[Poverty alleviation story] Collective "lay-off" in the rainwater cellars of Dingxi Ji, Gansu: the seventy-year-old man enjoys "hot bath before going to bed"

　　[Explanation] Dingxi is located in the southeastern part of Gansu Province. It was once famous for poverty, with scarce precipitation and harsh natural conditions. There is a saying of "nine droughts in ten years".

At the end of the 20th century, the central and eastern regions of Gansu Province suffered a severe drought, which caused a large-scale reduction in agricultural production and no harvest. Under this situation, "water cellars" emerged in the local area. On the roof and courtyard collecting surface of about square meters, there are two water cellars to solve the problem of drinking water for people and animals.

　　The old man Liu Xiangxin lives in Yangpo Village, Gouyi Town, Anding District, Dingxi City. The water cellar in his home was built during that period. The water cellar was used to store drinking water and domestic water for humans and animals.

　　[Concurrent] Liu Xiangxin, a villager in Yangpo Village, Anding District, Dingxi City, Gansu

　　It turned out that I wanted to eat four or five kilometers away. If there was no water, I would eat it myself.

The water on the house and the water in the yard are gathered together, and flow down from the eyes of the (water cellar). If it rains lightly, it will take a few rains to collect it.

You are like a dirty yard, and you are like a dirty house. This (cellar water) is yellow.

　　[Explanation] And such a day, now I say goodbye to them completely.

In 2016, the local area implemented a rural water supply project. Yangpo Village, which has been trapped by water, finally got tap water, realizing the wish of "the tap can be connected to the stove".

The 74-year-old Liu Lao Han can finally enjoy the "hot bath before going to bed", which is called the "source of life".

　　[Concurrent] Liu Xiangxin, a villager in Yangpo Village, Anding District, Dingxi City, Gansu

　　(Previously) a basin of wash water, pour a bowl of wash water, a few people take turns to wash, then save water, you say take a bath, this can not be done.

(Now) In the daytime, you are like doing work. If the weather is hot, you will have sweat on your body. When it is dark, you will be flushed with hot water to sleep comfortably.

　　[Explanation] "Drought and lack of water" is the deepest impression left by his hometown on Liu Jianwei when he was young. He also left his hometown to work in the south.

When he returned home, he saw that the tap water was flowing into his courtyard, so he created a breeding farm and sealed the water collection port of the cellar to become a large-capacity tap water reservoir to prevent unstable water supply.

　　[Concurrent] Liu Jianwei, a villager in Yangpo Village, Anding District, Dingxi City, Gansu

　　I often look forward to rain. What impressed me the most was that in the past, when there was no water to eat in the snow, I put the water in the pot to eliminate the draught.

The tap water was in 2016. After it was connected, the cellar water was basically useless, and just in case it was used, it would be useless if it was normal.

　　[Explanation] In recent years, the forestry ecological construction and comprehensive management of soil erosion in Dingxi City have achieved remarkable results, rewriting the local historical phenomenon of "drought and water shortage, disaster and poverty".

It is worth mentioning that Dingxi City was also named one of the “Top Ten National Summer Tourism Cities” in 2019.

　　Gao Ying Zhang Jing reports from Dingxi, Gansu

Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]