CHANGSHA, July 22 (Xinhua) --Shibadong is a mountainous village in central China's Hunan Province.
Meaning "18 caves" in Chinese, the ethnic Miao village had a long history of poverty.
The situation started to change in 2013 when the concept of "targeted poverty alleviation" was introduced in Shibadong.
By suiting relief policies to different causes of poverty and different local conditions, the strategy later became instrumental in the success of China's poverty eradication campaign.
For Shibadong, the village started to develop industries by tapping into the rich culture of the Miao people.
With government support, villagers have turned cottages into rustic family inns, Miao embroidery workshops sprung up, and breweries and silverware workshops opened doors to tourists.
Thanks to this guiding concept, China had eliminated absolute poverty by February 2021.
Today, rural vitalization has brought rapid development to the village.
People's lives have also improved.
With improved life, many young people have also returned to the village, saying they are optimistic about the future vitalization of their hometown.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
