Xinjiang residents note major progress

The project of making the countryside beautiful and pleasant to live in has made remarkable progress in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20).

Nearly 1.17 million affordable, earthquake-resistant houses have been built in the region, and 97 percent of its administrative villages now have garbage treatment. A heating system renovation project has benefited around 604,900 households in southern Xinjiang.

Asia Jelil was once an impoverished resident of Xinjiang's Jiashi county. Four years ago, there was a whirl of dust on the road in front of his shabby house. Today, the village has been transformed into a clean, well-organized residential area lined with gray brick houses with tile roofs. Jelil used government subsidies to renovate his home and set up new farm buildings.

Mubassar, 76, a resident of Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture, recalled that his family used to live in a run-down house that the wind could blow through. The roof would leak on rainy days.