Pang Kai (3rd L), a poverty alleviation official who has been assigned as first secretary to Gaopei Village, works with villagers in a pilot field, where they raise river snails along with rice seedlings, in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County of Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 29, 2019. Poor transportation infrastructure in a mostly mountainous terrain has left Rongshui County haunted by dire poverty. For years, solving Rongshui's poverty problems remains a priority for officials in charge of poverty alleviation. Under a recent campaign, the municipal Party organization department of Liuzhou and its Rongshui sub-branch assigned carefully selected officials to work on spot in 116 poverty-stricken villages, where they fulfill their duties as first secretaries. The 116 first secretaries are expected to work alongside their aides to overcome poverty in target villages, with a strong focus on improving infrastructure, introducing industries and raising villagers' living standards. Between 2016 and 2018, Rongshui saw over 70,000 residents lifted out of poverty as a result of the campaign. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)
