The Yinchuan Minning Agriculture project

China’s Yongning County serves as a demonstration for East China helping West China in poverty reduction. In 1996 the government started implementing its poverty reduction plan after Chinese President Xi Jinping (who was then Party Secretary in Fujian Province, southeastern China) visited the land and suggested that it has greater prospect for development.

A village camp was set up in 1997 and by 2000 it became a County due to massive development projects that were implemented to give it a modern look.

Minning Town is located in the south of Yinchuan city, northwest China's Ninxia Hui Autonomous Region, accommodating more than 44, 000 relocated villagers on a land area of 210 square kilometres. The per capita disposable income of villagers grew from 500 Yuan in the initial development period of the village in 1997 to 10, 732 in 2016, increasing by 21.5 times.

The village is the biggest relocation site in Yongning County, which started the construction in 2010 and began to relocate villagers from May 2012. The village is well equipped with facilities such as Service Hall and Cultural Centre. So far it has resettled 1987 households or 10, 515 villagers (35% of whom are Hui People) from 14 villages. A record keeping system for impoverished villagers has been established and information of 70 households or 335 persons has been filled.

It is now a tradition whereby the County holds it development conference annually where they discuss successes gained and how to further develop their environment. The county has developed several industries such as agriculture, photovoltage (PV), tourism, cattle rearing, clothing and textile, industrial park, and etc., which has helped raise the GDP.

It has adopted lots of development models such as tapping donations from provinces across China. This has helped the county become strong and develop its own measures to end poverty. Most of the people serve as shareholders in companies operating within the county, which helps to boost their income. They believe in shared-economy, shared-vision, and shared-opportunities that have contributed immensely to growth. They are currently working in line with the national poverty elimination strategy by 2020.

Quan Wang of the Hua Sheng Agricultural and Technology Company Limited told journalists that lots of development has taken place since the company started operation in the country, adding that PV power generation earn them 150, 000 yuan daily and agriculture earns them about 30 million yuan profit annually. ”We have realized the need to further develop these sectors so as to attract more investment opportunities,” he said.

His company is one of the major cultivators of unique flowers that are exported to Dubai and other countries.

Quan Wang takes journalists on a tour of the agriculture project

60-year-old Hai Gua Bao is one of the relocated from a mountainous Shong Qing Shi Village to Yuanlong Village. He entered his new house constructed by the government in 2012 with his family. He has developed more than five times as compared to their status in his previous village. “I am grateful to the government because our lives have changed, and we are very happy and well content. It was difficult to live in a mountainous village where kids have to walk miles away to school. Now we have a school closer to our house, quality drinking water, electricity supply and other good facilities for our daily living,” he explained.

Hai Gua Bao lives happily with his family

Hai was amongst over 35, 000 people that were relocated. He cannot wait for another opportunity after he was told by Local government that he should relocate to a new dwelling house.

President Xi visited the county last year, ten years past since he visited to propose a development path in a once empty land. He is happy to see major successes gained so far and encouraged families not to relent in developing themselves.

Abu Bakarr Kargbo is a Senior Staff Writer of Standard Times Newspaper in Sierra Leone and an Intern at People’s Daily Online.