China’s story of rural revitalisation

Chinese President Xi Jinping, while visiting Fuping County of Hebei Province in his first year as general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, had noted that eradication of poverty and improving people’s livelihoods are essential requirements of socialism. He had called for close attention to people in ‘straitened circumstances’, noting that “with confidence, barren clay can be turned into gold”. The people of the Xichou county in Yunnan province, which was earlier a deserted rocky area, calls this confidence to turn clay into gold the ‘Xichou spirit’, taking pride over their accomplishment in regional development, where they broke down rocks with their bare hands, over the years, to bring in greenery and improve living conditions.

A stark divide?

China is a land of dichotomy. The country run by the CPC under principles of ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ has embraced market economy and state-led capitalism, which can be seen in the urban landscape of the country with its sprawling skyscrapers and brands, both foreign and local, competing for consumers. While urban China, with its postmodern skyline of Shanghai and vintage eloquence of Beijing, sprints ahead in terms of development and modernisation to make up the core of the country’s economy, its countryside is a quiet but strong testament to Chinese socialism. As China prepares to enter into its 15th five-year plan, considered to be the “consolidation and full implementation” period of the goal to realise ‘socialist modernisation’ by 2035, the efforts taken up by the administration for poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation are showing results.

In China, one can see a regional divide in terms of development and modernisation, with the eastern provinces and cities being on par with global business hubs and tourist attractions alike while central and western provinces lag behind. Provinces like Guangdong (with special economic zones in Shenzhen and Zhuhai which directly benefitted from the reforms in the late 1970s), Guanxi, and provincial-level cities like Beijing and Shanghai are popular destinations for businesses and tourists; its facilities and attractions providing opportunities for both. But if one moves into the heart of the country, the landscape begins to change.

The progress of poverty programs

In Sichuan, home of the giant pandas located near the heart of China, and Yunnan bordering Vietnam and Myanmar, one can see long, winding roads leading to scattered towns and counties. These towns are on an entirely different plane of existence when compared to Shenzhen or Shanghai. Adorned with ‘lush mountains and lucid waters’, which, in the words of Mr. Xi, is the richest asset of a country, the calm and slow-paced life in these towns makes up the heart of China.

While the Chinese government stressed on modernisation and development during the decades following the opening up of its economy under former President Deng Xiaoping, poverty alleviation had also received its fair share of attention. Special poverty-relief institutions were set up across the country in 1986 to determine poor counties, and draw up criteria for poverty alleviation measures. A total of 273 counties were initially listed as State-level impoverished counties, which later rose to 328 in 1988. A ‘seven-year programme for lifting 80 million people out of poverty’ was initiated in 1994. This was followed by the ‘outline for development-oriented poverty alleviation for China’s rural areas’ in 2001. The outline noted that while the number of existing State-level impoverished counties in developed coastal areas in the east had reduced to zero, there was an increase in impoverished counties in the central and western areas. Between 2001 and 2010, poverty headcount ratio dropped to 3.8% from 10.2% while per capita net income of farmers in key counties rose by an average of 7.6%.

For rural towns and counties, like Malipo and Jinping in Yunnan and Panzhihua in Sichuan, which are mountainous areas isolated from the provincial capitals, development has had to take the long road. However, they show results of heavy investments in both accessibility and sustainability. Windmills propped up on high hill-tops which appear to be churning the clouds are a common sight along the roads in these regions. Large investments were made by the central government in these distant, sparsely populated regions with the goal to reach common prosperity, says Miao Xin, vice-governor of Malipo county. While 99% of land in the county is mountainous and remote, the government has tapped into its abundant natural resources. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided assistance to the county since 1992, undertakings projects in areas such as basic living needs, education, and healthcare. According to Mr. Xin, the central government has also set up enterprises to promote job opportunities. He stated that the county has been free from extreme poverty since 2020 with an annual disposable income of 9,000 RMB per person.

The spirit of the people

While government investments and projects have played a huge role in the upliftment of the regions, the role of the people is equally important. The Jiwozhai village in Ma’andi township of Jinping county in Yunnan tells one such tale of people’s cooperation. Located nearly 150 km away from the county centre at an altitude of nearly 1,300 m from sea level, the village is home to ancient tea trees. Local people believe that these trees, with the oldest ones being around for nearly 800 years, bring prosperity to those who touch it and are the main income source for the village.

Here the Yizhuolan ancient tea production and marketing professional cooperative, established in 2014, runs business. Local people work part-time in the collection and processing of the tea leaves. According to Su Yuan Hui, head of the cooperative, the tea leaves are sold in domestic markets and are exported to countries like France, Japan, and Vietnam. The cooperative has five private shareholders along with 2.8 million RMB investments from the provincial government and Shanghai municipality in an example of inter-provincial cooperation model where developed regions from eastern China send investments and human resources to aid the western provinces. The annual revenue of the cooperative stands at 1,60,000 to 1,80,000 RMB and the profits are split between the shareholders, with the village committee getting a share which is distributed to the villagers where the average household income is nearly 30,000 RMB per year, says Mr. Su. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also assisted in the setting up of the tea-processing factory with interest-free loans, he says.

With poverty alleviation measures having shown results in improving basic living conditions, China is slowly shifting its focus to accelerating rural revitalisation. In January this year, the central committee of the CPC released the ‘Rural comprehensive revitalisation plan’ which aims at tackling existing major rural issues by 2027. It focuses on enhancing agricultural output to secure food security while boosting the prosperity of rural communities, closing the urban-rural income gap, and developing infrastructure.

Other than the serene nature and exciting landscape, what makes rural China standout is the spirit of people. Travelling along the slopes through long stilt passes at a height of more than 200 metres make the villages look tiny — until the realisation strikes that the will of the same people in these tiny villages has played its part in holding up the stilts.

The writer is in China at the invitation of the China Public Diplomacy association.

Published – December 05, 2025 08:30 am IST