Remote villages struggle to stay out of poverty
Print Edition
IN remote Chinese villages, even well-off households can fall into poverty with a simple misstep.
For Lei Zhiqin, 42, from southeast China’s Fujian Province, that misstep was a fall from his motorcycle two years ago.
Lei used to drive a motorcycle taxi, ferrying commuters from his secluded village to the closest town two hours away down a looping mountain path.
But one day, in September 2014, Lei fell and broke his leg. His passenger was also hurt.
Lei has never fully recovered from his injuries.
He can no longer ride a motorbike, nor do heavy farm work. His wife left to work in the city and has never returned. It took him a while to realize he had been abandoned to raise their two daughters and pay off a debt of 60,000 yuan (US$8,600) that covered his passenger’s medical bills.
“As a disabled man, there is little to do for a living in the village,” Lei said. “But I have two children to feed.”
Bailukeng, where Lei lives, is tucked away in the mountains of Fujian. Modern cities, boomtowns and rich fishing villages abound in the province, but the mountains block the flow of wealth into this remote corner.
About 64 percent of the village’s 400 families live below the provincial poverty line of 3,497 yuan per person per year, said Lai Jinyun, head of Nanxi Township, which governs the village. Illness and disability are cited by more than 35 percent of families as the main cause of their poverty.
Rural health insurance
China has a voluntary rural health insurance scheme, known as the New Rural Cooperative Medical Care System, which promises to reimburse up to 70 percent of the medical bills of insured villagers. But there are some restrictions. Patients receive less coverage if they seek treatment at non-local hospitals, many medicines are excluded from the scheme, and rural clinics are poorly operated.
In Xiadang, a village in the nearby county of Shouning, Wang Youguo faces similar problems. The family is deep in debt, and Wang’s wife suffers from breast cancer. They are raising two children.
Wang said the county hospital is unable to treat his wife, who must go to a city-level hospital in Ningde where she is reimbursed less than 20 percent of the cost. “The doctors asked me to come for a check-up every month, but I really can’t bother to go that often,” Wang’s wife said. “It costs money. Medicine, check-ups, and bus fares as well.”
China’s economic boom since 1978 has lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty. Yet there are still another 70 million below the poverty line, many living in remote areas like Bailukeng.
Living allowance
The government aims to help 50 million people find better jobs by 2020, while supporting the remaining 20 million — those who are too old or too sick to work — with a minimum living allowance and other benefits.
In Fujian, these add up to around 400 yuan per person each month — enough to make ends meet, but only if serious illness does not strike.
A nationwide survey in 2013 showed that more than 40 percent of Chinese households below the poverty were poor due to illness.
“Village folks are afraid of falling ill,” said Lai. “Aside from the burden of medical bills, they have difficulty finding jobs.”
In small, far-flung villages, job options are limited, and those that are not physically demanding are even fewer. Villagers with chronic illnesses are given menial tasks such as collecting tickets for public toilets or assisting with parking for meager pay.
“Even for the ill, job creation is key,” said Xu Danchen, a local official who oversees poverty alleviation in Bailukeng.
She said that because Lei’s injuries were not devastating, the local government helped him secure an interest-free loan of 19,000 yuan to open a kiosk.
With the money, Lei set up a store selling goods ranging from stationery to instant noodles. But his is not the only shop around.
Villagers know they have to look elsewhere for something that will create jobs and increase incomes.
Lei Guosheng, a retired village official, has set up a company to promote the culture of the She ethnic minority group and efforts are being made to have Bailukeng listed as a historic and cultural village.
The designation would be a draw for tourists, creating a new, and lucrative, business.
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