BEIJING-Friday 18 September 2020 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS
WIRE)-- China has vowed to eradicate absolute poverty in rural areas by
the end of 2020 despite the COVID-19 epidemic. While efforts are being
made to ensure "no single poor area or individual shall be left behind" –
as President Xi Jinping puts it – people that have recently shaken off
poverty are striving for a better life.
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Among
the 529 residents in a small village in central China's Hunan Province,
95 in 30 households used to live under the poverty line. The whole
village was lifted out of poverty through rural tourism in 2018, and the
average annual income of the residents reached 13,840 yuan (about 2,060
U.S. dollars) last year – way above the national poverty line of 2,300
yuan (about 340 U.S. dollars).
Shazhou Village, located in a
mountainous area in Rucheng County, Chenzhou City, was the first stop of
Xi's inspection tour in Hunan.
Xi, also general secretary of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited the village
on Wednesday and learned about poverty relief industries and progress in
consolidating poverty eradication at a modern agricultural tourism
demonstration base.
Targeted poverty alleviation
China has
adopted a targeted approach in its poverty alleviation campaign, which
means taking tailored relief measures to fit different local conditions.
The
story of Shazhou is a prime example of that approach. The village
boasts the beautiful scenery of the Luoxiao Mountains and the unique Yao
ethnic culture – nearly two thirds of the residents belong to the Yao
ethnic group. Tourism has played a significant role in Shazhou's battle
against poverty.
The village has promoted rural tourism and
high-quality fruit planting, and arranged training programs to help
villagers obtain such job skills as for restaurant cooks and rural
tourism industry employees. More than 350 local jobs have been created
through the efforts.
With all its residents lifted out of
poverty, Shazhou has also been known for such national-level honor as
the "village of beauty and leisure," "role model for ethnic unity and
progress," "key village for promoting rural tourism" and "traditional
Chinese village."
New starting point
Since the 18th CPC
National Congress in late 2012, China has achieved remarkable results in
poverty reduction. More than 93 million rural people shook off poverty
between 2013 and 2019.
But 5.51 million people needed to get rid
of poverty by the end of 2019. And such a formidable task was coincided
by accident with the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking at a
symposium on poverty alleviation in March, Xi described the goal of
ending absolute poverty by 2020 as a "solemn pledge" made by the CPC
Central Committee to the Chinese people, urging authorities at all
levels to deliver on that promise.
As China intensifies efforts
in the final stage of the tough battle, Xi tours around the country to
inspect economic and social development, with poverty alleviation high
on the agenda. Prior to the Hunan trip, he had taken inspection tours
this year of capital city Beijing and provinces of Yunnan, Hubei,
Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Jilin and Anhui, and Ningxia Hui Autonomous
Region.
In addition to increasing poor people's incomes, China is
also striving to improve the quality of poverty relief. Xi has
repeatedly called for efforts to ensure rural poor people do not have to
worry about food and clothing and have access to compulsory education,
basic medical services and safe housing.
Meanwhile, he is looking
into the future beyond the end of poverty. "Being lifted out of poverty
is not an end in itself but the starting point of a new life and a new
pursuit," he said on several occasions this year, calling for
consolidating achievements in poverty alleviation and advancing the
rural vitalization strategy.
Put forward at the 19th CPC National
Congress in 2017, the strategy aims to build rural areas with thriving
businesses, pleasant living environments, social etiquette and civility,
effective governance and prosperity.
Shazhou is among many previously poor villages in China that have embarked on the journey for a better future.
On
Wednesday, Xi also visited a revolution-themed exhibition hall, a
village service center, a clinic, a primary school and the homes of
villagers in Shazhou.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200917005399/en/
Contacts
Media:
Jiang Simin
jiang.simin@cgtn.com
+86 18826553286
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