Wang Xin used to be a nurse at the Hospital of Chengdu Medical College in southwest China. In 2017, he was sent as a "first secretary" to Deyu Village, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, one of China's poorest areas.

Since he was born in the same prefecture, he saw it as an opportunity to help his hometown. "I really wanted to come," he says. Despite being shocked by the existing poverty, Wang found ways to develop a collective economy. He started a brand and to build an inn that appeals to tourists and taught villagers to sell specialties through e-commerce. "I hope when I come back in the future, I can stay at the inn I started with the villagers," he says.

Note:

The "first secretary" is a term specific to China's poverty alleviation program. It refers to outstanding personnel selected from government organs, state-owned enterprises and institutions that are sent to poor villages. They generally have strong work values and are tasked with leading poor villagers in their fight against poverty. Their term of office is generally more than two years during which they don't exercise their original jobs, occupy positions in the village committee group, or participate in voting. More than 2.8 million village officials and first secretaries work on the poverty frontlines and help villages throughout the country.