Footsteps of bygone villagers retraced

Villagers embrace new life in new home

Former inhabitants of Miaotang once had a communal song that captured the harsh realities of a life cut off from civilization. A translation may go along the following lines.

"The heavens tower above. Impassable rivers cross below. The peaks respond in echo, and mountain tracks endlessly unfold. We survive on beets, live by chasms, heat beside the fire, and sleep upon corn shells."

When questioned about their past living conditions, the former Miaotang villagers consistently lamented the lack of public roads and how this denied them the chance to develop economic activity in any meaningful way, effectively condemning them to primitive lives cut off from the outside world. Even today, there are no telecommunication signals anywhere near the Wulipo Nature Reserve, where the remnants of Miaotang yet stand.

The relocated households from Miaotang have settled well amongst their new surroundings and have been warmly accepted by their communities. When asked how often they travel back to their original homes, such as for the Chinese New Year, many had not returned for a number of years due to the arduous journey and lack of people who remain there.

Yang Zhen, a now 34-year-old father of two, moved from Miaotang township a decade ago with his parents and enjoyed a stakehold in a yak hotpot restaurant in the center of Wushan city. When asked to recall his past living conditions before his family's relocation, there was no hesitancy towards the difficulties they once faced.

"Life was extremely difficult for us. The cliff edge roads leading out of Miaotang were perilous, and a journey to Wushan city took the best part of a day."

One poignant childhood memory was suffering a fever one night and the ordeal his mother experienced as she carried him on foot to find the local doctor.

"We lived in a mudbrick house with a roof that leaked. One night when I suffered a fever, my mother carried me on her back for two hours on foot and sobbed as we looked for the local doctor out of hours. Miaotang didn't even have electricity until 2011, so you can imagine how difficult life was.'

Following his family's relocation to Pinghe Village, Yang first labored in factories that produced drinks and shoes but found the wages too low to raise a family adequately. Later, he gained ample experience in the catering sector and reached the point where he could purchase a stakehold in a successful restaurant business in the center of Wushan city.

Despite the initial challenges of adapting to city life after his family's move from the remote Wushan mountains, Yang still recalls the acute desire he felt when offered the chance to relocate from Miaotang township, a move that has been powerfully vindicated by the higher standard of living he now enjoys.

"When we were offered the chance to move away from Miaotang, we couldn't leave soon enough, and anywhere was a better option than staying behind. It was difficult for us to adapt to our new environment, being from the remote countryside, but now life is much better. We have a modern home, a dependable livelihood, and my two children receive a good education at the local school here in Wushan city."