China poverty alleviation, raising standard of living

[JSCh]

Xinhua Insight: Eradicating poverty: Chinese bring millennia-old vision to reality
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-02 15:06:57|Editor: Xiang Bo
by Chen Siwu, Yang Jing and Pang Mingguang

KUNMING, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Over 2,000 years ago when Confucius taught his thoughts on building a prosperous society, most Chinese muddled along on half-full stomachs. Even the sage himself suffered times of hardship.

Confucius's 79th generation descendant, Kong Xianli, however, now believes what the Chinese have dreamed of for over a millennia -- a moderately prosperous, or "Xiaokang," society -- is finally coming true.

"An overall Xiaokang society will become reality in our generation, as the government and enterprises, state-owned or private, are helping those rural impoverished out of poverty," said Kong, who has been sent to Yangxiedi village in Nanhua County by the local justice bureau in southwest China's Yunnan Province to help the poor. "The aspiration for the rural impoverished to break loose from poverty is unprecedented."

According to the official definition, a "Xiaokang" society refers to an economic state whereby the people become relatively well-off after eliminating poverty, with access to compulsory education, basic medical care and safe homes, as well as food and clothes.

CHANGING LIFE

Like Yangxiedi, whose name means "resting place for goats" in Chinese, 128,000 impoverished villages are now in the center of a great transition across China. The Chinese government has vowed to lift all rural impoverished out of poverty by 2020 to build a moderately prosperous society.

Since China started the reform and opening-up drive more than 30 years ago, over 700 million Chinese have shaken off poverty at dazzling speed, accounting for over 70 percent of the global poverty reduction in the period.

However, at the end of last year, China still had more than 43 million impoverished rural residents, making up up about 4.5 percent of the country's total rural population.

For the outside world, it may seem too simple to assess China's anti-poverty achievements by looking at figures alone.

For those living in poverty in mountainous areas in southwest China's Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, poverty reduction is complicated. It means building roads and bridges, raising poultry and livestock, planting fruits and herbs, or seeking jobs in cities.

Luo Zhiming, an ethnic Miao in Ximatang village in Luquan County, Yunnan, had lived in the mud-brick house built by his father for 28 years.

"The roof leaked whenever it rained. Cold winds swept in from the cracks during winter," Luo said, recalling their tough days when his family just about fed themselves by growing corn in a terraced field.

His fate changed dramatically a few months ago when the government launched a nationwide drive to end poverty. Luo and his neighbors have now moved into 52 uniformly designed and newly built two-storey houses, with sofas, tea tables, TV benches and other furniture.

"I never expected this even in my dreams," Luo said.

To help build the new houses for Luo and his neighbors at Ximatang, the local government subsidized each impoverished household with 40,000 yuan (about 5,800 U.S. dollars) in cash and another 40,000 yuan in loans at subsidized interest.

BINDING PROMISE

Last year, the Chinese central and provincial governments allocated more than 100 billion yuan in special funds to help 12.4 million rural poor out of poverty. Another 100 billion yuan is available this year to lift an additional 10 million people out of poverty.

China set its current poverty line at an annual average net income of 2,300 yuan per capita based in real terms in 2010. The nominal poverty lines has since been adjusted according to inflation.

To realize a "Xiaokang" society by 2020, China must lift 43 million people, almost equivalent to the population of Argentina, out of poverty in just four years, about 30,000 people a day.

For a country with over 1.3 billion people, the challenge is so high that governments at all levels have listed eradicating poverty as their top priority during the 13th Five-year Plan (2016-2020).

Chief officials and leading cadres from top to bottom have signed letters of responsibility, vowing to win the battle against poverty with considerable use of time, human resources and finance.

"Eradicating poverty is like a war and a historic mission that we must accomplish," said Jiao Lin, Party secretary of Luquan County in Yunnan, home to about 3.6 million rural people in poverty. "I come to win the war, with no retreat."

Located in mountainous areas, Luquan has been one of China's poorest counties for the past 31 years. Now it is one of the main battle fields in the country's fight against poverty, along with other revolutionary bases, ethnic minorities regions and border areas.

Once a veteran, Jiao now has to take on responsibility to lead the county's rural impoverished out of poverty by 2020.

FINDING WAYS

To wipe out poverty, the Chinese government not only set a multi-year timetable, but also created different policies for different regions according to their needs, including developing business, relocating the impoverished, compensating peasants in ecologically fragile areas, promoting education and improving social security.

Governments at all levels have established special departments or leading groups on anti-poverty efforts, increased budgets earmarked for poverty reduction and ordered economically developed regions and big cities on the eastern coast to help underdeveloped regions in central and western China.

Moreover, special teams consisting of more than half a million officials, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs are being sent to impoverished villages to alleviate poverty with their knowledge and resources.

To Kong and 700-plus villagers at Yangxiedi, building a bridge has become urgent for local people eager to get rid of poverty.

Previously, there was no road directly linking the village with the outside world; villagers had to cross a river valley then walk a long way uphill to the nearest township. When the rain season came and the river rose, villagers were stranded in the mountains.

With help from Kong, local villagers now have the funds from the government for the construction of the new bridge they have long hoped for.

"It will not only be a bridge connecting the village with the outside world, but a bridge from poverty to a Xiaokang society as well," Kong said.

 

[TaiShang]

Roads improving, giving villagers path out of poverty
By ZHU LIXIN in Fuyang, Anhui | China Daily | Updated: 2017-05-18

With the start of the wheat harvest this month, residents of a poverty-stricken village in northwest Anhui province are once again facing the possibility of big problems from the area's terrible infrastructure.

Li Zongyin draws a circle with his finger on a map of Guhe. The circle, which covers about one-third of the map of the village, represents about 133 hectares of wheat fields.

"The wheat in this area will ripen soon and again may rot in the field," said Li, Party chief of the village.

He said some of the wheat had been lost that way in the past two years as a result of heavy rains, which made it difficult for farmers to get to their fields because roads were mud-choked and virtually impassible.

Guhe, with a population of 5,086, is the administrative center for 14 scattered neighborhoods. Li said the wheat fields belong to six neighborhoods, home to about 2,000 people.

"The agricultural authorities have planned four concrete roads to connect the fields, with a combined distance of more than 6 kilometers, but the projects can be started only after the harvest season," Li said, explaining that road work would disrupt the harvest. The projects are expected to be finished in September or October.

Some of the villagers, however, don't want to wait. Li Zhongdao, a cadre in the village's Lishanzhai neighborhood, has been busy trying to persuade its more than 600 residents to donate money to rent heavy equipment to fix their dirt road.

"The road was not listed among the four roads to be repaired by the government," he said and added that each villager has been asked to donate 10 yuan ($1.45) for the repairs. Li Zhongdao acknowledged that his plan would meet only short-term needs and include no materials for construction or materials, such as cement or sand.

Better roads, more income

Li Zhongdao said he is confident of winning support from the villagers, although other cadres have not had a lot of luck with similar proposals.

Guhe is one of 11 villages in Lyuzhai township, "and it is the village with the worst roads", said Yu Haitian, head of the township government. "It's probably the poorest among Lyuzhai's four key villages that are eligible for poverty relief." It was not until late 2015 that a 4-meter-wide concrete road was built to connect the village with the town's center.

The 11 km road connects four villages. “Although just 2.5 km passes in the area of Guhe, it has benefited us a lot," Li Zongyin said.

A reliable road has put more money in farmers' pockets, he said, since it allowed them to take their own grain to market, rather than having to depend on buyers who would pay less since they had go out to the village to get it.

"Before completion of the road, each kilogram of wheat could be priced only at about 1.5 yuan, which was about 0.5 yuan lower than the average price," said Li Zongyin.

"The villagers could hardly bring the grain out of the village and had no choice but to rely on the grain dealers for transportation with motorized tricycles."

Sun Tonglu, deputy head of the Lyuzhai government, said, "Each kilometer of (concrete) road requires an investment of about 400,000 yuan, of which 100,000 yuan should be raised from the villagers."

Li Zongyin said money is raised from residents so that more roads can be built with limited government funds. However, he and his colleagues have found it hard to encourage people to contribute.

"Residents in two of Guhe's neighborhoods refused to pay any money for the road because they say they are the residents who are the farthest from the road, even though they would still need the road," Li Zongyin said.

Each village's leadership team, which usually includes eight cadres, is given 50,000 yuan a year to cover office expenditures. The cadres of Guhe contributed 33,000 yuan from their office budget toward the road fund.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-05/18/content_29391461.htm

 

[TaiShang]

Pigs raising cooperative founded in Yunnan to alleviate poverty
Xinhua | 2017-05-22

Combo photo taken on May 18, 2017 shows Yang Jianmei (R) with her daughter-in-law and grandson in their pig farm (up) and in their new house (bottom) at Jiaju village of Yunlong county, Southwest China's Yunnan province. Yang's five-member family, raising over 120 pigs now, got a net income of over 200,000 yuan (29,000 U.S. dollars) in 2016. To improve the living conditions and income for poverty-stricken villagers, mainly of Bai ethnic group living on farming in the mountains, local government founded pigs raising cooperative in 2013 under the support of country's poverty alleviation policy. More than 1,300 households have got benefits from the cooperative, which offers information and services on breeds, technology, forage, epidemic prevention and sales. [Phot/Xinhua/Yang Zongyou]

Combo photo taken on May 18, 2017 shows Yang Zijun with his wife Yang Bingping and mother in their house (up) and near their pig farm (bottom) at Longzitang village of Yunlong county, Southwest China's Yunnan province. Yang's family, raising over 300 pigs now, got a net income of nearly 180,000 yuan (26,200 U.S. dollars) in 2016. To improve the living conditions and income for poverty-stricken villagers, mainly of Bai ethnic group living on farming in the mountains, local government founded pigs raising cooperative in 2013 under the support of country's poverty alleviation policy. More than 1,300 households have got benefits from the cooperative, which offers information and services on breeds, technology, forage, epidemic prevention and sales. [Photo/Xinhua/Yang Zongyou]

Combo photo taken on May 17, 2017 shows Yang Xinyin with his wife Su Liuxia in front of their house under construction (up) and in their pig farm (bottom) at Longzitang village of Yunlong county, Southwest China's Yunnan province. Yang's three-member family, raising pigs from 2014, got a net income of 150,000 yuan (21,800 U.S. dollars) in 2016. To improve the living conditions and income for poverty-stricken villagers, mainly of Bai ethnic group living on farming in the mountains, local government founded pigs raising cooperative in 2013 under the support of country's poverty alleviation policy. More than 1,300 households have got benefits from the cooperative, which offers information and services on breeds, technology, forage, epidemic prevention and sales. [Photo/Xinhua/Yang Zongyou]



Combo photo taken on May 17, 2017 shows Yang Luju with his wife Duan Runyu in front of their house under construction (up) and in their pig farm (bottom) at Longzitang village of Yunlong county, Southwest China's Yunnan province. Yang's three-member family, raising over 80 pigs now, got a net income of over 180,000 yuan (26,200 U.S. dollars) in 2016. To improve the living conditions and income for poverty-stricken villagers, mainly of Bai ethnic group living on farming in the mountains, local government founded pigs raising cooperative in 2013 under the support of country's poverty alleviation policy. More than 1,300 households have got benefits from the cooperative, which offers information and services on breeds, technology, forage, epidemic prevention and sales. [Photo/Xinhua/Yang Zongyou]


Combo photo shows Yang Juanhua (R), director of local cooperative, introducing breeding technology to villager Zhang Songqing on May 17, 2017 (up) and giving trainings to villagers on May 18, 2017 (bottom) at Changxin township of Yunlong county, Southwest China's Yunnan province. To improve the living conditions and income for poverty-stricken villagers, mainly of Bai ethnic group living on farming in the mountains, local government founded pigs raising cooperative in 2013 under the support of country's poverty alleviation policy. More than 1,300 households have got benefits from the cooperative, which offers information and services on breeds, technology, forage, epidemic prevention and sales. [Photo/Xinhua/Yang Zongyou]

 

[JSCh]

Containers will house teachers in remote places
By Chen Huizhi | 00:01 UTC+8 May 22, 2017

Gu Jiabin was sitting in a container house in a village in Dali, Yunnan last weekend. - Ti Gong

A dozen 20-square-meter shipping containers, fully outfitted as homes, are sitting on the banks of scenic Dianshan Lake in suburban Shanghai, waiting to be transported to impoverished inland villages to accommodate volunteer teachers.

One has already been shipped 3,000 kilometers to a remote village in Yunnan Province.

This unusual project is the brainchild of Gu Jiabin, a Shanghai citizen and founder of the charity “Love in de City.” The aim is improve living conditions for urban teachers willing to go far from home and work in impoverished remote villages.

“We hope this will help villages attract and retain volunteer teachers, and make the teaching experience more enjoyable,” Gu said.

The idea came to him after he visited a village school in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where he learned that one woman volunteer left after only two weeks of teaching because she couldn’t take a bath.

“If teachers are indispensable to these villages, then the villages need to help urban volunteers cope with the basic living conditions in backward areas,” said Gu, a 45-year-old former real estate businessman.

In China, government and non-governmental groups organize volunteers to teach in remote villages as part of a national effort to pull underdeveloped areas out of poverty. Education is considered a key plank of the campaign.

Teachers spend months, even years in the villages, often making a critical difference to the future prospects of children from poor families.

The furnished containers have a bed, writing desk, kitchenette and bathroom. Glass doors and skylights provide daytime lighting.

The project uses a winning design from a contest last year of six young interior designers.

House-building experts told Shanghai Daily that plumbing for the containers shouldn’t be too much of a problem, even in backward rural areas. They applauded the installation of air conditioners because many remote villages bake in the summer heat.

A 42-year-old IT engineer surnamed Hong, who lives in Guangzhou, once worked as a volunteer teacher for a year in a mountain village in Yunnan.

“In my first few weeks there, I bathed in a brook with snow-melt water from the mountains,” he said. “When I could no longer stand the freezing water, I had a hot bath in a villager’s home once every two weeks.”

Hong said he doesn’t doubt the self-sacrifice that many teachers show when volunteering for these hardship postings. “Many people who are willing to teach there are fully aware of the disadvantages and prepared for them before they go.”

But, he added, the container homes will really make a difference for city people used to modern hygiene standards, especially women volunteers.

Gu said a furnished container costs 100,000 yuan (US$14,500), with 15,000 yuan going to transport costs.

So far, the charity has pledges for 50 containers.

To drive down the transportation cost, some containers in the future will be manufactured and outfitted in factories nearer to destinations, he said.

This year about 20 of the containers will be transported to villages in Yunnan and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

 

[JSCh]

160-billion-RMB nutrition subsidy spurs height increases in rural youth
(People's Daily Online) 16:40, May 22, 2017

(Photo/School Nutrition Improvement Initiative)​

Eleven-year-old rural-dwelling students covered by a nationwide nutrition subsidy plan are nearly 6 centimeters taller than children of the same age six years ago, as the rate of malnutrition plummets and the children gain physical strength, a recent report found.

Earlier this month, the China Development Research Foundation proudly shared the achievements of its long-term philanthropic project. Since its launch in 2011, the foundation's project fund has climbed to 159.1 billion RMB ($23 billion), and has benefited more than 4 million impoverished students in rural areas across China’s 13 provinces.

In 2011, research carried out by the foundation revealed that 72 percent of surveyed students in poverty-stricken areas of western and central China were “starving” during class. Twelve percent suffered from developmental delays. These findings sparked nationwide concern and prompted action from top officials.

In October 2011, the State Council announced that the central government would offer nutrition subsidies to 26 million poor students in rural areas. The central government pledged to allocate about 16 billion RMB ($2.5 billion) annually for a pilot project in 680 counties and cities nationwide, ensuring that all primary-school and junior high-school students received a daily subsidy of 3 RMB to improve their nutrition.

Some regions elevated the subsidy to 4 RMB, and the beneficiaries multiplied. In addition, the central government earmarked special funds totaling 42.9 billion RMB for poor boarding-school students. Another 30 billion RMB was put aside to build and improve school cafeterias, and to subsidize cafeteria workers.

The new report found that the malnutrition rate among beneficiaries had decreased from 18.5 percent in 2012 to 15.4 percent in 2016. The average height of 11-year-old boys had risen from 137.8 centimeters in 2012 to 143.5 centimeters in 2016. For girls, average height had jumped from 138.7 centimeters to 144.3 centimeters. The 4-RMB subsidy for each meal “effectively meets the basic nutritional demands of students,” according to the report. In addition, meals in more than half of the schools surveyed met national benchmarks in calories, protein, fat and micronutrients.

The project has reversed the malnutrition and delayed physical development of beneficiary students, and their physical fitness has also improved significantly, the report concluded.

 

[Han Patriot]

No, not really. The current course is good enough, when the Total Fertility Rate is around 2.3-2.4

Also, my advocacy for China is not to have a TFR of 10 or something. Rather, it is for them to have a TFR of around 2.2

2.1 is the replacement fertility rate, that is the rate required for the population to stay stable.




No, having a one child policy is not gonna help, and has never helped.

China's success was not due to one child policy. I=

It was due to a whole economic revolution, a result of good policies.

Bhai,

Do you without the one child policy, China would have 300 mil more mouth to feed? You need to understand that demographic dividend only starts paying when the population achieves a certain level of development.

 

[TaiShang]

Eleven-year-old rural-dwelling students covered by a nationwide nutrition subsidy plan are nearly 6 centimeters taller than children of the same age six years ago, as the rate of malnutrition plummets and the children gain physical strength, a recent report found.

More Yao Mings on the way.

 

[ckf]

Bhai,

Do you without the one child policy, China would have 300 mil more mouth to feed? You need to understand that demographic dividend only starts paying when the population achieves a certain level of development.

Foreigner think Chinese are heartless and cruel when in reality one child policy took tremendous amount of personal sacrifice(excruciating pain suffered by many individuals) and yet still enjoyed majority support from urban/educated population. As a society, social engineering definitely has many negative downsides as well. I don't know that type of policy can be applied anywhere else globally. I only know Vietnam which has 2 child policy right now...but implementation isn't forced on the rural population.

 

[Han Patriot]

Foreigner think Chinese are heartless and cruel when in reality one child policy took tremendous amount of personal sacrifice(excruciating pain suffered by many individuals) and yet still enjoyed majority support from urban/educated population. As a society, social engineering definitely has many negative downsides as well. I don't know that type of policy can be applied anywhere else globally. I only know Vietnam which has 2 child policy right now...but implementation isn't forced on the rural population.

Sometimes its common sense. If policy A has no advantages and the people are against it, and the West is bashng us, then why continue with policy A? The only reason China is continuing this is because of the inherent advantage it brings, now we are allowing 2 child policy to let the decrease slide smoother.

 

[JSCh]

Facts & Figures: China's fight against poverty
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-24 16:01:19|Editor: Mengjie



BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China has made strides in poverty relief since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in late 2012, paving the way for the government to achieve its goal of eradicating poverty by 2020.

Following are some facts and figures on China's fight against poverty, a key part of its mission to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way by 2020.

-- During the 2013-2016 period, 55.64 million rural people, or more than 10 million each year, were lifted out of poverty in China.

-- During the same period, the income of rural residents in poor areas grew faster than the national average rate.

-- In 2016 alone, China brought 12.4 million rural people above the poverty line, beating its target of lifting more than 10 million people out of poverty every year from 2016.

-- By the end of 2016, there were 43.35 million people still living below the nation's poverty line of 2,300 yuan (about 334 U.S. dollars) in annual income in 2010 constant prices.

-- The central government has allocated 196.1 billion yuan of special poverty relief funds over the past four years, representing annual average growth of 19.22 percent, Mo Jiancheng, an inspector under the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said in March this year.

-- In 2016, combined poverty relief funds from the central and provincial budgets exceeded 100 billion yuan for the first time. The central government allocated 66.7 billion yuan, up 43.4 percent year on year, while provincial government spending rose more than 50 percent to top 40 billion yuan.

-- As of the end of 2016, outstanding loans from financial institutions for poverty alleviation totaled 2.5 trillion yuan, with 818.1 billion yuan in new loans in 2016.

-- Chinese authorities have stressed the use of targeted and precise poverty relief measures, creating different policies for different regions according to their needs. These policies include developing business, relocating the poor, compensating peasants in ecologically fragile areas, promoting education and improving social security.

-- China also encourages developed regions in the east to help less developed ones in the west better address poverty, with hundreds of poor counties in the east and west having formed partnerships.

-- About 775,000 officials had been dispatched to villages by the end of 2016 under a CPC program to send officials to the countryside to aid poverty relief.

-- Tens of thousands of Party and government offices, enterprises and public institutions have participated in helping villages nationwide shake off poverty.

 

[TaiShang]

 

[MultaniGuy]

Congrats to China.

 

[JSCh]

Beijing to build 500,000 rental houses in next 5 years
(China.org.cn) 10:24, May 27, 2017

Beijing will continue to increase the supply of rental housing in the next five years, during which 1,300 hectares of land will be supplied for 500,000 sets of rental housing.

The rental houses, which will be mostly built on collectively-owned land, will be rented in bulk at market price by the municipal government and then offered to low-income families at affordable housing prices with a term of ten years. The government will fill the gap in price.

On May 24, a total of 927 sets of rental housing in Tangjialing of Haidian District, which are of the first batch of pilot projects, was officially opened to low-income families in the district for on-site house selection and contract signing.

Since 2011, Beijing has rolled out pilot project of rental housing on five collectively-owned areas, providing 12,800 rental houses to staff working at nearby industrial parks, migrant workers and urban low-income families.

 

[TaiShang]

New roads, buildings and homes for poor county
chinadaily.com.cn | 2017-05-27 10:04

A farmer's three-wheeled vehicle rolled over on his way to sell grain in Liquan county, East China's Anhui province, on Nov 10, 2014. According to poverty eradication cadre Liu Mingli, these sorts of accidents used to occur from time to time due to the poor road conditions. [Photo by Liu Mingli/Provided to China Daily]

May is wheat harvest season. The newly built 4-meter-wide cement road meets the villagers' travel needs. Villagers say they could only get 0.7 yuan (10 cents) per 500 grams of wheat from visiting merchants in the past. Now, they can sell the wheat for 1 yuan (15 cents) per 500g after the completion of the road in 2015. [Photo by Zhu Lixin/China Daily]

May is wheat harvest season. The newly built 4-meter-wide cement road meets the villagers' travel needs. Villagers say they could only get 0.7 yuan (10 cents) per 500 grams of wheat from visiting merchants in the past. Now, they can sell the wheat for 1 yuan (15 cents) per 500g after the completion of the road in 2015. [Photo by Zhu Lixin/China Daily]

The former office for poverty eradication cadres from the Price Bureau of Fuyang city and the Health and Family Planning Commission of Linquan county in East China's Anhui province. The rundown tile-roofed office house, pictured in 2014, was built in 2003. [Photo by Liu Mingli/Provided to China Daily]

The 1-year-old village hall on the main street contains office facilities such as desks and chairs, air conditioners and printers, May 26, 2017. [Photo by Zhu Lixin/China Daily]

The 1-year-old village hall on the main street contains office facilities such as desks and chairs, air conditioners and printers, May 26, 2017. [Photo by Zhu Lixin/China Daily]

When poverty eradication cadre Liu Mingli visited poor farmer Lyu Quanyou's family in Nov 2014，he said, "I can't believe he is still living in such a house." [Photo by Liu Mingli/Provided to China Daily]

With the help of the government, Lyu's family repaired the old house and moved into a new tile-roofed house. Lyu also has a public welfare job cleaning roads for 1,725 yuan ($252) per month. Construction is now underway on a new house for his son, who is getting married. Lyu withdrew all his savings and bought construction materials through a county credit service to pay for it. [Photo by Zhu Lixin/China Daily]


With the help of the government, Lyu's family repaired the old house and moved into a new tile-roofed house. Lyu also has a public welfare job cleaning roads for 1,725 yuan ($252) per month. Construction is now underway on a new house for his son, who is getting married. Lyu withdrew all his savings and bought construction materials through a county credit service to pay for it. [Photo by Zhu Lixin/China Daily]


Yang Jianmei (right) with her daughter-in-law and grandson, pictured in their pig farm and their new house at Jiaju village of Yunlong county, Southwest China's Yunnan province, May 18, 2017. Yang's five-member family are raising more than 120 pigs, earning a net income of more than 200,000 yuan ($29,000) in 2016. The village is home to members of the Bai ethnic group, who had been living off farming in the mountains. To improve the living conditions and income for poverty-stricken villagers, the local government founded a pig cooperative in 2013 under the country's poverty alleviation policy. More than 1,300 households have benefitted from the cooperative, which offers information and services on breeds, technology, foraging, disease prevention and sales. [Phot/Xinhua]

 

[TaiShang]

Conquering poverty at the world's highest peak
(Xinhua) 11:42, May 28, 2017

When she was young Dorlma saw (Everest) through her bedroom window every morning when she woke up.

Years later, the world's highest peak brought the 29-year-old her fortune.

At an altitude of 5,200 meters where the concrete road comes to an end, the base camp consists of nearly 60 tents offers tourists accommodation before they set out on their trips to conquer the 8,800-meter-plus mountain.

Dorlma runs an inn in one of the tents.

"Tourists can sleep for a warm night and try Tibetan lifestyle by having Tibetan food and listening to Tibetan songs here," she says.

Monday marks the 64th anniversary of man's first successful expedition to Mt. Qomolangma, with New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal reaching the summit on May 29, 1953.

Decades after the epic climb to the world's peak, Tibetans at the foot of Mount Qomolangma have conquered poverty by receiving professional and amateur mountaineers and tourists.

Like a traditional Tibetan herdsman's home, Dorlma's inn has a wooden floor set on stones, a shared bed for six people, three big Tibetan chairs for sitting and sleeping, and a stove at the center that burns cow manure.

"This is the best living condition we can provide here," she says, while putting alcohol on the stove to start a fire.

Despite it being late May, heating is necessary at the plateau base.

The inn brings her an income of over 100,000 yuan ($14,600) every year, 100-times the amount she once brought home herding and toiling on farmland. Farming yields are meager at altitudes above 4,000 meters.

Dorlma started her inn in 2008, when only four tent inns were operating.

She has witnessed great change at the infrastructure of the base including a concrete road, electricity, mobile networks and the world's highest post office.

Postal worker Tsomo started working her job here in mid-April, collecting and stamping postcards every day. A set of 10 postcards printed with Mt. Qomolangma is available at the office.

"Sometimes I stamp tens of thousands of times on a busy day," says Tsomo, adding that postal workers from the county post office come once a week, ensuring delivery of postcards within 10 days across China and 20 days around the world.

Party chief Chimed Tsering of Qoizong village in Zhaxizom township, where the base is located, says every tent operator needs to pay 40,000 yuan annual rent, which is distributed to poor villagers as a dividend.

"No household should be left behind on the way to prosperity," he says.

The benefits brought by tourism boom are also shared by other villages.

Deputy head of Zhaxizom township Penlo says that 20 villages in the township are allowed to run inns at the base, with people from a further 10 villages offering delivery services by yak.

"As of last year, the entire township cast off poverty," Penlo says.

Newly-weds Li Dongzhuoyi and his wife from northwest China's Shaanxi province drove to Tibet for their honeymoon. Mt. Qomolangma was the westernmost stop on their journey.

After mailing the postcards, they enter Dorlma's tent to eat Tibetan food and drink butter tea.

"We did not expect there would be a warm inn at the foot of Qomolangma. The local boss is hospitable to us. We feel like we are at home," he says.