BEIJING, Oct 14 (APP): In the golden autumn of October, the Taihang Mountains in China are ablaze with colors. Amid the drizzling rain, silver threads—power lines—appear and disappear in the misty mountains, running alongside the Red Flag Canal carved by the people of Linzhou sixty years ago, together composing a triumphant ode to rural revitalization in the new era.
Persistence in Autumn Rain
Days of continuous autumn rain have turned the Taihang mountain roads into slippery paths. Last week, at an inspection site in Danao Village, power workers were checking utility poles on the wet mountain trails. “This year’s rainfall is unusually heavy, so we have to be extra careful during line inspections,” said Yang Xiaolong, an electrician at the Shibanyan Power Service Station, wiping the rain off his face and pointing to a nearby concrete pole. “Back when we installed these poles, transporting them by vehicles and carrying them manually, it took a full month to get all these ‘big guys’ up the mountain.”
This highest administrative village in Linzhou, at an altitude of 1,750 meters, once required workers to shoulder and lift 12-meter-long, over one-ton concrete poles where vehicles could not reach. It took continuous three-day work on granite just to dig one pole hole.
“The spirit of the Red Flag Canal is our heritage,” said Yang Xiaolong. “If the previous generation could carve a ‘heavenly river’ out of cliffs, we can certainly string power lines atop the mountains.” With this resolve, the State Grid Anyang Power Supply Company invested 41.9 million yuan over two years to upgrade the power grids of 57 impoverished villages in Linzhou.
Lights Illuminate the Road to a Well-Off Life
After the rain eased, streetlights in Beimaguo Village lit up one by one at dusk. Villager Zhang Yonglin walked along the concrete road home: “Before, even a rainy day would turn the village into a muddy mess, and going out at night was risky. Now the power company has built roads and provided electricity—we’re no longer afraid of rainy days.”
Since 2015, the State Grid Anyang Power Supply Company has been assisting Beimaguo Village, sending five consecutive first secretaries to live and work in the village. Over more than a decade, the company has invested over 800,000 yuan to build tunnels, upgrade power grids, and develop local industries, CEN reported on Tuesday.
In the village’s “Electricity Charity Store,” villagers exchange points earned through public welfare activities for daily necessities. “When we organize villagers to clean drainage ditches during rainy days, it solves practical problems and earns them points,” said the current first secretary, Dong Jianhong. “It encourages more villagers to participate in rural governance.”
Rain-Soaked “Sunshine Bank”
A millennium-old soapberry tree in Miaohuang Village appears even more verdant under the autumn rain. Seventy-four-year-old Liu Mingsheng stands under the eaves of his family-run “Red Homestay,” gazing at the photovoltaic panels barely visible through the rain: “These ‘blue boards’ are our village’s ‘Sunshine Bank,’ saving money for us even on rainy days.” Last year, his homestay earned 50,000 yuan—a far cry from nine years ago when villagers depended on wells for water and had to climb to get around.
Village officials explained that the 120-kilowatt photovoltaic power station continues generating electricity even on cloudy or rainy days, yielding over 100,000 yuan annually. The revenue is used to build tourism facilities, supporting 13 homestays, with collective village income exceeding 640,000 yuan last year.
The State Grid Anyang Power Supply Company implements a “photovoltaics wherever installed, power grid support wherever needed” model, having invested 800,000 yuan to solve photovoltaic grid-connection issues in 42 impoverished villages, installing distributed PV systems for 970 households, generating 800,000 kWh annually, and returning a cumulative 6.3 million yuan in electricity fees.
Golden Bridges in the Clouds
The rainy autumn did not slow the flow of agricultural products from mountains to cities. In the online livestream of the 2025 Anyang Party-Led and Union-Supported Farmers’ Produce Fair, Secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) branch of Beimaguo Village Dong Jianhong enthusiastically introduced: “Today we bring Beimaguo sweet potato starch, dryland millet, Taihang royal chrysanthemums…” Meanwhile, Chen Junfeng, Secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) branch of Changsha Village, Dongyao Town, was busy: “Our Sichuan pepper is aromatic, the new millet crisps are crispy and delicious, and the sesame oil is fragrant.”
The cloud-based fair proved effective: Dong Jianhong facilitated five procurement intention agreements totaling 140,000 yuan; Chen Junfeng helped two companies sign agreements to purchase local products from Changsha Village, totaling 95,000 yuan.
The Organization Department of the CPC Anyang Municipal Committee praised the first secretaries for fully demonstrating the exemplary role of party members, using online livestreaming to promote agricultural products and effectively raising the visibility and influence of Anyang’s produce.
To open consumer channels, the State Grid Anyang Power Supply Company’s stationed Village First Secretaries actively participate in exhibitions, combining online and offline approaches to bring local specialties to the market, with practical work lighting the way to rural revitalization.
The Joy of Harvest
In Beimaguo Village’s sweet potato processing factory, machines roar as workers process this year’s harvest. Through washing, crushing, filtering, settling, and drying, fresh sweet potatoes become crystal-clear starch sheets.
“This year’s rainfall was ample, and the sweet potato harvest is excellent,” said an elderly villager, packing products. “After building the processing factory, I can work near home and sell my sweet potatoes at good prices.” With the State Grid Anyang Power Supply Company’s support, Beimaguo has established a complete sweet potato industry chain, adding a fully automated chip production line and millet-sorting equipment last year.
The same joy of harvest fills Changsha Village. Chen Junfeng, Secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) branch of Changsha Village, said that the millet processing machines and pepper dryers in the village allow products to sell at 30% higher prices, increasing per capita income by 1,000 yuan annually. “Our goal is not just ‘blood transfusion,’ but to help the village build a self-sustaining mechanism.”
A Spirit That Never Runs Dry
Autumn rain nourishes the land, and the waters of the Red Flag Canal flow endlessly. From Miaohuang Village’s photovoltaic station to Beimaguo’s processing factory, from Changsha’s drying machines to Huanghua Town’s “coal-to-electricity” conversion, the State Grid Anyang Power Supply Company’s assistance always resonates with local development needs. The company serves both as the “guardian of light” ensuring power supply and as a “wealth adviser” promoting industrial upgrading.
Standing by the Red Flag Canal, the silver threads of power lines converse across time with the rushing canal waters. Sixty years ago, hundreds of thousands carved an “artificial heavenly river”; six decades later, power workers light the path to prosperity. From the “Water Great Wall” to the “River of Light,” the mission has changed, but the spirit endures. The Red Flag Canal spirit in the new era thrives on this land, illuminating the new journey of rural revitalization.