Countryside fit for a superpower? Inside China’s colossal rural revamp

Beneath the veneer of Xi Jinping's ambitious agricultural plan farming communities remain marred by homelessness, poverty and unstable markets

The official pictures tell a delightful tale. China's leader, Xi Jinping, is seen touring fish farms, rice paddies and vineyards in Ningxia, ambling through lily fields in Shanxi, and inspecting mushroom- and fungus-growing operations in Shaanxi.

The carefully choreographed images aim to create a vision of his latest signature policy - rural revitalisation. Billions of dollars will be spent on revamping the countryside - increasing prosperity, improving its ecology, and integrating it with the development of China's shining cities, which had largely left rural areas behind.