Bridegroom Pan Rongdong and bride Tan Lifei wash hands to pray for good luck on their wedding day at their house in Bijiang District of Tongren City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Oct. 4, 2019. Pan Rongdong is a staff member of the maternal and children health care service center in Wanshan District of Tongren. In September 2017 when Pan was dispatched to Wengbei Village of Aozhai Township in Wanshan to work on poverty reduction, he got acquainted with Tan Lifei, who is the director of the anti-poverty station for Aozhai. During their work on targeted poverty alleviation, Pan and Tan helped and took care of each other. Gradually, both of them came to have favorable impressions for each other, and finally fell in love. They originally planned to get married in May 2018, a crucial time, however, for Wanshan which was struggling to shake off poverty. Considering these, the two postponed their wedding date, which was later repeatedly delayed due to Pan's health. In September 2018, Wanshan bid farewell to poverty. At Wengbei Village where Pan and Tan work together, local people's living conditions have been greatly improved and some developing special industries have brought incomes for locals. On Oct. 4, 2019, Pan and Tan finally held their wedding, starting a new life as a married couple. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)
