NPR

Xi Jinping's War On Poverty Moves Millions Of Chinese Off The Farm

Remote mountain villages where residents lived in poverty are being cleared, with villagers being given new apartments in the city. But finding work may be a challenge for some of the former farmers.
Yu Zu'en stands in front of one of the only wall decorations in his new, government-issued apartment: a poster of China's leaders. The 84-year-old veteran lost his right eye fighting the Americans in Korea in 1951.

The bare, plaster walls of Yu Zu'en's new government-issued apartment are adorned with three decorations: An old photo from his years as a soldier, a shelf for his harmonica, and a poster featuring the busts of every Chinese Communist Party Secretary since Chairman Mao. He points to the newest one and smiles.

"I wouldn't be here without Xi Jinping," he says. "Under his wise leadership, we're now taken care of. Before, we barely survived. Our

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