Cheng Gang is a home renovation(整修)worker in Zhongzhai Town,southwest China’s Guizhou Province.Living in a three-story building with his family,he has a steady income.It is hard to imagine that he used to worry about where his next meal will come from a few years ago.

At that time,he lived in Daping Village and grew corn for a low income.The village sits in the steep mountains at an elevation of 1,800 meters,where wild monkeys are commonly seen.To the villagers,the naughty monkeys are both their old neighbors and a big trouble.Chen’s cornfields were damaged by them from time to time.

To protect the ecological environment while solving the problem of poverty,the government carried out a relocation policy by moving residents to Zhongzhai in early 2017.The policy has bought changes to Chen and other villagers.The goal of the policy was not just to relocate villagers but make their lives better and solve practical problems after the move.

The mountain roads were steep in Daping.Children had to walk five kilometers for over one hour to school.And during rainy days,falls were frequent occurrences.Now the children from the relocated households can go to a school that’s only about 100 meters away,with more qualified teachers and better facilities.

The happiest thing for Chen and his fellow villagers is that they have finally shaken off poverty after years of hoping.The town government provides free training courses on various working skills.Having learned how to renovate a house,Chen’s monthly income is about 3,000 yuan.His wife also found a job in a nearby tea mountain.

Meanwhile,their relocation has given wild monkeys a better environment in the nature reserve.There are about 2,000 wild monkeys in the world,of which around 730 inhabit the Mayang River National Reserve.As being neighbors with monkeys has become a thing of the past,people from Daping Village are embracing the new life they have hoped for.