For generations, the longest distance that many villagers in Zhadong, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, could understand was that of the journey between their village and Nanning, the regional capital.
"The first time I came to Zhadong village, I was impressed by its natural beauty. The adobe(土砖) homes fit perfectly with the green environment." recalls Hansen Nico Rene, a 63-year-old retired policeman. "
.There was a fireplace, a table, and some chairs. The bathroom, if there was one, was in the pigsty. There was very little to suggest that they were living in the 21st Century."
The village Hansen visited is in a remote mountainous area in Guangxi's Hechi city. In 2015, of some 600 residents in the village, over half lived under the national poverty(贫困) line. At the time of Hansen's first visit, there were still some parts of the village that were not accessible by road.
"People surrounded him out of curiosity. They took pictures of him with their phones, as it was the first time we had seen a foreigner in our village."
During that visit, Hansen met Xie Wanju, then the first Party secretary of Zhadong. "We will never forget the first moment we met because this changed my whole life. I met the first Party secretary, and he was working for the government for poverty relief. That was amazing. I said if you need help, I have time," Hansen said.
Under Hansen's assistance, Xie, with the village's officials and other poverty relief workers, developed featured industries, including cattle and sheep raising and fruit planting. By November 2020, the whole of Zhadong village had successfully wiped out poverty. Now local authorities are leading the villagers on a new journey to rural vitalization(振兴).
A. Their efforts paid off.
B. That, in my view, is also a core spirit of the Party.
C. But when I entered the houses, I found people were poor.
D. Villager Bi Yonghong, 41, remembers the first time he saw Hansen.
E. Hansen returned to the city in May2021 after finishing his voluntary work.
F. In 2018, the arrival of a man from Luxembourg expanded their horizons across continents.
G. Since then, he became known by a new identity-the village's first Party secretary's assistant.
