Small Streetlights Illuminate Big Livelihoods in Shuitai Town, Xinxing County, Yunfu, Guangdong

The night on Y283 Road in Shuitai Town, Xinxing County, Yunfu City, Guangdong Province, is no longer silent-at 3 a.m., livestock transporters drive out orderly under the glow of streetlights, the chirping of poultry in their trucks blending with the soft light to compose a symphony of rural revitalization. What was once a pitch-dark country road has become a well-lit path of safety. Behind this transformation lies the diligent work of Shuitai Town's People's Congress deputies, who addressed pressing public concerns through a full-cycle approach of "research-problem solving-safeguarding," turning a livelihood project into reality.

"Trucks on Y283 often skid while transporting goods at dawn," "Factory workers leaving the industrial park after late shifts rely only on dim motorcycle headlights," "Students walking home from night classes have to navigate dark alleys." Through night visits and public reception days, the town's deputies pinpointed these pain points. After multiple field surveys on safety risks-such as heavy pre-dawn transport at Liangtian Industrial Park and the nighttime commutes of workers and over 140 teachers and students from Shuitai Middle School-they submitted proposals to the town's People's Congress presidium. Three critical sections totaling 18.91 km (from Xutown to Buleng, Shuitai Middle School to the police station, and the rural Route 283 intersection to Bumao breeding community) were identified as lighting "dead zones" or weak spots, aligning the project tightly with community needs.

Facing funding shortages, the deputies became "project stewards": they collaborated with the town’s agriculture office and rural revitalization task force to secure higher-level financial support by incorporating the initiative into帮扶 village programs, while persuading villagers to donate roadside plots for lamp bases. Ultimately, the 2-million-yuan "Xinxing County Shuitai Town Solar Streetlight Project" was implemented, benefiting eight villages-including Ducun, Liangtian, and Buleng-and nearly 20,000 residents.

To ensure the lights "stay on and well-maintained," deputies formed a volunteer "light guardians" team, patrolling daily to inspect tilted poles, burnt bulbs, or even cracks in concrete bases-documenting issues with their phones. "We’re no technicians, but we’ll watch the construction team like hawks!" said one deputy during neighborhood rounds, earning applause from locals.

The project installed 426 conical lamp poles, 14 wall-mounted lights, and 440 solar streetlights. Each one not only brightens "prosperity roads" for industries, "safe routes" for workers, and "knowledge paths" for students, but also connects the "path of duty" trodden by the deputies. This "light-chasing campaign" vividly embodies their pledge: "Where the people call, we respond."

Next, Shuitai Town’s People’s Congress will further leverage deputies’ role as bridges, gathering public feedback to ensure rapid, tangible democratic governance.