(3) "NEW COUNTRYSIDE" SCHEME: NOT AN EASY JOB

Saozhou Village began the "new countryside" scheme in 2006 focused on building roads and bridges.

The village's abundant bamboo resources can be used as building materials, in paper making and to produce bamboo ware, but the village needs to ship the bamboo and bamboo products out before they can benefit from the resources.

"Easy access to the outside world is indispensable for people in mountainous areas," said village officials.

Road construction demands both a physical and a financial contribution from villagers. Every household has to pay more than 100 yuan (12.8 U.S. dollars) for the purpose.

"We know we cannot rely on the state for everything. But we just don't have the wherewithal to build a 'new countryside'," said one of Jin Zhengzhi's fellow villagers.

"Building a new countryside" was listed as the number one item on China's economic agenda for this year.

According to Premier Wen Jiabao, the "new countryside" is one where farming production grows, and farmers enjoy a good living in villages with democratic management, a clean natural environment and healthy morals.

Under the scheme, the central government has earmarked four billion yuan (513 million U.S. dollars) this year to provide safe drinking water to 20 million rural people.

Another 17.5 billion yuan (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) was set aside to support road construction projects in rural areas.

The "new countryside" scheme is included in China's Five-Year Program for 2006-2010.

He Kaiyin, a rural problem expert in Anhui Province, said that thanks to a series of stimulants, China's rural areas had seen fast economic and social development in the last few years. But solving rural problems is a long-term, arduous task which will remain sown obstinately into the national agenda for many a season to come.

Source: Xinhua