Couple devoted to helping people shake off poverty in China's Shanxi (14)

Combo photo shows Liu Zhijun, first secretary to Jingyubao Village, working at the office in Jingyubao Village of Lanxian County (L, taken on June 10, 2020 by Cao Yang) and Li Cuiye, first secretary to Nantong Village, working at the office in Nantong Village of Xingxian County (taken on May 22, 2020 by Liu Liangliang) in north China's Shanxi Province. Liu Zhijun and Li Cuiye are a couple who work at the agricultural machinery administration and the government affairs service center respectively in Lyuliang City. In July 2015, Liu and Li volunteered to serve as the first secretaries to Jingyubao Village in Lanxian County and Nantong Village in Xingxian County respectively, both under the jurisdiction of Lyuliang. Though it only takes two-hour-drive from Jingyubao to Nantong, their busy work on poverty alleviation have kept the couple from seeing each other very often. Jingyubao and Nantong were both severely impoverished villages. Local villagers used to work outside as migrant workers due to the barren land and lack of resources there. Liu and village cadres of Jingyubao have put efforts into the infrastructure construction and guided local villagers to plant crops with relatively high economic value. Agricultural machineries have also been introduced to improve the efficiency, as a way to improve locals' incomes. Local authorities of Nantong Village, where Li Cuiye works, have taken many measures, including employment transfer, relocation of impoverished residents and ecological poverty alleviation, to help poverty-stricken people shake off poverty. Jingyubao and Nantong have shaken off poverty in the year of 2016 and 2017 respectively. "Due to our busy work, it's hard to meet our daughter Duoduo often. We both feel sorry for her. But she gradually realizes the difficulties we faced and often cheers us up. It's easy for us to understand each other as we serve the same position," the couple said. (Xinhua)