A tourist walks on the street in Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province, May 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)
Life is getting better for residents in the once poverty-stricken areas in Kelan County of north China's Shanxi under local government's poverty alleviation efforts.
KELAN, May 21, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Kelan County is located in central area of Loess Plateau and the deep Lyuliang Mountains with nearly half of villages facing poor production and living conditions.
In 2017 the local government implemented a plan of relocation for poor households in remote villages as a key step to alleviate poverty and Songjiagou New Village became a centralized relocation site which absorbing 145 poor households from the surrounding 14 villages.
In recent years, Songjiagou New Village has begun to improve environment and local landscape to develop rural tourism and open agricultural cooperatives and agricultural products processing plants to increase villagers' income. Residents in the once poverty-stricken areas in the mountains are seeking a better life.
The combo photo shows houses which people used to live in before relocating (file photo, up) and a view of Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province (photo taken by Cao Yang on May 9, 2020).
The combo photo shows houses which people used to live in before relocating (file photo, up) and an aerial view of Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province (photo taken by Cao Yang on May 19, 2020).
The combo photo shows the street view in Songjiagou village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province, before (file photo, up) and after (photo taken by Cao Yang on May 9, 2020) renovation. (Xinhua)
The combo photo shows a house which people used to live in before relocating (file photo, up) and a view of Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province (photo taken by Cao Yang on May 10, 2020). (Xinhua)
Aerial photo taken on May 19, 2020 shows farmers working in the fields in Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)
Villager He Maoxiao feeds sheep at a cooperative in Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province, May 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)
Villagers pack soft drink at a plant in Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province, May 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)
Aerial photo taken on May 19, 2020 shows a view of Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)
Aerial photo taken on May 19, 2020 shows a view of Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)
Aerial photo taken on May 9, 2020 shows a view of Songjiagou New Village in Kelan County, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)■