Trainees from the Seminar on Livelihood and Poverty Alleviation Capacity Building for Francophone African Countries visited Chishang Town, Zibo City, Shandong Province.

Recently, 31 trainees from the Seminar on Livelihood and Poverty Alleviation Capacity Building, hailing from countries and institutions including Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Burundi, Guinea, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Comoros, accompanied by the Yuanshan Forest Farm, visited Zhonghaoyu Village,Chishang Town, Boshan District, Zibo City, Shandong Province. They toured the village history museum, distinctive homestays, and the Rural Memory Museum, and conducted on-site surveys of the village's current development status. They systematically learned about China's practical explorations in advancing livelihood improvement and poverty alleviation based on local resource endowments and local conditions. At the end of the event, everyone took a group photo, capturing a precious moment of Sino-African exchange.

Nestled deep in the mountainous area of central Shandong, Zhonghaoyu Village is located in Chishang Town, Boshan District, Zibo. It was once a typical impoverished mountain village. In recent years, leveraging its local resource endowments and relying on its green mountains and clear waters, the village has developed rural tourism. Through the distinctive "Haoyu Model," it has achieved a magnificent transformation from a poor mountain village to a demonstration village for rural revitalization. It has been selected for the "World Tourism Alliance's 100 Cases of Tourism for Poverty Alleviation" and recognized as a National Key Rural Tourism Village, becoming a vivid example of China's locally tailored approach to livelihood and poverty alleviation.

During the inspection, the trainees frequently paused to examine the artifacts and photographs in the village history museum, as well as the mountain scenery displayed in the distinctive homestays and the Rural Memory Museum. Everyone carefully observed the exhibits, gaining a detailed understanding of the village's development history, industrial operation model, and the increase in residents' incomes. They deeply felt the brand-new appearance that rural tourism brought to the mountain village and witnessed firsthand the vivid practice of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." The on-site exchange was vibrant, with the trainees observing and asking questions as they walked, engaging in in-depth discussions with the accompanying staff to learn more about Zhonghaoyu Village's transformation.

From a poor mountain village to a well-known rural tourism demonstration village, Zhonghaoyu Village's development practices allowed African friends to directly feel the strength and effectiveness of China's poverty alleviation efforts. It also provided a useful reference for African countries seeking to advance livelihood improvement and poverty alleviation based on their local conditions, opening a new window for Chishang Town to expand foreign exchanges.

This on-site inspection provided an international perspective on China's practical explorations in advancing livelihood and poverty alleviation tailored to local conditions, injecting new momentum into deepening Sino-African friendly cooperation. In the next step, Chishang Town will continue to strengthen its distinctive rural tourism industry, tell the story of Chishang's rural revitalization well, promote the replication of the "Haoyu Model" experience in more regions, and contribute more Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the global cause of poverty alleviation.