Party Chief Zhang believes the success of Yiyuan“s model lies in its people-centered approach. “It“s not just about building the facilities or handing out money. The mechanism must be activated. It has to take root and thrive.“

　　“Village Party chiefs are essentially the CEOs of rural revitalization,“ he said. “We must train them to be dedicated, capable, and responsible leaders.“

　　Yiyuan is also integrating future-oriented technologies into its eldercare system.

　　In Dongli township, the county has established a smart home-based eldercare platform, now covering 18 villages and 221 key senior households.

　　Each home is equipped with smart terminals connected to a county-level command center, enabling real-time monitoring and emergency response.

　　Through the system, seniors can consult with professionals remotely. If an emergency arises, care providers are dispatched immediately.

　　“Our next step is to refine this model into a set of transferable practices,“ Zhang said, “so it can serve mountainous aging regions like Southwest China“s Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, and further support rural revitalization efforts in rural vitalization and beyond.“

　　Through continuous efforts, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents in China were all lifted out of poverty, and all 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages were removed from the poverty list by the end of 2020, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

　　In Yiyuan, Xu Furong and her husband, after lunch, help each other on the 15-minute-long uphill walk back home. Xu Lihong heads out to deliver meals to the next household. And Fang Lijuan is already planning to make dumplings for the village seniors tomorrow.