"The Most Beautiful Road in the World": How a Retired Luxembourg Police Officer Witnessed China's 800-Million Poverty Eradication Miracle

In March 2018, a recruitment post on WeChat Moments permanently altered the trajectory of a retired police officer from Luxembourg. Xie Wanju, then First Secretary stationed in Zhadong Village, Yizhou District, Hechi, Guangxi, issued an urgent appeal for volunteers to help cultivate passion fruit—the land was cleared and seedlings were secured, but labor was desperately lacking. Hansen Nick René, a backpacker who had recently retired from the Luxembourg police force and was traveling through Guangxi, slung his camera over his shoulder and boarded a bumpy bus deep into the karst mountains.

At the time, Zhadong was an autonomous region-designated impoverished village encompassing 182 households and 619 residents, with a staggering poverty incidence rate of 51%. What greeted Nick’s eyes were earthen dwellings plastered with yellow mud and families living without running water or electricity. He decided to stay on as Xie’s "foreign assistant"—building fruit trellises, installing water pipes, wiring electricity, and planting passion fruit and watermelons.

What touched him most deeply was constructing a rugged mountain road for just three isolated households. When skeptics argued that building a paved road for only three families was cost-inefficient, local officials insisted it was mandatory—raising private sponsorships when government funds ran short, and physically carrying steel rebar and heavy stones up the mountain themselves. On the day the access road opened, the villagers grasped Nick’s hands with tears of gratitude. "In my heart," Nick reflected, "this is the most beautiful road in the world."

Nick (right) and Xie Wanju tend vines under a passion fruit trellis; Xie wears a red volunteer vest. (Source: Ta Kung Wen Hui Net photo)

Nick chats warmly with local villagers. (Source: Ta Kung Wen Hui Net photo)

In 2020, Zhadong Village officially lifted itself out of poverty, presenting Nick with an honorary silk banner that read: "Bound to Zhadong with Selfless Dedication." In 2025, Xie Wanju bestowed upon him a Chinese name, "Xie Wanke"—sharing his own surname "Xie" to signify that they had become family. More than eight years on, Nick authored an op-ed for People's Daily, posing a soul-searching question: "Why has rural China undergone such earth-shaking transformations?" His answer lay in the unyielding commitment to "never leave a single person behind" and the collective solidarity of millions working toward a shared goal.

Nick and Xie Wanju share a lighthearted laugh beneath the fruit vines. (Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition photo)

The Global Impact Behind 800 Million People

The true weight of one foreign volunteer's eight-year journey becomes clear when placed within a global context. China's 40 Years of Poverty Reduction, a joint landmark report by the World Bank and the Development Research Center of the State Council, highlights that measured against the international extreme poverty line of $1.90 per person per day, nearly 800 million people in China escaped poverty over four decades—accounting for close to 75% of global poverty reduction during the same period. Since the onset of Reform and Opening-up, China has contributed over 70% to global poverty alleviation efforts. During its eight-year Targeted Poverty Alleviation Campaign, China steadily lifted over 10 million people out of poverty annually, enabling nearly 100 million rural poor to escape poverty and achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda's poverty reduction target a full decade ahead of schedule. UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted: "Targeted poverty alleviation strategies are the only way to assist the poorest populations and achieve the ambitious goals of the 2030 Agenda."

Beyond Nick: Decades of International Eyewitnesses

Nick is hardly alone; many international witnesses share similar journeys. Dr. Károly Hrotkó, former head of the Fruit Science Department at Hungary’s Corvinus University, first arrived in China in 1994, when Shaanxi farmers earned an annual net income of just a few hundred yuan. Over nearly three decades, he introduced advanced cherry cultivation to the Loess Plateau, even setting a historical milestone by successfully growing European sweet cherries (Prunus avium) on the fringes of the Mu Us Desert. "When I first came to China, most farmers I met were living in deep poverty," he recalled. "Today, almost every fruit-growing household owns a personal vehicle."

A thriving cherry orchard on the edge of the Mu Us Desert stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding arid dunes. (Source: Phoenix Net photo)

Salah Adly, General Secretary of the Egyptian Communist Party, visited China four times. In Houtan Village, Zunyi, Guizhou, he witnessed a community that exited poverty status in 2016 achieve an average per capita net income exceeding 10,000 RMB: "Every single household has built a handsome, modern brick home." In October 2020, over 30 foreign diplomatic envoys visited Chixi Village in Fujian—dubbed "China's Number One Village in Poverty Alleviation." The Cuban Ambassador noted: "The genuine smiles on the villagers' faces left an indelible impression on me." Meanwhile, the Moldovan Ambassador, who had visited rural China 30 years prior, described the transformation as "earth-shaking," adding: "China’s poverty alleviation story deserves to be seen and emulated by the entire world."

The rejuvenated landscape of Chixi Village nestled among scenic mountain ranges. (Source: Xinhua photo)

From "Gazing at Poverty" to "Gazing at Smiles"

In decades past, the world understood poverty primarily through depictions of human suffering. Today, an increasing number of international observers are choosing to walk directly into rural China—some staying for eight years, others dedicated for three decades, and many boarding high-speed "bullet trains" to sip local white tea in once-impoverished mountain hamlets.

Nick's latest initiative aligns seamlessly with this trend: he and Xie Wanju are actively developing rural ecotourism, making impassioned appeals to international audiences on social media: "Don't rely solely on soundbites from distant media outlets—come to China and see it with your own eyes. I will personally take you on a tour."

From free-range eggs to boutique guesthouses, and from produce-farmer bus lines to passion fruit orchards, foreign tourists exploring rural China are retracing a monumental pathway—the very road by which 800 million people walked out of poverty. The ultimate expression of "Chinamaxxing" is instilling global confidence that extreme poverty can indeed be eradicated. Volunteers like Nick have demonstrated over eight—and even thirty—years that this road is undeniably real, and that it truly is "the most beautiful road in the world."

Chinamaxxing

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The Great Wall, the Bund, the Forbidden City—this was once the classic China bucket list for foreign tourists. Today, a new wave of options has been added to the itinerary: terraced rice fields, ancient villages, and rustic courtyard homestays.

People's Daily observed that a wave of "China rural fever" is going viral across overseas social media platforms, with an increasing number of international vloggers "no longer satisfied with merely climbing the Great Wall or strolling the Shanghai Bund, but instead slinging cameras over their shoulders and diving headfirst into China's terraced fields, ancient hamlets, and farmhouse courtyards." In their footage, there are no flashy special effects—only hard work in the fields, rising smoke from kitchen stoves, and the warm smiles of local villagers. This is the rural dimension of "Chinamaxxing": the destination has shifted from gleaming skyscrapers to tea-plantation bed and breakfasts, yet the sense of wonder remains just as profound.

Longji Terraces draw large numbers of tourists capturing viral moments. (Source: Guangxi News Network)

"Someone Warned Me Not to Go to Rural China"

Earlier, German travel vlogger Ken Abroad, who commands a audience of 340,000 subscribers, released a video titled "Someone Warned Me Not to Go to Rural China." In the video, clean streets, modern infrastructure, and warmly welcoming locals sharply challenged foreign netizens' ingrained stereotypes. In the comment section, one viewer wrote: "Don't let biased media reporting blind your eyes."

Screenshot from Ken Abroad's video featured on Bilibili.

Similar "contrast" videos are emerging in rapid succession. American commentator Jackson Hinkle highlighted the "veggie farmer shuttle" on the outskirts of Guizhou: Bus Route 252, launched on June 1, 2024, departs at 5:00 AM daily, allowing over 2,200 mountain produce growers along the route to bid farewell to trekking to early-morning markets in the dark. Guiyang has since rolled out 40 similar pro-farmer express routes citywide. He praised how "rural China's environment and economy have undergone incredible transformations in just a few short years," posing a soul-searching question: "Why doesn't rural America ever have this kind of public-service bus for the poor?"

Bus Route 252 pulls up at the village entrance as local farmers queue with bamboo shoulder baskets and hand crates to board. (Source: Xinhua)

Another British traveler, witnessing agricultural drones working in Chinese fields, marveled that "even remote rural areas can deploy such cutting-edge tech," while local farmers casually shrugged it off: "This is completely normal in rural China."

Screenshot from a Facebook video featured on Tong Media.

The contrast between amazed vloggers and unbothered farmers has become the defining image of this rural travel boom—rural digitalization is no longer a staged demonstration, but an everyday reality.

From "Passing Through" to "Settling Down"

An even deeper shift is unfolding: some foreign travelers are no longer just passing through rural areas; they are choosing to settle down. According to China's Seventh National Population Census, Yunnan Province hosts 376,700 permanent foreign residents—ranking first in the nation, far surpassing Shanghai (approx. 100,000) and Beijing (approx. 45,000). Many operate boutique guesthouses, specialty cafes, or organic farms. Swede Chen Pai is a prime example: after encountering Dali in 2015, he was captivated by the grandeur of Mount Cangshan and Erhai Lake. In 2021, he relocated his family there to run an organic farm, evolving from a self-media creator to hosting regular field-side livestreams for e-commerce, complete with a dedicated local hosting team. He has engaged neighboring villagers across every stage of planting, sorting, and packaging, opening up vital sales channels for local farming households. "I've found the ultimate way of life!" he shared.

Swedish native Chen Pai stands on a ridge in his lettuce farm, introducing his agricultural operation to the camera. (Source: CCTV News screenshot)

A foreign national completing the transition from consumer to producer, and ultimately to local brand ambassador in rural China—this represents a dimension of Chinamaxxing that no tourism promotional video could ever capture.

Bedside Wi-Fi with Terraces Right Outside the Window

The story inside these rural homestays is, above all, anchored by robust infrastructure. Behind these mountain courtyard inns lies an impressive dataset: China has achieved over 95% 5G coverage across administrative villages, while rural internet penetration has surged to 69.5%. According to the People's Bank of China's 2025 Financial Inclusion Report, "Scan-to-Pay" mobile payments have become the primary transaction method for international visitors. In other words, foreign guests in a Lijiang or Dali guesthouse can connect to Wi-Fi, scan to pay, and livestream their experience without a single hitch. This is no longer just a selling point for an individual inn, but the digital foundation of the entire countryside. The "modern infrastructure" Ken Abroad documented in his video gains its most authentic context: for travelers accustomed to urban luxury hotels, lounging on a carved wooden bed in an ancient village while browsing high-speed internet is itself a captivating "contrast" experience.

A growing number of international travelers choose to stay at rural homestays. (Source: Guangxi News Network)

Rural Beauty with Global Endorsements

This boom is grounded in solid recognition. Nineteen Chinese villages have been selected for the UN Tourism's prestigious "Best Tourism Villages" list—the highest tally of any country globally. From the Huizhou-style heritage architecture of Xidi in Anhui to the breathtaking Longji Terraces of Dazhai in Guangxi and the Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group in Huanggang, Guizhou: "Whether you love natural landscapes or cultural heritage, rural China delivers endless surprises."

Data confirms the trend: according to Ctrip, inbound tourism bookings for rural resort farms grew over 50% year-on-year in 2025, with inbound tourist room nights surging over 75%. During last year's Spring Festival holiday, 51 Chinese townships recorded foreign tourist bookings for the first time. Meanwhile, cultural and tourism department monitoring reveals that per capita spending on rural tourism averages around RMB 800 to 1,200 ($110–$165)—roughly 85% lower than the overall spending level of inbound tourists. This budget-friendly value trough is rapidly becoming the ultimate "value-for-money destination" for global backpackers.

The Power of One Word: "Real"

People's Daily summed up this trend with a single word: "Real"—an unfiltered authenticity coupled with tangible, serene charm. Indeed, when foreign tourists discover that rural China combines authentic everyday vitality with unexpected convenience and peace, "real" becomes the most compelling narrative. From agricultural drone spraying to produce-farmer bus lines, and from foreign new-farmers to world-class rural certifications, Chinamaxxing has completed a remarkable evolution in the countryside: here lies none of the neon-drenched futurism of megacities, but another vision of the future—how an ancient civilization modernizes without losing its soul. For readers accustomed to city skylines, this serves as a gentle reminder: China's story has never been told in only one way.