Natural resources help boost living standards

Changes

Liao can laugh as she recalls the past because things have changed.

Last year, her family moved into a 100-square-meter apartment in a new residential community. With three bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms and a kitchen, Liao's new home is no different to apartments in big cities, except the decor reflects local tastes with little in the way of interior design or fancy furnishings.

"For us, it's like a dream come true. The new home is warm, clean and convenient, and much better than the old one," she said.

The community was built by the local government to resettle rural residents whose houses were too old or shabby to be lived in.

The project, one of several introduced by the county to improve living standards, started in 2016.

Since then, 41 communities have been built to provide new homes for 17,714 households, including 10,313 classified as living in poverty. New schools and clinics have also been built to make life more convenient.

"Now it only takes about five minutes for my sons to walk to school," Liao said.

Suitable industries

Ma Shiping, a local official, said: "Giving people new homes is a direct way to improve living standards, but it's not a complete way to get them out of poverty. We must ensure they can stand on their own feet."

To create stable employment opportunities, the county has rolled out preferential policies to attract labor-intensive businesses.

Since 2013, 34 handicraft workshops, 70 livestock breeding bases, 76 edible fungus planting centers and 27 orchards have been established near the resettlement areas to ensure that at least one person in each family has a stable job near their home.

Liao is employed at a handbag workshop near her house, where she uses a sewing machine to stitch bags.

"I can share my family's financial burden with my husband," she said. She makes 2,000 yuan ($285) a month, while her husband can earn about 5,000 yuan a month at a different company.

In 2014, the family was officially designated as impoverished. A lack of skills was the cause of their hardship, according to a report produced by the county's poverty alleviation bureau. The document details the family's situation and notes the support and aid provided by various government bodies.

To help overcome the problems, the local government provided opportunities for Liao and her husband to learn skills, such as how to operate agricultural equipment and undertake skilled work at construction sites and factories. According to the report, Liao's family was taken off the list of poverty-stricken families in 2015.

"With the skills we learned, we won't fall back into poverty again," she said.

Every needy household in Fuping has its own file, complied by the local government, that details the causes of its poverty and the support provided. Specific aid plans are devised based on each family's situation.

Once a resident's income rises above the poverty line and his or her condition meets national assessment standards, the person is classified as "out of poverty". However, the support continues to ensure that no one slips back into poverty.