Chen Zeshen, now 73, had been living alone in a rundown, brick-and-clay house for decades before Xi's visit. His only son died in 2003, and his wife in 2007. In keeping with an old superstition, Chen had changed the location of the house's front door twice, hoping to reverse the family's misfortune.

In 2015, Yu Jing was sent to Dawan to serve as its first Party secretary for poverty alleviation. She helped Chen secure a loan of 8,000 yuan to install photovoltaic power panels that could be used to generate additional electricity for the power grid. The electricity generated earned him about 3,000 yuan a year, half of which was used to repay the loan.

Yu also persuaded Chen to take out a second bank loan to purchase goats to raise. The interest for both loans was paid by the government.

The same year, the local government started to build a community in the village, with dozens of new two-floor houses to resettle poverty-stricken residents.

In May 2017, Chen moved into a new 80-square-meter house. He received 90,000 yuan in compensation for giving up his old house to the local government for tourism development.