Feature: National lawmaker's field trip to backcountry

China's annual parliamentary session, which will see nearly 3,000 national lawmakers convene in Beijing to discuss major polices, will kick off this weekend.

Prior to what is arguably one of China's most important political events, a Xinhua correspondent traveled with Li Songquan, a national lawmaker representing the Lahu ethnic group, to one of his constituencies, a remote, destitute village in the southwestern province of Yunnan to see firsthand "poorest corner."

Sitting on the border of China and Myanmar, Dabangkao is a Lahu village where the annual per capita income is less than 2,000 yuan (305 U.S. dollars).

Most villagers live in weather-battered cabins built of wood or bamboo. Scarcely-furnished, the shanty structures are no match for rain and wind, which find their way into the rooms through gaps between the thin boards.

"The wood cabins hardly keep people warm, but they are much better than those built of bamboo," Li said. "Bamboo cabins are often destroyed by pests."

Born and raised in Nuofu, one of Yunnan's poorest counties, Li is no stranger to the stark poverty in Dabangkao.

"Inadequate infrastructure is a poverty relief road block," he said. "Housing, water, roads -- all these issues must be addressed."

Poverty also has a negative impact on the village demographic. Li Baojie, a senior villager in Dabangkao, said many young women chose to marry outside of the community in hopes of securing a better life, leaving the village with a bunch of morose, hopeless bachelors.

Meanwhile, education is lacking, too. On average, a Lahu receives lightly more than three years of education, lawmaker Li said.

In Dabangkao, when the Xinhua correspondent asked a 20-something his age, the young man looked perplexed. After thinking over the question for some time, he responded in broken mandrin that he could't remember.

Poorly-educated, the villagers struggle to communicate with the outside world, which further aggravates their situation.

For instance, many people in Dabangkao rely on Pu'er tea plantation. Pu'er is a very popular variety of fermented, aged dark tea, and it can fetch a high price in China's cities.

Dabangkao residents, however, reap little financial return from the endeavor. Villager Zhanu, who has a 0.8-hectare plot of pu'er tea, said he sold the leaves for 11-12 yuan per kilogram last year, making a paltry 3,500 yuan for a whole year's hard work.

In contrast, despite a sharp price fall amid the gloomy market, premium pu'er cost end consumers 6,000 yuan per kilogram.

Lawmaker Li said the undereducated villagers are not capable of processing their tea, let alone branding their products. As a result, it is very hard for them to gain a foothold in the market.

In the hope of attracting investment, Li once invited a group of business people to Dabangkao. After traveling for more than two hours along the sinuous, bumpy mountain road to get to the village, however, they all declined to invest.

"The solution hinges on better connectivity," he said. "We should build more roads to help villagers go out and investors get in."

Li made a virtual reality documentary about one of the numerous field trips he has taken to Dabangkao after taking office as deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, in 2013.

For him, the documentary gives the poverty-relief motion more gravitas, and he intends to present to his colleagues during the NPC session in Beijing.

Although China has experienced almost four decades of breakneck economic growth, over 70 million people remain under the poverty line, including those in Dabangkao.

Poverty alleviation and, in a broader picture, improved public wellbeing will feature heavily throughout this year's national legislature session as the world's second largest economy strives to achieve its ambitious goal of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society.

Li is now on his way to Beijing. He hopes his motion will influence policies that will help the people in his constituencies live better lives. Endi