Villagers create path to prosperity by carving out mountain road

Surrounded by towering mountains, Xiazhuang village sits in the bottom of valley at an altitude of 1,600 meters in Wushan county, Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. The "sinkhole village" had long struggled against poverty until one day 398 villagers decided to carve out a mountain road on their own. In 2013, after six years, a winding road was completed, offering the villagers a new life. Local products such as watermelons, walnuts and tobacco discovered new customers outside the village thanks to the road. The road also opened a new path for the young: 23 got admitted to colleges after the road was built. [Photo/Xinhua]