"The villagers now have decent homes to live in. They have stable income streams. The next step is to expand those, through ecological tourism and other sustainable development sectors," said Yao Liwei, 35, deputy secretary of the township Party committee and head of the its poverty work alleviation work. He was deployed from the county seat about five years ago.

"It's just as what President Xi said about green development, to build and maintain our home well, where 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets'," Yao said.

Chen Lu, 26, deputy head of the Xianjiudang village work team under Dulongjiang and a member of the political and legal committee of the county Party committee, helps keep track of the progress made by about 780 villagers following its alleviation from poverty.

Xianjiudang villagers harvest black cardamom from about 733 hectares, with every 0.067 hectares yielding several hundred kilograms of the herb that fetch up to 20 yuan for every kg, she said.

"It's not just the increased income that they get from growing the black cardamom and other crops," said Chen, who is from neighboring Sichuan province. "They now have access to medical care and facilities and the children have standard educational opportunities."

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