Combo photo shows 29-year-old Chen Tian'an posing in the agricultural development company he runs (main image in the layout); and on-site scenes in Chen's company (smaller images in the right-side column) in Rong'an County, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Oct. 22, 2019. Both of Chen's parents suffer from physical disability and the family used to live under financial pressure. In 2016, Chen and a few classmates started their own e-commerce business selling local specialties such as kumquats. Hemmed in a mountainous area where stony desertification holds sway, Rong'an County in southwest China has been struggling against dire poverty that is aggravated by population aging and loss of labour force. In the past years, many from the post-1990s generation have played active roles at the forefront of local poverty alleviation campaigns. Embracing a range of professions, the younger generation working in Rong'an helps pour renewed vigour to a county eager to throw off the shackles of destitution. Statistics show that the county's poverty rate dropped to 3.03 percent in 2018, down from 23.68 percent two years ago. Some 47,500 residents in the county have been lifted out of poverty during the same period. At the moment, 6,761 residents are still in need of help before they overcome poverty. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)
