Having been born and raised in a small town deep in the Dabie Mountains in Anhui province, I have seen how China's poverty relief campaign has led to further development in the countryside and satisfaction among local people who have begun to live better in the past five years.

Since 2012 when the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was convened, a new express highway linking Jinan in Shandong province to Guangzhou in Guangdong province has opened. It connects my hometown in Yuexi county with other major cities in less-developed Anhui.

Yuexi had not developed many industries, partly because of its backward transportation, but it has clean air and water, which are increasingly considered precious by residents from regions burdened by industrial pollution. The new highway has shortened travel time between the county seat and the provincial capital of Hefei by two-thirds to only two hours. As travel became convenient, tourism started to boom as new tourism sites opened.