On April 18, 2023, a team led by Kang Zhongqing, Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA), Tsinghua University, Zheng Zedong, deputy secretary of the party committee of EEA, and Han Liying from the Alumni Office of EEA, went to visit Mao Yugui, an alumnus admitted to EEA in 1952, in Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province.

In the morning, the team went to Zhibian Square in Dingbian County to visit the sculpture of heroes represented by “Mao Yugui”, who devoted themselves to the construction of frontier regions. Shi Xiaowei (Mao Yugui’s grandson) recounted the story of the senior fellows who worked for the frontier regions and the origin of the statue.

Later, the team went to Mao Yugui’s home, and when the senior fellow saw the team, he said: “I never thought that I have graduated from Tsinghua for so many years, but my alma mater would still come to see me.”

The senior fellow recalled his journey to support the development of the northwest region with the dream of contributing to the motherland, and later followed the organization’s arrangement to arrive in Dingbian County after many twists and turns, where he struggled for decades to pioneer the electric power industry in the small county town. The senior fellow repeatedly said that he had not made any significant contribution to the country, but had simply done his own duty diligently.

Mr. Kang Zhongqing paid tribute to the spirit of Mao Yugui’s dedication to grassroots work and silent contribution. After a detailed understanding of the man’s recent life and physical condition, he hoped that Mao Yugui can pay a visit to his alma mater if his health permits.

Kang Chongqing presented customized commemorative gifts and publications from EEA to his senior schoolmate, and explained the significance of each gift. General Manager and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee Pan Liangjun of Yulin Power Supply Company of State Grid, General Manager Ma Yanhao and Party Committee Secretary Xu Jianhong of Dingbian Power Supply Company of State Grid accompanied the team on this visit.

Mao Yugui, born in Nanjing Road, Shanghai in 1932, was admitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University in 1952. After graduation, he was assigned to work at the Beijing Technical Improvement Bureau of the Ministry of Electricity, and as a team leader, he undertook the major strategic project of “replacing copper wires with aluminum wires”. In 1958, with the dream of participating in the construction of the motherland, he went to support the northwest, and then following the organization’s arrangements, and after many twists and turns, he went to work in Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province. To solve the problem of electricity supply in Dingbian County, he worked for 56 years on the frontline of electricity in the border area, transforming this northwestern county from scheduled, limited, and specially approved electricity use to widespread use, from a 45-kilowatt diesel engine to four substations with a total installed capacity of 40,000 kilowatts, lighting up countless households and fundamentally changing the production and living conditions of the county. On April 13, 2022, when it was 10 days before the 90th birthday of the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University, the official account of Tsinghua University posted an article titled “Department of Electrical Engineering, you are so daring”, which received more than 100,000 views in one day. The grandpa mentioned in the article is from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University. He has been rooted in the northwest for decades and his touching message about pioneering the electric power industry in a small county town caught the attention of the department’s anniversary celebration preparation team. EEA quickly contacted the message leaver - the granddaughter of Mao Yugui, and invited Mao Yugui to share his life story and feelings about Tsinghua through a video. At the 90th anniversary celebration of the Department of Electrical Engineering on April 23, the department played a video recorded by Senior Mao Yugui, which deeply moved the audience present.