Good government policies assist poverty alleviation

Shi Jinlan, 50, Shibadong villager

I returned to Shibadong in 2013 when I heard that a poverty alleviation team had come to my village with favorable policies. I sensed that it was an opportunity for my village to develop, and it ended up being the right choice for me to come back because everything is getting better for me.

In 2005, I left home and found a job in an auto parts factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. At that time, villagers couldn't make a living at home because there was too little arable land in this mountainous area.

In 2015, Shibadong acquired the management rights for about 66 hectares of land in another village, about one hour's drive, for villagers to plant kiwi fruit.

With the financial support from the government, villagers renovated their houses and roads and tourists were attracted by the fresh air and abundant natural endowments here. About 60 villagers became security guards, cleaners and guides at tourism sites.

My wife and I opened a farm stay which earned us about 100,000 yuan ($14,300) a year and I also took on a job as a tour guide, making about 3,000 yuan a month.

Now our village has 12 farm stays, and eight of the hosts came back from cities like me. My daughter, who just graduated from Hunan College of Information, now works as a tour guide here. She said she wanted to stay at home rather than in a big city. So do I. At home, I can take care of my family and see my hometown develop.

I was the head of the village in 2014, and then I quit and joined the Shibadong tourism company.

Thanks to the targeted policies made by the government in Shibadong, poverty alleviation team members sent by Huayuan county, who knew about the situation here, tackled our problems precisely.

Every month, the village committee rates every household based on work ethic, sense of public interest, family virtues and personal morality. Ratings will be hung on their doors and dividends from the collective industry will be handed out according to the rating.

I can tell from the smiles on villagers' faces that after making more money, they are living happier lives. Also, they have become less selfish and more concerned about the public good.

Shi Jinlan spoke with Li Hongyang.