2 | Monday, November 16, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY PAGE TWO Relocated Tibet: Thousands residents shake off past pain lifted out of poverty By MO JINGXI and DA QIONG
From page 1 Three years ago, Dekyi Pal dron, 36, a Party official in the 1 Wu Yingjie, the region’s Party sec Tibet autonomous region, was retary, told reporters at a briefing puzzled when 30 villagers who last month that work had been com started work as loaders at a pleted on 965 relocation sites and drinks factory in Lhasa returned 266,000 people had moved into new home just one day after they took homes. up their new jobs. Asked whether the residents had “When I first learned about the been relocated voluntarily, Wu said employment opportunity, I their wishes had been fully respect thought it was very suitable for ed during the entire process. our villagers, as there was no “Once we finished building the requirement for a college diplo houses, we invited the villagers to ma,” said Dekyi Paldron, who was see the interior designs and to give appointed first Party secretary of their advice,” he said. Caiqutang village, Yangbajain Wu added that many people have town, Damxung county, in 2017. failed to qualify for relocation, but She said the villagers returned still want to move. from Lhasa so quickly because In Boma village, a relocation most of them used to be farmers area in the Doilungdeqen district and herdsmen accustomed to a 2 of Lhasa, Tse Padro chose not to simple life. They were unable to take part in a project launched by adapt to regular working hours. the local government to transform “They were satisfied with the rooms on the second floor of relo status quo and had no desire to cated villagers’ houses into home pursue a better life,” she said. stays for visitors. The village is a relocation area The 56yearold farmer, whose for residents from highaltitude four children have left to work in areas of Tibet to ease their rheu other areas of Tibet, leaving him and matic pains and boost the local his wife at their new home, said, “We economy by using its hot spring are just farmers and know nothing Tibetan dancing facilities. about running a homestay.” is one of the However, only 272 of the 625 The family moved to Boma in courses on offer villagers are able to work, as the 2016 from a mountainous area, for preschool remainder are either too sick, too which can be seen from the front of teachers at old or too young for employ the new twostory home. Nyingchi Voca ment. The average net income in Even though villagers who took tional and Tech the village used to be only 5,000 part in the homestay project qualify nical School. yuan to 6,000 yuan ($748 to to receive several thousand yuan in ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY $898) a year. payments annually, Tse Padro still Two years ago, the situation 3 feels satisfied with his life. began to change. Seeing neighbor Leasing 0.4 hectares of farmland ing, ecommerce workers and even as where grazing yaks and sheep is ing villagers earning more than he owns to an industrial park, Tse vehicle mechanics. the major source of income, nearly they were by taking different types Padro and his wife earn more than Two years ago, Yangzom regis half the local workforce has been of work, people in Caiqutang 10,000 yuan (nearly $1,500) a year. He tered at the school to major in Chi left idle. started to reassess their position. also does occasional work in Lhasa, nese cuisine. “We hope that after they learn As animal husbandry is prac such as planting trees and flowers. The 17yearold comes from a vil new skills, these people are able to ticed widely in Damxung county, “Our living conditions have great lage in Gyaca county, Shannan pre find work and earn money. A sur Dekyi Paldron applied for a sheep ly improved and we now have full fecture, near Lhamo Latso — also vey we carried out found that driv fattening program for the Caiqut access to water and electricity sup known as Oracle Lake — some 300 ing is the most soughtafter skill ang villagers. By raising 2,250 plies. Life is much more convenient kilometers from Nyingchi. among farmers,” Qizhala said. sheep together, by the end of last than before,” he said. Her parents drove her to the He added that people who used year, every household had received school in their car, bought with to ride horses to get around are payments ranging from 3,500 Free education additional income earned from now learning to ride motorcycles. yuan to 8,000 yuan. Rinmo, the village student relo work such as truck driving, selling Other popular skills include Last year, the county authori cated to Nyingchi city with her fami caterpillar fungus and raising yaks. electric welding and operating ties also started a tourism resort ly, is among those receiving a free Previously, the fivemember cranes and bulldozers at construc project in Yangbajain. education thanks to a policy intro household made a living solely from tion sites, where there is a shortage Using the area’s hot spring duced in Tibet in 1985. growing highland barley. of such workers, he said. resources, the project has attracted As part of the Three Guarantees tens of thousands of domestic and 4 policy, the local authorities initial Incomes rise Major contribution overseas tourists and provided ly covered all tuition, food and As part of the region’s efforts to lift Dawa Tsering, 26, an equipment work for more than 50 villagers. boarding costs for students from people out of poverty, vocational maintenance worker at a barley Since 2016, Tibet has invested the region’s farming families dur schools also provide shortterm pro processing factory in Shigatse city, 39.89 billion yuan in strengthen ing their nine years of compulsory grams for farmers and herdsmen to has benefited from a threemonth ing poverty alleviation projects. education. master skills such as running a free program for new employees According to Wu Yingjie, the In 2012, the policy was extended homestay or driving a truck. to master the skills they need for region’s Party secretary, nearly to cover kindergartens and senior Tibet, which used to have the their work. 3,000 such projects have helped high schools. It also subsidizes stu highest poverty rate nationwide, has Earning more than 5,000 yuan a lift more than 238,000 people out dents from impoverished urban spent more than any other area of month, the third son born to an of poverty and benefited over families. the country on the challenging task 11member household contributed 840,000. To date, more than 20 billion yuan of ending impoverishment for its greatly to moving his family off the Last year, all Caiqutang villag has been invested to assist 8.93 mil people. list of registered impoverished ers had escaped poverty and lion students, and this year over 2.54 By the end of last year, 628,000 families in August last year. were earning an annual per capi billion yuan has been allocated to people in the region listed as impov Now, his two elder brothers are ta net income of 17,000 yuan to cover the costs of 648,600 beneficia erished had been lifted out of pover responsible for tending to highland 18,000 yuan. ries, according to the regional edu ty, with their per capita net income barley on 0.67 hectares of land, Wangdrag, 43, relocated to cation bureau. rising to 9,328 yuan, up from 1,499 along with several yaks and 50 Caiqutang from Nagchu city With more than 2,000 students, yuan in 2015. sheep in a town in Ngamring coun because his wife Tharkyi experi 1,2. Students at Nyingchi Vocational and Technical School, Nyingchi Vocational and Technical Despite the impact of the corona ty, Shigatse. The family earns enced severe rheumatism, espe Tibet autonomous region, learn to serve tea and work as chefs. School, the only one of its kind in the virus pandemic, in the first six 20,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan a year. cially in winter. 3. Tenzin (center), 76, who grows highland barley in a village city, runs a range of courses. months of this year, per capita Dawa Tsering’s younger broth In 2013, when the family was in Shigatse city, enjoys life with his family at their new house. These include preparing stu income in rural areas of Tibet rose er, who graduated from college listed as an impoverished house 4. Students take a Tibetan language class at a junior high dents to become chefs at starrated by 10.2 percent yearonyear. this year, has also found a job in hold, the couple and their two school in Lhasa. PHOTOS BY ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY hotels, preschool teachers who Qizhala, chairman of the regional Shigatse. children were living at an altitude excel at Chinese and Tibetan danc government, said rising incomes are “There are too many people in of 4,800 meters and relying on mainly due to those who have taken our house, so I want to go away to government subsidies of about other jobs, instead of relying purely try to earn a living. This is also 12,000 yuan a year as their only on farming. what my parents want me to do,” source of income. He said the shortterm vocational Dawa Tsering said. Moving to Caiqutang entitles programs are aimed at meeting “Hopefully, I will get promotion Tharkyi and other patients in the strong demand to learn employ and become a manager in the village to regular free treatment at ment skills, adding that in some are future,” he added. the health recovery center, which was set up by doctors from the Tibet Autonomous Region Hospi tal of Traditional Tibetan Medicine. Hot baths at home also helped ease Tharkyi’s pain and she is now able to do some weaving work in the village. Wangdrag, after taking a short term training program jointly organized by local human resour ces and education authorities, works as a security guard at the village kindergarten, where he earns 2,000 yuan a month. After the couple’s children went to university, three of his sister’s children, who had been left orphaned, came to live with him and his wife in Caiqutang. “My hope now is that every member of our family enjoys good health,” he said.
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