The government workers also helped to renovate a broken bridge, providing crucial access for agricultural and farming activities. It was out of commission for two years before the team arrived. Roads throughout the village were also paved.

"When we were dispatched to the village, there were no proper roads between the people's homes and their fields. They had to walk on dirty muddy paths whenever it rained, and they had to carry things on their backs or on horses for plantation and harvest," Song said.

After the roads were paved, residents could drive cars and tractors to their fields from their homes, he said.

Financial support

Over the past nine years, more than 1.8 million yuan has been invested in the village through government workers. The investment was spent in a range of areas, from farm machinery to infrastructure.

Last year, each household was provided with a rotary tiller. Most villagers no longer have to use animals and plows to plant crops.

Yeshi Lhamo said: "We are also thankful for the mini tiller they provided to us. In the past, we had to spend three to four days to finish the planting, but now it only takes one day."

Babung, Party secretary of Rongyul, said as more villagers have begun to use cultivators in recent years, their yields have dramatically increased.

"In the past, they produced wine with corn, as they didn't have enough barley for wine. Now most of them make wine with barley, as their yields have seen an improvement," said Babung, who goes by one name. "The per capita disposable income of rural residents in our village increased from about 3,000 yuan in 2015 to more than 15,000 last year," he said.

Babung said the villagers have become more independent as the government workers have encouraged them to seek out job opportunities rather than wait for government subsidies.