[The Poverty Alleviation Story] 23 villagers in one hammer and one hammer cut out the "Tianlu" to get rich
[Commentary] Zeng Xianghua, a 43-year-old Zhou Jiaping villager, sings a mountain song toward Yintiaoling, the highest peak in Chongqing at an altitude of nearly 2,800 meters, when the weather is fine. At his feet, the deepest canyon in Chongqing, the Lanying Grand Canyon, The drop is more than 1000 meters. Surrounded by steep cliffs, a 1,200-meter jade belt-like highway hangs out.
[Explanation] The "Lanying Grand Canyon" starts in Wuxi County, and is close to the Hubei Shenlong Shelf in the north. It has a total length of more than 60 kilometers, an average depth of more than 1200 meters, a deepest point of more than 2500 meters, and a narrowest point of only 13 meters. Zhoujiaping in Lanying Village, Lanying Township is located deep in the canyon, and the wall-mounted highway is the only transportation route connecting Zhoujiaping to the outside world.
[Explanation] Zhoujiaping has a gentle slope, sufficient light, heavy rain, and thick soil layers. Villager Yang Zhihan told reporters that it is suitable for the growth of corn and potatoes, and can also go to the mountains to collect Chinese herbal medicines, which is a considerable income. Before 2000, the villagers here had to use their hands and feet to enter and exit the village, climbing on the cliff, or circling from the bottom of the valley. If you want to get out of the village smoothly, you can only split the mountain and open the way. In 2001, the local government called on the villagers to open the mountain road through government funding and villagers investing in labor. The government invested 300,000 yuan, and 23 villagers decided to repair the road after deliberation.
[Commentary] Yang Zhihan, a villager, told reporters that everyone decided to cut through a cliff with a height of more than 1500 meters near the entrance of the village, and the length is about 1200 meters. This is the shortest route to the nearest village road. So 23 families segregated the work from the ends of the cliff. Without large-scale mechanical equipment, the villagers only have steel brazing, hammers and explosives.
[Same period] Yang Zhihan, a resident of Zhoujiaping Village, Lanying Village, Lanying Township, Wuxi County, Chongqing
There are 83 people in 23 households, the total population, the elderly and children. There are only 14 people who can go to the construction site. It took nearly 5 years to repair, 4 years and 3 months, 5 years.
[Explanation] They tied their waists with ropes, hung them from the top of the mountain, chiseled the cliff walls with steel drills and hammers, chiseled them into holes and waited for the stones to explode. Then everyone came down together, pried them loose and pushed them to the bottom of the valley.
【Explanation】Hold and summer festivals, day after day, they can't work in the mountains. At rest, they will roar folk songs.
[Same period] Yang Zhihan, a resident of Zhoujiaping Village, Lanying Village, Lanying Township, Wuxi County, Chongqing
The people have negotiated, and they must make up their minds to get through this road. The people have the determination to work hard, no matter how difficult it is, they must get through the road.
[Commentary] The reporter saw that this wall-hanging highway is not straight, with a high and low slope in the middle. It turned out that because there was no measurement standard in advance, the roads at both ends could not be connected, one side was high and the other side was low. The villagers went up to repair while chiseling down. Cannons, roars, chisels... rang on the cliff for 4 years and 3 months. In the end, with the last sound of gunfire, the highway was finally cut through.
[Explanation] The highway has been repaired. Although the 23 families in Zhoujiaping have made it easier to get out of the mountain, the wall-mounted highway was originally a rough road, and it is also dangerous to walk. In 2017, the Wuxi County government invested in hardening roads and leveling roads, and also built a fort on the cliff to ensure the safety of traffic. In addition, buses from the village to the county were opened. At the same time, Lanying Township received county support and applied for the reconstruction of dilapidated houses and subsidies for poor households.
[Explanation] The road is open, and the strange landforms of the canyon attract visitors. Yang Zhihan and several villagers opened a farmhouse. In summer, Yangzhihan's farmhouse is often full of people. He calculated a sum of money. Chinese medicinal materials, farmhouses, and the income from raising livestock can earn more than 100,000 yuan a year.
[Commentary] By the end of 2019, Lanying Village has achieved poverty alleviation for the entire village.
[Same period] Zeng Xianghua, a resident of Zhoujiaping Village, Lanying Village, Lanying Township, Wuxi County, Chongqing
Now that this way of life is in place, it is much better, and there have been a lot of changes in life and various aspects.
Jia Nan Liu Can Chongqing Report
Responsible editor: [Luo Pan]