On September 20, the "Traditional Village Electrical Safety Public Welfare Project" initiated by the International Copper Association and the Building Electrical Branch of the China Architecture Society and supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and other government departments held a completion ceremony in Yinjiang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, announcing the successful completion of the project's demonstration site in Yangpo, Qianxi Village.

 

 

In response to General Secretary Xi Jinping's strategy of building a beautiful China and beautiful countryside, as well as the initiative to protect traditional villages launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the "Traditional Village Electrical Safety Public Welfare Project" was launched in June 2017. This project aims to significantly improve the electrical safety level of my country's traditional villages, which are mainly wooden structures, through the transformation and upgrading of farmers' power distribution systems in traditional villages and through publicity and demonstration. This project will eliminate the hidden dangers of electrical fires and electric shock accidents to humans and animals, and safeguard the protection of my country's traditional villages and the construction of beautiful countryside.

 

 

Guizhou Province, with the second-highest number of traditional villages in China and a preponderance of wooden structures, presents significant electrical safety hazards, making it the project's first location. The project team spent a year conducting on-site electrical safety surveys and research in four traditional villages in Yinjiang County, Guizhou Province. After comprehensively considering the common characteristics, universal needs, and feasibility of these villages, they developed a recommended indoor electrical renovation plan. Ultimately, the plan was implemented as a demonstration in Qianxi Village, Yinjiang County, for over 40 households, including 37 impoverished households.

At the completion ceremony, the team reported on the project's initial motivations and key achievements.

 

Cai Fenghua, Communications Manager, International Copper Association

 

Yang Zhikai, Project Manager of the International Copper Association and Representative of the Electrical Engineers Cooperation Organization

 

Yin Bing, Staff Officer of the Yinjiang County Fire Brigade

 

Liu Wuyi, Chief Electrical Engineer of Guizhou Provincial Architectural Design Institute and Representative of the Building Electrical Branch of the Architectural Society of China

 

Wang Fangyuan, Secretary General of the Energy China Management Committee

 

Gan Zhengyang, Party Secretary of Qianxi Village

The companies sponsoring this charity project include Legrand, Sanxiong Aurora, Taiwan Golden Pen Enterprise, Siemens, and Guizhou Tianhong Cable. Tianhong Cable is the only wire safety product company in this event. Its newly launched special-grade home decoration wires have the advantages of long service life, low smoke and halogen-free, high flame retardancy, fire resistance, corrosion resistance, and high safety performance. It has been highly recognized by the Traditional Village Protection Association and is recommended for use in traditional village electrical renovation projects.

 

 

At the ceremony, Jin Xiaolong, Executive Vice President of Tianhong Cable, stated that since its founding, Tianhong has upheld the corporate culture of spreading light and love, contributing to public welfare, and striving to give back to society while developing the company. For this public welfare project on traditional village electrical renovations, Tianhong has also provided its best products. These products, designed and manufactured using cutting-edge industry technology, are designed to minimize the potential for electrical fires and electric shocks, safeguarding people's lives and property. This will support the preservation of my country's traditional villages and the development of beautiful villages, protecting traditional culture, and preserving a touch of nostalgia for those far away.

Rural fires remain high, accounting for over 70% of all fires, and the fire safety situation is severe. For a long time, frequent rural fires have severely impacted farmers' normal production and daily lives, causing significant loss of life and property. Half of these fires were caused by electricity and fire, with asphyxiation being the most common cause of death. Fires caused by electrical sources accounted for 34%, and three of the six major fires were caused by electrical sources. Rural wooden buildings have low fire resistance ratings, making fires spread quickly. Most rural buildings have a fire resistance rating of less than Level 4 and will ignite and collapse immediately upon contact with fire. For this electrical renovation project, Tianhong Cable dispatched Chief Engineer Wu Zuyou to oversee the on-site construction throughout the project, ensuring quality and progress.

 

 

Hong Chief Engineer Wu Zuyou directs workers to install wiring on site

 

Awarding a pennant to the sponsoring company

Representatives from the project team and Qianxi Village jointly held a plaque presentation ceremony for the "Traditional Village Electrical Safety Public Welfare Project Demonstration Site—Qianxi Village Yangpo." Considering that the majority of left-behind residents in traditional villages are elderly and children, the project team also developed a simple, easy-to-use electricity safety guidebook, which they presented to Qianxi Village representatives on site, hoping to help local villagers develop good habits for safe electricity use.

 

 

After the ceremony, the guests, led by the project organizers, visited the houses in Qianxi Village that had been safely renovated, including the former residence of Yan Yinliang, a great calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty (the writer of the plaque of the Summer Palace), as well as the homes of local left-behind children and elderly people.

 

 

 

The 95-year-old elderly woman who lives alone is still frightened when she talks about the fire caused by electrical wires. This renovation project has made her previously tangled wiring full of safety hazards neat and tidy, completely eliminating the risk of fire caused by electrical wires.

 

 

Before renovation

 

 

 

After the renovation

Villagers in Yangpo Village, Qianxi Village, described the changes before and after the electrical renovation to the work team.

The former residence of Yan Yinliang, a beneficiary of the traditional village electrical renovation, is a significant beneficiary. His descendants are extremely satisfied and supportive of this public welfare initiative! Yan Yinliang (a renowned calligrapher during the Guangxu reign, who penned the "Summer Palace" plaque, was highly appreciated by Empress Dowager Cixi, who made an exception and summoned him to meet him).

 

 

 

 

 

The "Traditional Village Electrical Safety Public Welfare Project" provides practical experience and a theoretical foundation for developing large-scale rural residential electrical safety standards in my country. Following the completion of the demonstration site renovations, the project team will leverage research and construction experience to demonstrate the effectiveness of the electrical safety renovation technology. They will also develop a recommended electrical safety renovation guide for rural households in traditional villages and provide it to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and other relevant departments. This guide aims to provide a reference for the government in developing and promoting rural residential electrification standards in the future, and to encourage and attract greater social participation in electrical safety efforts in traditional villages and beautiful rural areas.