Factories

When Bu first moved to the community, her lack of education and work experience meant she was unable to find a job.

"I was so concerned about how to make a living. My family was so poor, and I had children to raise－I really didn't know what to do," she recalled.

Under an arrangement with the local government, she finally got a job as a cleaner at a factory near the community, earning 1,100 yuan a month.

In the area around the garden community, 18 buildings have been constructed for the use of labor-intensive factories, such as those manufacturing clothes and components for electronic devices, and plants that process agricultural produce.

The factories have provided 870 jobs for local residents and helped raise the incomes of 185 impoverished families, Jiang said.

The change has improved Bu's life beyond measure. "Before moving to the community, I had to borrow money to keep afloat, as harvests from the barren land were too poor to live on," she said.

"Now, living in such a beautiful community with good facilities and having a job that brings a stable income every month, my life is something I never dared dream of. I'm really grateful to the local government."

Yang, Party chief of Laoxian, noted that relocation is not an end in itself. "Even living in better places, people still need jobs to keep going," he said, adding that to meet residents' needs, the Laoxian government attracted investment from other provinces and set up four businesses near the Jinping community in 2015.

"So far, the factories have hired at least 155 residents, and 55 of them are from impoverished families," he said.

The government of Gaobadian township, Shangluo, has helped provide better lives for people who relocated to its Fuqiao community by setting up factories that provide job opportunities.

The factories, which specialize in a wide range of activities including fungi cultivation, egg processing and the manufacture of electronic components, employ at least 580 residents, with 320 coming from impoverished families, according to Yang Hao, Gaobadian's Party chief.

In August last year, Fuqiao resident Li Xiaoyun started work at an electronic components factory.

Working five days a week, she can easily earn more than 2,000 yuan a month.

"Before I started work here, my two sons and I relied totally on my husband for support, which meant life was very difficult," she said.

"Now, with the salary I earn at the factory, our lives are much better."