the husband, Geng Zhaojiang, suffers from a herniated lumbar disc and cannot do heavy work; the wife has cerebral thrombosis and diabetes and cannot take care of herself; their two daughters are still in school. The husband uses a tricycle every day to take his wife around collecting old clothes to make a living. Qiu Guimei not only teaches them skills free of charge but also provides food and drink, encouraging other students to donate surplus clothes to them. She herself rummaged through her belongings to give them many clothes. Later, she organized students to donate more than 1,000 yuan along with clothes to Geng Zhaojiang's family. During festivals, Qiu Guimei always remembers this "poor relative," sending them fish and meat. The couple is deeply grateful, bringing vegetables from their yard for Qiu Guimei to "taste fresh," while she returns fish, shrimp, and meat, even giving them her new clothes. The couple tells everyone: "We are truly blessed in this life to have met such a good person as Qiu Guimei!"
Student Song Cuixia is from Kaiping and suffers from sequelae of poliomyelitis, making walking difficult. This was her first time traveling far from home. Qiu Guimei gave her sisterly care, providing food and accommodation and assigning special care. Not only did she learn skills, but she also felt great love and warmth. After returning home, she sent Qiu Guimei a WeChat message: "Sister, words cannot express my feelings! Although I didn't know anyone on my first trip far from home, I felt like I was home at Guimei Skills Training Base! The care was like family! I will work twice as hard to give back to society!" Now she runs a successful leather shoe business and maintains contact with Qiu Guimei.
There is a teacher Dou whom Qiu Guimei specially invited to teach cutting. She has disabilities in both legs, uses crutches, and lives on the second floor of Qiu Guimei's house. Every night, Qiu Guimei prepares water and fruit for her; since there is no toilet upstairs and worried about her mobility, Qiu Guimei prepares a chamber pot for her at night and takes it away in the morning. Teacher Dou was moved to tears.
"Thank heaven I met my sister! Actually, you treat yourself as a small sun, using your light to shine on all places that need light!" A WeChat message from a student represents everyone's feelings.
Ordinary, common, acting,
Qiu Guimei weaves these words together, quietly and subtly doing what she can among the people, influencing and expanding.
(Second draft 2023.7.14)
Zhang Huaiping Liu Zengcai
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