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Changsha Shopkeeper’s 13-Year Commitment Keeps Streets Lit and Neighbors Safe

Her nightly illumination acts as an improvised safety net for vulnerable pedestrians in Changsha’s old town

Overview

  • Sun Meihua has left her grocery store lights on every night since 2012 to help women feel secure walking home after dark
  • She extended her closing time to 2 a.m. and occasionally escorts frightened neighbors along the narrow streets
  • A free landline phone in her shop provides calls for elderly residents and children without mobile devices
  • Trust in her reliability runs deep, with some locals leaving their only house keys in her care
  • Her steadfast generosity has earned her the affectionate nickname “street light auntie” and widespread praise on social media