Environmental cleanup offers hope to farmers who struggle to grow crops

For more than 30 years, Lan Nianying, a Party official from the hinterlands of southeast China, has been battling unfavorable farming conditions.

As a deputy to the National People's Congress, she has been seeking a path at the annual session that could improve the lives of the 100 or so families in her village.

Lan, 57, the Party chief of Xinyue in Zixi county, Jiangxi province, is one of the country's lowest-level officials. On March 6, she met the top Party official, President Xi Jinping, and was thrilled to learn that plans to boost environmental protection will create opportunities for farmers in her village.