The Big Picture: The way forward

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In 1998, President Xi Jinping, then deputy Party chief of Fujian Province, led a campaign to eradicate poverty in Ningde Prefecture, Fujian Province. Today, his goal is to meliorate China to be a well-off country by 2020. CGTN correspondents visited the village, to explore how farmers see President Xi Jinping.

In the 1980s, Xiadang village, one of the four extremely poor villages in Ningde Prefecture, had no roads, no running water, no electricity and no telecommunication. The average annual income of farmers was less than 200 yuan, equivalent to 30 US dollars. Life was tough.

Liu Minghua, Deputy Party Secretary of Xiadang village. /CGTN Photo

Liu Minghua, Deputy Party Secretary of Xiadang village, remembers that Xi Jinping came to the village three times from 1990 to 1998. Back then, there were no roads when he came. They had to use choppers to clear a way to the village.

File photo of Xi Jinping visiting Xiadang village in 1998 /CGTN Photo

“President Xi Jinping said the premise of getting rich was to build a road. A road could ease farmers' burden. He also said we should build a hydropower station because of our access to water resources,” said Liu Minghua.

Xi Jinping helped the village build a road and a power station. He said this was like raising a chicken to lay eggs. The power station was established, and the highway completed in 1991.

Farmer Wang Guangba , with physical disability, talks to CGTN reporters. /CGTN Photo

“I was very sick when Xi came to my home. He gave me 100 yuan. At that time, a whole day's salary used to be barely a few cents. This is what I'll never forget about him,” said Wang Guangba, a villager from Xiadang.

Liu Minghua said he thought Xi Jinping was practical and realistic in tackling poverty. He thinks Xi has shown a path to get rich, and a road of light for the future.

Xiadang village. /CGTN Photo

Xi Jinping’s vision has changed Xiadang village and is transforming China in the bigger picture. China has been taking the lead in the world’s poverty reduction efforts. Today, it aims at achieving the goal of lifting all its people out of poverty by 2020, and the country is getting close to meet the target.

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