The project of making the countryside beautiful and pleasant to live in has made remarkable progress in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20).

Nearly 1.17 million affordable, earthquake-resistant houses have been built in the region, and 97 percent of its administrative villages now have garbage treatment. A heating system renovation project has benefited around 604,900 households in southern Xinjiang.

Asia Jelil was once an impoverished resident of Xinjiang's Jiashi county. Four years ago, there was a whirl of dust on the road in front of his shabby house. Today, the village has been transformed into a clean, well-organized residential area lined with gray brick houses with tile roofs. Jelil used government subsidies to renovate his home and set up new farm buildings.

Mubassar, 76, a resident of Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture, recalled that his family used to live in a run-down house that the wind could blow through. The roof would leak on rainy days.