Household relocation helps residents in once poverty-stricken areas seek better life in north China's Shanxi

The combo photo shows a house which people used to live in before relocating (file photo, up) and a view of Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province (photo taken by Cao Yang on May 10, 2020). Kelan County is located in central area of Loess Plateau and the deep Lyuliang Mountains with nearly half of its villages facing poor production and living conditions. In 2017 the local government implemented a plan of relocation for poor households in remote villages as a key step to alleviate poverty and Songjiagou New Village became a centralized relocation site which absorbing 145 poor households from the surrounding 14 villages. In recent years, Songjiagou New Village has begun to improve environment and local landscape to develop rural tourism and open agricultural cooperatives and agricultural products processing plants to increase villagers' income. Residents in the once poverty-stricken areas in the mountains are seeking a better life. (Xinhua)