New homes assist relocated families

Five years ago, Wang Yelian and her husband had no room in their home for their son and his wife, so the newlyweds moved into a cramped rented room in the county seat of Yuexi, Anhui province.

Since then, the opportunity for a family reunion with her son and daughter-in-law has been hard to come by. But it finally became a reality during Spring Festival after Wang's family moved into a new two-story house, subsidized by the government.

On Feb 13, two days before Chinese New Year's Eve, Wang's son and grandson returned to spend the year's most important holiday.

Red lanterns hung on both sides of the doors, onto which couplets were pasted asking for happiness and good fortune.

On New Year's Eve, dozens of dishes were laid out, including traditionally cooked chicken, duck and fish, and Wang brimmed with pride for being able to offer a favorite food to her grandson.

"It was a joyous occasion. I didn't expect my son and his family would come back," Wang said. "I'm grateful to our local government for helping build a new house and make a family reunion possible."

Before the relocation, 51-year-old Wang lived with her husband and her youngest son, 12, in a rented house built with dirt and wood in Huangwei township. Their own house, about 10 kilometers away and even shabbier, collapsed after years of neglect.

Wang's family was one of thousands of poverty-hit families relocated by the local government from impoverished mountainside regions to more inviting ones in rural areas.

Relocation is a key agenda for poverty alleviation. President Xi Jinping said on a number of occasions that the relocation of poverty-stricken families must be conducted in full, with each project carefully carried out to resettle families and lift them from poverty.

In the past two years, the county government moved more than 6,700 people in 2,131 poor families in far-flung places into new homes－1,300 people more than the target set by the Anhui government, according to official figures.

In the new neighborhood Wang and her husband reside in now, there are another 24 relocated families. Each was granted one story for free with 25 square meters of construction land per person.

If a family wants a bigger house, they can build an extra story on their own.

In the mountainous county, it was difficult to find appropriate places to relocate impoverished families.

After months of surveys, the local government decided to move these families to township seats, industrial parks and suburban areas near the county seat, where a large number of houses can be built.

Wang's neighborhood is near a four-star scenic area, which brings opportunities for making an income to her and her neighbors.

Wang's neighbor Du Yuxia, 44, said she can work for the scenic area or on a construction site to earn far more than before.

"Previously it was pretty hard for us to find a job, even on a construction site, because it was hard to get around on the roads. Now we can easily get to where we work," Du said.