Pic story: beekeeping helps villagers cast off poverty

Zhang Songxian walks out of his home in Sanhe Village of Songxian County, central China's Henan Province, Sept. 3, 2020. Zhang Songxian, 57, lost his right leg in an accident in 1972. However, he was never devastated and made a living by doing different work such as running a small shop and working as a tailor and a welder. In 2014, Zhang was listed as a registered impoverished household due to his physical conditions. Unwilling to be mired in poverty, Zhang started to learn to raise bees under the support of local officials. Zhang's dedication and diligence made himself a professional beekeeper, and he has mastered Weibo and Wechat, two social platforms, to promote online sales. In 2017, Zhang cast off poverty. Over the past years, local tourism industry was booming, which brought more tourists to Zhang's hometown and helped boost the beekeeping sales. To help more villagers out of poverty, Zhang has established a beekeeping cooperative. Now, over 50 households are engaged in the beekeeping industry, with annual honey production of 10,000 kilograms. (Xinhua/Li An)