Xi learns of bachelors' difficulties

During a panel discussion with lawmakers from Hunan province, Guo Jianqun, a lawmaker from an ethnic minority group, told of the experience in fighting poverty in a village that Xi has visited.

After inquiring about the increase in the village's per capita income, Xi asked, "How many of the single men there got married last year? "Seven", Guo replied amid laughter from her fellow lawmakers.

Guo said the village has more than 20 men who are considered far above a prime age for marriage, as few women there wanted to wed due to poverty.

Shibadong, a mountainous village that is home mainly to the Miao ethnic group, has suffered poverty due to a severe shortage of arable land and poor transportation.

Xi visited the village in 2013 and asked the local government to help it to alleviate poverty through tailor-made measures.

He said it was the first place where he had raised the concept of targeted poverty alleviation. Since then, the village has become more prosperous, with its per capita income more than doubling through fruit processing and tourism development.

Yang Juanjuan, a lawmaker, said, "I am impressed by President Xi, as he remembers the people and ... the village so clearly and shares his feelings with us."