The Chinese central government, together with various local governments, has made tremendous efforts in trying to eliminate poverty from the lives of hundreds of millions of people in rural communities. Despite the great progress made, 70 million Chinese citizens still live in poverty.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China has vowed to completely eliminate poverty within the country by the end of 2020.

The Chinese government, in its effort to transform the lives of the people living in poverty, has constructed community houses, schools, roads and railways, while also establishing industries which lead to job growth.

On a visit to Zhaxigang village in Lulang Mountain, Nyingchi City, Tibet, it was revealed that almost all the residents in the village had converted their dwelling houses into small hotels with as many as 20 rooms.

Tibet Autonomous Region is one of China's ethnic autonomous regions with a population of about 3.23 million, who are mainly from the Tibetan ethnic group.

Traveling from Tibet's capital Lhasa to the city of Nyingchi is about a 10 hours' drive through mountains and villages, and it takes another two hours' drive from Nyingchi to Lulang Mountain where Zhaxigang village is located.

The altitude of Nyingchi City is about 3,100 meters, which makes it far better in terms of oxygen availability when compared with Lhasa.

According to Baima, one of the owners of the local hotels in the village, there are 63 households in the village with 311 people, who mainly depend on tourism for their survival. He disclosed that he built his house with his modest savings and support from the Chinese government.

He maintained that they are running their local hotels on a tax free basis, which enables them to save up to 700,000 yuan per year. He stated that the village hosts more than 30,000 guests per year.

Baima explained that as a way of ensuring the continuation of their business and attracting more tourists to visit their village, they strive to protect the natural environment and maintain the village's traditional features.

Upon a visit inside one of the local hotels, it was discovered that the inside of the buildings are being designed with locally made furniture.

Baima said that they usually receive stipends from the government, which adds to their savings and helps them change their lives in a positive way. He added that despite tourism, most of the villages also rely on agriculture and other forms of businesses.

Almost all the houses in the mountain village of Lulang are being run as local hotels by their respective owners.

He further disclosed that with their savings, they can now afford to pay for their children's university education.

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