China’s leader Xi Jinping will soon be given a historic third term in power, at the country’s Communist Party Congress, which opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday.
In the run up to the meeting, the propaganda effort – boosting the president’s image – is in full swing, with state media describing the almost miraculous transformations said to have taken place in poorer towns, following a visit by Mr Xi.
The BBC’s Stephen McDonell visited Zhangbei in Hebei Province, northern China – an area said to have been lifted out of poverty after President Xi suggested farmers change the type of potatoes they were planting.
