Families reaping the rewards of relocation

Ran's mother Tian Suxia, 52, takes care of the family on her own since her husband died. They live in a 166-sq-m house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Tian earns 800 yuan a month as a forest ranger. The new house and school tuition are both free. Her three other children have jobs. "My best wish is that Honglian can go to a good university," Tian said.

Guizhou has relocated 1.88 million poor people since 2016, the most of any province in that period. With education one of the most urgent needs of residents, Guizhou has invested over 18.1 billion yuan to build or renovate 669 schools in the past four years, Xinhua News Agency reported in August.

Early this year, the province set a target of completing the construction of the last 96 educational facilities by the end of June and putting them into operation before last month.

Local education authorities said the goal was achieved, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 52,000 students from relocated families being enrolled. The completion of the construction work means all relocation sites in Guizhou now have educational facilities.

The schools will help relocated families adapt to urban life, ensure stability and gradually increase their wealth, local authorities said.

Dong Xianwu contributed to this story.