There is a small town at the foot of Helan Mountain in northwestern China – Minning town. It is known as a model of poverty alleviation cooperation between East and West. Fujian Province, on China’s southeast coast, is more than 2,000 km from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region where the town of Minning is located.
Ma Yaling, who lives in Minning town, built six fruit and vegetable greenhouses with the help of Lai Ruiyun, science and technology commissioner of Fujian province. Lai Ruiyun helped Ma Yaling learn the techniques of planting fruit trees and vegetables. With Lai Ruiyun’s help, Ma Yaling not only made more money, but also became a semi-agriculture expert.
Compared to the eastern regions, the economic development of China’s vast western region is backward. The implementation of East-West poverty alleviation cooperation and the development of reciprocal assistance are important ways for China to promote the economic development of the western region. In April 1997, Xi Jinping, deputy secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited mountainous areas in southern Ningxia. He laid the foundation for cooperation between Fujian and Ningxia. There are many more stories of “joining hands towards common prosperity” in China.
(Credits- China Media Group, Beijing)
