Southwest China's Guizhou province is planning to relocate 670,000 people from poor and remote regions to more developed areas in 2019, according to its government work report on Jan 27. They will be moved to more prosperous towns with more job opportunities and better living conditions.
As a key battleground in China's fight against poverty, Guizhou has always been committed to finding effective ways of raising people out of poverty. In recent years, relocation has become a significant way of alleviating problems related to geography.
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Relocated residents from Shiqian county carry their belongings to their new home in Wanshan district, Tongren city. [Photo by Huang Shuding/provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
"Relocation is an important way for Guizhou to win its battle against poverty," said Gao Fen, a deputy to the provincial people's congress and head of the financial department of Shiqian county, Tongren city. "However, large-scale support policies are required to serve the relocated residents, including providing them with employment, education and medical treatment, which are all challenges."
The county has built kindergartens and primary schools near residential communities, the county government said, and more service centers are expected to open soon.
Wang Aduo, another deputy to the provincial people's congress from Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, said that cultural traditions of ethnic groups also need to be protected "in a bid to better preserve their legacies, and encourage them to maintain their traditional lifestyles in new places."
In the prefecture's Qinglong county, new buildings have been erected in the architectural styles of the ethnic groups. This is expected to help the relocated people adapt.
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A group of women who were relocated from a village work at a clothing factory in a new community called Ameiqituo, Qinglong county. [Photo by Chen Yalin/provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
Zhao Yandi contributed to this story
