When we mention the western area of China, what comes first to your mind? Is it the flowering Yunnan or the boundless desert with lonely rising smoke?

Since 2003, over 10,000 university students from Guangdong have participated in volunteer services supporting the primary-level construction of China's border areas or mountain areas in Southern Guangdong, thereby composing their unique stories for youth.

Meanwhile, the baton is being continually passed to the new generation who continue the journey westward, following in the footsteps of their predecessors and adding to their stories:

"This is a fascinating place."

"This year was the most unforgettable time and the best decision of my youth."

"I spent a year doing something I will never forget."

"In this place, you can do something for many people since many of them need you."

What prompted these statements? What gave them such life experiences?

Youth has no bounds, and finds glory in its struggle!

China's Far West Program is a significant and practical talent project that cultivates ideals, perseverance, and a spirit of volunteerism among the youth. Guangdong is one of its first participators in China.

2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Guangdong's participation in China's Far West Program. Over 10,000 student volunteers have been recruited and dispatched to 14 provinces and regions in the central and western areas such as Tibet and Xinjiang, and to the eastern, western and northern Guangdong for the primary-level practice in basic education, "San Nong" issues (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers), health care and other work.

On this occasion, the Yangcheng Evening News has planned a series of documentaries titled "Forever Young" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Guangdong's participation in China's Far West Program.

Episode One:

At the Tuoyun Pasture of the 3rd Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), Shao Shuqin, a girl from Lechang, transitioned from being a volunteer to getting married and having children in Xinjiang. She has firmly rooted herself in this remote snow-covered land. This year marks Shao's tenth year in Xinjiang, as well as her father's first visit to the land and first meeting with his five-and-a-half-year-old grandson, whom he has never seen before. What made her decide to stay in Xinjiang? What will the scene of her reunion with her father look like?

Episode Two:

By the Fuxian Lake in Chengjiang City, Yunnan Province, Wan Yawen, a former volunteer teacher at the Fourth Middle School of Chengjiang, learned that her younger alumni are still teaching in Chengjiang, and then decided to visit them. A vivid memory of youth unfolds slowly, and the baton of the volunteer spirit is handed to younger hands. "What kind of youth should I have?" "What kind of person should I become?" This story of youth exploration and growth continues.

On July 18th and 19th, the first and second episodes of the documentary series "Forever Young" will premiere for commemorating the 20th anniversary of Guangdong's participation in China's Far West Program. You're invited to step into a journal of Guangdong youth westward.

视频丨《青春无问西东》:广东大学生西行漫记

提到“西部”，你会想到什么？是彩云之南，还是大漠孤烟？

自2003年以来，广东有一万多名大学生，参加支援祖国边疆建设或服务南粤山区基层工作的志愿行动，留下一首属于自己的青春之歌。

而更多的接棒者，正沿着西行之路接续师兄师姐们的故事：

“这是一个很神奇的地方。”

“这一年，是我青春中最难忘也是最正确的一次选择。”

“用一年的时间，做一件一生难忘的事。”

“在这个地方，你可以为很多人做事情，很多人需要你。”

是什么让她们说出这样的话？是什么让她们有了这样的人生体验？

青春无问西东，奋斗自成芳华！

大学生志愿服务西部计划（西部计划）是一项重大人才工程，也是引导青年进一步坚定理想信念、锤炼意志品格、升华志愿情怀的实践育人工程。广东是最早参与的省份之一。

2023年是广东大学生志愿服务西部（山区）计划实施20周年，已累计招募派遣一万多名大学生志愿者，到西藏、新疆等14个中西部省区，和粤东粤西粤北12个地市的基层一线，投身基础教育、服务“三农”、医疗卫生等工作，成为助力西部和广东偏远地区经济社会发展的重要建设力量。

值此之际，羊城晚报策划推出广东大学生志愿服务西部（山区）计划实施20周年系列纪录片《青春无问西东》。

第一集：新疆生产建设兵团第三师托云牧场，乐昌姑娘邵书琴从一名志愿者到在新疆结婚、生子，她将自己的根紧紧扎在了这片遥远的雪域戈壁。今年是她在新疆的第十年，也是她的父亲第一次来到她工作、生活的土地，第一次见到已经5岁半却从未谋面的外孙。是什么让她决定留在新疆？她与父亲的久别重逢又会是怎样的场景？

第二集：云南省澄江市抚仙湖畔，曾经在澄江第四中学支教的志愿者万雅文得知自己的师妹们如今依然在澄江支教，决定回去看望她们，一段生动的青春记忆徐徐展开，一根有关志愿精神传承的接力棒交到了更年轻的一批志愿者手中。“我该拥有怎样的青春？”“我该成为怎样的人？”这场关于青春的体验与成长的探索的故事还在继续。

7月18日、19日，广东大学生志愿服务西部（山区）计划实施20周年系列纪录片《青春无问西东》第一、二集首播，邀你走进一段广东大学生的西行漫记。

片名 | 向欣
策划 | 林洁 庾月娥 郑华如 黄丽娜
影片摄制 | 羊城晚报策划制作中心
预告片剪辑 | 方浩 王子桐
海报摄影 | 林清石
海报设计 | 麦宇恒
撰稿 | 孙语晗
翻译丨陈萱
责编丨古司祺