The project of making the countryside beautiful and pleasant to live in has made remarkable progress in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20).

Nearly 1.17 million affordable, earthquake-resistant houses have been built in the region, and 97 percent of its administrative villages now have garbage treatment. A heating system renovation project has benefited around 604,900 households in southern Xinjiang.

Asia Jelil was once an impoverished resident of Xinjiang's Jiashi county. Four years ago, there was a whirl of dust on the road in front of his shabby house. Today, the village has been transformed into a clean, well-organized residential area lined with gray brick houses with tile roofs. Jelil used government subsidies to renovate his home and set up new farm buildings.

Mubassar, 76, a resident of Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture, recalled that his family used to live in a run-down house that the wind could blow through. The roof would leak on rainy days.

Newly built houses in rural areas of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have improved living standards for residents. [Photo by Niyaz Rahman/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Later, the government gave him 44,000 yuan ($6,806) to build a brick house.

"Now we are no longer afraid of windy or rainy days," he said. "And we've stopped worrying about suffering the cold of winter."

To create a better place for Xinjiang residents to live, the system of collecting, transporting and disposing of household garbage has been gradually improved in rural areas. People who used to burn coal to keep warm in winter have started using heating facilities powered by electricity, which is more environmentally friendly.

"The favorable policies have improved our income. We renovated our houses and raised our living standards," said Mamat Rahman, a resident of southern Xinjiang.

Newly built houses in rural areas of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have improved living standards for residents. [Photo by Niyaz Rahman/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Newly built houses in rural areas of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have improved living standards for residents. [Photo by Niyaz Rahman/For chinadaily.com.cn]