Ecological poverty-relief relocation scheme helps improve family's life in Ningxia (5)

TOP: Photo taken on June 15, 2013 shows the Loess Plateau in Zhang Junming's hometown Hongbaiyang Township in Pengyang County, Guyuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region; BOTTOM: Photo taken on June 22, 2015 shows a poverty-relief relocation site in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Zhang Junming, 55, once lived in Hongbaiyang Township, an economic backwater in southern Ningxia. When he was young, Zhang had been severely injured in an accident, and hence suffered from leg disabilities that prevented him from seeking job opportunities in the big cities. So he and his family had to scrape a living out of poor yields on the barren farmland. The quality of life was exacerbated by lack of drinking water and poor traffic condition. Such difficult scenario came to a turning point in 2013, when the Zhang family moved out of Hongbaiyang under a government-backed ecological poverty-relief relocation scheme. The relocation site they moved into has paved roads, sound infrastructure and a slew of support policies, which rekindled Zhang's hope for the future. Eight years since the relocation, huge changes have taken place in the life of the Zhang family. At present, Zhang's two sons work in the regional capital Yinchuan, whereas his daughter-in-law is employed in a textile factory nearby. Meanwhile, both Zhang and his wife earn from job posts with social sponsorship. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)