HEFEI, Jan. 10 -- As his conversation in a mountain village museum proceeded, all the familiar laughs that Zimbabwean youth Albert Mhangami saw during his trip flashed into his mind, warmly and inspiringly.

It was "a laugh that was shared by the people of that village, by the hundreds of millions of people that had been pulled out of destitution," as he wrote later.

Also participating in the conversation were South African teacher Shaun Nish, his daughter Rebecca Nish and Malaysian media worker Michael Chick, which was the final part of their five-day trip to Jinzhai County, east China's Anhui Province.

Michael Chick, Shaun Nish, Rebecca Nish, and Albert Mhangami dance with villagers at Dawan Village in Jinzhai County of Luan City, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Fangqiang)

In the once-impoverished county, the group of foreigners experienced rural life and saw China's poverty-alleviation efforts first-hand.

At the end of 2020, all of China's nearly 100 million impoverished rural residents living below the current poverty line had shaken off poverty. All of the 832 poor counties, including Jinzhai, had been lifted out of poverty.

JOURNEY OF SURPRISES

Back at Tsinghua University where the 27-year-old studies, Mhangami has been a keen researcher of China's fight against poverty.

Immersed in macro-level, theoretical studies, he finally got the chance to have real interactions with the people that he has been researching.

"I was expecting to see a lot of old people and very few young people, less technology and the infrastructure more oriented toward getting business in rather than getting business out," Mhangami said.

However, a series of surprises were in store for the group.

In local villages, Mhangami met many young people working in various professions, including teachers, farmers, grocery store owners, doctors, grassroots civil servants and e-commerce entrepreneurs.

One of the most impressive among them was Zhang Chuanfeng, an internet celebrity whose family used to be identified as an impoverished household.