A Party official in Zhangcailing village in Wenxi county reads out documents relating to the Fifth Plenary Session to his fellow villagers. [Photo by Wen Xuwang for China Daily]

New settlement

In Shilou township of Shilou county, local officials are making great efforts in poverty reduction.

A new settlement has been established in the township for people who have been relocated from unfavorable living environments.

"In this new settlement, water, electricity, gas and central heating are readily available," said Ren Fuzhao, a resident.

In addition, there are a number of facilities for healthcare and education.

"In the past, children had to walk about an hour to get to school. But today, the schools are just a stone's throw away for many," said Wen Haisheng, another resident.

Huo Yongjian, Party secretary of the township, said offering jobs to residents is the most effective method for poverty reduction.

"For this purpose, we have cooperated with businesses in Shilou county to establish operations near the settlement for poverty alleviation," Huo said."We have also arranged training classes for locals to master job skills."

Kangping village in Youyu county has another new settlement for poverty relief.

According to He Kun, Party secretary of Kangping, the settlement has offered homes to 219 residents across 97 households from 16 villages.

"The living conditions of the settlement are beyond the expectations of many," He said.

As the settlement is only 3 kilometers from the county seat, it has better access to many resources.

"We are the first rural community in Youyu county to have central heating and the first to have a sewage treatment plant," the official said.

As locals find it easier to get jobs in the county seat, their quality of life has improved substantially.

"Before the relocation, the per capita annual net income of villagers was less than 6,000 yuan ($929). Now the figure has risen to about 10,200 yuan in 2019, representing a 70 percent increase from 2018 when the relocation took place," He said.

"While consolidating our achievements in poverty alleviation, we will shift our efforts to realizing higher-quality rural growth through agricultural modernization and developing more industries with local characteristics.

"Our goal is to develop an all-around well-off society, to make sure that all of our residents can be financially stable and live happier lives," He said.