Photo: An aerial view of Lianzhang Village/ People's Daily

Poverty alleviation has been aided by developing rural industries in Lianzhang Village, Yingde of Qingyuan City, South China’s Guangdong Province. The development of the village has also reached a new level.

Lianzhang Village, with a population of 2,200, is a small village located in the mountainous area of north Guangdong. There is more mountainous land than arable land around the village with its per capita paddy fields of less than half an acre. The village is the only provincial poverty-stricken village in Lianjiangkou Town, Yingde of Qingyuan City.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Lianzhang Village in October 2018 during an inspection tour of Guangdong and discussed the strategy of eliminating poverty with local cadres and the masses. Bearing Xi’s words in mind, the villagers of Lianzhang Village have addressed poverty in practical ways.

In 2016, there were 25 villagers from 21 households out of poverty in Lianzhang Village. The numbers grew to 86 villagers from 26 households in 2017 and then dropped to 26 villagers from eight households in 2018. The per capita disposable income reached 15,556 yuan in 2018. So far, 55 poverty-stricken households in the village have been lifted out of poverty.

48-year-old Lu Yihe is a villager in Lianzhang Village. He has a family of five with his father more than 96 years old, an ill wife and three children studying at school. He is the only one in the family who works. They often had to borrow money from relatives.

Lianzhang Village started to fight poverty after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. Skills training, employment assistance and land demutualization have lifted Lu’s spirits.

Photo: Villagers take new year photo with tourists in Lianzhang Village cultural service center./People's Daily

In 2017, Lu got usage rights to three acres of vegetable land and 18 acres of forest. He gradually earned money and built a storied house with his own savings and subsidies from the government, bidding farewell to his old mud brick home where his family lived for more than 30 years.

“I discussed with a villager named Lu Yihe how we could help relieve his household's poverty,” said President Xi in his New Year's speech of 2019.

“I feel very warm, very excited and very happy. I’m more confident of a good life," said Lu after watching the New Year’s speech on TV.

In 2017 the per capita income of poverty-stricken households was 3,890 yuan in Lianzhang Village and the collective income of the village was 50,000 yuan. In 2018, the collective income exceeded 300,000 yuan.

Zhang Xuefan, a cadre living and working in Lianzhang Village, came here three years ago as the leader of the targeted poverty alleviation team and the village head. He and village cadres worked hard to develop a strategy to eliminate poverty and eventually decided on rural industrial development.

The village set up a 500,000 yuan industrial development fund to integrate fields and forests, cultivate 80 acres of farmland, 30 acres of greenhouse vegetables and Lingzhi mushroom ecological breeding gardens and introduce enterprises to provide guidance in seedling and technology.

“The rural revitalization depends on rural industrial development and the revitalization is strong if rural industries are prosperous,” Zhang said.

In 2017, the Party committee of Lianzhang Village and the village committee were reelected. The first thing facing Lu Feihong after he was elected as the village Party secretary and village head was to address the problems of pig and chicken pens, sewage and garbage.

He had party members go door to door to explain to villagers projects that needed to be completed. He then organized road upgrades, construction of drainage and sewerage systems and installing public toilets.

The cement road of Lianzhang Village was completed on China’s National Day in 2017 and the village got streetlights for the first time. Later, the cultural service center, plaza, sewage treatment pond and riverside greenways were built. Lianzhang Village was accepted as the “Beautiful Village and Clean Village” of Qingyuan City in 2017.

Now there are plans to connect Lianzhang Village with the nearby Tiexi Forest Farm, Baishuizhai Scenic Spot and Zhenyangfang Town as part of a tourism demonstration zone.

(Compiled by Zhang Jian)