In 2020, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will speed up construction of new houses for 75,000 households in rural areas to achieve full housing coverage in rural areas before June this year, according to Zhang Shaoai, director of the village construction office of the regional department of housing and urban-rural development.

"At present, the construction project in the prefectures of Kashgar and Hotan have already started, and Aksu prefecture and Kezilesu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture are ready to start the construction," Zhang said.

The project began in 2017 and aims to build new houses and renovate dilapidated houses for all the households in rural areas of the region. In 2019, more than 210,000 new houses were built in rural areas.

According to Zhang, 9,355 households registered as below the poverty line have bid farewell to their dilapidated houses and moved into new ones in the region last year, marking the end of poverty-stricken residents living in dilapidated houses.