China News Service, Zhaotong, October 7th, Title: Zhaotong, Yunnan: Moving out of Wumeng Mountain will make the world wider
Reporter Miao Chao
In the early morning, the Maojiawan resettlement area in Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province woke up to the rising sun. After breakfast, 64-year-old Yang Chengshun went to the fitness area downstairs to stretch his muscles. After returning home, he picked up a watering can and watered the row of roses in the corridor.
Five years ago, he would never have dared to imagine such a pleasant morning.
Yang Chengshun's hometown is Luoqiu Village, Daxing Town, Yongshan County, Zhaotong City. The altitude there is more than 2,000 meters, it is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, and only corn and potatoes can grow in the fields. Once, when his children were in primary school, they had to walk back and forth on mountain roads for more than two hours. "In the winter, before dawn, let's light a portable brazier for the children, and they will go to school on their own on the mountain road next to the cliff."
"It's hard to go to school, and it's even harder to see a doctor. I have to rely on my body to fight headaches and fever." Yang Chengshun recalled his past life in Luoqiu Village. He was not only poor, but also frightened. During the rainy season, mudslides and landslides occur frequently. "One year, the earth dragon turned over (local people describe mudslides), the pig pen was washed away, and three big fat pigs disappeared."
Zhaotong, Yunnan, is located at the junction of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou and in the hinterland of Wumeng Mountain. It was once one of the areas with the largest poverty population in China. It has long faced the survival dilemma of "one area of land and water cannot support the other area of people". "If you can't move mountains, move people." In the past few years of China's poverty alleviation campaign, Zhaotong moved 354,700 people of all ethnic groups from remote and cold mountainous areas to their new homes in Pingba, the county town.
At the beginning of 2021, when the weather suddenly turned cold, Yang Chengshun's family moved from Luoqiu Village to a brand-new apartment building in Yulu Community in Maojiawan Resettlement Area. Schools and hospitals are near their home, and their son and daughter go out to work. Today, he and his wife take care of their grandchildren and raise flowers at home. "Moving out, the world is really wider."
In Tuanjie Community, Fajie Resettlement Area, Yiliang County, Zhaotong City, another way of life is developing. The reporter walked into the community activity center. On one side, there was the rustle of bamboo strips weaving, and the hands of veteran craftsmen were flying up and down. On the other side, there were shouts in the live broadcast room. Internet celebrity "Old Brother Deng" played the erhu. The anchors spoke in local accents and sold pieces of bamboo strips and boxes of mountain products to all over the world.
"Most young people work outside, and women and the elderly who stay behind are also looking forward to an extra income." Feng Li, secretary of the Party Committee of the United Community, told reporters that in recent years, the community has brought together craftsmen and women at home to establish the "Village Broadcasting Alliance" and has cultivated 52 local village broadcasting talents.
The anchors of this "Village Broadcast Alliance" are all interesting: "Old Brother Deng", who is over sixty years old, plays the erhu to support the mountain goods; "Country Hat Brother" Zhang Zhongdeng attracts fans with his songs and stories;
In 2025, the Fajie Resettlement Area successively won two signboards: "Intangible Cultural Heritage Bamboo Weaving and Bamboo Carving Craft Practice Base" and "Yiliang County Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop". The products range from bamboo woven objects such as dustpans, dustpans, and backpacks to jewelry, tea sets, bracelets, earrings, lanterns, hats, wind chimes and other cultural and creative products. The shelves of the "Village Broadcasting Alliance" are also covered with mountain products: Yiliang gastrodia elata, bacon, bamboo shoots, noodles, sugar plums... batches of "local specialties" are riding the traffic express.
As the industry expands, how will it be distributed? Feng Li told reporters that the "Village Broadcasting Alliance" has set rules. After deducting logistics and other costs from sales revenue, commissions will be given back to the anchors, and the rest will go to the craftsmen, so that "front-end sales and back-end production" each have their own place.
