We now continue our special series The Big Picture. Today we focus on the fight against poverty. In the past few decades, China has lifted over 200 million people out of poverty, a record never equalled anywhere else. In the global picture, the scorecard is mixed. More than a billion people still continue to suffer. The UN describes extreme poverty as living on less than 1 dollar a day. CGTN reporter Han Bin went into the heartland of poverty in China, only to find the fight against it remains a daunting challenge.

 

Sometimes, heaven seems so close. The Pamir Mountains stretch throughout China's western frontier in Xinjiang. Water comes from the melted snow. It's the source of life for villagers, animals, and plants. The highland plateau is home for China's Tajiks. Every day, the family of 71-year-old Nazimu Dila, get their water from the stream in front of their home. They are among the 700 herders of Reskamu village in Taxkorgan County. In Tajik, Reskamu means "Truly Short of Everything".

 

NAZIMU DILA, HERDSMAN RESKAMU VILLAGE, TASHKURGAN COUNTY, XINJIAMG "This is where we've lived since childhood. This place has a good environment, clean water, fresh air -- that's why I love it. We tend fruit trees without chemical fertilizer. " 

 

15-year-old Bahatijiang Bisuyike is Nazimu Dila's granddaughter. She goes to high school in Kashgar, over 300 kilometers away. Bahatijiang only returns home during holidays, because the road conditions in the mountains are so poor. Life in the village is very different from where she studies in the city. Here, the mountains are everything, no vegetables, no traffic, no hospitals, no shops, and no telecommunications.

 

BAHATIJIANG BISUYIKE, STUDENT RESKAMU VILLAGE, TASHKURGAN COUNTY, XINJIANG "During the wheat harvest, my parents will be extremely busy. But I can't always stay at home to help them. Because life here is too hard." 

 

Education is one way to get away from Reskamu. Bahatijiang doesn't want the life of her mother. Traditionally, women in the village must stay at home, taking care of the family and looking after livestock all their life. Reskamu is is among the poorest places in rural China. Though most families are already above the poverty line, there's little chance to go any higher, because resources are so few. Money alone can't solve the problems. The government's solution is to relocate all villagers to a new settlement by 2019.

 

This bridge is the key link between Nazimu Dila's family and the outside world. Today, he is taking Bahatijiang to the summer ranch to check on their sheep and cattle. They're taking some beans for the ewe, and something to eat on the way. The journey takes several hours. Today, herders have to travel farther to find forage. Unlike China's better-off regions, economic development in rural areas, like Reskamu, largely depends on the government.

 

China has targeted goals to reduce poverty through measures like rural tourism and eco-agriculture or e-commerce. But in the remote areas, where the environment is fragile, and in the ethnic minority regions, where people keep their traditional lifestyles, reaching the anti-poverty goals can seem like walking on ice.

 

Their animals are the herders' greatest assets. But their income fluctuates with price changes. And the government has issued regulations to restrict herding to protect the grasslands.

 

HAN BIN RESKAMU VILLAGE, TASHKURGAN COUNTY, XINJIANG "For generations,Tajiks have been living a semi-nomadic life here, mainly relying on raising livestock. Life is hard on the Pamir Plateau, where there are vast stretches of the Gobi Desert. Eliminating poverty is a challenge for all." 

 

The challenge has been met for the most part in China's cities. It's the countryside that's so difficult. The government aims to eliminate all poverty by 2020, including in Reskam.

 

BAHATIJIANG BISUYIKE, STUDENT RESKAMU VILLAGE, TASHKURGAN COUNTY, XINJIANG "They have their lives and I have mine. I can't raise livestock on the plateau all my life. I want to study and come back to make some changes." 

 

NAZIMU DILA, HERDSMAN RESKAMU VILLAGE, TASHKURGAN COUNTY, XINJIANG "The anti-poverty efforts by the government are really helpful, but I hope the development won't change the environment here.”

 

The centuries-old way of life is changing.

 

Nazimu Dila is not clear about what the future holds. But he believes the Pamirs will always be there.