Development held back by poor education

Like most of his peers, Zhao Jian lives in a wooden home built by his grandfather and maintains a similar lifestyle to his ancestors.

The two-story wooden structure is also home to Zhao's grandmother and parents, his wife and their two children. They can barely survive by growing rice and chilies on their 0.47 hectare of farmland, so they rely on the money Zhao, 34, earns working part-time jobs in a nearby town in Guizhou province.

Zhao is a member of the She ethnic group in Baiyangping, a village in Kaili, a county-level city in the province.