In the barren land in the past, the "flowers" are beautiful now
Observation on the Consolidation and Expansion of Poverty Alleviation in Dongxiang, Gansu
Our reporter Jiang Tong
The snow here always comes earlier.
Just after the National Day, the first snow fell quietly to Dongxiang Autonomous County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province.
At night, the tree that was crushed by the thick snow broke an optical cable pole beside the main road of the county seat.
When it was dark, the workers drove into the site for repairs.
After breakfast, the smoke is rising, and the repair work has begun to finish.
"The road a few years ago was not like this." said Zhang Weiping of the Dongxiang Rural Revitalization Project Department of Country Garden.
He sighed as he drove the car through the maintenance site.
Stepping on the drumbeat of poverty alleviation, Dongxiang County, once one of the deeply impoverished areas of the "Three Districts and Three States", has already changed the appearance of the bare Liangmao.
In 2015, the fiber optic cables in Dongxiang County began to spread to the surrounding villages that are insulated from the world.
At the beginning of 2020, the Zhehong second-level highway opened to traffic, completely changing the traffic congestion situation in more than ten townships in Dongxiang; at the end of the year, Dongxiang was lifted out of poverty.
“Before the road was not hardened, the muddy road was wet when it snowed, and the car couldn't get into the village, and the villagers couldn't get out.” Zhang Weiping's car drove steadily on the red road after the snow.
Recently, the Country Garden potato mechanized planting experiment field in Pingzhuang Village had a bumper harvest, and he wanted to rush to help install the potatoes.
"The fellow villagers are all out of poverty. Who doesn't want to make more money to make life better?" Zhang Weiping said.
Generations of Dongxiang people, humming the melodious "Hua'er" (Northwest Folk Song), live and work on this land.
Nowadays, Dongxiang’s countless Liangmao and ditch forks are strung together on the brand-new highway. The smooth roads of rural revitalization make Dongxiang’s "flowers" even more beautiful.
Potatoes grow into rich fruits
Potatoes are indispensable in the lives of Dongxiang people.
According to the folklore "Milagahei", the Dongxiang hero Milagahei went on an expedition. At the critical moment of defeating the enemy, the rations were not available. Milagahei was unable to do anything. His mount suddenly neighed for food. He found potatoes that he had never seen before and replenished his rations, and the battle was won.
Potatoes of Dongxiang are grown on mountain and dry land, and small terraces have been cultivated to grow crops on the hillsides of the ravines.
Few crops can adapt to these barren and arid land, but they are "made in heaven" with potato.
In the past, the cultivation of potato was "human beings cultivated by nature."
When harvesting, the potatoes are packed in sack, and people need to carry them out.
Now the road is connected by the mountain valleys, and the villagers have built electric tricycles at their homes. When collecting potatoes, they can drive the tricycles directly into the ground.
Seeing that the construction of farmland infrastructure has kept up, the Country Garden Dongxiang Rural Revitalization Project Department decided to choose high-quality seeds and try to develop mechanized potato planting.
"In the beginning, everyone was unwilling. We went to the villagers' homes to lobby. The fellow villagers always felt that mechanization was not good, and they looked for reasons like this and other reasons to shirk." Ma Hailong of the project team still remembered the initial difficulties. "We bumped into other villages. However, President Ma Zhonghua of the Hougou Society of Pingzhuang Village offered to invite Ying."
The daring Ma Zhonghua moved several villagers in the Hougou Society and contributed to the "experiment" in the field.
After the potato was harvested last winter, Country Garden distributed seed seeds, rented agricultural machinery, and helped the villagers plant the first batch of "experimental" potato.
As soon as the potato was planted, the doubtful eyes around him stared at him.
"We used black mulch for the first time, and some fellow villagers had so big opinions that they didn't believe it," Ma Zhonghua said.
"This year, when the potato seedlings are due to emerge, there are still people who come to ridicule, "What's wrong with your potatoes, why haven't they emerged yet? It won't grow out." At that time, Ma Hailong and the others were under great pressure and could only wait for time. To prove everything.
One or two months later, the fellow villagers who had "experimented" went to the field for themselves and found that there were a lot of potatoes dug out, and this was the belief.
"When potatoes grow out, experts in the city and county came to see them and they all sighed that the potatoes are of good quality." Ma Zhonghua exaggerated. The decisions he made at the beginning and the votes he gave to the villagers turned into beautiful transcripts.
The 70-year-old grandfather Ma Lin’s family planted two acres of experimental land. The original yield was more than 2,000 catties per mu, but this year it has reached more than 6,000 catties. "There has not been such a good potato planted in 30 years! This year is the best year for the harvest."
Ma Zhonghua patted Ma Hailong's chest, "Next year we will plant 500 mu, and plant all the potato fields in Pingzhuang Village."
Grandpa Ma Lin was also happy. This year's vendors rushed to pick up his potatoes. He earned more than 6,000 yuan just by selling potatoes. "Next year, the road in front of the house will be repaired, pulling goods, unloading goods, and cars. It’s more convenient at home."
At that time, there will be more potatoes on this road, "running" toward more and farther towns.
Embroidery digs the beauty of Togo
Dongxiang women love beauty.
Living in the monotonous northwestern mountains, women gather together in their spare time in addition to doing farm work and housework, chatting, and embroidering colorful peonies, lilies, and potato flowers all over their home clothing and bedding.
In the past, Dongxiang women wore embroidered skirts on festive occasions.
They call this kind of embroidered skirt "Guomei".
Once, due to the influence of traditional concepts, Dongxiang women could not get out of their homes.
Their beauty is like their embroidery, hidden in the mountains and unknown.
Although embroidery is one of their few pleasures, it has not produced economic benefits.
The Country Garden Dongxiang Rural Revitalization Project Department used their brains to turn the embroidery craftsmanship of Dongxiang women into an "industry at the fingertips" and brought them to the public with embroidery.
In October last year, thanks to the joint efforts of Country Garden and the China Women’s Foundation, Dongxiang embroidered ladies wore Dongxiang embroidery clothes and walked onto the runway of the China International Fashion Week show.
At that moment, they were surrounded by the spotlight along with their embroidery and attracted the attention of the world.
"That was the first time I went out in my life, the first time I took a plane, and the first time I went to Beijing." Talking about the catwalk experience, Xiuniang Zheng Maimai was still very excited.
Before participating in the catwalk, she had never walked out of Linxia.
In the first 30 years of her life, she lived by her father and husband.
Last year, she participated in the Dongxiang embroidery training class held by Country Garden, and with her superb craftsmanship, she became an embroiderer in the Dongxiang embroidery industry hub of Country Garden.
“I made my first money in my life last year at the Embroidery Workshop, and I was reluctant to use it when I got it.” Zheng Maimai’s husband originally disagreed with her to go out to work. When the first salary was paid, he was relieved.
Now, Zheng Maimai earns more than 2,000 yuan a month from receiving orders from the embroidery workshop, and her husband is also increasingly supportive.
Country Garden has excavated Dongxiang embroidery, which makes the beauty of Dongxiang women bloom.
Zhang Tao, the person in charge of the Dongxiang Rural Revitalization Project Department of Country Garden, said with emotion, "You can clearly feel the changes in the embroiderers, and the whole person is much more confident and generous."
Because of her husband’s opposition, Xiu Niang Malay Simak did not participate in last year’s catwalk.
But recently I went to Shanghai with the Embroidery Workshop. "After seeing other people coming back from the show, my husband didn't object so much. This time he let me go to Shanghai. Next time there is a show, I must go."
The homepage of her WeChat Moments is a street view of Shanghai.
Her concubine went to the catwalk, the media took many photos, Malaysia saw it, it was very beautiful.
Education cuts the road to poverty
The relatively low level of education is a “stumbling block” in the fight against poverty in many impoverished areas.
In the past, under the influence of traditional ideas and the lack of natural resources, dropping out of school to work has become a way for many Dongxiang people to earn a living.
To treat poverty, first treat stupidity, and help the poor first help the wisdom.
Educational poverty alleviation is a permanent solution to cut off the intergenerational transmission of poverty.
The first project promoted by the Country Garden Dongxiang Rural Revitalization Project Department was a nine-year school, and then the first and only vocational technical school in Dongxiang, Linxia Guoqiang Vocational Technical School, was established.
"If they don't go to school, what will they do in their future life!" When Zhang Tao came to Dongxiang in early 2018, he felt distressed when he met a child who had dropped out of school.
Zhang Tao came to Dongxiang when his daughter was entering high school in the third year of high school.
Sacrificing his daughter's company, he said, he can't just watch the Dongxiang children drop out of school early.
"In order for them to study at ease, the school tries to reduce the burden on the children financially and in life as much as possible." According to Zhang Tao, Guoqiang Vocational and Technical School exempts all students from tuition, accommodation, food, insurance, etc. Tuition fees.
In addition, the school also gives students a monthly living allowance of 40 to 60 yuan.
16-year-old Wang Lingyu is a first-year student of the school's urban rail management major.
When she was a child, her parents passed away one after another. She and her sister were brought up by their uncles.
"After graduating from junior high school, my family is unwilling to pay for me to continue school. I went out to borrow the money and paid the school registration fee." Wang Lingyu's tone was determined.
After entering the school, the monthly subsidy is enough for her on-campus expenses.
"My sister went out to work in junior high school. She hoped that I could learn more skills and find a good job instead of following her old path." Wang Lingyu said.
Like Wang Lingyu, many children in the school come from poor families.
They are sensitive and precocious, and need more care and understanding.
Zhang Jingrui is a teacher of hotel management major in Guoqiang Vocational and Technical School and the daughter of Dongxiang.
Benefiting from an enlightened family, she went all the way from Dongxiang to Lanzhou University, and returned to teach in Dongxiang after graduation.
"In normal class, in addition to explaining professional knowledge, I often share my learning experience and university life with students, and guide them to think about and plan their own lives." Zhang Jingrui said.
The school is also paving the way for a better future for students.
"We have a matching higher vocational school. After three years of studying here and two years of higher vocational education, students can obtain college diplomas. We also cooperate with some companies to provide internships and employment positions for graduates." Guoqiang Vocational and Technical School Party Said Chen Linlin, director of the political office.
Zhang Yinmei, a second-year hotel professional, told reporters that starting this year, she is preparing for her promotion.
She hopes to learn more professional knowledge and skills, find a good job in the future, and reward her mother who pulled her up by herself.