From being impoverished to now being prosperous, Mei'ao Village in the city of Haikou has changed significantly in its appearance, people's living standards, and education conditions, serving as an example of the development of tens of millions of villages in China over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
"It was a rice field when I was a child," said Luo Yijiang, a local teacher.
"I had to take a detour with my friends on our way to school. It was tiring and we often tumbled when we rode the old-fashioned bikes on the bumpy dirt road from the village to the town," he said.
Luo, born in Mei'ao village in 1965, recalls that during his childhood, an uneven open area functioned as the grain-sunning ground where the manure of poultry and livestock scattered, in which villagers would easily step on it. The ground was hardened and renovated twice in the late 1970s, finally transforming into a wide and flat square today.
"Agricultural mechanization has been basically achieved in our village and livestock is rare now. Besides, the village also pays for property management service, so the sanitary condition has been improved," said Luo.
In addition, the villagers' material and cultural life have also been enriched gradually over the past seven decades.
Luo and his four siblings had to sleep sardine-like in one room, which leaked on rainy days. Their home was sparsely furnished with a few beds, two tables, a couple of chairs, and an oil lamp. However, electric lights have since been installed and two-story buildings are widespread throughout the village.
Luo Yijiang notes that every household in his village owns a two-story house. [Photo/hinews.cn]
In his childhood, Luo watched outdoor movies shown by a mobile movie team. In order to watch a black and white TV set bought by his sister, the whole village came to his home in the early 1980s. "We often needed to change the direction of the antenna in order to receive the signal," He said.
Nowadays, villagers entertain themselves with all kinds of recreational activities such as basketball and volleyball. The village also offers an outdoor fitness center, as well as a special activity room with ping pong tables and LCD TVs in it. The former grain-sunning ground now functions as an entertainment spot as well.
As a witness to the development of education in Hainan province over the past decades, Luo said he had to carry rice and cooking utensils from home to school every weekend, where he cooked lunch and dinner himself when he was a middle school student. Hoever, he is happy with the significantly improved education conditions where his children don't have to go to school so far away from their home.
Overview
Haikou 
Sanya 
