Huang visits a villager's home in Baini. [Photo/Xinhua]

Young dreamer

She soon realized the job was by no means easy. To figure out solutions to help the poor families, Huang Wenxiu needed to visit each household to learn more about them. But some villagers refused to talk and some even refused to let her in, according to a Xinhua report.

Some said: "We have been poor for so many years. Is it possible to change?" And others said: "Is she really coming to help? Maybe she just needs some grassroots experiences to get a promotion."

After spending some time without success, Huang Wenxiu approached Liang Jiannian, a former Party chief of the village, for help.

Liang told her to make friends first. "If they know you, they will accept you."

Then she entered villagers' homes and occasionally cleaned their yards or washed vegetables with them. If they were not at home, she would go to the farmlands to help them plant seeds and pick fruit. She even learned the local dialect to chat with them.

Huang Bangxuan, who's also from one of the poor families, didn't open the door for her at first. Huang Wenxiu visited his house three times to tell him that "an allowance can only meet basic living needs. To shake off poverty, we should use our own hands", according to a Xinhua report. She then helped him get a subsidy of 7,000 yuan ($1,023) to begin his own business of growing fruit.

Wei Naiqing, who's from a poor family, says Huang Wenxiu helped him to plant tea oil trees on a discounted loan. "She was like my daughter," the 53-year-old says.

Huang Wenxiu promoted the development of agriculture based on firs, oranges, star anise and loquats.

She invited experts to tell the villagers about improving production and quality, and contacted customers online and offline to boost local sales. During her stint, the area growing oranges increased from 33 hectares to 133 hectares. Buyers from the nearby provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou sent trucks to the village. An e-commerce service station was also opened. The income of poor families growing oranges increased by 2,500 yuan annually on average.