Zhang Wanping, who lives in a mountainous village, thinks that taking a bath at home is a great pleasure for city dwellers. But now such a situation is common in his village. He is familiar with the road and enjoys this happiness.
Jishishan County under the jurisdiction of Linxia Prefecture is the only multi-ethnic Autonomous County in Gansu Province, and it is also a national poverty-stricken county. Since 1998, the overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of China (hereinafter referred to as the overseas Chinese Affairs Office) began to provide designated assistance. After the implementation of the institutional reform in 2018, the central United Front Work Department continued to support and help the county to overcome poverty.
In 2019, Jishishan will be lifted out of poverty. Ma Shangwen, head of Jishishan County, believes that the assistance of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee and the donation of overseas Chinese are important driving forces for the development of Jishishan.
In 2017, with the help of the overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the first batch of 32 households in Diaoping village changed the traditional backward dry latrine into a water flushing clean environmental protection toilet, and installed an all-weather solar water heater. Zhang Wanping was one of the beneficiaries.
"The old house I used to live in was a shack, and it was about to collapse. Going to the toilet was solved in the back of the house or on the open space, and then a dry latrine was built. " Zhang Wanping recalled that thanks to the relocation, he moved into a new home, and what made him most happy was the new toilet with integrated bathroom.
In a poverty alleviation workshop in Jishishan, villagers check the umbrella surface. Photo by Luo Dongsheng
Zhang Wanping, who works as a migrant worker all the year round, regularly goes to the bathhouse of the county. However, his wife Gong dengxiong and his three daughters usually have no chance to go out and naturally can't take a bath for a year. Now, the above situation has become history.
"The waste from the septic tank of the toilet can be treated by a purification tank, which can be used to water the land, trees and flowers." Ma Junxiang, a villager of Diaoping village, said that the toilet has changed, and the living habits of the family have also changed, and more attention has been paid to hygiene. "The house is bright, the people are washed clean, and their mental outlook is better." Since moving into a new home, he said, habits have become more and more like city people.
In fact, the change of Diaoping village is the epitome of the assistance of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee. In Jishishan, such cases can be found everywhere.
Du Xiaomei, a 20-year-old villager in Gaoguan village, Hulin's hometown of Jishishan, is currently working in a local restaurant. Who would have thought that she would drop out of school with a smile all the time before she finished primary school to take care of three elders who were unable to take care of themselves.
From the age of 6 to 14, Du Xiaomei had only one meal of white rice. She was at her cousin's house.
With the help of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee and the implementation of targeted poverty alleviation and beautiful rural construction projects in Gansu, Gaoguan village has built a new convenient service center and small square.
"Adobe houses become brick houses, families drink clean tap water, and soil roads in the village become cement roads." Du Xiaomei, who had been tortured and exhausted by life, witnessed the changes in the countryside, looked at the family living on the subsistence allowances and decided what to do.
Du Xiaomei first opened a small shop in the village square, and then was forced to close down for various reasons. Finally, she chose to work as an interior worker in a restaurant less than 30 minutes away from her home.
"On the one hand, they can make money to support their families while learning how to operate." In Du Xiaomei's opinion, the countryside has taken on a new look and attracted many outsiders to visit. She plans to open a farmhouse one day.