CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, September 14, 2020 | 17 LIFE POVERTY ALLEVIATION | YUEXI COUNTY China’s medical Investing in new tech shines infrastructure at CIFTS BEIJING — With the nation’s Impoverished county sees a fruitful future, thanks to major strategic achievements in fighting COVID­19, Chinese cutting­edge technology implementation at local experience and wisdom has gar­ orchard, and report in Yuexi, nered a high reputation and Fang Aiqing Huang Zhiling proved popular at the 2020 Chi­ Sichuan province. na International Fair for Trade in Services. Held in Beijing, the fair, which ended on Wednesday, is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive fairs for trade in services and attracted 18,000 enterprises and institutions from 148 countries and regions. Kang Jianrong, who is in his 40s, was very busy introducing and answering questions about a robotic blood sampling machine at the trade fair. As a key member of the machine’s research and develop­ ment team, Kang has seen the enormous potential of the machine in helping to reduce the risk of infection among med­ ics. Yuexi county in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, is applying 5G and internet of things technologies to cultivate apples and raise local incomes. With the assistance of artifi­ FANG AIQING / CHINA DAILY cial intelligence technologies, it can automatically complete the whole process of taking blood rural county in South­ according to their size and sent orchard’s administration office. samples, even including disin­ west China is using cut­ down the line to different sets of Tian’s family used to live in an fecting and applying a Band­Aid ting­edge technologies to handlers for further sorting and earthen house with a tiled roof in a to the venipuncture site, accord­ grow apples in a more packing. mountain village. During strong ing to Kang. efficientA and environment­friendly The orchard is also equipped winds and storms, the house During the COVID­19 epidem­ way. with cold chain logistics, preparing would leak and the family would ic, the machine was employed The Liangshan mountainous the products for long­distance be subjected to power blackouts. by some hospitals to help nurses area is one of the most underdevel­ transportation. They used to plant corn and more efficiently check informa­ oped regions in China, and Yuexi So far the orchard has more than grains which could only support tion and find the ideal spot from county in Liangshan Yi autono­ 107 hectares of fruit­bearing apple their most basic needs. which to draw the blood, as well mous prefecture, Sichuan province, trees, with a further 67 hectares set Now they have moved to an apart­ as avoid the risk of cross­infec­ is among the 52 counties still yet to to follow in the near future. ment nearby the center of Yuexi, tion caused by needle­puncture shake off their impoverished status. In late August, the first 20 metric with government sponsorship, wounds, Kang says. However, intensive agricultural tons of produce was transported to which has largely facilitated her The company has set its sights industries are improving incomes Foshan in Guangdong province — brother’s ability to attend high school on exploring a wider interna­ and helping Yuexi with its efforts to 1,800 km away — because the city and her father to go to hospital. tional platform for its machine, alleviate poverty. has sent talent and investment to As one of the more than 4,000 targeting the European and The modern apple orchard, locat­ the county to help the poverty alle­ impoverished families that were African markets to help in the ed 12 kilometers away from the cen­ viation effort, and the orchard is relocated and sponsored to invest in fight against COVID­19. ter of Yuexi, has introduced both 5G one of the beneficiaries. the orchard, each member of Tian’s He is confident in the develop­ and internet of things technologies, More apples will be sent to the family will receive a guaranteed ment of science and technology supported by the Sichuan Academy Guangdong­Hong Kong­Macao annual bonus of 250 yuan for the in China. “There are still dispari­ of Agricultural Sciences, to monitor Greater Bay Area at the end of Sep­ first three years, starting from this ties in the level of development PH value, humidity, salinity and tember, especially to Hong Kong year, Tian says. between China and the world’s temperature of the soil, as well as and Macao, for trial sale, according Families that have transferred leading countries, but we have the weather conditions and pest to Huang Jie, who was sent from their land­use rights to the orchard seen the brilliant prospects (of control. Foshan to coordinate with the can also receive land rent that grows the domestic sector),” he says. It’s also able to track sales, so that county as part of the cooperation to year by year. Nucleic acid tests are equally the orchard staff can adjust its vari­ lift local people out of poverty and According to Dai Song, deputy important to blood tests in com­ eties and growing plans in response develop suitable industries to head of the county, the output value bating the novel coronavirus to market changes. improve income sustainably. of the whole orchard during high­ since swab tests can only indi­ An automated facility washes Ethnic Yi woman Tian Azhi, 22, yield periods will hopefully reach 60 cate current infection. and dries the apples, before a smart says she and her mother, together million yuan a year. The approxi­ A printer­size machine system arranges them in rows, with her younger brother during mate annual profit of 30 million designed for nucleic acid testing locates the blemishes on them and the school summer holiday, went yuan will directly benefit around was another highlight at the removes the apples considered to the orchard to work part­time, 20,000 underprivileged people. trade fair. unsatisfactory for sale from the earning a daily wage of 70 yuan The orchard is also planning to With four separated grids, the batch. ($10.2) each, which is considered introduce family­centric activities, machine can test different sam­ The staff can see the apples, with quite good in the region. like apple­picking, to integrate mod­ ples of throat swabs individual­ their blemishes marked, on a com­ On average, the orchard is able ern agriculture with tourism, Zeng ly, cutting the time for puter screen, like a catalog high­ to provide around 200 jobs a day, says. outputting results to 30 min­ lighting the unique qualities of each including technical posts and agri­ An automated facility (top) washes, selects and categorizes apples utes. product. cultural maintenance jobs, says before a group of handlers (above) further sort and pack up the fruit Contact the writers at Emergency department, fever The fruit is then categorized Zeng Jin, deputy director of the in Yuexi county. PHOTOS BY YE ZIZHEN / CHINA DAILY [email protected] clinics in hospitals, centers for disease control and prevention, as well as customs offices and airports have a high demand for such machines, according to Teacher’s commitment to his class continues past retirement Kou Yi, CEO assistant of the machine’s production company, CHANGSHA — Dong Zhuwen, a continue to dedicate himself to Coyote Bioscience Co. 63­year­old rural teacher, starts his the career he loves so much. Not only a domestically day early by shopping at a grocery I firmly believe that In Hunan province, many sought­after item, the machine store to prepare lunches for his stu­ retired teachers like Dong have has also been sold abroad, even dents, and on the way to school, he no matter how poor a returned to classrooms, thanks to exported to Britain. usually picks up several members family is, they must a project that invites them to con­ Apart from technology, tradi­ of his class. tinue their teaching career. tional Chinese medicine also Dong has been teaching and invest in their Hunan plans to recruit about played a part in the fight against taking care of his students for 43 children’s education. 350 retired teachers, who have COVID­19 and drew a lot of years. rich experience in education, for attention at the trade fair. Unlike his primary school peers Going to school is the 2021 academic year. Lianhua Qingwen is widely­ in urban areas, Dong only teaches their best path out of In Chaling county where Dong used course of TCM, used for the pupils in the first and second works and lives, there are 2,280 treatment of COVID­19. grades, as village schools deep in the mountains.” rural teachers. The county’s edu­ The Lianhua Qingwen cap­ the mountains of Central China’s Dong Zhuwen, schoolteacher, cation authority has issued a spate sules have recently received a Hunan province are usually only Chagan village, Chaling county, of policies, such as improving drug registration certificate built to meet the most basic edu­ Hunan province their salary and offering benefits, granted by Kuwaiti authorities cational needs of the sparsely­ to encourage teachers to base to treat mild and moderate cases populated neighborhoods. themselves in the countryside. of COVID­19, according to After completing their tenure at access to transportation, it is not Dong hopes the villages will be Zhang Yunling, executive depu­ the village schools, students will easy to complete their schooling. able to attract more young teach­ ty general manager of Shijiazhu­ go on to continue their studies at Dong Zhuwen, a 63­year­old teacher, gives students a Chinese “In the late 1980s when students ers in the future. “Although we ang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co. schools in the nearest town. lesson at a primary school in Chagan village, Chaling county, had to pay tuition fees for primary don’t have too many students, She adds that the permit has This year, Dong is in charge of Hunan province, on Tuesday. CHEN ZEGUO / XINHUA education, the dropout rate in the they still have the right to be given the drug a market entry all the courses for 15 students in a villages was high because students equally educated. Younger teach­ into Kuwait, giving the company primary school in the village of and their parents could barely ers cannot only teach students a foothold from which to further Chagan in Chaling county. tion. Going to school is their best teacher,” Dong says. afford the costs,” Dong says. He plenty of subjects, such as music explore opportunities in the Dong says most of the students path out of the mountains,” he In 1977, he graduated from high would offer the dropouts financial and fine arts, but also help them Middle East market. who get enrolled into the school says. school and started his career as a support to ensure they went to learn more about the outside TCM has shown its unique are children that have been left Dong has taught thousands of Chinese teacher. He adapted school. world. advantage in reducing the fatali­ behind by their parents who leave students, and whenever a student quickly to the job, and the aca­ Dong has always been con­ “Teaching is both my hobby and ty rate and improving the recov­ to seek higher­paying jobs in big shares with him good news, such demic performance of his stu­ cerned about the children left my mission. As an older teacher, ery rate, says Wang Qi, an cities. as their being admitted by a high dents is usually the best in the behind in the villages by their there is no such thing as retire­ academician with the Chinese “I firmly believe that no matter school or university, he feels a town. migrant parents. When he ment,” Dong says. Academy of Engineering. how poor a family is, they must great sense of achievement. However, for students living in reached the age of retirement in invest in their children’s educa­ “There is nothing happier for a the mountainous areas that lack 2018, he decided to stay on and XINHUA XINHUA