Construction with a conscience changes lives in Yunnan province

The China Construction First Group Corporation Limited is embracing its social responsibilities through practical actions in Zhaotong, a remote and isolated city in Yunnan province, significantly contributing to the well-being of local people.

Yin Liang, a member of the state-owned company's project team, said they have successfully helped relocate people from Zhaotong's mountainous areas to a new district, named Jing'an, over the past five years.

According to Yin, the company is committed to creating a more comfortable living environment for people moving to Jing'an.

The company completed the construction of 33 buildings in just 173 days, providing new apartments for around 11,720 poor households. "I could never have imagined that I would move to such a good apartment in my old age," said a 75-year-old resident.

Yin and his team did not even take a rest during the Spring Festival holiday and finished the landscaping of a local school in May.

Yin also mentioned that the company strives to give all children fair access to quality education by helping solve the problems existing in the local compulsory education system.

It built seven schools at different levels for the Jing'an new district, from kindergarten to senior high, which provide quality education resources for more than 20,000 students.

The company also carried out a number of relevant voluntary activities such as donating over 2,500 books and giving lectures to promote student safety awareness. "These kids remind me of my own. Their smiles can immediately remove all my tiredness away," said Yin.

In addition, with the help of the company, people in Jing'an are now enjoying more social security benefits. For example, Yin and his team are currently building a new hospital, which will be equipped with 400 inpatient beds, more professional doctors, and advanced medical devices.

The ongoing land management and reservoir construction projects will also help local people live a better life by improving the comprehensive agricultural productivity. The projects are expected to create 654 hectares of new farmland and provide water for around 65,000 people.

More job opportunities are also coming with the projects' implementation. The company is cooperating with the local government to provide jobs and free training for over 2,800 local workers, increasing their per capita monthly income by two to three times.

Wang Xiaoguang, director of the Beijing Rongzhi Corporate Social Responsibility Institute, said fulfilling social responsibilities will not only help companies meet expectations from both the government and society, but also significantly contribute to the companies' growth and competitiveness.

"State-owned companies must give full play to their strengthens... They should make more efforts to help address the country's unbalanced and inadequate development, contributing to the shared prosperity of all Chinese people," said Peng Huagang, chief expert of the China Enterprise Reform and Development Society.

According to Yin, he and his team will carry out more projects to protect people's livelihoods and promote rural revitalization. They will continue to improve the local living environment, as well as the access to quality healthcare and education.