The formerly bleak coal mining village of Longjing along the Jinsha River is today overflowing with golden mangos.

A photo taken on August 22, 2020, shows villagers in Huaping county, Yunnan Province picking mangos. (Photos: Xinhua)

In 2019, 90 percent of the village's formerly poverty-stricken households were involved in mango farming. Mango trees covered 1,000 hectares of land, and generated an annual net income per capita of 16,000 yuan ($2,460). Longjing village was removed from the nation’s list of impoverished places.

Coal mining used to account for 70 percent of Huaping county's total industrial output.

Longjing village, on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is blessed with ample sunlight, heat and water, making it the largest mango production area in Yunnan.

In recent years, Huapin county has undergone a green transformation, becoming the Great Jinsha River Mango Corridor, with Longjing village at the core.

A photo taken on August 22, 2020, shows villagers in Huaping county, Yunnan Province sorting mangos.

"Our frost-free season spans 300 days, which provides our farms with an advantage," said Li Xiangyang, the village's Party chief.

According to Li, almost all the 236 households in the village grow mangos, and luckily, many of them got guidance and support from the local poverty alleviation task force and village officials.

Villager Chen Qingming was loaned 5,000 yuan in 2017, which helped him get into the business.

Each registered poverty-stricken household could apply to receive 5,000-7,000 yuan in aid, depending on the capacity of their farm, explained Liang Jie, head of the village's poverty alleviation task force.

The villagers started their business with financial aid, but they also need to know how to manage their crops. The village holds training sessions every year with farming skills and management courses.

Villagers have hardened their dirt roads to facilitate logistics. For example, a paved 10 kilometer road went into use in November, connecting all work units and households in the village.

Five million yuan was invested in a reservoir and irrigation facilities. And now the internet is available in half of Longjing village. "Our next step is e-commerce," Li said.

(Translated by Wang Chunxiao; Edited by Sun Tianren; Original story from People's Daily)