Located in Zekti Town, Xinyuan County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, an ethnic minority region in Xinjiang, Shougang Yili Steel has more than 1700 employees at the moment, over 40% of which are from ethnic minorities such as Uyghur, Kazak and Hui nationalities. Over recent years, under the strong leadership of Party Committee of Group Company and with guidance and help from superior departments including the Group Labor Union, Yili Steel Company has actively implemented national poverty alleviation development policies and guidelines by making every effort to overcome adverse factors including the influence of the epidemic and operational difficulties, and actively undertaking and fulfilling social responsibilities. In line with requirements and arrangements regarding poverty alleviation from all levels of party committees in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Yili Prefecture and Xinyuan County where it operates, it strives to properly carry out poverty alleviation and assistance of poverty-stricken employees, offer jobs for people of ethnic minorities from poverty-stricken areas in southern Xinjiang and provide "one-to-one" assistance to poverty-stricken villages in Xinjiang, with the goal of demonstrating the devotion and responsibility of a capital-based SOE by practical actions and spreading the Shougang power for poverty alleviation across the Tianshan Mountain. 

Sincere efforts in partner assistance 

Outside the workshop of Yili Steel Company, 25-year-old young Kazak worker Arnshal, a sampler at the quality inspection station, is busy with sample taking and delivery of raw smelting materials such as iron powder, coke and limestone. This honest and energetic young man was a villager in Kuokeying Village, Zekti Town. His parents both passed away due to illness several years ago, leaving behind tens of thousands of yuan of debt. Arnshal and his sister, who were still in school, had to sell the house and land in order to pay the debt. 

As they faced great difficulties in life, Yili Steel Company included Arnshal on the poverty alleviation priority list and provided timely support and assistance. With continued support from Yili Steel Company and Arnshal's own efforts, he has now extricated himself from poverty and seen great improvement in his family’s condition. Specifically, he has paid off the debts and built a new house, with living conditions continuously improving. 

The reporter paid a visit to Arnshal's house at No. 17 Alley, Yingbin Street, Kuokeying Village. A broom corn as tall as a man in the yard was swaying in the wind, and red potato flowers were in bloom. A pigeon was tweeting in the plum tree and there were two cows in the cow enclosure. When he entered the door, the reporter noticed the eye-catching "CPC Member Household" board at the gate of Arnshal's house. 

Helping poverty-stricken employees and households out of difficulty and into a beautiful new life in a sincere and responsible manner is just the epitome of  Yili Steel Company’s poverty alleviation efforts. For the purpose of helping employees from ethnic minorities in Xinjiang out of poverty and difficulty, Shougang people have paid great attention and made sincere efforts. Bahe Dali and Aman, both poverty-stricken employees of the Iron Making Business Division and Steel Making Operation Division of Yili Steel Company, found their kids diagnosed with leukemia. Party Committee and the Company’s labor union provided timely membership support and collected employee donations for the two families, and released an announcement on the company’s official Shuidichou account to solicit employee donations. In this way, it raised RMB110,000 in a week, bringing hope to the two families which became poverty stricken due to illness. 

Warm actions in job placement 

At the pancake oven outside the staff canteen of Yili Steel Company, 30-year-old Uyghur employee Nur Ahtmati Abulai rolled up his sleeves. He soaked the round pancake with thin patterns in milk and then evenly put white sesame on the pancake. After that, he gripped the edge of the oven with one hand, and held the pancake with the other hand, precisely and steadily putting the pancake on the high-temperature inside wall of the oven. While baking, small bumps raised on the pancake, and the aroma of flour mixed with milk and sesame were sent out from the oven. When the pancake turns golden yellow, if you take a bit when it's still hot, you'll find that it's crisp outside and soft inside, and even more delicious after chewing for a while. You can’t help but let out a sigh of amazement. This is the result of the meeting of fire and flour, a piece of Xinjiang specialty “food art”.

After the interview, the reporter found that Nur Ahtmati was from Pishan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, a deeply poverty-stricken county in China. He used to make a living by working part-time jobs with an unsteady salary. Since 2020, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Government has made an effort to consistently offer jobs for tens of thousands of workers from deeply poverty-stricken areas in four regions and prefectures including Kashgar, Hotan, Aksu Prefecture and Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture in southern Xinjiang, with the goal of solving livelihood and employment issues. Yili Steel Company has actively answered the call and implemented relevant policies. In spite of great operational pressures and severe fund shortages, it offered jobs for 136 rural workers from poverty-stricken areas in southern Xinjiang including Pishan County and Cele County in Hotan Prefecture at the end of March 2020. Specifically, 86 work and live at Yili Steel Company HQ in Zekti Town, Xinyuan County, Yili Prefecture, and the other 50 work at Kaihong Mining Company, an affiliate of the Yili Steel Company, in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture and Jingxian County, thereby providing a job for all transferred personnel. Nur Ahtmati was included into the worker arrangement plan for poverty-stricken rural areas in southern Xinjiang that was jointly implemented by government authorities and enterprises. He and his wife Winchem Anwail joined Yili Steel Company together: he works as pastry cook at the staff canteen while his wife works as a cleaner. Now the couple have stable jobs and income. 

These villagers from ethnic minorities in southern Xinjiang are encumbered by tough natural conditions in their hometowns, relatively low education levels and professional skills, and the fact that most of them lack communication ability in standard Chinese; in addition, among the 136 transferred workers, 122 were registered as poverty-stricken villagers. Due to the above factors, it's extremely difficult for them to take production jobs in an industrial enterprise. According to Ma Jinfang, General Manager of Yili Steel Company, the Company has held a few themed meetings in line with the principle of "proper acceptance, arrangement and application", with the goal of considering the specific employment and living arrangement issues of employees from southern Xinjiang and establishing a targeted overall work plan. 

Firstly, they have to pass the language test. The HR Department of Yili Steel Company has provided standard Chinese training as well as work safety and pre-work skill training for these employees from southern Xinjiang. Additionally, CPC members and cadres from branch Party committees has formed special groups to formulate training plans and provide one-to-one language and skill training so that employees from southern Xinjiang can reach work and operation standards sooner. Secondly, all production departments have overcome difficulties and transferred specially designated persons from strained production line operation positions to provide one-to-one onsite operation training for such employees. Currently, employees from southern Xinjiang have greatly improved their professional skills. Now 30 employees have been selected to practice and work at Yili Steel Company production factories and mines. Thirdly, in view of employees from southern Xinjiang’s practical circumstances, the Company puts them on security, logistics and landscaping positions in a reasonable manner. For employees with certain skills in making pancakes or other fields, like Nur Ahtmati, Yili Steel Company has built facilities such as ovens and car washing facilities, so that they can exert subjective initiative to facilitate steady employment and get rid of poverty. Now Nur Ahtmati can make baked pancakes and stuffed buns in the oven, which are very popular among the employees. They are often sold out soon after they are put at the window of the canteen. 

In addition, on the basis of improving living conditions and increasing employee welfare, with special investment by the Yili Steel Company Labor Union, the Living Service Center has taken the lead to organize the renovation of staff quarters and build couple’s apartments, making continuous efforts to improve living facilities. In addition, the Yili Steel Company Labor Union will buy sports supplies such as badminton equipment and basketballs and hold a variety of cultural and sports activities. Under the strong organization and guidance of the Yili Steel Company, the transferred workers now live a harmonious, stable and happy life, and are gradually becoming modern industrial workers. 

After working at the Yili Steel Company for more than seven months, Nur Ahtmati and his wife have greatly improved their standard Chinese. With a deep understanding of the benefits and changes resulting from the poverty alleviation policy of the CPC and national government, and the joint support initiatives of government authorities and enterprises, they have great passion for their work and have both become backbone workers.

Construction of platforms to facilitate development  

As night falls, a sparkling "Grand Bazaar" (meaning fair, farmer's market in Uygur language) with flying coloured flags is held 50m to the west of the gate of Yili Steel Company. This is the "Shougang Yili Steel Company Employee Poverty Alleviation and Entrepreneurship Base and Poverty Alleviation Joint Construction Village Poverty-Stricken Villagers Joint Entrepreneurship Center"—Fukang Grand Bazaar, which is jointly built by Yili Steel Company and the host village. 

With the fulfillment of social responsibility by Shougang Group and in-depth implementation of poverty alleviation work at all levels, Yili Steel Company has actively participated in the "100 companies to 100 villages" matched construction activity, made an effort to innovate new approaches to poverty alleviation work  and expanded special support channels. Kuokeying Village of Zekti Town, Xinyuan County and Hongtubai Village of Shorbulaq Town are the two poverty-stricken villages with which Yili Steel Company has established a partner assistance relationship. The staff canteen and small supermarkets affiliated with the Living Service Center of the Company preferentially purchase subsidiary agricultural products and animal husbandry products from the two villages, thereby satisfying the living demands of employees at the Yili Steel Company and expanding the sales channels of agricultural products of poverty-stricken villages. On the basis of making full use of the preferential policy of national and local governments in regards to revitalizing the market economy and encouraging individual entrepreneurship, and with the support from host governments of Xinyuan County and Zekti Town, Yili Steel Company has rebuilt the vacant land outside the factory in Kuokeying Village into free trade market with the goal of solving the income generation issue of poverty-stricken employees and the employment issue of villagers in neighboring areas. 

In the middle of June 2020, the "Fukang Grand Bazaar", organized by the Yili Steel Company Labor Union with certain capital, human and material resources input by the Company, was put into operation. Covering an area of 12000m2, it includes a food night market zone, clothes & small items zone, Bazaar zone, parking zone, among other areas, with a total of more than 100 booths. It's expected to create 170 income generation and employment positions. The market will hold "Bazaar Day" once a week on a fixed date, where people can sell goods in the booths; in summer, it will become a night market where employees at the Yili Steel Company from southern Xinjiang can work as security guards or waiters/waitresses to increase income in their spare time. 

Zhou Jianying, First Secretary of Kuokeying Village, Zekti Town, Xinyuan County, is a witness of the joint construction Grand Bazaar match-making project. He said, "After learning about the financial difficulty of the village in building walls and leveling the land, the Yili Steel Company provided great support by offering capital, human and material resources. The site of the Grand Bazaar was soon built". And many poverty-stricken households in Kuokeying Village directly called Zhou Jianying to "apply for a booth to generate income by selling snacks". In addition, the Labor Union has carried out a variety of support measures such as establishing operation projects, contacting replenishment sources, coordinating off hours, and providing operational support, enabling more than 30 employees of Yili Steel Company and their family members to open and run stores in the Grand Bazaar. 

On an afternoon in late autumn, the reporter paid a visit to poverty-stricken households in Kuokeying Village under the match-making support plan with Li Lin, CPC member and Vice Chairman of the Yili Steel Company Labor Union. Li Lin told the reporter that the master of the Kazak poverty-stricken family died years ago and his elder daughter Ganati can't walk on her own due to severe paraplegia. The Party Committee of Yili Steel Company would send condolence payments and supplies such as rice, flour and oil on a regular basis, in the hope of encouraging and guiding Ganati to start a business and escape poverty. 

In the yard, the sun shone on an apple tree and a black puppy ran back and forth happily. In the house, Ganati and her sister Walpia were checking the goods. There was hot milky tea, butter and fried rice and other food on the table. The sisters have bright eyes and an energetic look on their young and beautiful faces. Ganati told the reporter that in spite of the disability in her legs, she tries to make the best use of her advantages by selling goods on e-commerce platforms via live streaming at home. And now she has achieved some preliminary successful results. Soon afterwards, Ganati sat on the ethnically featured flower carpet. After setting up the phone and starting the TikTok app, she started to sell skincare and makeup products in Kazak in front of the camera. She looked very confident and natural. For her, independent entrepreneurship is not just a matter of business, but also a matter of giving meaning to life. 

Such heart-warming stories happen every day. At the Kule'airike, Zangguy, Pishan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, you can see the 80 mu jujube field of 36-year-old Uyghur villager Maititoheti Asimu. The Hotan Jun Jujube on the trees look big and red, and the mature gray jujube is tight and juicy. Maititoheti takes care of three kids and the jujube field while his wife Buash Awuti works as a cleaner at the Yili Steel Company under the labor transfer employment plan for four deeply poverty-stricken areas of four regions and prefectures of southern Xinjiang. The couple were making every effort to get rid of poverty. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, they found difficulty in selling jujubes collected from the field. The husband was worried at home and the wife looked upset at work. 

After the Party Committee of Yili Steel Company learned about this, it sent specially designated people to inquire at their home. Li Lin, Vice Chairman of the Labor Union and Guo Yanan, Labor Union Officer, walked across the sandy road to fulfill the task delegated by the Party Committee of the Company. They went into the jujube field to measure growth and evaluate yield, and tried to find measures and solutions for selling jujube products. Meanwhile, they carefully shot and edited videos of planning and harvesting the jujube, and carried out marketing a public welfare activity via WeChat Moments. Currently, it has received positive responses from a number of brother units and employees of the Shougang Group. During the interview, the reporter also met Buash's brother Tursun Tohetti. He can understand and fluently speak standard Chinese. He told the reporter that since his sister found a job at the Yili Steel Company, she has broadened her horizons and knowledge and received a steady income. With help and support for the jujube field from the enterprise assistance plan, his brother-in-law also felt very relieved, and became even more energetic and confident in pursuing a better life. 

As a matter of fact, in addition to support for the Buash family, the Yili Steel Company has been actively making match-making efforts, disseminating agricultural information and promoting and expanding sales for subsidiary agricultural products by poverty-stricken employee families in southern Xinjiang. Under the energetic support of the Shougang Group Labor Union and with the help of the "Shougang Partner" app, the "Yili Steel Company Online Poverty Alleviation Shopping Mall" currently under construction is an innovative model of "internet + targeted poverty alleviation". In this regard, according to leaders of the Shougang Group Labor Union, the purpose of building the "Online Poverty Alleviation Shopping Mall" is to help poverty-stricken employees and households increase income by promoting Xinjiang’s poverty alleviation products, enabling Shougang employees and urban residents to buy good products, making poverty alleviation products available for purchase at a good price and facilitating the formation of effective mechanism for connecting production and marketing. 

"Closely cuddling up together like pomegranate seeds" is a true description of the principle of the Shougang Yili Steel Company in providing assistance to poverty-stricken people and realizing the mutual facilitation and promotion between company development and poverty alleviation. Over recent years, Yili Steel Company has paid 460 visits to poverty-stricken employee families, coordinated and implemented 2 local assistance projects, made assistance investment of RMB1.5 million, and helped 122 people from 110 registered ethnic minority poverty-stricken households escape poverty, thereby raising confidence and pooling energy for ensuring the social stability, long-term peace and order and economic development in Xinjiang and satisfactorily fulfilling the social responsibility of Shougang through practical actions!