Newly built houses line in Songjiagou town in Kelan county, Shanxi province. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Songjiagou town, a resettlement site for poor people in Kelan county in North China's Shanxi province, has developed into a national demonstration village for rural tourism and poverty alleviation over the past three years, according to local officials. 

During the construction of centralized resettlement sites for relocated poor households, Kelan county has diligently followed up with its services.

It has helped with education, sanitation, healthcare, housing, water, transport, electricity and improved related support facilities.

Officials said this has given 265 people from 14 villages a convenient and comfortable life in Songjiagou town. 

As Kelan county's test area to improve its rural environment, Songjiagou town has established a rural tourism management system and developed rural tourism based on local conditions.

Officials said this has enabled villagers to get out of their financial difficulties, while operating rural tourism businesses. 

They said the development rural of tourism has provided a significant boost to the pockets of locals. The average annual income growth for poor households in the county has increased to 15,417 yuan ($2,200) in 2019 from 1,200 yuan in 2014.

Songjiagou town has also been leading the rural revitalization in Kelan county, said Zhang Guolian, Party chief of the town.

Over the past few years, the town has been committed to upgrading traditional industries to support the growth of income for poor households, boosting local industries and extending production and supply chains to increase farmers' incomes, as well as incubating emerging industries to help poor villagers increase their incomes rapidly.

As a result, Kelan county which was once almost blank in the industrial sector has currently had an economic and technological development zone, 25 companies engaged in new energy applications and new materials industries. Officials said that in the near future, an e-commerce logistics park in cooperation with major Chinese e-commerce platform JD will be built in the county.