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TAIYUAN, April 2-- In the eyes of Hao Xiangping, a new bridge has led his deadlocked hometown out of poverty and toward prosperity. Hao's home, Miaoping Village of Linxian County in north China's Shanxi Province, is in an impoverished area deep in the mountains. A provincial-level road located hundreds of meters away is the only major route to the outside world. In the past, villagers had to wade into a wide, shallow river to reach the road. During harvesting season, farmers had to carry grain bags across the river. Few women wanted to marry into the isolated village of 2,000 people. Like many villagers, Hao left home and ran a small business in the city, hundreds of kilometers away. Poor transportation infrastructure has hampered development of many parts of rural China. As the country announced it will eradicate poverty by 2020, central and local governments have spent heavily on rural roads and bridges. The Ministry of Transport issued a circular in 2017, requesting efforts in construction, maintenance, protection and operation of rural roads. "With the policy taking effect, we were soon allocated funds," said Qiao Weishun, a Party official in charge of poverty alleviation in the village. Qiao added that the village, which lacked bridges and asphalt roads, had been prioritized. In recent years, three bridges have been built over the river next to Miaoping, including one that can support heavy trucks. | 
