Villagers move to poverty-relief relocation area, embrace better life in Shanxi

Aerial combo photo shows the former site of Zhaojiawa Village taken on June 22, 2017 (top) and the Guanghuiyuan poverty-relief relocation area on May 20, 2020 (bottom) in Kelan County of Xinzhou City, north China's Shanxi Province. Zhaojiawa Village was a severely impoverished village located in Lyuliang Mountains with poor production and living conditions. Villager Cao Liuren and his wife used to live in a shabby old house in Zhaojiawa Village, and "getting out of the mountains" was their biggest wish. On Sept. 22, 2017, 21 villagers from 6 households in Zhaojiawa Village, including Cao Liuren, moved to Guanghuiyuan poverty-relief relocation area, a residential community that covers an area of more than 700 mu (about 46.7 hectares) and can accommodate more than 20,000 persons. After the relocation, Cao found a job in a glass wool factory in the county which provides his family with a steady income to make a better life. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)