Photovoltaic panels are installed on rooftops, generating extra incomes for families living beneath the poverty line. [Photo by Zheng Liang/China.org.cn]

Brainstorm and act

Officals play a key role in poverty relief. Zuoquan is the site of integrated efforts by people from all walks of society. Lou Yangsheng, governor of Shanxi Province, is one of them. Last April, Lou went to Zuoquan to carry out an on-site inspection and do research. His aim was to get people's heads together in a concerted effort to formulate policies and measures. This was a solemn commitment to the people, the governor said.

Familiar with the problems of each family, village officials work on the forefront. As the "graying" population is a prominent problem in Lichang Village, the village's CPC committee set up a daycare center for the aged, with assistance from the county government. It provides three meals a day for people aged 65 and above. "About 40 people dine at the center each day," said Song Xianglin, head of the village's CPC committee. "If they have no one to look after them, they can stay at the center. We have all the necessary facilities."

"I have three meals at the center for free, and cooperative medical care," Song Xirong, aged 80, said. "We dine together, play poker, and enjoy one another's company. We don't need to bother our children."

Poverty eradication is an endeavor calling for efforts from society as a whole. The Chinese International Publishing Group (CIPG), for example, has played a special role in Zuoquan's alleviation program. Wang Bing, secretary of the CPC Committee of Zuoquan County, spoke highly of the solid support the CIPG has given since 2002 in the form of human resources, materials, and funds.

The rooftop photovoltaic panels on homes in Hanwang Town that the CIPG helped to install generate an extra income of RMB 7,000 for each impoverished family. And children in Lichang love reading the books which the CIPG donated to the small village library. The CIPG has also helped to build a soon-to-be-completed six-hectare vegetable greenhouse in Shixia Town.

"Since 2007, the CIPG has dispatched 27 staffers in 10 groups to work towards alleviating poverty in Zuoquan," said Wang Yang, vice mayor of Zuoquan County, who formerly worked at the CIPG. "Every year, my company formulates precise measures according to the practical situations of each family."

Key factors in the battle against poverty include the CPC's will to serve the people wholeheartedly, the mechanism of mobilizing resources at the national level, and the spirit of socialism whereby the rich help the poor in the aim for common prosperity.

The private sector also plays a key role in Zuoquan's poverty reduction. Xianmiao Chateau, on the banks of Zuoquan Lake, makes a point of employing people from impoverished households. It also teaches farmers viticulture. "We offer positions to nearby poverty-stricken people and provide free meals and accommodation," said Hao Zuoliang, head of the company. "A female worker can earn more than RMB 10,000 a year, and a male worker engaging in more physical, labor-intensive work could earn more than RMB 20,000." A total of 17 private companies like Xiaomiao Chateau have reached agreements with 17 villages on providing job opportunities and skills training and so contribute to the poverty relief endeavor.

Poverty eradication is an endeavor calling for efforts from society as a whole. The Chinese International Publishing Group (CIPG), for example, has played a special role in Zuoquan's alleviation program. Wang Bing, secretary of the CPC Committee of Zuoquan County, spoke highly of the solid support the CIPG has given since 2002 in the form of human resources, materials, and funds.

The rooftop photovoltaic panels on homes in Hanwang Town that the CIPG helped to install generate an extra income of RMB 7,000 for each impoverished family. And children in Lichang love reading the books which the CIPG donated to the small village library. The CIPG has also helped to build a soon-to-be-completed six-hectare vegetable greenhouse in Shixia Town.

"Since 2007, the CIPG has dispatched 27 staffers in 10 groups to work towards alleviating poverty in Zuoquan," said Wang Yang, vice mayor of Zuoquan County, who formerly worked at the CIPG. "Every year, my company formulates precise measures according to the practical situations of each family."

Key factors in the battle against poverty include the CPC's will to serve the people wholeheartedly, the mechanism of mobilizing resources at the national level, and the spirit of socialism whereby the rich help the poor in the aim for common prosperity.

The private sector also plays a key role in Zuoquan's poverty reduction. Xianmiao Chateau, on the banks of Zuoquan Lake, makes a point of employing people from impoverished households. It also teaches farmers viticulture. "We offer positions to nearby poverty-stricken people and provide free meals and accommodation," said Hao Zuoliang, head of the company. "A female worker can earn more than RMB 10,000 a year, and a male worker engaging in more physical, labor-intensive work could earn more than RMB 20,000." A total of 17 private companies like Xiaomiao Chateau have reached agreements with 17 villages on providing job opportunities and skills training and so contribute to the poverty relief endeavor.