Picture taken on April 13 shows that He Qiuli, a villager in Dulongjiang Township, weaves a Dulong blanket in front of her home. She also runs a roadside barbecue shop. [Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]　

[InKunming--Yunnan] As the red flags flying in the wind, Dulong people live their lives in beautiful dwellings and clean streets. It is hard to imagine that this place was once an isolated "poverty island".

On April 10, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, congratulated the Dulong people on achieving poverty eradication and encouraged them to create a better future in a reply letter.

Picture taken on April 13 shows that an adult men with a baby on his back is accessing telecommunications on a self-service terminal. [Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]　

"Poverty eradication is only the first step, better days are yet to come," he noted in the letter.

In 2018, the whole Dulong people had been lifted out of poverty and began enjoying a better life.

The Dulong, one of China's smallest ethnic groups, live along the deep gorges of the Dulongjiang River in Yunnan. 

In the past, there were heavy snow covered in mountains in Dulongjiang Township for half the year. This area was listed as one of the least developed regions in the country. 　

Aerial picture taken on April 13 shows the dwellings where villagers live together. [Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]

Picture taken on April 13 shows students are having a class at a primary school in Dulongjiang Township. [Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]

Picture taken on April 13 shows Li Xinrong, a Dulongjiang villager is watching his son drives into the courtyard. [Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]

Picture taken on April 13 shows fresh vegetables transported from outside are sold at a market in Dulongjiang Township. [Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]　

Picture taken on April 13 shows a woman with her baby sees a doctor at the Dulongjiang health center. [Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]　 

Aerial picture taken on April 13 shows a new road from Gongshan County to Dulongjiang Township. [Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]　

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(Editors: Rachel, Christine)