In Guangdong province in South China, where the Cantonese cuisine originates, the government has boosted catering businesses with the launch of its training program for chefs of Cantonese cuisine.

With the program now being implemented in other provinces, it has breathed life into remote rural areas and opened the door to better lives for poverty-stricken families in less developed areas in western China, including those in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, as well as the Tibet, Guangxi Zhuang and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions.

Among the beneficiaries of the program outside Guangdong is Yang Xiuding, a resident in Leibo county of Liangshan Yi ethnic autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province in Southwest China.

Yang opened a bed-and-breakfast business named Xiuding Villa in his village after he received monthlong training from the Cantonese Cuisine Chefs program in Shunde, Guangdong in 2019.

"The trip to Shunde gave me more faith in running the catering business," he said. "In Shunde, I've found my aim in life. It is my most cherished memory."

The 34-year-old, who was a farmer before, found his way out of poverty by operating the B&B business. His Xiuding Villa has become the first startup business model in Leibo county for the trainees of the Cantonese Cuisine Chefs program.

Kong Qingcong, one of the top 10 chefs in Shunde, works with the program as a trainer and makes regular visits to graduate trainees who started up their business with their cooking skills gained from the program, offering them guidance on improving their culinary skills.

On his visit to Xiuding Villa, Kong praised Yang's efforts in cuisine inheritance and innovation. "He is one of the successful entrepreneur trainees," Kong said.

Hailai Putie, a member of the Yi ethnic group in Meigu county, Liangshan, opened a restaurant in the Daliangshan mountainous region after he received two-month-long training at the Cantonese Cuisine Chefs program in Shunde in April 2019.

The two-month period was insufficient for trainees to master all the cooking skills for Cantonese cuisine, "but the point is it could inspire the change in our thinking and encourage us to create better lives with our hands", he said.

He has integrated the culinary skills from Guangdong into innovating local dishes and combined Cantonese, Sichuan and Yi people's cuisines, thus winning a reputation for his restaurant.

"Born in the mountainous region, I'm still living in the Daliangshan Mountains but cooking has opened a wider world for me," the 26-year-old said.

To benefit more people from the training program, the Guangdong government has not only provided free trips to the southern province for training, but also offered outreach services to the areas in western China that Guangdong is committed to helping get rid of poverty.

Having learned that the training program would be launched in the county, Wang Yuanmei, a Leibo resident, decided to quit a well-paid white collar job and signed up for it.

Wang said her mother had run a rural B&B business. As it is in proximity to a scenic site, the business operated well. But since her mother passed away and her father is in poor health, the once-booming business turned gloomy.

The training program gave her the opportunity to bring new life to the business. After her training, Wang invested all her savings in revamping the B&B business and renamed it Qingyuan Villa. "Currently our business is pretty good," she said, adding that she is considering an extension to the accommodation buildings.

To date, thousands of people outside Guangdong have received training from the Cantonese Cuisine Chefs program, winning the opportunities to increase their income and rid themselves of poverty.