Xi inspects poverty reduction in SW China's Guizhou

GUIYANG, June 18 -- President Xi Jinping told villagers in southwest province of Guizhou that "poverty is nothing to fear" during a tour of the province which ended on Thursday.

Xi made a stop in Huamao village that has been lifted out of poverty in recent years. He visited greenhouses, financial centers, bamboo and pottery workshops to learn how poverty reduction projects are running.

Xi then met Wang Zhiqiang, a farmer who runs a tourist homestay. At Wang's home, Xi chatted with other villagers, saying the Communist Party of China (CPC) central committee cares a lot about farmers, particularly those in poverty, and has enacted various policies to boost rural development.

Xi told villagers that "a good life is created with one's own hands" and nothing will stand in their way if they are confident and determined.

Xi also visited the venue of the 1935 Zunyi Conference where Mao Zedong established his authority within the military.

After watching a video clip of a battle where the Red Army, led by the CPC, crossed the Chishui River four times in the fight against Kuomintang forces, Xi exclaimed "Chairman Mao was a true master of the art of war, and the battle is a textbook case of mobile warfare."

Xi called the conference "a watershed even in the history of the CPC". The conference showed the path China should take, which was to adopt Marxism principles according to China's reality, and to be independent and self-reliant, he said.

In Zunyi, Xi also visited a Red Army graveyard.