Tolearnaboutlocalpovertysituation,GeneralSecretaryoftheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)XiJinpingmadeaninspectiontourofFupinginDecember2012.Hisvisitrevivedtheinterestofthepublicintheformerrevolutionarybase.
Inthefollowingfiveyears,thelocalgovernmentofFupinghasimplementedtargetedmeasurestoalleviateandeliminatepoverty,andintroducedinnovativepovertyalleviationmodelswhilepayingattentiontoenvironmentalprotection.Theireffortsborefruit.Thecounty鈥檚registeredimpoverishedpopulationdroppedfrom108,100inearly2014to26,600now.Thepovertyheadcountra-tiodecreasedfrom54.4percentto13.8percentoverthesameperiod.鈥淲ithconfidence,peoplecanturnyellowsoilintogold,鈥漵aidXi.Today,Xi鈥檚hopeforthiscountyisgraduallybecomingrealitywiththejointeffortsofthegovernmentandthepeople.
ANewLook
OnDecember30,2012,XiJinpingvisitedLuotuowan,asmallremotevillageinLongquanguanTowninFuping,bringingthehithertounknownvillagesuddenfame.
鈥淚nthepast,villagerstendedtorelyonpreferentialpoliciesandmaterialassistancefromthegovernment.ButgreatchangeshavetakenplacesinceXi鈥檚visit.Oneofthebiggestisthevillagers鈥檓indset.Theybegantotaketheinitiativetocreateabetterlifeontheirown.Bytheendof2017,ourvillagefinallybidfarewelltopoverty,鈥漵aidCaoJianping,deputychiefofLongquanguanTown.
Tohelpthepoor,effortsmustbemadetomotivatethepeople.InLuotuowan,residentsarebusyworkingwithoverwhelmingenergy.It鈥檚notraretoseethatevenpeopleagedabove70oreven80ingoodhealthstillplantflowersortrees.鈥淗ardworkwillleadtoabetterlife.Sincemywifeisinpoorhealth,Icouldn鈥檛leaveherbehindandseekmyfortuneinbigcities.Welivedbycultivatingthefarmland,whichbroughtusaverylimitedincomeofonlyRMB3,000ayear.Today,thepovertyreductionpolicyisbringingusnewopportunitiestogetrich,andIwanttoseizethemtoimproveourlives,鈥漵aidSunZhenze.The71-year-oldmannowraises200chickensand40pigs.Thankstothesubsidieshereceivedfromthegovernment,hebuiltatwo-storyhouse,whichwillbeusedtodeveloparuraltouristbusiness.鈥淲ecan鈥檛alwaysrelyonothers鈥檋elp.Inthelongrun,wehavetoknowhowtobuildonourownstrengths.Don鈥檛beafraidoftheage:workashardasyoucan.Itisalsoawayofexercising,鈥漵aidSunZhenze.
AttheLuotuowanretirementhome,seniorpeoplewhoarenolongerabletoworkresidehere.LiGuilan,90yearsold,whosechildrenareworkingoutsidethevillage,iscontentwithherlifeatthenursinghome,whereshemakesfriendswithotherseniorresidentsanddoesnothavetoworryaboutpreparingmealsanddoinglaundry.Inaddition,themedicalcareshepaysforcanbefullyreimbursed.ThechargeforlivingattheretirementhomeisonlyRMB1,500peryear.
Attentionhasalsobeenpaidtothosewhoarevulnerabletofallingbackintopoverty.AccordingtoGuRuili,PartysecretaryofLuotuowanVillage,toconsolidatetheresultsobtainedinpovertyalleviation,thelocalgovernmentisworkingondevelopingthefruitindustry,mushroomcultivation,andlivestockfarming.Byrelyingonitsnaturalresources,thelocalgovernmentisvigorouslydevelopingruraltourism,targetingbothpovertyalleviationandruralredevelopment,andboostingtheincomeoflocalvillagers.鈥淭hissteepterrainthatusedtohamperourdevelopmentmayultimatelybringusfortuneifweexploititspotentialinacorrectway,鈥漵aidGuRuili,confidentinthefuturedevelopmentofthevillage.
ZhuGuoli(right)andhisfriendsarefullofhopeforthefuturedevelopmentoftheirbusinessandthevillage.
MovingintoNewFlats
LoufangVillagehasrowsofnewlybuiltflatssurroundedbylushmountainsandcleanrivers.Theinhabitantsleadapeacefulandrelaxedlife.Thisvil-lageisinfactanadministrativevillagecomposedofninenaturalvillages.Itishometo662peopleof228households.Foralongtime,thepopulationwasscatteredhereandthereinthemountainousarea,whichposeddifficultiesfortransport,production,anddailylife.Insufficientinfrastructureandpublicservicesfurtherinhibiteditsdevelopment.Localvillagersdreamedoflivinginabeautifulhouseandabetterlife.
LiXihong,PartysecretaryofLoufangVillage,saidthatinMay2015,arelocationprojectwaslaunchedtomovethepoorintonewhomes.Tomeettherequirementofoffering25sq.m.oflivingspaceperinhabitant,nineresidentialbuildingshavebeenerectedfromthegroundup.Forfamilieswhoseoldhouseswereworthlessthanthenewdesignatedflats,thegovernmentmadeupthedifference,enablingeachhouseholdtomoveintoanewapartment.Currently,141households,whichrepresent446villagers,havebeenrelocated.Theconstructionofthesebuildingswasaccompaniedbytheestablishmentofinfrastructureandservices:heating,gas,watersupply,wastewatertreatment,publiclighting,aswellasschools,kindergartens,arecreationcenter,aretirementhome,andclinics.鈥淲etrytoensurethatvillagersenjoyastablelifeinthenewenvironment,soweareworkingoncreatingmorejobsbydevelopingfruitcultivationandlivestockbreedingindustries,鈥漞xplainedLiXihong.
鈥淭hisnewapartmentcanrivalthoseincities!Imovedintoanapartmentof106sq.m.Isettledinthisfullyfurnishedapartmentwithoutpayinganymoney,andIevengotagrantofRMB40,000forthesubstitutionofmyoldhouse,鈥漵aidZhuGuoli,satisfiedwithhisnewhome.鈥淚nthepast,myjobwastodeliverwaterinthecountytown.Iworkedtirelesslythroughouttheyearandseldomsawmyfamily.Now,ourvillagebenefitsfromdevelopmentopportunities.Icamebackhereandstartedmyownbusiness,鈥漵aidZhu,whoinvestedRMB300,000ormoretogetherwithhisfriendstoestablishapigfarm.Theyarenowconsideringapplyingforasubsidizedloantoexpandtheirproductionastheyarefullofhopeforthefuturedevelopmentoftheirbusinessandthevillage.
IndustrialDevelopment
RowsofgreenhousesforgrowingmushroomshavebeenestablishedinGujiataiVillage.Ascultivatingmushroomshasadvantagessuchasfastyieldsandgoodprofits,FupingCountyhasbuiltmushroomcultivationasacoreindustryinthefightagainstpoverty.Acomprehensiveindustrialdevelopmentplanhasbeenformulated,withJiaxinFarmingCo.,Ltd.takingthelead,twokeyindustrialparksinNanliyuanpuVillageandLongwangmiaoVillage,aswellastwosub-parksinLuotuowanandGujiataivillageshavebeenestablished.Followinga鈥渟ixinone鈥漨odel,whichmeanstomobilizethegovernment,banks,companies,agriculturalbases,farmers,andinsurancecompanies,themushroomgrowingindustryhasbeendevelopedvigorously.GujiataiVillagesawtheestablishmentoftheXiangtaiMushroomCooperative,whichbringstogetheratotalof48greenhouseswithacombinedareaofeighthectaresandemploysninepoorhouseholds.
MaXiuying,51,hascontractedtwogreenhousesasoneofthefirsttodoso.鈥淭heprofitsforoperatingthesetwogreenhousesareoverRMB20,000ayear.Idon鈥檛needtoworryaboutsalesasfactorieswouldsendpeopleheretopurchasethosemushrooms,thoughthepricesfluctuateunderthechangingmarketconditions,鈥漞xplainedMa.
Besidesmushroomgrowing,thedevelopmentofahandicraftsindustryisalsopromotedinthevillage.Asuitcaseandhandbagmanufacturingfactoryhasbeensetup,employinglocalwomen.LiYanhongisoneofthem.LiusedtoworkinBeijingfor12yearsandcouldnottakecareofherfamily.Now,sheearnsaboutRMB2,000permonthandcantakecareofherparentsandchildaswell.鈥淢ydaughterisstudyingatanelementaryschoolinLongquanguanTown,whereshegetsafreelunch.Ionlyneedtoprepareherbreakfastanddinner.ItisbettertoworkinmyhometownbecauseIcanachieveabalancebetweenfamilyandwork,鈥漵aidLi.
TurningaWastelandintoaGoldmine
InDadaoVillage,theoncebarrenmountainshavebeentransformedintoterracedfieldsfulloffruittreesbearingapplesandpears.Thelocalvillagersarebusytendingthosetrees.
FupingCountyboastsavastterritoryandrichnaturalresources,withgreatpotentialtotapinto.In2013,FupingwasdesignatedasapilotareaforpovertyalleviationandruraldevelopmentintheYanshanMountainandTaihangMountainregions.WithpolicysupportfromtheMinistryofNaturalResources,Fupingacceleratedpovertyreductionbydevelopingwastelands.
Itplans,inthreetofiveyears,withthejointeffortsofgovernmentsatvariouslevels,localhouseholds,andenterprises,todeveloparablelandwithaslopelessthan25degrees,whichmeansanincreaseofarablelandofabout13,000hectares,equalingthecurrentarablelandareainFuping.Bydevelopingagricultureinanefficientway,itisestimatedthatonethirdofthelocalpopulationcanshakeoffpovertyandembraceamoderatelyprosperouslife.Sofar,anareaofover8,667hectareswastelandisundertransformation,andthetransformationofanareaofabout5,867hectaresisstillunderplanning,whilethetransformationof1,865hectareshasbeencompleted.
Localvillagersowntheirlandas鈥渟tocks鈥漣ntheoperationanddevelopmentoftheland,whichmeanstheycangetdividends.Inaddition,iftheyrentthelandouttocompaniestheycanreceiverent,andiftheyworkontheirownlandforthecompanytheyalsogetpaid.GuXiuqiisanexample.Herentouthis0.32hectarelandtoHebeiQianyuanAgriculturalTechnologyCo.,Ltd.forRMB4,000peryear.Heworkedforthecompanytodrivethetractorandcultivatetheland,earninganadditionaldailysalaryofRMB100.Becausehiswifesufferedfromcerebralinfarctionandstayedinthehospitalfor18days,hehadtosuspendhisworktotakecareofher.鈥淭hemedicalcareexpensesofaboutRMB20,000hasbeenreimbursed.Idon鈥檛feelmuchpressure.AslongasIkeepworking,Iwillmakesomemoney,鈥漵aidGu.
Althoughfacinghugedifficultiesinthefightagainstpovertyintheremotemountainousareas,thepeopleofFupinghaveclearlyseentheirlivesimprovedasaresultoftheworktheyhavedone.Despitethesupportofnationalpolicies,theystillfacethedauntingtaskofliftingtheremaining12verypoorvillagesoutofpoverty.Thelocalgovernmentwillbetterutilizelocalstrengthsandworkhardertoperfectitstargetedmeasurestofightagainstpoverty,asthereisstillalongwaytogo.
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