Incomes rising after years of a life on the edge
Print Edition
WANG Yong’s ancestors moved to a precipitous cliff at an altitude of 1,600 meters in southwest China more than 300 years ago.
Named Shengli (Victory), the cliff village by the roaring Dadu River in Sichuan Province was a fabled land of peace. Such was its isolation that the village avoided involvement in many wars, but similarly avoided much involvement in commerce and fell into poverty.
With China’s government determined to end poverty by 2020, villagers have packed up and descended the mountain.
Inhabiting empty spaces
In the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Sichuan’s population had been reduced to 600,000, mainly due to war. The Kangxi court called on people, mainly from Hubei and Guangxi, to re-inhabit Sichuan’s empty spaces.
Wang’s ancestors came from Guangxi. “Perhaps they trekked for a long time without finding a suitable place, so when they saw a flat piece of land halfway up a mountain, they decided to stay,” said Wang, 43, Party secretary of Shengli Village.
For hundreds of years, they provided for themselves by growing corn and sweet potatoes. Rice was a rare luxury for villagers, only to be eaten during important festivals.
Poultry farming helped a little, but the problem was carrying things down the mountain.
At least two villagers were needed to carry a single pig to market on their right shoulders because the cliff was on their left.
“If the pig struggled, it would sometimes fall into the valley; otherwise the pig might win the struggle and throw us in,” recalled Wang Anyou, Wang Yong’s father.
“Even monkeys need to wear hiking boots on this mountain,” he joked.
Villagers had to carry everything — from chopsticks to televisions — up the cliff.
Wang, 71, was a man of unusual strength when he was young. His old house on the cliff is still home to a table weighing around 80 kilograms which he carried up the cliff more than 20 years ago.
In addition to treacherous journeys up and down the mountain, villagers had to fight off wildlife which frequently damaged their crops.
Young villagers watched for monkeys during the day and chased away bears at night.
“Once, more than 100 crows ate up our corn very quickly. We were unable to do anything,” said Wang.
Since 2004, the local government has relocated 72 families from the cliff. Wang Anyou was one of the first. “My children wanted to leave the cliff,” said Wang, who was given 4,000 yuan (US$590) as a resettlement fee.
In Shengli’s case, relocation is the only viable choice but no easy job. Once relocated, people still need to find jobs.
Wang Yong left the village for Guilin, a top tourist destination in Guangxi, more than 10 years ago. He became a jade wholesaler and got married there.
However, his cousin, then Shengli’s Party secretary, invited him to return and help expand tourism in the village.
There’s a wealth of scenic delights for tourists, from primeval forest to panda habitat.
“Sightseeing attracts visitors. The longer they stay in our village, the more they consume here,” said Wang.
He purchased peach tree saplings in Chengdu, Sichuan’s capital, and encouraged villagers to plant them on the steep slopes. He also plans to build a glass skywalk on a mountain top.
In addition to tourism, Shengli is working on green agriculture.
Average incomes rise
Villagers have planted 200 hectares of laoying or eagle tea, and more than 13 hectares of Sichuan pepper. Last year, the value of the tea reached 270,000 yuan.
Wang Anyou raises bamboo rats, a popular local delicacy, earning 60,000 yuan from the animal last year.
In 2016, the average villager’s income rose to 8,650 yuan a year, far above the country’s poverty line of 2,300 yuan.
By the end of 2017, the remaining 16 poor households in the village will be free from poverty.
Sichuan had 7.5 million people living in poverty in 2012. The figure was 2.72 million last year.
Wang Yong wants to expand tea and pepper cultivation on the “abandoned” cliff village.
“But we need a better road,” said Wang. “Currently everything is still carried down the mountain in baskets.”
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