Tourism helps 'hanging village' find way out of poverty

TAIYUAN — Perched on a cliff at an elevation of over 2,300 meters in Ningwu county, Shanxi province, Wanghuagou is known locally as the "hanging village".

Its steep terrain and scanty arable land once hampered the hard-to-reach village, condemning locals to a long battle with poverty. Today, thanks to improved infrastructure and connectivity, tourism in the village is thriving. For many residents, life was harsh 10 years ago.

"We eked out a living through farming, but we couldn't earn any money at all," said Niu Ernyu, a 68-year-old villager.

Zhang Chengyu, another villager, said that the roads were not safe and wooden bridges were often broken so that animals and even people sometimes fell from them.

China proposed a targeted poverty alleviation policy for people in impoverished areas in 2013, which called for the accurate identification, assistance and management of poverty alleviation targets.

This was achieved through effective, scientific procedures that took into account the different environments of poverty-stricken areas and the different conditions of poverty-stricken households — in other words, by finding tailored solutions for each case.

The first poverty alleviation assistance team arrived in Wanghuagou in 2016. There were 129 registered residents, 58 of whom were identified as impoverished. The team based itself in the village and set out a plan based on the overall situation, with a focus on helping poor households.

In order to secure a stable source of income, the team made use of a designated fund for developing local industries, as well as bank loans to invest in local tourism companies from which poor households could receive dividends.

"Every poor household receives dividends of about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan ($431-572) each year," said Qin Junshan, a member of the team.

Qin added that job opportunities were created for poverty-stricken households, including positions as forest rangers and cleaners.

Taking advantage of the geography, the team helped the villagers develop tourism. In cooperation with the tourism company, village infrastructure has been improved.

A concrete road was built from the foot of the mountain to the village. Dilapidated houses have been restored and garbage cans, street lamps and gazebos have been set up in the old village for the first time. This infrastructure development contributed to the local tourism boom.

"The village made almost 280,000 yuan in collective income last year, which would have been unthinkable before," said Zhang Jianzhong, former director of the Wanghuagou Village Committee.

Zhang added that most of the village's collective income has been earmarked for infrastructure construction and various village insurance schemes.

Seeing tourism thriving in the village, Wang Jianming, a migrant worker, decided to give up his job and return. Now providing accommodations and food to tourists, Wang is living a wealthier and happier life.

"As there are more and more tourists, my small restaurant can earn 30,000 to 50,000 yuan in half a year. At the same time, I can take care of my family here, better than before," Wang said.

Thanks to this targeted poverty alleviation policy, the country's last remaining 98.99 million impoverished rural residents were lifted out of poverty, and all 832 impoverished counties were removed from the poverty list by the end of 2020. "We no longer need to worry about our livelihoods, and the village is hustling and bustling," Wang said.

Xinhua