Peony in bloom: poverty alleviation efforts blossom in Heze city (3)

“Teach a man to fish”

Li Dandan, a villager of Caoxian County, shows her National Vocational Qualification Certificate of pastry making. Previously unemployed, Li now earns herself a living by making fried stuffed buns. (Gao Ke/People's Daily Online)

Located 53 kilometers from Caoxian County, Shanxian County in Shandong province is another archetype of rural revitalization that stress “blood production” in the fight against poverty. Shanxian County, which boasts resource endowment and the reputation of “hometown of longevity”, helps the poor cultivate new abilities and skills to throw off poverty.

27-year-old Li Dandan runs her own breakfast joint after attending training sessions on baking and bread-making just a few months previously. These classes were organized by the local poverty alleviation support team and a vocational school in Heze. Previously unemployed, Li now earns herself a living by making fried stuffed buns, with a monthly income of around $2400.

“Before I went to the training session, I knew nothing about running a breakfast joint. But now I know everything I need to run my own business, such as how much flour and the proportions [of ingredients]. Since I have learned these skills, I can make better stuffed buns,” Li said happily.

As part of the support program to help those living in poverty acquire professional skills, the training was free to local villagers. Li, together with some other 300 villagers, were the first batch of trainees of the training, which offered classes including cooking, pastry making and electric welding. After the training, 142 of them passed the exam and obtained National Vocational Qualification Certificates.

“If people provide you with flour, oil, etc., they are gone once you eat them all. But once you master the skill, you can run a breakfast joint throughout your whole life. You can make a living by this. This is what you depend on,” Li said.

The school, jointly built by the local government and Tsinghua University, will open in this October. The school will offer free classes to villagers from nearby regions, equipping them with useful skills needed to live a better life.

Due to the popularity of these courses, the local government is forging cooperation with Tsinghua University to build a school dedicated to running this type of courses. Expected to open in this October, the school will offer free classes to villagers from nearby regions, equipping them with useful skills needed to live a better life.

“Skill-based poverty alleviation is the best way to fight against poverty. It is permanent poverty alleviation which endows them with the ability to achieve prosperity and promote the development of industry. This is one aspect of industrial revitalization. As for industrial revitalization, qualified personnel is the most significant and most crucial part,” said Zheng Zhaopei, a member of the poverty alleviation support team in Shanxian County, also a professor at Shandong Normal University.

To better play to its strengths, Shanxian County, located near the national 4A-level scenic spot of Fulong Lake, took advantage of its natural resource and developed itself into a tourism site. Guesthouses were established to attract tourists, offering delicious local food.

“All these services need to be supported by professionals. Only by motivating our people and teaching them relevant skills can we truly rejuvenate our villages. As an old saying goes, ‘Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat forever’,” said Wang Zhong, team leader of the poverty alleviation support team in Shanxian County.