More of generation born in 1990s join battle to relieve dire poverty

SHIJIAZHUANG - As the country pushes ahead with its poverty relief campaign, more fresh faces from the generation born in the 1990s are edging their way forward.

"I was inexperienced when I first settled in the town, but years of work experience at the local poverty relief office has made me an old auntie among the younger recruits," said Zhang Qiuhua, 25, who joined the office after graduating from college in 2016.

Last year, Zhang was promoted to lead the poverty relief office in Yongyang township, Laishui county, Hebei province, where poverty alleviation has been one of the key tasks for years.

A total of 648,000 people overcame poverty in 2018 in Hebei, and the province hopes to lift all its counties out of poverty this year, Zhang said. "Confidence is high among the young leaders and colleagues on the front line of the poverty relief campaign."

As an agriculture major, Zhang conducted field research in the impoverished areas of Yongyang township, hoping to find a greener way to help villagers shake off poverty.

Last year, about 117 hectares of mulberry trees were planted in two pilot villages of the region to create a chain of related products, thanks to Zhang's coordination and efforts.

As one of the 10 most impoverished counties in Hebei, Yangyuan county in Zhangjiakou, has received a growing number of who were born in the 1990s college graduates over the years.

Han Tinggeng joined the team of young cadres in March 2018 at age 28. A graduate of Peking University, Han believes education is the passport to the future, and students should develop a passion for learning.

He said he has never regretted his decision to turn down several decent job opportunities in Beijing after graduation.

"Young people have the power to change the world. I'm young enough, so I would like to lend a hand to younger students struggling in poverty as they grow up," Han said.

He has helped a primary school with many left-behind children improve its English curriculum and teaching standards. As of the end of the following semester, students at the school were ranked the highest in English skills in the town.

China aims to eradicate deep poverty by 2020, and as the deadline approaches, more graduates, mostly scattered in poverty-stricken regions in central and western China, are becoming capable officials to guide the relief work.

"We are honored and determined to contribute our own efforts and ideas to China's antipoverty drive, the largest such campaign in human history," Han said.

Xinhua