China's iconic revolutionary base Yan'an bids farewell to poverty

GREENER CITY ON LOESS PLATEAU

Located in the hinterland of the Loess Plateau, where 258 million tonnes of mud and sand were once washed into the Yellow River each year, Yan'an used to be vulnerable to drought and floods.

The adverse natural environment and poor industrial foundation has not only affected the city but also instilled in the locals the importance of environmental protection while struggling with poverty.

About 40 km south to the city center of Yan'an, Nanniwan township is famous for a large-scale production campaign mobilized by late Chinese leader Mao Zedong in the 1940s, urging a revolutionary spirit to reclaim farmland from the uncultivated land to become self-reliant on the grain supply.

Hou Xiuzhen, 73, has witnessed the great change of the town over the past half-century.