Jinzhai, once an important Red Army revolutionary base, is among the country's poorest counties. Dawan was one of the county's 71 poverty-stricken villages, as 242 of its 1,032 households, including the Chens', were registered for poverty alleviation measures in 2014.

In 2015, Yu Jing was sent to Dawan as the village's first Party secretary for poverty alleviation. She helped Chen acquire a loan of 8,000 yuan to build photovoltaic power panels in front of his house.

The electricity generated by the device helped the man earn about 3,000 yuan per year, with half of the income used to repay the loan.

Yu said she also persuaded Chen to raise goats with another bank loan. The interest for all the loans was paid by the government, she added.

On April 24, 2016, President Xi Jinping visited five homes in the village, including the Chens', and listened to ideas and suggestions from the villagers on poverty alleviation measures. He also sought their views on migration and resettlement.