Introduction

Entrusted by the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee's Publicity Department, the Shanxi Provincial Poverty Alleviation and Development Office, the Shanxi Provincial Writers Association, and the Shanxi Publishing Group, three writers undertook to compile a reportage on the new round of the fight against poverty in Shanxi Province after the 18th CPC National Congress.

There are no limits on the subject of the reportage. Everything is out in the open and there's nothing to hide. There have been successful precedents in collective creation of panoramic documentary works on major themes. The collective creation has more unique advantages than difficulties.

Yang Yao, born in the 1970s in Shanxi Province, is a famed writer. While conducting interviews in preparation for this book, he was admitted to the postgraduate program on “Creative Writing” jointly held by Beijing Normal University and Lu Xun School of Literature. It's nice for him to be a student again in his 40s. He worked at the grassroots level for over ten years and once served as the deputy chief of a township under the jurisdiction of Yanmen Pass (Dai County). As the new round of the fight against poverty began, he was assigned to take up the provisional post of deputy chief of Yangtousheng Township, Xi County, Linfen City. The township is the recipient of help from Shanxi Provincial Writers Association for targeted poverty alleviation.

Chen Kehai, born in the 1980s, is the deputy editor of Shanxi Literature and an award-winning diligent writer. He was of ethnic Tujia and born in Enshi Prefecture in Hubei Province. He went to Shanxi for education as a boy and stayed there for work upon graduation from college. Thousands of miles apart, Hubei and Shanxi provinces differ enormously in geography, which gives him a distinctive perspective to see the world and the people. He had similar experience with Yang Yao. As a new round of the fight against poverty began, he was posted to Luozhenbao Village, Yangtousheng Township, Xi County, Linfen City to serve as the first secretary of Party committee. Half a year later, this farmer's son from the mountain in western Hubei Province looked darker and stronger, a typical look of a village cadre.

I'm one of the three authors and the byliner of the reportage. I'm Lu Shunmin and chief editor of Shanxi Literature, born in the 1960s. I've spent about ten years since 2000 conducting rural surveys in places ranging from the Yellow River in the west to Taihang Mountain in the east. Over a decade of journey on foot is like a narration without ending. I kept wondering when and how it will end. As a farmer's son, I have a firsthand experience of poverty. As a writer, I have high expectations for poverty alleviation.

Kehai is the youngest of the three authors, born in 1982. Yang Yao was born in 1975 and I was born in 1965, ten years senior to Yang Yao. Representing three generations, we have different perspectives and approaches, which has naturally enriched the reportage.

However, it's not easy to encompass all achievements in poverty alleviation across the province in an all-round manner, demonstrate the historical process as well as the contemporary life, depict hard times as well as glorious moments, and show both burning enthusiasm and great ideas.

China has made significant contribution to the global poverty reduction, while Shanxi Province is merely a tiny part of the story. However, Shanxi Province has been a focus of attention in China's fight against poverty, given the severe problems and challenges posed by the vast poverty-stricken areas and large poor population in the province. The fight against poverty goes far beyond the rural transformations, the digital chart analysis by scholars, or the repeated stress at the government conferences.

President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, made an inspection tour of Shanxi from 21 to 23 June 2017, with the focus laid on the work of poverty alleviation. Premier Li Keqiang made an inspection tour of Shanxi from 4 to 5 September 2017, with the focus on poverty alleviation as well. Then-Vice Premier Wang Yang, also head of the State Council Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development, made three tours of Shanxi respectively on 14 January, 18 May and 21 June 2017 to inspect the work of poverty alleviation through industrial development and relocation of poverty-stricken people. The party committee and government have attached great importance to the fight against poverty in Shanxi Province.

More than 10,000 first Party chiefs and other staff were transferred from provincial, municipal and county departments to poverty-stricken villages in deep mountains to engage in poverty alleviation work and party building at the grassroots level. In addition, about 10,000 officials from provincial, municipal and county departments were posted to poverty-stricken counties and townships. These over 20,000 officials left their home and loved ones and dedicated themselves to the fight against poverty at the grassroots level. In addition to poverty-stricken counties, townships and villages as well as registered poor households, the fight involves tens of thousands of cottages, families and children. The latest indicators for poverty alleviation could be summarized as “two no-worries and three guarantees” (no worry about food and clothing and guarantee of compulsory education, of basic medical treatment and of housing security), “six precisions” (precise targets, projects, capital use, measures, specific places and effects), “five methods of poverty alleviation” (poverty alleviation through five projects of developing poor people's own productivity, helping them migrate to richer places, providing them with eco-compensation, improving their education, and providing them with social security), “three insurances and three reliefs.” These concepts and measures have been well publicized among all industries and crowds, including those unrelated to poverty alleviation. It has become a top concern of society.

In this context, the theme posed a challenge to the writers, involving a vast area of 119 counties (cities, districts), 36 national poverty-stricken counties, 22 provincial poverty-stricken counties, including 10 counties in extreme poverty, as well as extensive knowledge about precise identification, relocation, poverty alleviation through industrial development, funding, health improvement, education, and ecological conservation, village-by-village poverty alleviation, the mechanism of sending officials to villages to work on poverty alleviation, assessment and supervision, and so on. It is understandable that there are numerous people and tons of stories to report.

The writing process turned into a walking journey, as we must make field trips to see the effects of poverty alleviation and the work ahead for poverty alleviation, to listen to what the people have to say, and to feel by ourselves.

At the beginning of 2018, the 19th of the 12th lunar month of 2017, three writers embarked on a journey for a six-month survey in Taihang Mountain in Lüliang.