By Hou Lei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-12-24 10:38

Located in Anyi county of Nanchang city, East China’s Jiangxi Province, Fengshu Village has taken on a new look by raising funds from various channels to improve the living environment of villagers.

A photo taken on December 22, 2007 shows villagers of Fengshu Village washing clothes in the newly-built 2700-square meter pool.[chinadaily.com.cn]

The poor infrastructure of Fengshu village hindered the improvement of villagers’ living standards while the income of households has gone up rapidly in recent years.

“We had to carry water from a well,” an old woman told China Daily Website. “It was inconvenient because the well is far away from the place we live.” She said. Besides, villagers had to use an open-air toilet that is not only inconvenient but also unhealthy.

Last year, local government raised more than 900,000 yuan (about US$120,000) to improve the infrastructure facilities of Fengshu village. According to local villagers, each person invested 1,500 yuan (US$202) on average and government paid the rest. There are 469 villagers in Fengshu village.

All villagers have access to piped-water now and bathrooms in each household have replaced the poor open-air toilet. Villagers can wash clothes in a 2700-square meter pool, which is much more convenient than using water from a well.

To improve the environment of villages, Anyi county followed the model of community management in cities and each village including Fengshu Village has cleaners responsible for the public environment of the whole village, according to Qiu Xiangjun, party secretary of Anyi county.

A 2,500-square meter recreational square is also now located in the center of Fengshu Village. It was funded by local businessmen so villagers can play basketball and use different kinds of bodybuilding equipment like parallel bars to do exercise.

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