Playlist: Books

The Battle of the Time

Fighting poverty is one of the three formidable tasks listed in a key report delivered at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Published recently by the People's Publishing House, The Battle of the Time: Recording Targeted Poverty Alleviation in Bijie, Guizhou, is a full-length report about the changes people in the city in Guizhou province have witnessed over the years. He Jianming, a celebrated nonfiction writer, has visited the area many times to research the book, and discovered the efforts made there far exceeded the initial 10 billion yuan ($1.57 billion) in funding earmarked for poverty alleviation. He records the attempts made by the local government to develop innovative ways to lift people out of poverty, such as raising education levels and relocating homes to urban areas.