New anti-poverty drive of Xi’an
By Wei Yaping
Original, GPIG, 10-17-2017
Through the efforts of a strong anti-poverty work group stationed in Lintong District, Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, local residents have been able to free themselves from poverty and can welcome a more prosperous lifestyle.
Thanks to the approach adopted by its twin Chan-Ba Ecological District (CBED), villages in Lintong now have new houses, solar power plants, irrigation systems, tap water, street lighting and Internet access, greatly improving local living standards.
It’s learned that earlier this year CBED enlarged its scope to partner with 15 villages in Lintong hosting 201 poor households. As of the end of 2012 the area has almost 590,000 rural poor, over 5 percent of whom still live below the poverty line on an annual per capital income of less than 2,500 yuan (U.S. $375).
Since partnering with the Lintong area, CBED has provided 32 village-based cadres, who teamed up with members from the sub-district and village offices to help the poor households.
Established in 2004, the CBED has been transformed from an unregulated dumping site into a green development zone, with a tremendous economic impact. It has a wealth of experience in the fight against poverty, and has now begun to share with its twin district.
Officials and village cadres from CBED have committed themselves to helping locals escape the crushing weight of poverty, which prevents huge numbers of people from meeting their life aspirations.
“Great things almost always start small”
Ren Lufu helps Liu Yumin try on a new shirt. [Photo/CBED]
A letter from Liu Yumin thanking the local government and officials for their anti-poverty work. [Photo/CBED]
Ren Lufu is a front-line anti-poverty cadre at Liupo Village in Lintong. Each month he makes a 22-kilometer trip to Qinling Residential Home for the elderly several times. Talking with a 76-year-old resident, Liu Yumin, is one of his top priorities.
“Liu wrote to me explaining his experience of poverty, and I wrote back explaining the government's poverty reduction strategies that could ease his plight,” says Ren.
He explains that Liu suffers from age-related hearing loss, which is why they communicated in writing.
Liu is one of the frail elderly who do not have families to support him. They are eligible for financial aid from the government with a guarantee of proper food, clothing, medical care, housing and funeral expenses, according to Ren.
“In return, I hope I can be an organ donor and help to save someone’s life,” wrote Liu.
As an old man Liu also experiences more serious vision problems that demand a high level of medical care and require him to wear reading glasses. Ren, along with other cadres, brought the elderly man to the town to buy them.
Liu said his vision was much clearer and better over glasses. “I can see at a distance clearer now.” He got excited when putting the newly acquired glasses on.
“Great things almost always start small,” adds Ren. “It is my honor to start at the bottom with small things as that is part of my anti-poverty effort.” China has now designed a series of targeted anti-poverty measures and provided relief for the low-income elderly to make sure that they will be looked after properly.
Finding the way forward
Huang Junjiao, 60, lived in poverty in a cave house in Lintong. Last year, he earned nothing because of a lack of access to arable land and other resources. Thanks to his sister’s support and the few sheep he raised, he managed a hand-to-mouth existence.
Huang’s cave-dwelling prevented him escaping from poverty, and this is what most concerned the anti-poverty cadres, said Yuan Jun, a cadre from the CBED.
Yuan provided a first-hand account of Huang’s problems to the local housing authority and promised to promote the authority’s plan to move people out of unfit housing.
All the houses that trap helpless and vulnerable people in unfit conditions are scheduled to be upgraded this year, said Yuan.
According to the agreement reached between the authority and Huang, he will be relocated to a new house with an area of 40 square meters in a few months, while his old house will be renovated for other purposes.
Yuan says that the welfare system for the needy created by the government is unique in its breadth. It includes measures such as the New Rural Cooperative Medical System to ease the financial burden and improve the health of rural areas, and Households Enjoying Five Guarantees that represents the State’s guarantees of food, clothing, medical care, a home, and funeral expenses.
In addition, Yuan has helped Huang to apply for the government subsidies that are designated for the elderly and the physically disabled, ranging from 60 to 80 yuan (U.S. $8.97 to U.S. $11.95) each month. These could help Huang shake off poverty and gradually increase his economic security later in life.
Lend them a hand and they can solve their problems
At 78, Jiao Shengde never thought his later years would turn out like this—being bathed in the power of anti-poverty.
Jiao, a rural resident from Lintong lost his way in life as his youngest son was killed in a sudden accident ten years ago, while the two older ones had gone to live with their wives’ families far away.
The death and the separation of his offspring came as a heavy blow to Jiao. He and his wife struggled to focus on anything else. Eventually the pair became trapped in poverty and remained there for a long time.
In 2015, China pledged more support policies to lift its poorest people above the poverty line by 2020. Renovating sub-standard housing in the Lintong area is a key part of those efforts. A large number of poor people from the district have benefited from the measure.
It was in 2015 that the couple said goodbye to their shanty house and moved to a 120-square-meter brick home. Not wanting to be a burden on the country, the couple decided to raise some chickens and produce some handicrafts to support themselves.
Since they were getting on in years, they have struggled to carry their feedstuff from a market that is so far away, says He Gangzhi, a cadre member from the CBED. Therefore, Mr. He regularly came to help them with their purchases. He also helped them to promote the sale of their chicken eggs and their bamboo baskets.
For Jiao, life is much more meaningful since he and his wife have escaped the poverty trap.
“One for all, and all for one”
Nie Liang makes notes about the poor household of Liu Yulan. [Photo/tuanjiewang.cn]
It is hard for Nie Liang to count how many times he has visited Tuqiao Village in Lintong since he took up his post as an anti-poverty cadre member from the CBED this June.
It must be dozens of times by now, which is much more often than he has visited his own parents, comments 75-year-old Liu Yulan, a poor woman living in Tuqiao.
Liu has serious physical disabilities and is incapable of working. What shocked Nie most was the family’s poor conditions, including Liu’s home—a dilapidated traditional stone house that leaked heavily during rainstorms.
Helping the family of three generations to renovate the house was one of Nie’s first priorities. Decent housing can be a path out of poverty and give people hope. Before the height of the rainy season in August, Nie worked together with local cadres to remodel the three-bedroom house.
“Liu had three sons,” explains Nie. “The oldest suffered a combination of physical disabilities; the second moved to live with his wife's family far away; while the youngest took ill and died. The two grandsons are too young to support the family.” Nie adds that his heart ached every time he visited the family.
Nie thought a new home would not of itself resolve the problems of a poverty-stricken family, unless they could develop an adequate source of income. He therefore taught the family how to plant walnuts and pepper, while helping them rent 1.5 mu (0.09 hectares) of land from the local government.
“These plantings are able to survive with little watering and tending,” says Nie. “Having been planted last autumn, they will provide a generous harvest in three years.”
In July, Nie spent 400 yuan (U.S. $60) to bring a team of village cadres to help the family harvest their first crop, which was at risk of rotting on the vine due to a lack of labor. To ease the family’s burden, Nie spent a total of 1,600 yuan (U.S. $240) of his own money purchasing three dairy goats.
“It is easy to raise goats,” he says. “The family can expect to see some kids next year. They will have come a good way by then and they can make money by selling goat’s milk as well as the kids. I will play the role of middleman to keep in touch with the suppliers.”
Liu is delighted that Nie was able to serve as a go-between to earn the opportunity for her grandson Zhu Junjun enlist in the army. Nie also persuaded Liu’s youngest grandson Zhu Xin—who might have dropped out of school because of the difficulty in paying school fees—to receive education, while also helping him apply for school grants.
Nie’s arrival has brought hope not only to Liu’s family, but also to the whole village.
Villagers living in the upland areas of Lintong have never had proper access to safe water. Locals were heavily dependent on the water reservoir there, but it failed as a result of damage to supply pipes.
In July, Nie initiated a clean water project. After seeking advice from water experts, he organized a group to dig several wells, and lay and connect supply pipes.
Nie anticipates that the water shortage can be resolved this September. He also believes that providing safer water to the rural poor is another most effective way to eliminate poverty.
“We all belong to one family,” replies Nie, when asked why he has dedicated himself to lifting poor farmers and their communities out of extreme poverty.
The flame of hope had almost died; Li has rekindled it
It was one day in June that Li Dong came to visit the poor household of Feng Zhifa in Tuqiao. Li, a cadre from the CBED, had volunteered to participate in the cross-district poverty reduction program, while Feng, 80, lived alone in a dilapidated house in the locality.
In search of better jobs and in the hope of escaping poverty, Feng’s own family have all moved out. It is impossible for them to shuttle back and forth between two distant places in order to take better care of their elderly relative.
People who live alone are more likely to be poor, says Li, and they become more likely to fall into poverty the longer they live alone.
Later in June, Li reported Feng’s situation to the local government, which confirmed several day later that it had validated and updated Feng’s information. The government also said it was set to renovate rows of dangerous houses in the community. It is very probable that Feng, together with some of his neighbors, will be relocated to a safer accommodation later this year, says Li.
When Li came to visit Feng, he would stay there for a whole day. He would help Feng buy food and clean up his room, and also have a heart-to-heart talk that has built a deeper connection in their relationship.
When Feng revealed his wish to travel to Xi’an Expo Park, Li sought the permission of his family and now plans to take Feng there this autumn.
This is another example of how poverty had robbed an elderly man of hope, but Li, a messenger of care, has brought it back into Feng’s life again.
Poverty is about no money and no affection
For Liu Xingyi, poverty is about not having enough money to meet his basic needs, including food, clothing and shelter.
Liu, a poor 72-year-old man living in Nanpo Village of Lintong, who used to be a shepherd and veterinary surgeon, has some experience of raising poultry and livestock. But a shortage of money made it hard for him to take up his old job again.
To help Liu escape from poverty, Wei Yi, a cadre assigned to a twinning anti-poverty program from the CBED, sent several milking goats to Liu’s home.
“It is an easy way to keep him busy and happy that gives him fresh hope,” says Wei, who recognized the need for a fresh activity to revive the vigor and power of the frail old man.
One afternoon in July, Wei, together with some colleagues, paid a visit to Liu’s home while Liu was busy cooking. They saw that he was using a faulty plug board and hotplate that might cause a deadly fire. After helping Liu cut off the electricity supply, Wei rushed out to buy a new set of equipment.
Wei also helped install a plug on a bodyboard that is bonded with pressure-sensitive tape to protect against any electric shock due to leakage or earthing faults.
It is the affection from the anti-poverty cadres that brings Liu a step nearer wealth.
Officials and village cadres from the CBED help locals in Lintong District with everyday activities. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
Dairy goats are delivered to poor households in Lintong. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
A householder leads three dairy goats into his home. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
Village cadres help locals to build a pen for livestock. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
138 left-behind children from Lintong receive their school uniforms courtesy of the CBED. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
An old man carefully writes down some information for a CBED official. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
CBED officials explain the central government’s poverty reduction strategies to Lintong’s rural poor, and help them apply for government subsidies. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
CBED officials bring animal feed to rural poor. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
Poor families are on the road to escape from poverty. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
The article was translated by Huang Dayi and its original unabridged version was published in Chinese.
By Wei Yaping
Original, GPIG, 10-17-2017
Through the efforts of a strong anti-poverty work group stationed in Lintong District, Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, local residents have been able to free themselves from poverty and can welcome a more prosperous lifestyle.
Thanks to the approach adopted by its twin Chan-Ba Ecological District (CBED), villages in Lintong now have new houses, solar power plants, irrigation systems, tap water, street lighting and Internet access, greatly improving local living standards.
It’s learned that earlier this year CBED enlarged its scope to partner with 15 villages in Lintong hosting 201 poor households. As of the end of 2012 the area has almost 590,000 rural poor, over 5 percent of whom still live below the poverty line on an annual per capital income of less than 2,500 yuan (U.S. $375).
Since partnering with the Lintong area, CBED has provided 32 village-based cadres, who teamed up with members from the sub-district and village offices to help the poor households.
Established in 2004, the CBED has been transformed from an unregulated dumping site into a green development zone, with a tremendous economic impact. It has a wealth of experience in the fight against poverty, and has now begun to share with its twin district.
Officials and village cadres from CBED have committed themselves to helping locals escape the crushing weight of poverty, which prevents huge numbers of people from meeting their life aspirations.
“Great things almost always start small”
Ren Lufu helps Liu Yumin try on a new shirt. [Photo/CBED]
A letter from Liu Yumin thanking the local government and officials for their anti-poverty work. [Photo/CBED]
Ren Lufu is a front-line anti-poverty cadre at Liupo Village in Lintong. Each month he makes a 22-kilometer trip to Qinling Residential Home for the elderly several times. Talking with a 76-year-old resident, Liu Yumin, is one of his top priorities.
“Liu wrote to me explaining his experience of poverty, and I wrote back explaining the government's poverty reduction strategies that could ease his plight,” says Ren.
He explains that Liu suffers from age-related hearing loss, which is why they communicated in writing.
Liu is one of the frail elderly who do not have families to support him. They are eligible for financial aid from the government with a guarantee of proper food, clothing, medical care, housing and funeral expenses, according to Ren.
“In return, I hope I can be an organ donor and help to save someone’s life,” wrote Liu.
As an old man Liu also experiences more serious vision problems that demand a high level of medical care and require him to wear reading glasses. Ren, along with other cadres, brought the elderly man to the town to buy them.
Liu said his vision was much clearer and better over glasses. “I can see at a distance clearer now.” He got excited when putting the newly acquired glasses on.
“Great things almost always start small,” adds Ren. “It is my honor to start at the bottom with small things as that is part of my anti-poverty effort.” China has now designed a series of targeted anti-poverty measures and provided relief for the low-income elderly to make sure that they will be looked after properly.
Finding the way forward
Huang Junjiao, 60, lived in poverty in a cave house in Lintong. Last year, he earned nothing because of a lack of access to arable land and other resources. Thanks to his sister’s support and the few sheep he raised, he managed a hand-to-mouth existence.
Huang’s cave-dwelling prevented him escaping from poverty, and this is what most concerned the anti-poverty cadres, said Yuan Jun, a cadre from the CBED.
Yuan provided a first-hand account of Huang’s problems to the local housing authority and promised to promote the authority’s plan to move people out of unfit housing.
All the houses that trap helpless and vulnerable people in unfit conditions are scheduled to be upgraded this year, said Yuan.
According to the agreement reached between the authority and Huang, he will be relocated to a new house with an area of 40 square meters in a few months, while his old house will be renovated for other purposes.
Yuan says that the welfare system for the needy created by the government is unique in its breadth. It includes measures such as the New Rural Cooperative Medical System to ease the financial burden and improve the health of rural areas, and Households Enjoying Five Guarantees that represents the State’s guarantees of food, clothing, medical care, a home, and funeral expenses.
In addition, Yuan has helped Huang to apply for the government subsidies that are designated for the elderly and the physically disabled, ranging from 60 to 80 yuan (U.S. $8.97 to U.S. $11.95) each month. These could help Huang shake off poverty and gradually increase his economic security later in life.
Lend them a hand and they can solve their problems
At 78, Jiao Shengde never thought his later years would turn out like this—being bathed in the power of anti-poverty.
Jiao, a rural resident from Lintong lost his way in life as his youngest son was killed in a sudden accident ten years ago, while the two older ones had gone to live with their wives’ families far away.
The death and the separation of his offspring came as a heavy blow to Jiao. He and his wife struggled to focus on anything else. Eventually the pair became trapped in poverty and remained there for a long time.
In 2015, China pledged more support policies to lift its poorest people above the poverty line by 2020. Renovating sub-standard housing in the Lintong area is a key part of those efforts. A large number of poor people from the district have benefited from the measure.
It was in 2015 that the couple said goodbye to their shanty house and moved to a 120-square-meter brick home. Not wanting to be a burden on the country, the couple decided to raise some chickens and produce some handicrafts to support themselves.
Since they were getting on in years, they have struggled to carry their feedstuff from a market that is so far away, says He Gangzhi, a cadre member from the CBED. Therefore, Mr. He regularly came to help them with their purchases. He also helped them to promote the sale of their chicken eggs and their bamboo baskets.
For Jiao, life is much more meaningful since he and his wife have escaped the poverty trap.
“One for all, and all for one”
Nie Liang makes notes about the poor household of Liu Yulan. [Photo/tuanjiewang.cn]
It is hard for Nie Liang to count how many times he has visited Tuqiao Village in Lintong since he took up his post as an anti-poverty cadre member from the CBED this June.
It must be dozens of times by now, which is much more often than he has visited his own parents, comments 75-year-old Liu Yulan, a poor woman living in Tuqiao.
Liu has serious physical disabilities and is incapable of working. What shocked Nie most was the family’s poor conditions, including Liu’s home—a dilapidated traditional stone house that leaked heavily during rainstorms.
Helping the family of three generations to renovate the house was one of Nie’s first priorities. Decent housing can be a path out of poverty and give people hope. Before the height of the rainy season in August, Nie worked together with local cadres to remodel the three-bedroom house.
“Liu had three sons,” explains Nie. “The oldest suffered a combination of physical disabilities; the second moved to live with his wife's family far away; while the youngest took ill and died. The two grandsons are too young to support the family.” Nie adds that his heart ached every time he visited the family.
Nie thought a new home would not of itself resolve the problems of a poverty-stricken family, unless they could develop an adequate source of income. He therefore taught the family how to plant walnuts and pepper, while helping them rent 1.5 mu (0.09 hectares) of land from the local government.
“These plantings are able to survive with little watering and tending,” says Nie. “Having been planted last autumn, they will provide a generous harvest in three years.”
In July, Nie spent 400 yuan (U.S. $60) to bring a team of village cadres to help the family harvest their first crop, which was at risk of rotting on the vine due to a lack of labor. To ease the family’s burden, Nie spent a total of 1,600 yuan (U.S. $240) of his own money purchasing three dairy goats.
“It is easy to raise goats,” he says. “The family can expect to see some kids next year. They will have come a good way by then and they can make money by selling goat’s milk as well as the kids. I will play the role of middleman to keep in touch with the suppliers.”
Liu is delighted that Nie was able to serve as a go-between to earn the opportunity for her grandson Zhu Junjun enlist in the army. Nie also persuaded Liu’s youngest grandson Zhu Xin—who might have dropped out of school because of the difficulty in paying school fees—to receive education, while also helping him apply for school grants.
Nie’s arrival has brought hope not only to Liu’s family, but also to the whole village.
Villagers living in the upland areas of Lintong have never had proper access to safe water. Locals were heavily dependent on the water reservoir there, but it failed as a result of damage to supply pipes.
In July, Nie initiated a clean water project. After seeking advice from water experts, he organized a group to dig several wells, and lay and connect supply pipes.
Nie anticipates that the water shortage can be resolved this September. He also believes that providing safer water to the rural poor is another most effective way to eliminate poverty.
“We all belong to one family,” replies Nie, when asked why he has dedicated himself to lifting poor farmers and their communities out of extreme poverty.
The flame of hope had almost died; Li has rekindled it
It was one day in June that Li Dong came to visit the poor household of Feng Zhifa in Tuqiao. Li, a cadre from the CBED, had volunteered to participate in the cross-district poverty reduction program, while Feng, 80, lived alone in a dilapidated house in the locality.
In search of better jobs and in the hope of escaping poverty, Feng’s own family have all moved out. It is impossible for them to shuttle back and forth between two distant places in order to take better care of their elderly relative.
People who live alone are more likely to be poor, says Li, and they become more likely to fall into poverty the longer they live alone.
Later in June, Li reported Feng’s situation to the local government, which confirmed several day later that it had validated and updated Feng’s information. The government also said it was set to renovate rows of dangerous houses in the community. It is very probable that Feng, together with some of his neighbors, will be relocated to a safer accommodation later this year, says Li.
When Li came to visit Feng, he would stay there for a whole day. He would help Feng buy food and clean up his room, and also have a heart-to-heart talk that has built a deeper connection in their relationship.
When Feng revealed his wish to travel to Xi’an Expo Park, Li sought the permission of his family and now plans to take Feng there this autumn.
This is another example of how poverty had robbed an elderly man of hope, but Li, a messenger of care, has brought it back into Feng’s life again.
Poverty is about no money and no affection
For Liu Xingyi, poverty is about not having enough money to meet his basic needs, including food, clothing and shelter.
Liu, a poor 72-year-old man living in Nanpo Village of Lintong, who used to be a shepherd and veterinary surgeon, has some experience of raising poultry and livestock. But a shortage of money made it hard for him to take up his old job again.
To help Liu escape from poverty, Wei Yi, a cadre assigned to a twinning anti-poverty program from the CBED, sent several milking goats to Liu’s home.
“It is an easy way to keep him busy and happy that gives him fresh hope,” says Wei, who recognized the need for a fresh activity to revive the vigor and power of the frail old man.
One afternoon in July, Wei, together with some colleagues, paid a visit to Liu’s home while Liu was busy cooking. They saw that he was using a faulty plug board and hotplate that might cause a deadly fire. After helping Liu cut off the electricity supply, Wei rushed out to buy a new set of equipment.
Wei also helped install a plug on a bodyboard that is bonded with pressure-sensitive tape to protect against any electric shock due to leakage or earthing faults.
It is the affection from the anti-poverty cadres that brings Liu a step nearer wealth.
Officials and village cadres from the CBED help locals in Lintong District with everyday activities. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
Dairy goats are delivered to poor households in Lintong. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
A householder leads three dairy goats into his home. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
Village cadres help locals to build a pen for livestock. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
138 left-behind children from Lintong receive their school uniforms courtesy of the CBED. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
An old man carefully writes down some information for a CBED official. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
CBED officials explain the central government’s poverty reduction strategies to Lintong’s rural poor, and help them apply for government subsidies. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
CBED officials bring animal feed to rural poor. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
Poor families are on the road to escape from poverty. [Photo/epaper.xiancn.com]
The article was translated by Huang Dayi and its original unabridged version was published in Chinese.
