简体中文
Editor's note: In the run-up to the 19th Communist Party of China National Congress, China Daily sent six reporters to villages nationwide to live for a month and take a look at how people are working under China's poverty eradication plan.
When President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Shibadong village in 2013, he passed by the home of Shi Basan and stopped to shake her hand. The only problem was, she didn't recognize him.
"How should I address you?" the villager, 64 at the time, asked China's head of state, drawing surprise from those around her. However, at the time, a fair number of seniors in this mountain village in Hunan province may have struggled to identify the president.
Shibadong is a remote enclave in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture. It has a population of nearly 1,000 and about 560 hectares of arable land. Homes made of wood and bamboo stand atop the hills to save the land below for farming, and narrow stone paths connect the neighborhood along the slopes.
At the time of Xi's visit, the village was poor and isolated.
"Few strangers visited here," Shi said, explaining that the only electrical equipment in her smoke-blackened home was a dim light bulb. She had to watch TV at her neighbor's house, and spoke only the local Miao dialect.
Shi and her husband had to walk 2 kilometers on a winding mountain path to fetch drinking water from the valley below. After their two daughters married, the elderly couple farmed a small rice field and kept pigs.
Many seniors in Shibadong saw real a car for the first time when a new road was built in 2001. Before that, villagers had to walk for more than an hour to the nearest road to catch a bus to the surrounding towns. They had to carry everything in and out on their backs.
"We had to sell our pigs before they grew too big; otherwise, it would be too hard for two men to carry them out of the village," Shi said.
Because of the lack of transportation options, she seldom left home except for fairs in the nearby township. The farthest place she had ever been before 2013 was Jishou, a city 40 km away, to see her elder daughter, who was in a hospital there.
Xi's vision
During Xi's visit in 2013, he met with the villagers and asked about their condition. The president stressed the importance of precision in eradicating poverty, saying that poverty alleviation should be based on real situations, must be targeted on the right people and industries and must use the right tools.
Afterward, the Huayuan county government sent work teams to villages where incomes were below the poverty line to guide poverty alleviation efforts.
"We try to help villagers explore things that can be copied and promoted in other places," said Wu Shiwen, head of the work team in Shibadong. "It's our mission to motivate villagers and give them a passion to fight against poverty."
The team has worked with the village committee to assist in developing industries, promoting agricultural products and upgrading infrastructure.
In the past few years, Shi said she has witnessed many changes in the village.
The earthen floor in her old home is now smooth concrete. And instead of fetching water, she can turn on a tap. Both her kitchen and bathroom have been improved, and she has an LED TV on her wall.
Renovation projects were carried out in every home under the guidance of the work team, using government funds. Villagers were also organized to pave the old dirt paths.
Tourism boost
After Xi's visit, the village has become a popular spot for sightseers, and village heads say there are plans to make tourism a pivotal part of the local economy, tapping the potential of its ethnic flavor, traditional buildings, ecological environment, and the karst caves for which the village is named. Literally translated, the name Shibadong means "18 caves".
Tourism growth has brought benefits to villagers. Many rural restaurants have been started, and villagers can sell agricultural products at home at good prices.
Shi's interaction with Xi has made her popular, too, and many tourists will drop by to take pictures with her.
"I feel honored. Nobody knew me before. My life has changed now," said Shi, who sells smoked meat to tourists.
In 2014, Shi was invited by a company to introduce Miao ethnic embroidery and smoked pork, a local delicacy, to Beijing.
"I never dreamed I could visit Beijing. I realized China is so big only after I went there. The trip opened my eyes," she recalled.
She has stopped farming as she has grown older. The village committee provides her with about 550 yuan ($80) a month as allowance for an adequate standard of living.
The local government has been trying hard to explore new methods to eliminate poverty in areas like Shibadong. In 2015, the poverty work team in the village persuaded villagers to pool the relief funds provided by the government－about 6,000 yuan per person－and some of their own money to form partnership with an agricultural company to start a kiwi plantation.
Without enough farmland in the village, they creatively transferred land and rented about 67 hectares from a nearby village. The kiwi trees will start bearing fruit this year. The plantation is expected to eventually bring in nearly 10,000 yuan annually for each villager. Some villagers work as employees.
With the guidance of the work team, seven cooperatives have been formed, focusing on such things as Miao ethnic embroidery and pig farming. These have also increased the incomes of villagers.
Looking ahead
According to Shi Denggao, the village Party chief, thanks to the poverty-relief efforts, the average annual income per person in Shibadong increased from 1,668 yuan in 2013 to more than 8,300 last year.
All the villagers have been lifted above the poverty line set by the province, which was around 3,000 yuan.
Last year, the village had a combined income of 75,000 yuan.
He said the villagers' mindsets have turned positive. They are more motivated after seeing the obvious results.
"It's impossible to go too far on our way of precise poverty alleviation without the villagers' involvement," he said.
Shi said the village's short-term goal is to consolidate their results and further enhance villagers' lives through long-term beneficial industries, including tourism.
The village has been working with a tourism company to develop some of the karst caves and plans to further enhance the infrastructure, including building a tourist service center and a new parking lot.
"When the caves are developed, tourists will have a better time here, and our lives will be further enhanced, too," said villager Shi Basan, adding that she is happy with the way things stand now.
(CHINA DAILY)
