Yan'an, iconic revolutionary base, bids adieu to poverty with government assistance
Road to fortune
Mashuping, a cliff village on the Yellow River bank, was one of the poorest villages in Yichuan county.
Now, a north-south highway stretching 828.5 km along the west bank of the Yellow, has contributed to poverty alleviation.
About 20 years ago, local villagers planted Sichuan pepper trees, the seeds of which are a popular seasoning in Sichuan cuisine. But they had to sell the farm produce at very low prices to dealers who came by motorbike.
Wang Ruixin, Party chief of Liuwantou village, which administers Mashuping, said the per capita income of the village was 10,300 yuan last year, much higher than the national poverty line of around 3,000 yuan.
The highway also provides new possibilities for apple growers, who can sell to overseas markets via e-commerce.
Feng Tianxing, 56, from Yichuan's Chunqu village, said the county government sent cadres to help sell apples via online shops.
In 2018, revenue from apples accounted for half the disposable income of the city's rural residents per capita.
Feng made more than 20,000 yuan last year by growing apples. "Apples have been sold out when they were still green hanging on the trees," said Feng.
Though the nearest sea is more than 1,000 km away, Yan'an is proud of its maritime education. Nearly 2,000 sailors have graduated from Yan'an Vocational and Technical College over the past decade.
