President Xi Jinping has said that the better life that people yearn for is also what the government is striving to provide. Grassroots officials are the leaders who are closest to the people and can understand their sufferings better. They do the hard work at ground level to improve lives throughout the country. On Thursday, the State Council Information Office held a press conference in Beijing. This was to give five outstanding grassroots officials from different regions a chance to talk to reporters. CGTN's Natalie Pang has more.

To help increase people's income, the Anhui province village of Dawan has been using tourism, tea farms and better infrastructure to bring more smiles to people's faces. But guiding people to a better life was a tough challenge for Yu Jing at the very beginning, in early 2015. She said the key was to visit villagers and listen to their thoughts as much as possible.

YU JING, FIRST SECRETARY DAWAN VILLAGE, JINZHAI COUNTY, ANHUI PROVINCE "They didn't trust me at first, how could I get into their circle? The answer is to treat them just like your loved ones. The basis of my work is to build trust and sincere communication with them, and do my best to help them out."

Shi Badong village has been known as a "poor mountainous area". But conditions have improved thanks to several factors. There's China's poverty alleviation policy, and the hard work of grassroots officials. There are local efforts to set up cooperatives and tourism programs. A kiwi planting operation helps bring in revenue. But there's also the radical transformation of the people's ideology and motivation. Long Shuwu hasn't taken this for granted.

LONG SHUWU, PARTY BRANCH SECRETARY SHIBADONG VILLAGE, HUAYUAN COUNTY, HUNAN PROVINCE "Our village has been putting in place a system that gives villagers star-ratings for their efforts. We also organize lots of cultural activities. As a result, their determination to get rid of poverty is renewed, and they love to join in the village's development."

Ba Zhu village is in Yunnan province. The abundant forest resources are an advantage for local economic development. Wild plants and fungi like the matsutake and morchella have brought healthier incomes. And it gives a decidedly green tint to the area's economic future.

HE XUN, PARTY BRANCH SECRETARY BAZHU VILLAGE, DIQING TIBETAN AUTONOMOUS PREFECTURE, YUNNAN PROVINCE "Ecological protection is written into our village rules. One rule prohibits cutting trees and encourages each household to plant three trees each year. Now forest coverage accounts for 98.2 percent of the village's area. We truly turned the lucid waters and lush mountains into invaluable assets."

As the only grassroots cadre from an urban community, Li Qiulian said that their service work should undergo constant revision and innovative thinking.

LI QIULIAN, PARTY BRANCH SECRETARY HONGQI COMMUNITY, TONGCHUAN CITY, SHAAN'XI PROVINCE "Now our residents can use an app on their mobile phones to handle personal matters with our community directly at home. For example, if you are in Beijing, you can go to our red-flag community app to easily get things handled."

As President Xi Jinping said, the new era is the time for strivers. With nearly 20 years of experience in Dai village of Shandong province, Wang Chuanxi has a deep understanding of the word "striving".

WANG CHUANXI, PARTY BRANCH SECRETARY DAI VILLAGE, LANLING COUNTY, SHANDONG PROVINCE "To me, the process of striving is also a process of happiness. We go to work almost every day, and have an early meeting every morning at 6 o'clock. Although we're sometimes tired, we feel happy and joyful because of our striving."

Grassroots officials strive to create happiness for the people. And the smiling faces of the people in return may be the greatest happiness for them. CGTN, Beijing.