A rural area in southwest China's Guizhou Province has undergone profound changes during the past year thanks to all-round assistance from Macao, which has also enjoyed fast development since its return to the motherland 20 years ago.

Since 2018, the special administrative region (SAR) and Congjiang, a poverty-stricken of Guizhou, have signed a total of 18 assistance agreements, covering education, industrial development and talent cultivation, among other areas.

The new campus of the Dadai Elementary School, which sits in a remote village inhabited by Miao ethnic group, is one of the key projects. With an investment of some 30 million yuan (about 4.3 million U.S. dollars) from the SAR government, it was put into use in August.

"I like studying here. The school is big and clean. I like playing basketball, painting, singing and dancing. All those are available here," 12-year-old girl Pan Naideng told CGTN.

"The old school was a lot smaller and there was only a two-story building, no football field, no tracks, and no ping pong facility," third-grader Pan Xianglie said.

In class, students now also enjoy modern teaching facilities, like advanced multimedia equipment, which allow them to keep up with their peers in the cities.

"The modern facilities have opened a big window to these kids, from which they can know a lot more about the outside world," said Wang Yu, principal of the school.

Support from Macao goes well beyond infrastructure in terms of education. Some local teachers have been sent to Macao for exchanges in a bid to improve their teaching capabilities. Student here now also have access to universities in Macao with preferential policies.

"There are also interactions with labor resources. Some residents of Congjiang have left the mountain areas and got employment opportunities in Macao. In general, the diverse support from Macao injects great vitality into the poverty alleviation work of our county," said Cui Le, Deputy Chief of the county.

Aside from the government, many Macao residents are also helping out in different ways, such as donating school supplies to children here.

Song Pek Kei is the head of a cultural association in Macao and also a member of the Legislative Assembly. Her association often participates in exchange activities. She said that Macao residents should be grateful for the support from the motherland during the past 20 years.

"I was still an elementary student on the day of the handover ceremony. I was very excited back then," Song recalled.

She said she has witnessed the fast development in Macao over the past two decades in multiple areas, including residents' income, education, elderly care and medical service, among other areas.

"In the future, besides doing our jobs well in Macao, we should also integrate ourselves into the nation's development. We are all Chinese, and we have the obligation to contribute our efforts. I think frequent exchanges are conducive to both of us, especially to the young generation in Macao," Song told CGTN.

Both Song and local officials say they hope both sides can explore more areas for further cooperation, like tourism and talent cultivation. They believe that only with love and mutual support, people in the mainland and Macao can develop better as a whole.