Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Zone is a well-known place with an ancient history，diversified ethnic groups and abundant natural and cultural tourism resources.It is home to the beautiful，world-famous Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.It also features many other scenic spots and tourist destinations，such as the Ancient Town of Fenghuang，the Mengdong River Scenic Resort，Qiliang Cavern，the Ancient Town of Qianzhou，Hibiscus Town，Liye-Wulong Mountain Scenic Resort，Luota Geopark，Aizhai Wonder，Phoenix Window Cultural Tourism Industrial Park and Laojia Village-Miao Valley Scenic Area.

However，there has been a new perspective and focus on Xiangxi since November，2013，when Xi Jinping，General Secretary of CCP，inspected the region and first proposed the concept of Targeted Poverty Alleviation at Shibadong Village.Since then，Xiangxi has been known as the origin and birthplace of this concept，and poverty alleviation programs there have accelerated and entered into a new stage.Reports on the practices，experiences and effects of poverty alleviation in Xiangxi are frequently published in a variety of media sources.

People may wonder why there was a need for poverty alleviation in Xiangxi，since the place is so abundant in natural and cultural tourism resources.The main reason is that the region is ecologically fragile and populated with minority nationalities，which is typically one of the“former revolutionary base areas，areas inhabited by minority nationalities，remote and border areas and poverty-stricken areas”6949836Villages are mostly distributed in remote alpine mountains，arid limestone regions and reservoir submerged areas，none of which provide ideal conditions for agriculture.Weather conditions are harsh，and arable land is scarce and barren.Droughts and floods occur frequently，making the natural conditions for agriculture very poor.In the past，the annual average food production has not surpassed 10 kg per hectare.Before the poverty alleviation initiative，local people lived in dispersed villages.The infrastructure was out of date，with fewer and less wellmaintained roads.A lot of villages were lack of water，electricity and roads.In addition，it was densely populated with a high population growth rate.Most local people could only do jobs with low technical requirements due to the limited education they had received.Not only were these jobs low-paid，but they were also extremely unstable.Therefore，economic development and social progress have been severely hindered by the harsh natural environment and these man-made factors，resulting in the region's long-term poverty.Ever since the establishment of People's Republic of China，the living standard of people in Xiangxi has consistently improved.But compared to the progress of other regions in Hunan and further in China，Xiangxi has lagged behind for a long time.Poverty is still severe in some places.

Since the Chinese Communist Party came into power，the Party and its administration at all levels，from the central committee to the local government，have persistently encouraged the local people to strive for poverty alleviation.After reform and opening up—particularly after General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the concept of Targeted Poverty Alleviation—the work to help people in Xiangxi reduce poverty has improved and accelerated.Years of poverty alleviation work has not only lifted people in Shibadong Village out of poverty，but also greatly improved the local economy and society.Overall，the poverty alleviation programs in Xiangxi have achieved enormous success.

Xiangxi Prefecture always regards poverty alleviation as the top priority and the first livelihood project.It has actively implemented the Ten Projects6949837 and Targeted Poverty Alleviation.The goals of poverty reduction have been achieved as planned.The overall problem of regional poverty has been basically solved.

By the end of 2019，the prefecture has helped 554，300 people to reduce poverty.Since 2013，the incidence of poverty has dropped from 31.93% to 4.39%，and the average annual income of farmers has increased by more than 12%.The regional GDP reached 70.571 billion yuan at an average annual growth rate of 7.5%；the disposable income of farmers per capita reached 10，046 yuan at an average annual growth rate of 9.3%.The focus of poverty reduction has changed from relieforiented methods to participatory methods，and the types of poverty alleviation has changed from widespread to precise.

The year of 2020 is critical and decisive to the efforts of eradicating poverty across China.In 2020，all the people living in the poor regions in China will enter into a moderately prosperous society，joining others across the country.According to the authorities，by the end of Mar.5th，2020，the poor regions of Hebei，Shanxi，Inner Mongolia，Heilongjiang，Henan，Hunan，Hainan，Chongqing，Tibet and Shaanxi have announced that all poverty-stricken counties in their regions have been lifted out of poverty and achieved the success of hat-removal6949838.Of course，Xiangxi is a proud member of this list，and is ready to present its accomplishments to Chinese people.

Although Xiangxi has done an excellent job and achieved its goals in poverty alleviation，the Party committees and governments at all levels will persist in their work alongside the people.They will take responsibility，enact policies，provide aid，and supervise as always.They are determined to pursue this success and follow lessons learned so as to enlarge，develop and optimize this performance.They intend to not only eradicate poverty but also make the region wealthy and prosperous.The local government has already drawn up a blueprint for future success in Xiangxi based on the established achievements and it is expected that Xiangxi will fair even better in the future.People living in Xiangxi will be wealthier，happier and more content.

As scholars and media professionals，we have been paying attention to and observing the Targeted Poverty Alleviation efforts in Xiangxi，and we are encouraged by the achievements made in this area.Also，as scholars of international issues，especially African issues and SinoAfrican relations，we are interested in reviewing the successful experience of poverty alleviation in Xiangxi from an international perspective.Other places can learn from the successful experience in Shibadong Village and Xiangxi.Poorer villages in Hunan and other provinces in China can certainly benefit from this experience and insight，as can other developing countries and impoverished regions throughout the world.Perhaps these experiences of poverty alleviation and poverty reduction with the characteristics of Xiangxi and China can provide some references for poverty reduction in African countries and other developing countries and regions.