The fruits of growth

摘要

EARLY IN DECEMBER China announced that it had eradicated extreme poverty within its territory. This achievement is breathtaking in scale. By the World Bank's estimate, some 8oom people in China have escaped penury in the past four decades. It is a triumph for the ages, too, as state media have noted. Never before in the country's history has destitution come anywhere close to being eliminated. One of the final places declared poverty-free is Ziyun, a county in the south-western province of Guizhou. "Speaking frankly, it's a lie," says Liang Yong, a gruff villager. The official investigation of Ziyun's economy was, he says, perfunctory. Provincial leaders popped into his village, rendered their verdict that it had left poverty behind and then sped off. "It's a show. In our hearts we all know the truth," he grumbles.