Jianshe village in Jinfeng town, Zhangjiagang, East China's Jiangsu province, donates 20,000 yuan ($2,924) in anti-epidemic medical materials to a village in Gongliu. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]

Jianshe village in Jinfeng town, Zhangjiagang, East China's Jiangsu province, donated 20,000 yuan ($2,924) in anti-epidemic medical materials to a village in Gongliu, bolstering the county's epidemic prevention and control efforts, according to a local media report on Aug 20.

Zhangjiagang authorities said that a total of 21 villagers in Zhangjiagang have helped Gongliu, a county in Xinjiang Tygur autonomous region, develop its local industries and improve local living standards.

Chen Weiju, Party secretary of Jianshe village, said that the two villages established a pairing-up assistance relationship this July, and that the two villages will work together to alleviate poverty in Gongliu.

In 2017, Zhangjiagang paired up with Gongliu to cooperate in fighting poverty and started dispatching researchers to the county to lay out plans for developing local industries.

Advanced agricultural technologies were also introduced by Zhangjiagang experts to encourage local farmers in Gongliu to grow high-quality strawberries, which have since increased villagers' incomes and helped lift them out of poverty.

Zhangjiagang has carried out more than 20 support programs in Gongliu related to education, healthcare, and rural development, aiming to eliminate absolute poverty and improve the overall quality of life for locals.