Chongqing - Chongqing Fengjie County, located by the Yangtze River, is a place with a well-preserved ecosystem and profound history and culture. However, it was still an impoverished and remote county not long ago. Thanks to the all-out efforts from different levels, and local people, the county shook off poverty in 2019. Now China enters the stage of rural revitalization, how is Fengjie county?

Romain, the first-prize winner in the vlog competition with the theme of China in my eyes—beautiful countryside, shares his experience in rural areas in Fengjie county where he made the competition vlog.

Coming from the rural area of France, Romain has always been curious about what real Chinese countryside is like. His curiosity motivates him to take a 5-hour car-riding to Fengjie County. Before Romain came to China, China’s countryside he watched via western media was poor and backward. After getting to the rural areas in Fengjie county, he is totally impressed by their well-equipped infrastructure, good livelihoods of local people, and well-preserved natural environment.

According to Romain’s introduction, farmers there are so happy with their life, and they live in very beautiful houses with modernized living conditions. Their life is no different than life in big cities, says Romain. They guide him to visit their booming “Sweet Career”— the plantation of oranges and the highly-mechanized mushroom sauce processing factory that creates prosperity for them.

When it comes to what impresses him most, Romain’s answer is China’s efforts to lift once impoverished rural areas out of poverty, and the good results are shared by all people. Unlike companies or businesses in other countries that outsource their productions to low-labor-cost areas or countries, in Fengjie they create businesses and hire local people to work for them. In Romain’s opinion, this is a key to helping locals shake off poverty.