"After 30 years of unremitting struggle by the people, Xiadang has become a place easily accessible by road with a brand new image, while local residents have a stronger sense of happiness and fulfillment, which vividly proves the old adage that weak birds take early flight, and constant dropping wears away a stone," Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in a message to residents of Xiadang Township in August 2019, after hearing they had shaken off poverty.

Located deep in a mountainous area, Xiadang is the most remote township in Shouning County, Ningde Prefecture, east China's Fujian Province.

When Xi started his tenure as the Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Ningde Prefectural Committee in 1988, Xiadang was a poverty-stricken area with few resources – no paved roads, no tap water, little money and no office buildings.

Xi has made three visits to Xiadang, each of which has had a far-reaching impact on the township, helping the residents break through the mountainous obstacles and thrive.