Poverty a perennial problem in Bashang
Print Edition
The Bashang grasslands, about three hours’ drive northeast of Beijing, might draw lots of daytrippers in the summer, but the locals seldom benefit.
The area, located 1,300 meters above sea level has been officially categorized as “poor” for years.
While a poverty relief campaign has made some progress, its success has been limited by Bashang’s natural disadvantages like meager resources and susceptibility to natural disasters. Over the years, many villagers have risen above the poverty line only to fall back under it.
With China trumpeting its aim to lift 70 million people out of poverty by 2020, Bashang illustrates the size of the task.
Administered by Zhangjiakou, Bashang consists of four counties — Guyuan, Kangbao, Shangyi and Zhangbei.
In 2009, Zhaoxiying in Kangbao was one of the poorest villages in Bashang, with each villager earning only a few dozen dollars a year.
That was before government subsidies helped farmers water arid land, build greenhouses and form cooperatives to market their produce in Beijing.
As of last year, the village had groomed 220 hectares for growing vegetables and grain. The per capita income was 4,900 yuan (US$760).
Hu Yuqing, a 67-year-old in Guyuan, raises sheep with his wife.
His earnings help pay his grandsons’ tuition fees, which his three children can’t cover themselves on their income as migrant workers in the city.
“If I don’t earn enough, my grandsons will likely drop out of school,” he said.
Last year alone, 65,900 people in the four counties escaped poverty, but 244,000 remain impoverished.
Bashang officials are constantly worried about locals falling back into poverty, as natural disasters and market fluctuations make farming incomes fragile.
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