NPC deputies reveal secrets to China’s achievements in poverty alleviation

Villagers work at a workshop of the clothing factory in Dongxing village. (File photo)

China has made remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation, lifting over 80 million people out of poverty in just 6 years. It is getting closer and closer to its target of poverty eradication in 2020. Rural deputies to the second session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) shared their stories of poverty alleviation, unfolding the “secrets” to the country’s progress in poverty reduction.

Story 1: E-commerce assists the village to drive up sales of yellow peaches

E-commerce is never an easy business in rural areas, as farmers lack experiences, techniques and marketing skills. It’s hard for them to attract consumers at the online market of fierce competition. However, the yellow peaches produced in Guangming village, Oujiang township, Guidong county of Hunan Province have made considerable profits through online channels. According to Guo Xiaoqin, a deputy from the village, the annual net income of dozens of households in the village has been lifted to 20,000 to 30,000 yuan after they joined a peach cooperative established by the village. Under the guidance of local government, Guangming village was joined by two major e-commerce enterprises of Guidong county, who were soliciting business outside of the region and collecting peaches from the villagers. Such mode helped the villagers locate market and promote sales. In addition, the village also established a service station to deliver information to the market, and the yellow peaches produced by the village were incorporated into the national sales network of featured agricultural products, which further expanded the distribution channel for the villagers. Guo believes that by rolling out more policies to attract young talents back to the countryside and optimizing the rural logistics pattern, the agricultural industry will embrace further development under the assistance of e-commerce.

Story 2: Mountainous village benefits from agri-tourism

NPC deputy Chen Chunfang is the Party chief of Chegutuo village, Nanying township, Lingshou county of Hebei Province. The village, located in remote mountainous areas of the Taihang Mountain, suffered poor economy due to inadequate transportation and barren land. Fortunately, after Chen and his fellow villagers started building roads and conducting agritourism in 2011, the village finally eradicated poverty three years later. Thanks to the strategy of coordinated development for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Hebei Province is seeing more opportunities in rural development. With improved transportation facilities, people in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region can travel to the countryside more freely. Now, tourism is bringing huge benefits to Chegutuo village, and the per capita annual income of the villagers has hit 7,000 yuan at the end of last year. In December 2018, the Taihang Mountain expressway opened to traffic, and it’s only half-an-hour drive from Chegutuo village to the nearest tollgate of the expressway. Chegutuo, together with other four neighboring villages, invested a total of 2.15 billion yuan to build an eco-tourism resort, bearing hope for common prosperity.

Story 3: Industry turns farmers into skilled workers

A clothing factory in Dongxing village, Liangzhongqiao township, Changtu county, Liaoning Province has created over 100 jobs for local and neighboring villagers. The factory was built at the end of last year, a long-conceived plan of Wu Yanliang, Party chief of Dongxing village, and a deputy to the 13th NPC. The factory has bright workshops, professional production lines, scientific management and transparent dispatching system. It now manufactures garments for multiple renowned clothing brands. The village invited experts to train the villagers, and everyone, even the physically disabled, is able to find a suitable job at the factory including tailor, machinery maintenance and logistics. “From farmers to skilled workers, the industry-led poverty alleviation has not only transformed the identity of the villagers, but also their spirits,” Wu said.

(People’s Daily)