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WHEN we first came to Hongsibu， there was nothing here， no house， no tree，” recalled Yu Wanxi， who with many others from his ancestral town in Guyuan moved in 1998 to the district of Wuzhong City， 270 km away. Now he has a big house and his own car， life is much different from what it used to be either in his old home or when he first moved here. Yu is one of 20，000 people from eight counties in the hilly south of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region who have been relocated to Hongsibu in an eco-migration program. The move is to ensure their former homeland avoids the stresses of overpopulation. “Without moving people out of regions with fragile ecosystems， the stress on the land， resources and other elements would keep mounting up， exacerbating ecological degradation，” explained Guyuan Mayor Ma Hancheng.
This， however， is just one half of the story. The project is also designed to transfer these people to regions with favorable geological and climatic conditions that allow them more and better sources of income. Finding them a new home and means of living is the more challenging part of the project.
Coping with a New Environment
When Yu Wanxi joined five neighbors and drove his tractor to their adoptive village of Kaiyuan in Hongsibu’s Dahe Township in 1998， he had not yet made up his mind to stay. The farmland was flat and more fertile than that of the mountainous community where they had grown up， but the weather was not as pleasant as they expected. From time to time the region was even enveloped by sandstorms. “You could see the dust gather up in your bowl over the course of a meal，” he recalled.
But the local government was hospitable， offering every migrant a subsidy of RMB 200， which was no small sum at that time， and two mu （one mu =1/15 hectare） of farmland. Yu and his friends accepted the goodwill. After two months， when the three-room adobe houses for each of them had been built， they sent for their families to move in.
But when they began to work in the fields， problems popped up. The flat land on the plain called for very different farming methods from those required on the terraces they had been tilling for generations. These experienced farm hands felt their knowledge challenged even when it came to something as simple as sowing or irrigation.
“The government sent agricultural technicians to our aid， but many of the migrants were suspicious of what they taught. For example， they said cattle ploughs should not be used as the deep furrows they produced would make it difficult for seeds to germinate. Despite this we farmed half of our lands using traditional methods. It was not until they remained barren and the other half began to turn green that we were fully convinced，” said Yu. More than 160 households from Guyuan including Yu’s were supposed to relocate to Hongsibu， but by 1999 less than 70 of them had settled in new homes.
The others were still hesitant. Some commuted between their adoptive and home villages， farming their lands in the busy season and staying in Guyuan in the rest of the year. Now all but two households are permanent residents， both of which have aged parents who refuse to leave their ancestral town.
Yu is glad he made the decision to bring his family to Hongsibu， where the booming economy has pushed local real estate prices up several fold in the last few years. “An average family’s 10 mu farmland plus a 1.5 mu plot for residential building would only fetch a few thousand yuan a decade ago. Now you cannot find a single seller even if you offer RMB 100，000.”
Today， Yu’s family has multiple sources of income. Their crop field earns them RMB 20，000 to 30，000 a year， and their eight cattle are literally cash cows. In the slack season Yu organizes the handymen of his village to take on construction projects in the city. As the head of his community， Yu felt obliged to set an example and blaze a trail in “labor exporting.” “It’s a call from the government for rural cadres to lead their people to seek fortunes in the wider world. But for mountain residents it takes great courage to venture out，” he said.
In 2004 Yu led a team of 40 to harvest wolfberries in the neighboring county. Later they made tomato and cotton picking journeys to Xinjiang. Most of his group members are women who had made few trips out of town before.
When proceeds from varied channels are added up， they make a handsome sum. Yu’s family can make about RMB 100，000 a year， in a neighborhood where the income base line is around RMB 50，000.
“If we had not migrated here， we might still be struggling for food and clothing，” Yu said. “In the mountains we hoped for no more than feeding our families with the meager harvest from small plots of land， which was completely at the mercy of heaven. We never thought of making more money， and always looked to the government for help when in need.” The relocation exposed them to new ideas and new possibilities. “Now no one sits back and waits for government relief. We are all seeking fortunes on our own.”
This is the government’s current vision for alleviating poverty， which formerly centered on doling out funds. Policy has shifted to cultivating the initiative and skills needed for those below the poverty line to improve their lot.
Self Dependence
Hongde New Village is the youngest migrant community in Hongsibu. Its inhabitants moved in last year. The modestly sized residential quarters were designed and built by the government， which has left plenty room for future construction at the families’will. The local government’s experience has taught it that if it provides more than the basic needs for the less privileged， some of them lose the will to work.
Each house， equipped with a solar heating system for winter and hot water， cost RMB 80，000 to build， but new occupants were required to pay merely RMB 12，800. “Some households still cannot afford this price， but they are entitled to a loan of RMB 10，000 from the county government of their origin，” said Tian Tao， interim Party secretary of Hongde New Village.
Wang Cheng， 58 and also a native of Guyuan， came to the village last June. When he and his family arrived at the house allocated to them， they found a bag of rice， a bag of flour， a jar of cooking oil， 100 kg of charcoal， a bed， a stove， and a gift package from the local government. The patch under their name in the village greenhouse， planted with leeks， shallots and carrots by volunteers from the village committee， was ready for harvest， giving the family a handy supply of vegetables. What’s more， for these first two years in their new home every migrant family receives an annual subsidy of RMB 500 for water and another RMB 500 for heating， which further eases their transition to the new location.
Now Wang Cheng is occupied with the 10 mu farmland leased to his family， and works odd jobs when time allows. His wife works as a cook at the adjacent industrial park， which brings a monthly income of RMB 2，000， almost the amount the entire family made in a whole year back in their old hometown. Their eldest son， with a college diploma， works in another city， and the other two sons are day laborers. The youngest son works from one construction site to another， but the wages are tidy at RMB 170-180 a day. “As long as the money is good， I don’t mind if it’s a regular job or not，” he shrugged.
Every family member couldn’t be happier， given what they had been through back in their hometown. Yuanzhou District of Guyuan， where they moved from， is afflicted by a dire shortage of water. The crop yield is low in normal conditions and can be reduced to nil if extreme weather strikes. Local rural residents have to line up as early as 4 am to fetch drinking water for people and livestock. “Every family must have someone to fetch water full time，” Wang Cheng said. But migration is still a difficult choice to make for farmers of Wang’s advanced years， who are disheartened by the prospect of fitting into a completely new environment， living among strangers， shifting to other farming methods and new grain varieties that require learning from scratch， and many more challenges. Understanding their doubts， the government of their adoptive region offers them multiple options– working in local factories， continuing in arable farming， or raising livestock.
As the largest industrial park in the region， Hongde accommodates two-dozen manufacturers who create a good number of job opportunities. Hongsibu is also the site of a nearly 6，700-hectare vineyard， which has lured in a number of wine makers. More are on the way as the district plans to expand the plantation ten fold.
New energy industry also has a strong presence in the region. Five companies with international reputations were in operation there by 2012， and four more will open their doors this year.
Qiu Xuhui， Party secretary of Hongsibu District， compared piping financial aid into less developed areas and helping them find a viable model of economic development to a blood transfusion and blood creation. “The goal is the same – to root out poverty. But our program costs less and， what’s more， promises sustainable growth，” he said.
A Fair Chance for All
Wei Guoxia， a garment factory manager from Pengyang County of Guyuan， became a Hongsibu resident in 2009. She formerly had a job in Beijing， but the desire to live with her two sons and also send them to nice schools within her economic means prompted her to move her family to Hongsibu. The tradeoff is a steep fall in her income： she made RMB 6，000-7，000 a month in Beijing in comparison with RMB 2，000-odd in her current position. Still， she felt the sacrifice worthwhile： “If there is the possibility to earn a descent life locally， nobody likes the idea of wandering far from home.”
One reason why Wei was drawn to her current employer， Aide， is that it is a charity conscientious business – many of its employees are people with disabilities from underdeveloped regions. Before receiving training from Aide， they relied on government allowances and family support. Now they each have a salary similar to Wei’s. Financially independent， for the first time they feel that they can live a meaningful life.
Inclusive employers like Aide are eligible for tax reduction and other initiatives by the local government. Other businesses show support by giving them preference in purchase orders. For those with severe disabilities that make finding employment near impossible， the government has launched a range of services and facilities. For instance， the Sunshine Home Care Center in Juhuatai， another migrants’ village， now has more than 40 people with serious physical or mental impairments in its charge.
The center’s chief Gao Duicang， who is also the village head， said with institutional care in place， these people’s families can be released from the burden of taking care of them full time and instead look for employment and improve their incomes. Now the annual net income in Juhuatai Village exceeds RMB 2，000 per person. In 2006， when it was still locked in by precipitous mountains， that figure was RMB 590.
With more people latching on to the idea， the eco-migration for poverty eradication program has gained strong momentum in Ningxia. According to Guyuan Mayor Ma Hancheng， the city’s plan to relocate 230，000 people out of regions with disadvantageous land and weather conditions from 2011 to 2015 is getting on so well that all signs show it could be completed within the year.
China launched a national offensive against poverty in 1983， and Guyuan has seen remarkable change over the following 30 years. The percentage of the local population living in poverty has been cut by half， from 75 percent to 38 percent. Furthermore， the environmental benefit has been significant. As people withdraw from the arid hilly areas， trees and grass are planted where they formerly grew crops and grazed animals， allowing the fragile ecosystem to recuperate itself. Now 17 percent of Guyuan’s territory， formerly showing few glimpses of green， is covered in forests. More migrants are expected to come to Hongsibu in the coming years. According to the local government’s plan， the district will receive at least 30，000 people during the 2011-2015 period， accounting for nine percent of all eco-migrants in Ningxia. Their prospects look bright if the project’s vanguard is anything to go by. However dubious and anxious they were at first， these new residents soon found themselves much richer and happier than they were before. Last year the per capita disposable income of Hongsibu’s urban residents reached RMB 13，500， and the per capita net income for its rural residents soared nearly ten fold from RMB 500 to RMB 4，570. It’s safe to say nobody wants to return to their old homes nowadays.
This， however， is just one half of the story. The project is also designed to transfer these people to regions with favorable geological and climatic conditions that allow them more and better sources of income. Finding them a new home and means of living is the more challenging part of the project.
Coping with a New Environment
When Yu Wanxi joined five neighbors and drove his tractor to their adoptive village of Kaiyuan in Hongsibu’s Dahe Township in 1998， he had not yet made up his mind to stay. The farmland was flat and more fertile than that of the mountainous community where they had grown up， but the weather was not as pleasant as they expected. From time to time the region was even enveloped by sandstorms. “You could see the dust gather up in your bowl over the course of a meal，” he recalled.
But the local government was hospitable， offering every migrant a subsidy of RMB 200， which was no small sum at that time， and two mu （one mu =1/15 hectare） of farmland. Yu and his friends accepted the goodwill. After two months， when the three-room adobe houses for each of them had been built， they sent for their families to move in.
But when they began to work in the fields， problems popped up. The flat land on the plain called for very different farming methods from those required on the terraces they had been tilling for generations. These experienced farm hands felt their knowledge challenged even when it came to something as simple as sowing or irrigation.
“The government sent agricultural technicians to our aid， but many of the migrants were suspicious of what they taught. For example， they said cattle ploughs should not be used as the deep furrows they produced would make it difficult for seeds to germinate. Despite this we farmed half of our lands using traditional methods. It was not until they remained barren and the other half began to turn green that we were fully convinced，” said Yu. More than 160 households from Guyuan including Yu’s were supposed to relocate to Hongsibu， but by 1999 less than 70 of them had settled in new homes.
The others were still hesitant. Some commuted between their adoptive and home villages， farming their lands in the busy season and staying in Guyuan in the rest of the year. Now all but two households are permanent residents， both of which have aged parents who refuse to leave their ancestral town.
Yu is glad he made the decision to bring his family to Hongsibu， where the booming economy has pushed local real estate prices up several fold in the last few years. “An average family’s 10 mu farmland plus a 1.5 mu plot for residential building would only fetch a few thousand yuan a decade ago. Now you cannot find a single seller even if you offer RMB 100，000.”
Today， Yu’s family has multiple sources of income. Their crop field earns them RMB 20，000 to 30，000 a year， and their eight cattle are literally cash cows. In the slack season Yu organizes the handymen of his village to take on construction projects in the city. As the head of his community， Yu felt obliged to set an example and blaze a trail in “labor exporting.” “It’s a call from the government for rural cadres to lead their people to seek fortunes in the wider world. But for mountain residents it takes great courage to venture out，” he said.
In 2004 Yu led a team of 40 to harvest wolfberries in the neighboring county. Later they made tomato and cotton picking journeys to Xinjiang. Most of his group members are women who had made few trips out of town before.
When proceeds from varied channels are added up， they make a handsome sum. Yu’s family can make about RMB 100，000 a year， in a neighborhood where the income base line is around RMB 50，000.
“If we had not migrated here， we might still be struggling for food and clothing，” Yu said. “In the mountains we hoped for no more than feeding our families with the meager harvest from small plots of land， which was completely at the mercy of heaven. We never thought of making more money， and always looked to the government for help when in need.” The relocation exposed them to new ideas and new possibilities. “Now no one sits back and waits for government relief. We are all seeking fortunes on our own.”
This is the government’s current vision for alleviating poverty， which formerly centered on doling out funds. Policy has shifted to cultivating the initiative and skills needed for those below the poverty line to improve their lot.
Self Dependence
Hongde New Village is the youngest migrant community in Hongsibu. Its inhabitants moved in last year. The modestly sized residential quarters were designed and built by the government， which has left plenty room for future construction at the families’will. The local government’s experience has taught it that if it provides more than the basic needs for the less privileged， some of them lose the will to work.
Each house， equipped with a solar heating system for winter and hot water， cost RMB 80，000 to build， but new occupants were required to pay merely RMB 12，800. “Some households still cannot afford this price， but they are entitled to a loan of RMB 10，000 from the county government of their origin，” said Tian Tao， interim Party secretary of Hongde New Village.
Wang Cheng， 58 and also a native of Guyuan， came to the village last June. When he and his family arrived at the house allocated to them， they found a bag of rice， a bag of flour， a jar of cooking oil， 100 kg of charcoal， a bed， a stove， and a gift package from the local government. The patch under their name in the village greenhouse， planted with leeks， shallots and carrots by volunteers from the village committee， was ready for harvest， giving the family a handy supply of vegetables. What’s more， for these first two years in their new home every migrant family receives an annual subsidy of RMB 500 for water and another RMB 500 for heating， which further eases their transition to the new location.
Now Wang Cheng is occupied with the 10 mu farmland leased to his family， and works odd jobs when time allows. His wife works as a cook at the adjacent industrial park， which brings a monthly income of RMB 2，000， almost the amount the entire family made in a whole year back in their old hometown. Their eldest son， with a college diploma， works in another city， and the other two sons are day laborers. The youngest son works from one construction site to another， but the wages are tidy at RMB 170-180 a day. “As long as the money is good， I don’t mind if it’s a regular job or not，” he shrugged.
Every family member couldn’t be happier， given what they had been through back in their hometown. Yuanzhou District of Guyuan， where they moved from， is afflicted by a dire shortage of water. The crop yield is low in normal conditions and can be reduced to nil if extreme weather strikes. Local rural residents have to line up as early as 4 am to fetch drinking water for people and livestock. “Every family must have someone to fetch water full time，” Wang Cheng said. But migration is still a difficult choice to make for farmers of Wang’s advanced years， who are disheartened by the prospect of fitting into a completely new environment， living among strangers， shifting to other farming methods and new grain varieties that require learning from scratch， and many more challenges. Understanding their doubts， the government of their adoptive region offers them multiple options– working in local factories， continuing in arable farming， or raising livestock.
As the largest industrial park in the region， Hongde accommodates two-dozen manufacturers who create a good number of job opportunities. Hongsibu is also the site of a nearly 6，700-hectare vineyard， which has lured in a number of wine makers. More are on the way as the district plans to expand the plantation ten fold.
New energy industry also has a strong presence in the region. Five companies with international reputations were in operation there by 2012， and four more will open their doors this year.
Qiu Xuhui， Party secretary of Hongsibu District， compared piping financial aid into less developed areas and helping them find a viable model of economic development to a blood transfusion and blood creation. “The goal is the same – to root out poverty. But our program costs less and， what’s more， promises sustainable growth，” he said.
A Fair Chance for All
Wei Guoxia， a garment factory manager from Pengyang County of Guyuan， became a Hongsibu resident in 2009. She formerly had a job in Beijing， but the desire to live with her two sons and also send them to nice schools within her economic means prompted her to move her family to Hongsibu. The tradeoff is a steep fall in her income： she made RMB 6，000-7，000 a month in Beijing in comparison with RMB 2，000-odd in her current position. Still， she felt the sacrifice worthwhile： “If there is the possibility to earn a descent life locally， nobody likes the idea of wandering far from home.”
One reason why Wei was drawn to her current employer， Aide， is that it is a charity conscientious business – many of its employees are people with disabilities from underdeveloped regions. Before receiving training from Aide， they relied on government allowances and family support. Now they each have a salary similar to Wei’s. Financially independent， for the first time they feel that they can live a meaningful life.
Inclusive employers like Aide are eligible for tax reduction and other initiatives by the local government. Other businesses show support by giving them preference in purchase orders. For those with severe disabilities that make finding employment near impossible， the government has launched a range of services and facilities. For instance， the Sunshine Home Care Center in Juhuatai， another migrants’ village， now has more than 40 people with serious physical or mental impairments in its charge.
The center’s chief Gao Duicang， who is also the village head， said with institutional care in place， these people’s families can be released from the burden of taking care of them full time and instead look for employment and improve their incomes. Now the annual net income in Juhuatai Village exceeds RMB 2，000 per person. In 2006， when it was still locked in by precipitous mountains， that figure was RMB 590.
With more people latching on to the idea， the eco-migration for poverty eradication program has gained strong momentum in Ningxia. According to Guyuan Mayor Ma Hancheng， the city’s plan to relocate 230，000 people out of regions with disadvantageous land and weather conditions from 2011 to 2015 is getting on so well that all signs show it could be completed within the year.
China launched a national offensive against poverty in 1983， and Guyuan has seen remarkable change over the following 30 years. The percentage of the local population living in poverty has been cut by half， from 75 percent to 38 percent. Furthermore， the environmental benefit has been significant. As people withdraw from the arid hilly areas， trees and grass are planted where they formerly grew crops and grazed animals， allowing the fragile ecosystem to recuperate itself. Now 17 percent of Guyuan’s territory， formerly showing few glimpses of green， is covered in forests. More migrants are expected to come to Hongsibu in the coming years. According to the local government’s plan， the district will receive at least 30，000 people during the 2011-2015 period， accounting for nine percent of all eco-migrants in Ningxia. Their prospects look bright if the project’s vanguard is anything to go by. However dubious and anxious they were at first， these new residents soon found themselves much richer and happier than they were before. Last year the per capita disposable income of Hongsibu’s urban residents reached RMB 13，500， and the per capita net income for its rural residents soared nearly ten fold from RMB 500 to RMB 4，570. It’s safe to say nobody wants to return to their old homes nowadays.