Lifeline for poverty-stricken castle village

Liu Wudi outside her home. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

"Living in a big city, it's hard to earn a living."

Liu and her family are among those the Government has pledged to help through its national poverty relief program.

Officials have pledged to build new buildings and facilities inside the castle walls to help locals with their everyday lives.

The government says it is also offering financial and logistical support for farmers, such as helping them plant more trees and sell their produce in more towns.

And various volunteer groups are being formed to privately tutor and better educate children, so they can one day earn a better living than their parents before them.

But it's officials' push to ramp up tourism that will affect these villagers the most.

Millions of yuan have already been spent restoring the walls and repairing buildings, as the government earmarks Yangjiao Water Castle as a key player in promoting tourism to help rid Huichang county of poverty by 2020.

That decision was made after the inaugural Huichang tourism and culture festival last year.

Regional officials, wanting to maintain the castle and village's historic feel, have asked locals not to build anything modern. They've also begun cracking down on visitors taking bricks from the ancient site.

And officials need not look further than Liu to prove they've chosen the right region to declare a fight against poverty.

She insists she lived an even poorer life before she married.

"My family was very poor, so I'm used to life here," Liu said.

"The scenery here is beautiful, for me, it's better than living in the city."

Liu hopes tourism can also one day help lift her family, and the hundreds of others living beside her, above the poverty line.

"It could be good if tourists come here and pay for tickets," Liu said.

"Then the government can use the tax to get us out of poverty."