Jiao Ping, the owner of Three Changes Restaurant

The Three Changes Restaurant in Niangniangshan Mountain, a once poverty-stricken community under Liupanshui Municipal Government, is now making a monthly profit of 20,000 yuan, approximately US$2,937.

The local restaurant, named after the ‘three poverty alleviation strategies’, initiated and implemented by Tao Shengxue, has been catering for tourists and employees of the Niangniangshan Plateau Wetland Eco-agriculture Tourism Development Co. Ltd.

In a recent media tour in Guizhou Province, funded by Liupanshui Municipal Government and organized by People’s Daily Online, Jiao Ping, the owner of the restaurant, said that he has been steadily making a monthly profit of 20,000 yuan.

He explained that he has employed some people in the village to work at the restaurant as well, thereby creating more jobs for the inhabitants.

He said many customers, who are mostly admirers of the “Three Changes” poverty alleviation strategies, which included turning land into assets for the benefit of all people, making villagers become shareholders in any company that is operating in their localities and capital equity for all residents in the poverty alleviation project, are attracted to the restaurant by its name, leaving other local restaurants for his.

The restaurant with the inscription above the building in Chinese characters meaning “three changes”

“As I speak, the ‘three changes’ poverty alleviation strategies, supported by the Communist Party of China (CPC), have transformed our lives. We are all enjoying what other Chinese citizens are enjoying in big cities. There is nobody in this village whose life has not been touched by this project. This was what motivated me to change the name of my restaurant from its previous name,” he said.

The former government driver-cum-trader said he decided to quit driving to return to his village and set up the local restaurant because of the tremendous transformation brought about by the ‘Three changes’ poverty alleviation strategies.

He noted that he’s now gaining more profit than he was during his driving days, adding that he is also happier than before.

Quizzed on what type of food he prepares for his customers, Jiao Ping said he prepares local dishes, showing a special type of potato called “hei yang yu” meaning “black potato” as one of the main favorites.

 “This is a special type of potato and it is only grown in this province. The people in this village really like it. Most of the households and local restaurants cannot complete a meal without including this one,” he revealed.

Jiao Ping said the manner in which the Chinese government through the Liupanshui Municipal Government, under the Communist Party of China (CPC), is intensifying poverty alleviation strategies is heading in the right direction.

He added that all of the people in the community were previously engulfed in poverty, but there had been a dramatic economic transformation to such an extent that he quit driving to be a local restaurant owner.

One of his employees, Li Yong, a woman in her mid-40s, expressed her appreciation to her employer and says she now earns a monthly wage of over 2,000 yuan, or US$293.

“I can now take care of my kids’ school expenses and even save some money. I am an extremely happy woman in this village,” she proudly said.

She noted that the “Three Changes” restaurant is always overcrowded with customers who work locally at the Niangniangshan Plateau Wetland Eco-agriculture, Tourism Development Co. Ltd.