Daliangshan Poverty Relief: A Beautiful Journey of Melting Hearts

Author: Frank.fang | UF-Frank

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With the heart of a toolmaker, we observe the way of business. With the eyes of practice, we see the truth of the human heart. UF runs a tool business, but more than that, it is a vessel for realizing our vision of “mutual empowerment, co-creating beauty.” We hope more people can join in, so that everyone who interacts with UF can feel beauty and the power of uplift.

It Really Weighs on My Heart

When I saw those images, it truly weighed on my heart…

My classmate Chengzi is teaching as a volunteer in Daliangshan.

She often shares photos and messages in our group chat — dilapidated classrooms, humble homes, the yearning in the children’s eyes…

Every time I look at them, my heart clenches.

I thought to myself, there are still so many families around us struggling just to get by. So I reached out to Chengzi: “What can I do to help them?”

She acted quickly, visiting impoverished families and verifying their situations before telling me:

There was one household — a grandfather, a father, a mother, and five children. The father had no steady job and supported the entire family by farming. The mother had been ill and bedridden for a long time. All five children needed to go to school, and the family had zero savings.

No appliances, broken furniture — they didn’t even have the most basic daily necessities.

Chengzi made a list of essential items they needed, and I went through it, purchasing each item one by one.

Taking Action, with Unexpected Warmth in My Heart

Together with a colleague from the company, we carefully selected every single item:

• One washing machine
• One kitchen cabinet
• Ten stools
• Two beds (there were too many people and not nearly enough places to sleep)
• Two sets of sheets and blankets
• Several barrels of cooking oil and bags of rice
• Eight sets of clothes and eight pairs of shoes
• Ten bowls, ten basins, ten spoons

Chengzi specifically reminded us: “Bowls, basins, and spoons need to be shatterproof. Shoes need to be suitable for mountain paths. Stools and cabinets must be sturdy and durable.”

As we chose colors, styles, and sizes, we placed orders one by one. It was amazing — even deep in the Daliangshan mountains in China, we could place orders and get deliveries without any issues.

Some small items arrived in two days, while larger ones took three to five days. To make it easier for Chengzi to collect everything, we ordered the slower-shipping items first. The faster ones were sent to our office first, where we packed and labeled everything together before shipping via Deppon Express.

We also made sure to include a few extra UF-TOOLS work jackets — thinking to ourselves, they would surely look spirited and happy wearing them.

Beauty Delivered

When the goods finally arrived… About a week later, everything had made its way there.

Chengzi and the other volunteer teachers spent an entire day receiving packages, delivering them, and assembling furniture.

The beds were set up. The washing machine began spinning. The kitchen cabinet was in place. Clothes and shoes were sorted and distributed. Bowls, spoons, and basins were neatly arranged.

The family of eight gathered around these items, their eyes filled with surprise and gratitude. They put on our blue work jackets and held up a big handwritten sign saying “Thank You” for us to see through photos.

In that moment, I stared at the photo for a long time. The children’s smiles were so pure, their eyes so bright. I suddenly realized — this photo is the most beautiful one I have ever seen.

I sincerely hope these children can study hard, walk out of the mountains — or bring their whole family out of poverty.

And compared to Chengzi and the other teachers who have rooted themselves in Daliangshan, teaching day and night… My modest contribution of supplies is truly nothing.

I am also grateful to this family for giving us an opportunity to pass on kindness and practice warmth.

There is a line from a song: “If everyone gives a little love, this world will truly become a better place.”

And we will always be — messengers of beauty.

A Final Word

Some say the beauty of this world doesn’t come from one person doing a lot, but from everyone doing a little.

We may not be able to change everyone’s fate, but even just a smile, a winter coat, or a word of greeting might light a lamp of hope somewhere in a corner of the world.

Those volunteer teachers quietly persevering deep in the mountains — they are the light. Those who reach out and quietly give — they are the light too.

And each of us can choose to become a beam of light — even if faint, it can illuminate someone else’s path forward.

Perhaps your one share, one moment of attention, or one act of help within your means could give a child a little more courage to walk out of the mountains, and give a family a little more strength to carry on.

May you have love in your heart, light in your eyes, and action in your hands. May we all become the ones who deliver warmth into the hands of those who need it.

If you too are moved, feel free to share this article so more people can see the story of Daliangshan, and let more kindness travel further.

Because every tiny act of kindness deserves to be remembered; every warm gesture will blossom.