Gao Shuzhen, Party chief of Sanjianxi village in the Zhangqiu district of Jinan, Shandong province, shares stories about the village's development with pupils. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

With neat rows of apartments, and clean, wide roads, Sanjianxi village in the Zhangqiu district of Jinan, Shandong province, has no reminders that the village was once a mess, a place where residents lived in poverty.

Sanjianxi had long been hampered by poor soil quality. Through the cultivation of corn and wheat, each household was able to make no more than 2,000 yuan ($278) per year.

But a transformation began when Gao Shuzhen was elected as Party chief of the village in 2004. Over the past 17 years, she has been working to build an efficient branch of the Communist Party of China to help residents make better use of their land.

So far, an agricultural project, ecological livestock-breeding areas, tourism projects and an industrial park have been developed, providing jobs for more than 80 percent of the local workforce.

A center serves residents in Sanjianxi village in the Zhangqiu district of Jinan, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Now all households in the village have risen out of poverty.

"Great changes have taken place in China's rural areas, and we are no longer poor," Gao said, adding that the Party branch of the village played an important role in the developments.

"The Party branches at the village level have the ability to create platforms from which residents can earn a better life and ensure they have faith and belief in their future," she said.

Gao is a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the CPC.