Jinzhai county was once an important Red Army revolutionary base in eastern China's Anhui province. It used to be among the country's most impoverished counties, and Dawan village was one of the county's 71 poverty-stricken villages. Dawan has a population of 3,348, and 554 of them were registered as poor at the end of 2014.

After years of struggle, Dawan village has lifted itself out of poverty. The local government has taken a series of measures, including resettling villagers, expanding health benefits, developing the tea industry and rural tourism to tackle poverty and improve rural residents' livelihoods.