DOWN THE MOUNTAIN

In the early morning of July 4, 2019, Han Wei and his wife moved out from their house in Dahubu village, Fuping county, Baoding in Hebei province. They have been living there for 46 years and relocated to the county's Longquanguan town in a resettlement area designated under government poverty alleviation policy.

Dahubu village is located in the southwest of Longquanguan town, and borders Wutai county in Shanxi province. After driving down the No 382 provincial road, one still have to take a 10-kilometer mountain road to reach there.

As a typical mountain village. the total number of households is 64 comprised of 136 people, of which 50 households of 101 people are low income families.

"In Dahubu, it is difficult to get married, especially a young man," Han said.

In March 2017, the county government decided to build a poverty alleviation resettlement area in Longquanguan town and relocate all Dahubu villagers.

The resettlement area is next to the town's government, close to the No 382 provincial road with convenient transportation.

After more than two years of construction, Han's new house was completed. Han's son, grandson and members of the governmental work team came to help with the relocation.

The new house was well-decorated, and the household appliances were bought online by Han's children. Han did not have much to remove from the mountains, except for some bedding and clothes.

Han was excited after moving into the new house, and kept saying: "I am old, but now I get to live in a new building."

It is reported that up to now, Fuping county has relocated 17,714 households of 53,748 people in total, among which 17,620 households of 53,535 people relocated to the designated resettlement area, while 94 households of 225 people in other neighborhoods.