New homes, new lives for residents in Heku

CHANGSHA－A chunk of air-dried meat hangs in the hallway of Wu Jinjian's house in Fenghuang county, Hunan province, emitting a pleasant, smoky fragrance.

Four years ago, Wu, his wife, their parents and their three children left their hometown in a remote mountain village as part of the local poverty alleviation program. They relocated to a three-story building in a resettlement area in the center of Heku township.

In 2018, the local government built 756 new buildings in the township for those from poor households looking to relocate. In all, 4,784 people from 932 poverty-stricken ethnic Miao households were gradually relocated to Heku from four surrounding townships.

Heku's resettlement area is the largest centralized resettlement area for the Miao in Hunan.

Not long after moving in, Wu's family fell in love with their new residence. The newly constructed building features yellow walls, gray tiles and arching eaves, references to Miao architectural vernacular. Schools, hospitals, farmers' markets and even a basketball court all make life more convenient.

However, adapting to the new lifestyle remains a significant challenge for people from remote mountainous villages. Local officials have had to teach many of them how to use things such as door locks, windows, gas stoves, taps and toilets.

Of course, some retain a strong attachment to their homes and return to their former villages to visit relatives, said Shi Chengbang, Party chief of Mituo village.

Art groups, including folk dance and music groups, have been organized to preserve the culture of ethnic minorities. Relocated villagers can also earn extra money by taking part in performances organized by the groups.

The government has built clothing and luggage manufacturing factories in the resettlement area to provide relocated villagers with work and increase their incomes. Meanwhile, public service jobs such as cleaners and guards are also available in the new communities.

After resettlement, most villagers discover they have greater business opportunities, and some of those who have relocated have started to run small shops or stalls.

Since 2015, the Chinese government has been implementing poverty alleviation relocation programs targeted at nearly 10 million people to help lift them out of poverty. By the end of 2020, 35,000 resettlement areas had been built nationwide and more than 9.6 million people had bid farewell to their former village homes to embark on a journey toward a new life.

Xinhua