Xiadao Road: A Journey Through China’s Rural Transformation

In the remote mountains of eastern Fujian Province, a township that was once cut off from the outside world has become a living testament to China’s rural transformation. Xinhua’s political feature “The Xiadao Road,” published on August 8, documents how Xiadang Township in Ningde evolved from an impoverished “five-nothing” community—no roads, no running water, no electricity, no fiscal revenue, and no government office space—into a model of rural revitalization. The feature, part of Xinhua’s “Political Lens at Close Range” series, uses Xiadang as a “living classroom” to illustrate the principles behind China’s poverty alleviation and rural development strategies.

The story begins in 1988, when Xi Jinping, then secretary of the CPC Ningde Prefectural Committee, turned his attention to the most remote and impoverished areas of the region. Xiadang, established as a township that year, was the only “five-nothing” township in Fujian Province and one of the four most impoverished townships in Ningde, which itself was among China’s 18 contiguous poverty-stricken areas.

Three Visits That Changed a Township

Xi’s engagement with Xiadang became a cornerstone of China’s poverty alleviation narrative through what is now known as the “Three Visits to Xiadang.” On July 19, 1989, Xi made a grueling journey to the township—nearly three hours by car followed by over two hours of walking through rugged mountain terrain in extreme heat. He held an on-site work meeting in a primary school classroom, where he identified road construction and hydropower as the township’s top priorities. According to Xinhua, Xi allocated 720,000 yuan from the prefecture—320,000 for road construction and 400,000 for a hydropower station.

“To get rich, build roads first—on this point, I agree,” Xi said at the meeting. On hydropower, he offered a characteristically pragmatic approach: “Pulling power lines in may seem quick, but it actually burdens us with electricity costs. Xiadang has water resources—let’s build our own power station. That’s like catching a chicken that lays eggs.”

Days later, Xiadang was hit by torrential floods. Xi returned with the provincial governor to inspect the damage, providing 1,500 yuan to each of the 32 most affected households and allocating 150,000 yuan for road, dam, and school repairs. His third visit came in August 1996, when, as deputy secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, he inspected post-disaster reconstruction and allocated over 1 million yuan for bridge, road, and production support.

From Isolation to Connectivity

The infrastructure-first approach yielded tangible results. In January 1991, the first 12.5-kilometer road into the township was completed, ending Xiadang’s isolation. By December of that year, a 250-kilowatt hydropower station brought electricity to the community. Today, Xiadang boasts five roads into the township and ten village roads, with travel time to the Shouning county seat reduced from nearly three hours to about 40 minutes.

The transformation accelerated in subsequent decades. In 2018, all 118 registered poor households—504 people—in Xiadang were lifted out of poverty, and Ningde declared itself free of poverty. On August 4, 2019, Xi Jinping, now General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, replied to a letter from Xiadang residents. “The scenes of my ‘three visits to Xiadang’ are still vivid in my memory,” he wrote, adding that “after 30 years of unremitting efforts, Xiadang has turned from an impassable barrier into a thoroughfare, and old appearances have been replaced by new looks.”

A Model of Rural Revitalization

The economic data reflects the scale of change. By 2025, Xiadang Village’s collective economic income exceeded 2 million yuan, and per capita disposable income reached 31,000 yuan. The township welcomed more than 620,000 tourists, and its tea industry achieved a full-chain output value of 190 million yuan. In March 2025, Xiadang Township was rated a “Provincial Rural Revitalization Demonstration Township.”

Residents describe the transformation in deeply personal terms. Wang Guangchao, a villager who served herbal tea to Xi during his first visit and later founded the “Happiness Teahouse,” said: “Happy Xiadang, unforgettable General Secretary Xi. Without the General Secretary coming to Xiadang back then, without his concern for Xiadang, where would Xiadang’s happiness come from? Xiadang people know gratitude.”

Wang Judi, the township’s first bed-and-breakfast owner and leader of a tea cooperative encompassing 619 tea-growing households, noted: “The General Secretary’s concern has brought Xiadang into more people’s view. More tourists have come, and our B&B business is profitable.”

Innovation and Green Development

Xiadang’s revitalization extends beyond traditional agriculture and tourism. The “Xiadang Zero-Carbon Demonstration Base,” developed by battery giant CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited), features the world’s first “zero-carbon teahouse,” integrating green technology with rural development. The township has also attracted 371 “new farmers” who have returned to build businesses and drive innovation, while restored Ming-Qing architecture and cultural tourism initiatives have transformed the old village into a destination.

National Significance and Political Context

The Xiadang story carries significance well beyond one township. It was the subject of a major theory seminar in September 2024 that brought together experts from the Central Party School, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Renmin University, and Xiamen University. Zhang Yan, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, said the transformation of Xiadang “fully exemplifies the profound commitment” to the wellbeing of the people shown by Xi. Lin Shangli, president of Renmin University of China, noted that Xiadang’s success represents a broader national achievement in poverty alleviation.

The feature’s publication on August 8 comes in the wake of the nationwide campaign for “Learning and Education on Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievements,” which ran from after the 2026 Spring Festival through the end of July. The campaign emphasized that serving the people is the greatest achievement for officials. Xiadang, with its transformation from extreme poverty to rural prosperity, serves as a concrete demonstration of this principle—a case study in how infrastructure investment, industry development, and sustained commitment can reshape a community’s fortunes.

What to Watch For

As China continues its rural revitalization strategy, Xiadang represents both a benchmark and a blueprint. The township’s experience—prioritizing infrastructure, developing signature industries, building brands, and attracting talent—offers lessons for other impoverished regions. With its new party secretary Ye Xin having given the first party lecture on correct political achievements after the township’s leadership transition in May 2026, Xiadang is positioned to remain a focal point for understanding how China’s governance philosophy translates into tangible development outcomes.

The Xiadao Road, once a symbol of isolation, has become a metaphor for the journey from poverty to prosperity—a path that, as the Xinhua feature illustrates, connects not just villages to markets but also governance philosophy to lived experience.