Home is Far Away

In 1996, Qiu Lei, a cadre of the Provincial Economic and Trade Commission, responded to the call of the provincial government and came to Ziyang County, a national-level poverty-stricken county, to carry out poverty alleviation work. In just three years, Qiu Lei, with his enthusiasm and perseverance, overcame numerous difficulties and helped impoverished mountainous areas introduce 100 million yuan in funds, build local chicken farms, tea farms, and vegetable greenhouses, and teach villagers to raise turtles and grow vegetables; at the same time, he also subsidized out-of-school children so that they can return to school. When Qiu Lei's three-year poverty alleviation period expired, the local people were reluctant to let him leave and begged him to stay for another year. Qiu Lei agreed to the farmer's request, but unexpectedly, this made him stay in Ziyang forever. On May 13, 1999, Qiu Lei was accompanying foreign businessmen for an inspection when the brakes of the car he was riding suddenly failed. At the critical moment, he pushed others out of the car, but he fell off a cliff with the car and died. He was less than 36 years old at the time.