Good News to President Xi: Villagers Embrace Better Lives in SW China

President Xi Jinping visits Huamao Village in southwest China's Guizhou Province. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]

Journalists recently spoke to the household of a family that President Xi Jinping visited in the southwest province of Guizhou in June 2015.

Xi, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), went to Wang Zhiqiang's home in Huamao Village, Zunyi City, after visiting a local greenhouse, specialty service station and pottery workshop.

Wang, 55, still vividly remembers Xi's visit. Back then, curious villagers poured into his yard.

Wang showed Xi around his two-story house and his agricultural gardening business.

Wang said, "President Xi asked me when I built my house and how much it cost. He also asked me about the business."

Wang's residence is called the Red Home since soldiers from the Red Army stayed in the yard in 1935.

His farm homestay is so popular that many guests have to book rooms ahead online, said Wang.

He hires 12 clerks to help him as he has to prepare food for more than 20 tables every day and even over 50 on busy days.

Changes in the village

Xi said, "It's my third trip to Zunyi during which time I want to know more about ordinary people's lives, especially famers'. Our country's first centenary goal is to build an overall well-off society by 2020 that does not exclude improving famers' living standards.

"One major task of my inspection tour in the province is to learn how impoverished people shake off poverty. Your words and smiles tell me that you are having a good life, reflecting the regional progress of poverty relief and your support for the Party and the government.

"One important rule for the government's work is whether people support it or not. If policies made by the central Party are good or not, we will see people welcome it or not.

"If people smile when they talk about those polices, it means they are good; otherwise, we would pay more attention to improve and correct those not so good ones," he added.

Wang said, "We are happy to see changes in the village and we are having better lives now."

Cement roads have replaced the dirt lanes that connected households, and a kindergarten was built since the number of children in the region is growing.

More young people return to find jobs or start their own businesses.

Last year, some 680,000 tourists contributed a total of 32.6 million yuan (U.S.$ 5 million) to local revenues and villagers' per capita disposable income has reached 14,119 yuan (U.S.$ 2,172).

To date, there are 19 farmhouses which are managed by the newly-established tourism commission in the area to ensure formal operations.

Furthermore, the village also plans to build a loop of trails along which visitors can experience all of the scenery of the region.

Wang Zhiqiang (R) and his wife [China Women's News/Zhao Zezheng]

Huamao Village [China Women's News/Zhao Zezheng]

A screenshot of a special report in the newspaper China Women's News [Women Voice]

(Source: Women Voice/Translated and edited by Women of China)