Change comes to ‘land of the devils’
Print Edition
“CURSED by devils” — that is what the locals say about Qibainong.
Named after the rugged karst landforms that surround it, the township has been identified as one of the most inhospitable places on earth by UN officials.
Giant funnel-like depressions dot the landscape, draining all water to the bottom — the only place where humans can survive in this part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
More than 1,300 such funnels cover the region, some over 300 meters deep. The harsh landforms have trapped 20,000 residents in extreme poverty for decades — half still live below the poverty line. Rooftop pools and two small ponds built 15 years ago collect rainwater, their only source of drinking water.
“The water is not clean, but we have no other choice,” said villager Qin Hongguan.
Scattered patches of arable land, some only the size of a few hands, support limited crops — mostly corn. But the food grown here is never enough to feed the locals.
Despite the severe food shortage, families are big.
Most residents are ethnic Yao and were never subject to the one-child policy. Due to the old notion that more children bring more blessings, it is not rare to see families with more than five children. One young man in his mid-30s is already the father of eight.
All these factors have fueled poverty. Many children are left behind without proper schooling when their parents go elsewhere to work. Without proper care, their lives promise little more than those of their parents.
A significant number of hamlets in the township still do not have roads. Residents run errands on horseback.
But change is expected soon. Local governments are building roads for every village with more than 20 households. Relocation has been proposed for those who live in extremely remote areas.
Yanyan Village got its first road in 2015, and Yang Langang is more than happy to see the construction of her first brick-and-concrete house.
“We had to live in a ramshackle wooden house for 30 years because it was impossible to transport steel bars and cement here,” she said.
New business opportunities come with the new roads. Local governments invested 1 million yuan (US$145,850) to build a 1,000-square-meter scorpion farm last year, which has already relieved poverty for 10 households. Scorpions are sold for high prices as food and medicine. The governments are also encouraging locals to raise chickens by offering poor households subsidies and dividends. These efforts lifted 389 households out of poverty last year, and local authorities plan to bring all people out of poverty by 2018.
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