Hidden amid the green hills of the southeastern Jiangxi province, Baoshan village is one of the most remote and poorest corners of China. It is cut off from major traffic routes and its limited arable land is barely able to produce enough food to feed the small group of local residents.

Farmhouses have been rebuilt or renovated, with all the roofs redone in the same red wine colour, roads have been broadened and paved, and flushing toilets have been installed in every house. Apart from these visible improvements in village hardware, public services were also enhanced, including the introduction of universal health insurance covering up to 90 per cent of a village resident’s medical bills in local hospitals.

About 50,000 elderly Hong Kong residents will receive coupons in July and October, enabling them to purchase breakfast or afternoon tea for HK$15 (US$2) as part of a government-funded initiative.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han announced on Friday that participants would receive six coupons next month, which could be used to buy breakfast at a discounted price of HK$15 at branches of six restaurant groups: Fairwood, Cafe de Coral, Tai Hing, Maxim’s, McDonald’s and Ngan Lung Restaurant.

“We hope the coupons will also help lure the hidden elderly to come out,” he said.

Authorities previously launched a similar scheme in the first quarter of this year, offering elderly residents meals such as baked pork chop rice and fish burgers for HK$25 at designated restaurant groups.

Those coupons were valid from the beginning of Lunar New Year until the end of March.

Sun said that the coupon usage at that time was around 76 per cent.