Snapshots of poverty battle
From tourism to silk production, Yunnan province has devised different ways to help impoverished people
Tengchong and Longling in Baoshan city, and Ruili and Longchuan in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture are home to many ethnic groups in the mountains of Yunnan province. With the exception of Longling, they sit on China's border.
Because of their remoteness and a lack of flat farmland, all the areas are a major challenge for Yunnan's poverty eradication campaign.
Over the years, local governments have helped many of the residents shake off poverty by developing tourism, agriculture and the jade industry.
Palian village in Tengchong was once only known for being rundown, however, it has become popular with visitors due to the development of tourist attractions.
Residents of Tengchong's Jietou township have cultivated hundreds of hectares of African marigolds.
When the flowers are in full bloom in late summer, it becomes a tourist hot spot, with 200 restaurants opening to cater to visitors. Tourism has created jobs for nearly 2,000 local people, with 500 them from poor families.
In Ruili, the prosperous jade industry has created jobs for more than 60,000 people.
The Longchuan county government has helped 1,956 poor families develop silk production and the rearing of silk worms.
So far, 5,000 families have cultivated 3,400 hectares of mulberry trees in the county to meet the demands of the industry.
