How a new mode brings Podong out of poverty

The village of Podong, located in Qiandongnan prefecture, Guizhou province, has undergone severe changes in recent years as all villages in China are doing all they can to lift its people out of poverty.

If you were to come to Podong nowadays, you could stroll the fields to pick blueberries with fresh frost, go fishing for a live lobster, sit around with friends and immerse yourself in the tranquility of country life.

However, six years ago, this "rural paradise" was filled with muddy roads and had no street lamps. It failed to invest in high-standard farmland projects and defaulted on wage payments. Numerous disputes broke out due to this poor management.

In 2014, a new leading team responsible for county civil affairs, was elected. They tried solving their problems by following the “Party building promotes cooperatives” motto, where party members take the lead in setting up cooperatives and encouraging people’s participation.

However, according to Zhang Qingkai, the First Secretary of the Joint Party Committee of Podong, “things didn't go smoothly at the first year.” Some people suspected that the village was engaged in illegal fundraising and marketing, while others worried that their investment might have been a waste.

In order to encourage more people to buy shares of the cooperative, the cadres of the Party branch of Podong, took the lead to buy some shares of the cooperative and promised not to receive remuneration from it until they made profits.

After many efforts were put towards cooperatives, they began to finally operate. A few days before the Spring Festival of 2015, a large number of smiling villagers crowded together in the square of Podong County, waiting in line to get their dividends.