After a one-hour ride on a bumpy mountain road, Premier Li Keqiang arrived at the home of Lin Xianping in a poverty-stricken village in Southwest China’s Guizhou province.

Lin’s home is a dilapidated two-storey house made of wood — and much of the wood is decayed.

Lin, 40, who is unmarried and lives with his mother, told the Premier that his most urgent need is to repair the house, but he cannot afford to do so.

Leaving most of his companions downstairs — out of fear the structure could collapse under the weight — Premier Li ascended the creaky stairway to the second floor, where he saw electrical wires under the roof — which leaks when it rains.

“We must renovate this house. What if there is a flood or a windstorm? How can people live in such a house that lets in wind and rain?” Li told the local authorities, adding that it would be disastrous if there were ever a fire.

He also told villagers that the government is determined to renovate the village so that they will be able to live in safer and more comfortable houses.

More than 43 percent of Pudong’s residents live in poverty, and the annual per capita income amounts to 2,160 yuan ($345).

Additionally, many of the houses are not wind-resistant.