Easing the hardships on Wuling Mountain

The quality of life in the Wuling Mountain region is on the rise thanks to the continuing efforts in poverty alleviation both from the central and local governments.

Located at the junction of Guizhou, Hubei and Hunan provinces and the metropolis of Chongqing, the mountainous area covers 71 counties. It also accommodates most of the ethnic groups found in China.

It is a major focus of government poverty relief projects. It receives central and provinciallevel government financial aid that aims to boost regional industrialization, urbanization and modern agriculture.

Accelerating economic development in rural areas and revamping poverty-stricken villages are the core goals — and also the most challenging tasks, said Li Jianming, a senior official in the poverty alleviation department at Hunan’s development and reform commission.

Since 2011, poverty relief initiatives have benefited 770 villages located at high altitudes that battle cold and severe living conditions.

More than 1,110 construction projects with a total investment of 240 million yuan ($39.3 million) were finished in three years.

Some of the biggest hardships — such as poor transport links, inadequate drinking water and dilapidated buildings — have been eased.

Visitors to Wuxi village in Huaihua city are impressed by rows of shiny new houses surrounded by green mountains.

Officials say it is like a window into the future of how clean and ordered China’s rural areas could become.

The houses are well decorated and equipped with tap water, natural gas, integrated kitchen cabinets and various household electrical appliances.

Each family received 20,000 yuan in housing subsidies from the government when they moved to their new dwellings, according to local officials.

“We used to live on the hillside and had bad living conditions. Now everything is getting better and better,” a villager said.

Transportation is key to economic growth, so the Huaihua city government has invested heavily in building roads in 12 rural counties.

Government data shows that by the end of September, some 782 kilometers of new roads had been built in the countryside at a cost of nearly 650 million yuan.

The city government also built three bridges, with construction on another four scheduled to begin later this month.