China's revolutionary heartland casts off poverty

Villagers Zhong Wanyin (R) and Li Aiping work at a fish farm in Changping village, Jinggangshan, Jiangxi province on December 18, 2016. Jinggangshan, home to the first rural revolutionary base established by the Communist Party of China in 1927, announced on Sunday that it has been officially taken off the list of impoverished areas. Aquaculture is among the city's most successful industries that the government has encouraged poor people to be part of. [Photo: Xinhua]

Jinggangshan, the heartland of the early revolutionary activities of the Communist Party of China (CPC) announced Sunday that it has been officially taken off the list of impoverished areas.

Jinggangshan, east China's Jiangxi Province, was home to the CPC's first rural revolutionary base established in 1927. Today, people who live under the poverty line account for 1.6 percent of the total population, lower than the national standard of 2 percent, according to the city government.

The local government attributed the success to the precision poverty relief campaign in full swing across the country. Precision means that money should be spent exactly where it is needed, and no more than is needed.

Jinggangshan's poor population stood at 16,934 in 2014. That figure has fallen to 1,417 today. The average net income of poor families has grown from 2,600 yuan (378 U.S. dollars) to over 4,500 yuan.

Villagers Zhong Wanyin stands in front of his new home which is under construction in Changping village in Jinggangshan, Jiangxi province on December 18, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua]

Jinggangshan helped people to start their own businesses or find jobs, while providing a safety net for those who were unable. In addition, it helped poor people move into quality homes and improved rural infrastructure in rural areas.

The government has encouraged the poor people to be part of the city's most successful industries, such as tea, bamboo and fruit plantations and processing, as well as aquaculture.

Zhong Wanyin has stopped worrying about money since he started work in his village fish farm and earns more than 20,000 yuan a year. He is also a shareholder in the farm with an investment of 5,000 yuan funded by the government, which has brought him a 20 percent annual dividend.