A zip line, two snow-capped mountains, and three rivers running in parallel make up the scenery along the Nujiang River in southwest China.

In the northernmost end of the Nujiang Grand Canyon of the Nujiang River sits a village called Qiunatong. The village receives national aid as it struggles to escape poverty. "Qiuna" means "relatively flat and livable" in the local Nu people's language, and "tong" means "peace and safety." The name Qiunatong embodies the local people's yearning for a better life.

However, reality is harsh. Canyons and rapids can be seen everywhere, leaving behind little land suitable for farming and poor transport access to the outside world. For people here, "qiunatong" or "relatively livable land of peace" had become a seemingly unattainable dream.

But then, in October 2018, a young man brought hope to the villagers. He is Yao Congxue, an employee of the Xi'an-based China Communications Construction (CCC) First Highway Consultants Co., Ltd. Yao came and worked as a resident Party chief of the village to help carry out poverty reduction. In the span of just one year, Yao has been accepted as one of their own. The thought of making a deep connection with Qiunatong Village had not occurred to him beforehand. But now, the village has long been his concern. He said, "This is my cause."

A genuine "villager"

"Only when you treat them as your family, will they take you as theirs. Bonds are mutual here," Yao shared his observations from his experience of working in the village for one year.

Built on one side of the canyon, Qiunatong Village was home to about 100 households, whose houses are scattered along the hillside. When he first came to the village, Yao Congxue visited each home in order to understand the basic situation of the village and find out the areas of need in achieving poverty alleviation. Every day, Yao Congxue went out early and returned home late, traversing across the slopes of the village. After nearly a month, he had become acquainted and familiar with every road in the village.

From his extensive visiting, Yao obtained a crystal clear understanding of the special hardships afflicting each family in the village. In September 2018, Cai Ying from the village was accepted into Yunnan Economics Trade and Foreign Affairs College. For the poor family he was born in, they were full of happiness mixed with sadness.

Cai Ying's father suffers from epilepsy, and the whole family depends entirely on her stepmother doing farming. Although the family had their home relocated to a better developed area with government support, they still faced a cash crunch after paying the college fees for Cai Ying. If Cai Ying dropped out of school because of a shortage of money, the family would still be stuck in poverty in the future.

"Education is the best way to avoid the inter-generational transmission of poverty," said Yao Congxue, who knew very well the importance of solving the problem for the Cai family.

Thanks to the active efforts of Yao Congxue and the team members stationed in the village for poverty reduction, on June 2, 2019, Cai Ying got help from Qi Changjun, deputy general manager of the Central China Regional Headquarters of CCC First Highway Engineering Group Co., Ltd. Qi Changjun vowed to provide a monthly sum of RMB 500 (US $71.8) to fund Cai Ying's living expenses in college for the following year.

"I just want to take the initiative to do more things. I do it because I feel it is my responsibility," Yao Congxue said. "Deep in my heart, I have long become part of the family."

An Old Craft Generates New Money

"I got the most money. I counted the wad of banknotes several times," Li Jinlong, a villager of Qiunatong, recalled the excitement he had when he got the first profit dividends from the village cooperative of handicrafts making.

It was September 23, 2019. The Qiunatong Village Handicrafts Cooperative paid dividends to participating villagers for the first time on the principle of "distribution based on labor and performance." "Each villager can receive an amount ranging from RMB 100 to RMB 1,200 from the total RMB 14,000," Yao recalled.

To lift people out of poverty, Yao Congxue and the team for poverty reduction stationed in Qiunatong initiated the cooperative.

"We need to make use of our advantages and develop business," said Yao. He found that local villagers had been keeping the tradition of making carpets, slate, oil, sumach wax, and handicrafts, but they did these independently and had not turned them into a profitable business.

Thanks to Yao and the poverty reduction team, the county bureau for culture and tourism granted RMB 200,000 of financial support. On December 6, 2018, the cooperative was established. "On the one hand, local residents could have wealth and happiness with what they are good at. On the other, these handicrafts of Nu and Tibetan specialties will be passed on to the future generation when they are profitable enough to attract young people," Yao said. At present, a total of 57 villagers from 24 households, including all poor families, are shareholders of the cooperative.

In order to sell the cooperative's products, Yao Congxue took the products to many trade fairs and cultural events. It proved to be effective. "This year, the sales of wild honey have exceeded RMB 70,000," said Yao. This filled Yao Congxue and the members of the cooperative with confidence and hope.

In 2019, the cooperative logged a sales volume of RMB 110,000. Poor households under government support had received dividends amounting to RMB 600 per person. In addition, the village also established a tourism cooperative to develop outdoor routes around the village. Over four days during the National Day holiday, the tourism cooperative generated RMB 10,000 from outdoor guide services and another RMB 8,000 from selling household products.

The handicrafts cooperative aims big. "My goal is to enable every household to obtain a sustained income from the business," Yao said.

Resettlement of villagers

In order to cross the river, Yu Chunmei, a villager, used to fasten two ropes around her waist and thighs, fix the other end of the ropes to a pulley, and carefully fix her long hair to prevent it from getting stuck in the pulley. Following that, she would hang her hand basket on the hook lock of the pulley and use a mass of hay to protect her hands from being hurt from the friction on the pulley. Then, she kicked her legs as she moved to the other side of the river. From a distance, she looked like a swaying black spot hanging over the rapids. For Yu Chunmei, that zip line was the only way to cross the river every day.

Yu Chunmei and her neighbors in Qiunatong Village live by the river. They all had to cross the river by taking the zip line. What was worse, the location of the settlement faced serious geological hazards. "They need to move to safe places as soon as possible," Yao said.

However, many households refused to leave the place they had lived for generations. Yu Chunmei was one of them. "I am a farmer. What am I going to do for a living after moving to an urban area?" Yu shared her worries.

In order to understand the villagers' thoughts and clear up their misunderstandings, Yao Congxue went to the villagers' homes and talked to them one after another. He also convened a meeting to discuss and provide explanations and assurances in response to their concerns. "After moving to the urban area, you will have preferential policies to land a job. There will also be free training sessions. You can keep what you are doing for a living at the village."

After visiting some villagers, Yao Congxue summed up the reasons why the villagers hesitated. On the one hand, they had attachment to their homes; on the other, they were worried that they would not get used to the new city life, that the cost of living would be too high to afford, that they could not find jobs, and that they would lose the established source of livelihood and income in the village. After another heart-to-heart talk with Yu Chunmei and other villagers, Yao Congxue decided to take the villagers to the resettlement site for a visit.

A few days later, Yao Congxue took some villagers to the resettlement to see the new houses where they were to be relocated. Rows of beige buildings are neatly arranged with typical ethnic characteristics. Hospitals, shops, and other facilities have also been set up around the area, making life very convenient.

Thanks to Yao Congxue's unremitting efforts, the villagers had their worries dispelled and agreed to move out for a better life.  

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