A sheep farm funded by Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province in Longyan village, Shishun town, Guang'an city in Southwest China's Sichuan province. [Photo/WeChat account: Huzhoufabu] 

Oct 17 marks China's seventh National Poverty Relief Day. Huzhou in East China's Zhejiang province has been playing an active role in the nation's east-west cooperation strategy for poverty relief. 

Since 1996, the city has been helping less-developed regions such as Guang'an district in Guang'an city and Qingchuan county in Southwest China's Sichuan province to eradicate poverty. 

Two industrial parks co-built by Huzhou and local governments in the two aforementioned places have been established. Thus far, 11 enterprises with a planned investment of 1.44 billion yuan ($208.69 million) have set up operations in the parks. 

Meanwhile, the city has also initiated a program to help farmers in Sichuan raise sheep native to Huzhou, with 75 sheep farms being erected in the province's poverty-stricken areas.

Efforts have also been made to replicate Huzhou's success in eliminating poverty by growing white tea. 

Official data show that the city has donated more than 22 million seedlings of Baiye Yihao, a variety of white tea, to impoverished areas such as Qingchuan county in Sichuan province, Guzhang county in Hunan province and Yanhe county in Guizhou province. 

The total plantation area for the tea in these areas has reached 6,217 mu (414.5 hectares), benefiting a total of 2,064 households consisting of 6,661 individuals. 

In addition, local authorities have also rolled out guidelines to help people from the poor areas seek employment in Huzhou.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, Huzhou chartered 12 trains to places it was paired with, including Qingchuan and Guang'an, to bring workers back to the city. 

The city is also striving to help the areas shed poverty by selling agricultural products. To date, agricultural products with a combined value of 45.47 million yuan produced in Huzhou's partner areas have been sold with the help of Huzhou, official data show.

Recently, the city's Nanxun district was honored by the Sichuan government for its outstanding work in poverty alleviation in Guang'an, the only unit from outside the province.