“The people indeed are heavily burdened, but perhaps a little ease may be got for them. Let us cherish this center of the kingdom, to secure the repose of the four quarters of it.” These lines from the Book of Songs, an anthology of ancient Chinese poetry written more than 2,000 years ago, convey the simple wish of the Chinese people for a prosperous life. This wish has come true in the 21st century. By 2021, the 98.99 million rural residents living below the current poverty line in China have been lifted out of poverty, now enjoying a better life of peaceful development as well as embracing a brighter future of common prosperity.
Chinese photographers, with their heart-warming pictures, have recorded the colorful experience of targeted poverty alleviation efforts by the Chinese people to bring about this change. Of the 50 photos selected for this exhibition, many are in single frames, and a few come in pairs to highlight the past-and-present contrast. As we can see, rough labor in the fields has been replaced by machinery during the harvest. The younger generation favors E-marketing and door-to-door delivery over physically going to fairs and markets. Tap water systems have been installed in mountainous regions, relieving local residents of fetching water downhill and granting kids easy access to clean water. Green mountains and clear waters are adorned with beautiful villages and towns. There are smiles of content and confidence on people's faces... The images captured over this thriving land all give off a satisfying scent.
This is a field of hope. The fact that almost 1/5 of the world’s population has shaken off absolute poverty constitutes a miracle in the poverty-reduction history of mankind and marks a significant progress of human civilization. To follow up, the Chinese people are making efforts for rural revitalization and common prosperity, which will unfold another series of lively pictures, and invariably contribute to the common development around the globe as well as the building of a community of a shared future for humankind.