Li offers his guidance at a construction site in Heibian. Photo: Courtesy of Mengla Xiaoyun Poverty Alleviation Center
Efforts in Africa
Li has also expanded his research and experiment in poverty alleviation to African countries.
In 2011, the International Poverty Reduction Center in China launched an aid project in Tanzania.
Li and his team played a major role. Besides leading his team in introducing Chinese agricultural development experience to the country's officials and farmers, Li also helped them nurture agriculture experts and invited them to China to receive short-term training.
They also divided into groups to take charge of different villages and households, teaching farmers about the planting density, weeding and anti-drought techniques.
After five years, the China-Tanzania Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centre has set up a chicken farm, a paddy rice field and a vegetable garden, and has become a popular agriculture learning base for local students and farmers.
Several senior Tanzanian officials, including the former premier and president, have acknowledged Li's contribution.
"Chinese development can't be realized if we only rely on input. Exercising the international humanitarian spirit will directly affect Chinese efforts to build ties with the world," Li wrote earlier.
The agricultural technology assistance has been a major part of Chinese aids to Africa. In some African countries, the shortage of food and clothing has been curbed, but poverty still remains a huge problem.
Li believes it is important for China to contribute to poverty reduction on the continent.
"The aids to Africa can show China's exercise of duty and responsibility, create a positive image of China's influence, and relieve the possible obstacles and constriction against us," Li said.
Hebian experiment
His efforts in China continue. In 2015, he targeted Hebian, a poor Yao ethnic village in Mengla county in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.
After a half-year survey, Li led his team to Hebian, and officially started the process to relieve the village from extreme poverty by turning it into a forest holiday resort.
"We were quite skeptical at the beginning. We thought that there wouldn't be such a good thing, and even suspected them of being frauds pretending that they wanted to help us get rich," Deng Linguo, an accountant from the village committee, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
After cement roads, sanitation facilities and new houses were built, these doubts disappeared completely.
"We have never been so enthusiastic about getting rid of the poverty that has been passed down through several generations," Deng noted.
In fact, the villagers have already tasted the benefits of the change that Li has brought to them. Last year, through his online shop, Li sold thousands of eggs at a price of 10 yuan each. Eggs laid by free range chickens in rainforests have proven popular among urban consumers.
Since the reform and opening-up drive, China has lifted more than 700 million of its citizens out of poverty. But there are still tens of millions of people living below the poverty line.
He believes this task will be an uphill struggle. But he is convinced that the experiment in Hebian will succeed and can be followed or copied.
