91-year-old man relocated from isolated mountain village after living there for 50 years

Over the past few years, local residents of Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, have witnessed a significant improvement in their living conditions.

In a speech delivered at the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 7, Wei Zhenling, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from Huanjiang, recounted stories of her hometown being lifted out of poverty.

Wei Zhenling, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

In the past, Wei's hometown was isolated and backward, and local villagers had to hike over several hills to reach the county seat.

"My father was enrolled into a junior middle school at the county seat at the age of 12. He walked alone from sunrise to sunset with his backpack on his back to the school. When he stood at the top of the hill and saw the county seat from afar, he could not help but burst into tears," said Wei, attributing her hometown’s backwardness to the lack of transportation, water shortage and hostile natural environment.

Photo shows local officials and villagers carrying Tan Yunri down the mountain. (Photo/Courtesy of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Huanjiang county committee)

"When I was little, I used to think that my hometown might be isolated from the outside world forever, unless a miracle happens," said the woman. In the end, a miracle did happen in the poverty-stricken region.

One of the beneficiaries of this miracle is Tan Yunri, a 91-year old villager of the Maonan ethnic group. In the past, Tan lived in a dilapidated wooden house with no access to electricity or clean water, and had not been out of the mountain for more than 50 years.

Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county, Guangxi, has witnessed a significant improvement in the living conditions of the local people. (Photo/Courtesy of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Huanjiang county committee)

To improve the living environment for local residents, Huanjiang county launched a program to relocate people from inhospitable areas.

On Sept. 11, 2019, Tan was carried down the mountain on a simple sedan chair made by local officials and villagers. After reaching the foot of the mountain, he was sent to his new home by car. He was very excited, as it was the first time that he had been in a car.

Tan's new house is a brick-concrete bungalow built by the local government free of charge. It is 72 square meters in area, and has a living room and two bedrooms. The old man also applied for his first ID card. Now, he lives on a minimum subsistence allowance, old-age insurance and old-age subsidies. His son, who lives with him and raises three cattle, has bought the family a refrigerator, a cupboard, a large table, a rice cooker and an induction cooker.

Bird’s eye view of a village in Huanjiang county. (Photo/Courtesy of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Huanjiang county committee)

With a bus stop right at their doorstep, Tan's family can now reach the rural market in about 10 minutes.

Tan's family serves as a vivid example of the poverty-alleviation miracle that has taken place in Huanjiang, Guangxi and China’s poverty alleviation achievements.

"China has made all-out efforts to ensure that not one ethnic minority group will be left behind in the country's building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, no matter how small its population," Wei said proudly.