A journey from dire poverty to prosperity

HEFEI－Moderate prosperity, or xiaokang in Chinese, can be measured across multiple aspects, but for Ge Dali, who was formerly on China's poverty list, it means a healthy body, a new house and a wider paved road that helps him sell livestock at higher prices, farther away.

Born in the Dabie Mountains, one of China's poorest areas, Ge and his family lived in poverty for generations until seven years ago when he started raising goats and cattle.

"I wasn't able to farm because I suffered from slipped disks in my back. My wife left me about 18 years ago, which was a big blow to me," says Ge, 55, from Tiansi village, Qianshan city in Anhui province.

The humble man lived with his family in an adobe house for nearly four decades.

"Dark and wet inside, the house had few windows and its roof leaked whenever it rained. It was so cold in winter. We had to light candles when there was a power cut," Ge's daughter Ge Yali recalls, pointing to the wall, charred and stained by the candles.

In 2014, the family was registered as an impoverished household. To help them find their way out of penury, the local government carried out free vocational training courses and gave out subsidies to support the development of characteristic industries.

In that same year, the local government advised Ge Dali to learn how to raise goats since the village enjoys an abundance of grass on the mountain slopes. He built his family farm with a support fund of 3,000 yuan ($470) and technical guidance from the government.

As the government covers most medical bills for poor households, he underwent surgery on his back and gradually recovered. He made over 20,000 yuan in the first year, selling his goats at the market in his village, which boosted his morale and confidence in the new business.

On the back of his success with the goats, in 2018, Ge Dali introduced cattle to his farm in a bid to take his business to the next level. The local bank granted him an interest-free loan of 50,000 yuan to support his entrepreneurship.

He threw himself into the work, carefully tending to his animals. Whenever experts came to the village, he would ask them for advice on how to raise goats and cattle more professionally. Within a year, he became an expert and shared his breeding experience with fellow villagers.

On average, he now earns about 50,000 yuan a year selling his livestock, rice and tea, more than enough to lift his family out of poverty. "I have 11 head of cattle and over 70 goats on my farm this year. The number has doubled compared with 2014," he says.

On higher ground, next to his old shack, he spent 90,000 yuan building a new two-story house equipped with electric appliances. The old house, which has been converted into a shed for his animals, continues to bear testimony to his climb from penury to xiaokang.

A newly paved road was also built by the local government two years ago, linking his home to the outside world.

"It used to be difficult to transport fodder and the animals on the narrow, muddy road in front of my home. I had to herd them to towns for sale during Spring Festival, but now people can drive their trucks in to buy my goats and cattle," Ge Dali adds.

In its centenary year, the Communist Party of China has realized its goal of enabling the country to achieve moderate prosperity in all respects. Ge Dali is among the country's millions of formerly impoverished citizens that have benefited.

"I just paid off the 50,000 yuan loan to the bank a couple of days ago. I hope to expand my farm to raise more animals before I get too old," Ge Dali says.

Xinhua