Aerial photo taken on July 22, 2020 shows the newly-built water tanks in Anlan Village of Du'an Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)

South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty.

The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday.

In a statement, the cities of Liuzhou, Baise, and Hechi, where the eight counties are located, are asked to synergize efforts to consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation with the rural vitalization strategy to prevent people from returning to poverty.

Since 2016, nearly 73 billion yuan (11.11 billion U.S. dollars) have been allocated to poverty alleviation projects across the region, covering fields of infrastructure, employment, education, and medical and healthcare services.

Guangxi, as one of the areas in China facing the worst stony desertification, has poured over 48 billion yuan in upgrading roads in rural areas since 2016, according to the regional department of transportation.

A total of 35 counties out of the 54 poverty-stricken counties are in Karst landscapes covered with rocks.

The expanded road network and improved infrastructure have helped farmers in the areas to sell their agricultural products outside their hometowns, bringing them a stable and sustainable income.

Villagers in stony deserts have also benefited from relocation projects to shake off poverty. In the past five years, Guangxi has relocated around 710,000 people from remote and uninhabitable mountainous areas to the central regions of counties and cities.

A bustling urban lifestyle has become commonplace in Dahua Yao Autonomous County, where over 10,000 people from deep mountain areas have settled down over recent years.

Commercial streets, hotels, night markets, and a huge cultural plaza have been built in the relocation area.

"I never imagined that I could live in such a great place, which I used to admire," said Qin Qingmei, who set up a snack stand in the local food street. Before moving to her new home in Dahua, she had to work far away from home for better payment.

Meanwhile, favorable policies have helped 692,900 relocated villagers find a stable job near their new homes.

Local governments also encourage investment and technical support from companies to beef up the local industry by upgrading industrial facilities, train workers, and expand cultivation and breeding areas.

Registered poverty-stricken households that have benefited from the industry not only receive dividends from local businesses but also earn a salary from cooperatives where they take up farming.

By the end of October this year, a total of 4,377 workshops, supported by local governments in the region, have created jobs for 302,000 people, 56,400 of whom are from poverty-stricken households, according to the regional department of human resources and social security.

With over 20 million people of various ethnic minority groups out of the total population of 50 million people, Guangxi's anti-poverty achievement has brought the country one step closer to the goal of ending poverty by the end of 2020. 

Farmer Qin Yongling displays eggs at a chicken farm in Renyuan Village of Jinji Township in Wuxuan County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 18, 2020. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)

In this combo photo, the upper part taken on Feb. 9, 2017 shows villager Bai Yulu (1st R) and her family sitting at the front door of their former residence in Jiaba Village, and the lower part taken on Aug. 18, 2020 shows Bai (1st L) sitting with her family at the front door of their new house at a poverty-relief resettlement site in Xia'ao Town of Du'an Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

Aerial photo taken on Oct. 28, 2020 shows the roads in Daxing Town of Du'an Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

In this combo photo, the upper part taken on Jan. 10, 2018 shows the Megantun area before relocation in Dongjia Village of Lihu Yao Township, and the lower part taken on Aug. 4, 2020 with a drone shows the poverty-relief relocation site for villagers from Megantun, in Nandan County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)

In this combo photo taken on May 6, 2019, the upper left part shows staff preparing lunch at a primary school, and the upper right part shows students selecting dishes at the primary school; the lower left part shows students lining up to serve themselves rice at the primary school; the lower right part shows students having lunch at the primary school, in Dongyang Village of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin)

Children have fun at a poverty-relief resettlement site in Xia'ao Town of Du'an Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2020. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)

In this combo photo, the left part taken on May 10, 2019 with a drone shows children on their way home after school in Nongyong Village, and the right part taken on Sept. 3, 2012 shows children stepping down the hanging ladders to school in Nongyong Village of Dahua Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

Aerial photo taken on Oct. 28, 2020 shows a view of Du'an Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

A villager tosses a shrimping coop into a shrimp pond at a rice-shrimp rotation farming base in Shangtang Village of Wuxuan County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 17, 2020. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the country's largest ethnic minority population, has lifted all its 54 poverty-stricken counties out of poverty. The last eight impoverished counties in the region, including six ethnic minority autonomous counties, have eliminated absolute poverty, the regional government announced on Friday. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)