1st LD-Writethru: China's revolutionary heartland casts off poverty

Jinggangshan, the heartland of the early revolutionary activities of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in east China's Jiangxi Province, announced Sunday that it has been officially taken off the list of impoverished areas.

Jinggangshan was home to the CPC's first rural revolutionary base established in 1927. Today, people who live under the poverty line account for 1.6 percent of the total population, lower than the national standard of 2 percent, according to the city government.

The local government attributed the success to the precision poverty relief campaign in full swing across the country. Precision means that money should be spent exactly where it is needed, and no more than is needed.

Jinggangshan's poor population stood at 16,934 in 2014. That figure has fallen to 1,417 today. The average net income of poor families has grown from 2,600 yuan (378 U.S. dollars) to over 4,500 yuan.

Jinggangshan helped people to start their own businesses or find jobs, while providing a safety net for those who were unable. In addition, it helped poor people move into quality homes and improved rural infrastructure in rural areas.

The government has encouraged the poor people to be part of the city's most successful industries, such as tea, bamboo and fruit plantations and processing, as well as aquaculture.

Zhong Wanyin has stopped worrying about money since he started work in his village fish farm and earns more than 20,000 yuan a year. He is also a shareholder in the farm with an investment of 5,000 yuan funded by the government, which has brings him a 20 percent annual dividend.

E-commerce has helped produce from Jinggangshan's 18 townships reach buyers beyond the mountains, benefiting more than 2,400 people.

"Over 17,000 parcels, worth some 1.6 million yuan, have been sent since this e-commerce service center opened over a year ago," said Huang Xiaohua, head of the e-commerce service station center in Huang'ao Township.

Jinggangshan has also capitalized on its fame as the revolutionary heartland. For example, Bashang Village offers a one-day training program to experience the life of the Red Army and attracted more than 40,000 participants in 2016.

"My family hosted 850 people attending the program last year, and earned more than 10,000 yuan by providing room and board," said villager Xiao Fumin.

The Chinese government has decided to eradicate poverty by 2020, the target year for China to become a "moderately prosperous" society.

According to official figures, China still had 55.75 million people living under the poverty line at the end of 2015. The government said 10 million people were lifted out of poverty in 2016 and another 10 million will be this year. Endi