Perched in the scenic mountains of Qiandongnan in the Chinese mainland's Guizhou Province, Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village stands as the largest Miao settlement in the country. While it is now a vibrant center of culture and tourism, the village's journey to prosperity has been a hard-fought battle against isolation and economic hardship.
For residents like Hou Yanjiang, the memory of the struggle is still vivid. Years ago, Hou worked as a migrant worker, scraping by to support his family in a region where basic electrical appliances were an unattainable luxury. "We walked two hours every day to collect firewood for cooking, and making ends meet was a constant struggle," Hou recalls.
His experience was representative of the broader community. In 2007, the per capita annual income in Xijiang was less than 1,700 yuan, with the village hampered by poor infrastructure and a heavy reliance on a single agricultural economy.
However, a concerted effort to build a robust mechanism against poverty relapse has transformed the landscape. By 2024, the per capita disposable income of Xijiang's villagers jumped to 31,000 yuan—an increase of approximately 18 times compared to 2007 levels. This dramatic turnaround marks a new era for the ancient stilted villages, turning a once-isolated settlement into a model of economic resilience and growth.
Reference(s):
How Xijiang builds a mechanism to guard against poverty relapse
cgtn.com
