6 CHINA Wednesday, March 29, 2017 CHINA DAILY
POVERTY ALLEVIATION Ethnic groups look to raise living standards, preserve cultures Leaders of China’s minorities are hoping government support will help save their traditions and languages. Xu Wei and Yang Jun report from Tongren and Kaili, Guizhou province.
wo decades ago, Hu Zhengyong inherited the prestigious posi tion as head of TQishuping, a “fortress” village of the Qiang ethic group, from his father. In his 20year tenure, Hu’s Members of the Qiang ethnic group perform a traditional dance in Qishuping village, Guizhou province. LONG CHAO / FOR CHINA DAILY role has changed beyond rec ognition. “My father had a say in the affairs of everybody in our ‘big family’, but my main Development responsibility is to call people back when a gathering is heldbackby required,” said the 47year pooreducation old, whose village is located in Taoying, a township in Tongren, a prefecturelevel Like most of his peers, city in Guizhou province. Zhao Jian lives in a wooden Most young and middle home built by his grandfa aged people have left the ther and maintains a simi ancient mountain village, the lar lifestyle to his ancestors. only Qiang settlement in the The twostory wooden southwestern province, leav structure is also home to ing just a few seniors to tend Zhao’s grandmother and the lowquality farmland parents, his wife and scattered across the moun their two children. They tainous region. can barely survive by Hu has many reasons to be growing rice and chilies concerned that the bonds on their 0.47 hectare of which keep the “family” farmland, so they rely on together will gradually fade. the money Zhao, 34, “It’s becoming increasingly earns working parttime difficult to call people back. jobs in a nearby town in For some, one day spent trav Guizhou province. eling back to the village Zhao is a member of the means one day that could She ethnic group in Bai have been better spent mak yangping, a village in Kaili, a ing money,” said Hu, who countylevel city in the runs three restaurants in province. Tongren’s urban area. He said She people have The outflow of young peo Hu Zhengyong, head of Qishuping village. YANG JUN / CHINA DAIY A woman from the Mulao ethic group makes traditional tofu using the group’s ageold recipes. a special fondness for ple will also make it difficult YANG JUN / CHINA DAILY wooden buildings because to preserve the cultural iden they are more comfortable tity of the Qiang people, who in the relatively humid, but are pantheists and worship a while about 1,600 people live nesses. spent about six months as a are key symbols that help peo sometimes icy,winters in number of local gods, accord in Guizhou. As mountain He said the inability to migrant worker, but the fact ple to maintain their ethnic Southwest China. ing to Hu. dwellers, they have little flat speak the Qiang language that she had to leave her chil identities. “But now it’s extremely The village is just one of arable farmland, which started with his grandfather’s dren and parents eventually He explained that one rea difficult to find wood in the manysettlementsinhabitedby It’s becoming means conditions are tough. generation. Most of his con prompted her to quit and son for the loss of traditional mountains to build a new minority groups in Guizhou, “I understand people’s deci temporaries are unable to head home: “I kept worrying culture among many young home. The forests made and the exodus of the younger increasingly sions to seek opportunities play traditional musical about my parents or my chil people from the She and way for farmland decades generation is presenting chal elsewhere. They would have instruments, such as the dren getting sick and wonder Mulao peoples is their inabili ago,”he said. lenges for all of them — not difficult to call little to do if they stayed in the Qiang flute, which has no offi ing who would take care of ty to attend gatherings and Baiyangping, which has least in preserving their centu village,” Hu said. cial name because the group’s them.” festivals. more than 50 wooden riesold cultural identities. people back. ” Until four years ago, language has no written form. Hu, the Qiang village head, houses, has been certified The province is home to Hu Zhengyong, head of Qishup Qishuping was mired in pov The exodus of younger peo A widespread problem said the key to attracting as a “village with ethnic eight ethnic groups whose ing village of the Qiang ethic erty. The average annual ple is also common in villages The challenge of preserving young people back to their characteristics” by the populations each number group income was just 1,000 yuan settled by the Mulao ethnic their traditional cultures is home villages lies in the State Ethnic Affairs Com less than 50,000 people. Most ($145), and many residents group, a traditionally animist also affecting minority groups development of tourism. mission. of them battle to survive in had left to seek work in large people who inhabit a river in other parts of China. Last year, in addition to the The She people, who the harsh natural conditions, cities and towns. Moreover, valley in Guizhou. According Zhou Jian, deputy director tarmac road, Qishuping saw once enjoyed a reputation and they also struggle in save a language from dying if access was difficult because a to China’s last census, con of the Ethnic and Religious the construction of an exhibi as trailblazers, mostly live terms of social and economic few people can speak it any dirt road connecting it to the ducted in 2010, the group Affairs Commission in the tion hall and outdoor gallery, in the mountains. The development, according to more,” he said, adding that outside world was laid in numbered about 21,600 peo Guangxi Zhuang autonomous where traditional Qiang cul group, scattered across the the Guizhou Commission for the provincial government 2003, but wasn’t sealed with ple. region, said the shrinking use ture and handicrafts are dis provinces of Fujian, Zheji Ethnic and Religious Affairs. should make greater efforts to tarmac until last year. Jin Yuanxiu, a 31yearold of ethnic languages is com played, in the hope of ang, Jiangxi, Guangdong Zhang Yuguang, deputy help preserve the cultural “Before, it was difficult for mother of two in Fuxing, a mon and the number of radio attracting more tourists. and Guizhou, numbers head of the bureau of ethnic identities of ethnic groups. young men in our village to Mulao village in Guizhou’s broadcasts and publications He hopes an enterprising about 70,800, according to and religious affairs in Kaili, a “The government should find wives,” Hu said. Leishan county, is one of the in the Zhuang dialect falls far tourism company will see the China’s last census, con countylevel city, said minority give people from minority few young people who have short of demand. potential for development in ducted in 2010. groups with small populations groups more encouragement Loss of identity opted to stay in the settle “Interest in using and the village, which would cre Zhao, whose education are facing the potential loss of to speak their own languages, Qishuping’s migrant work ment, which is about an learning ethnic languages is ate jobs, raise living stan ended at junior high school their ethnic languages, which such as including their lan ers sent muchneeded money hour’s drive along snaking diminishing among young dards and bring people back level, is one of the few arekeyaspectsoftheiridentity. guages in the entrance exams to their families in the village, mountain roads from the people because society assess together as in days gone by. young people still living and As a result of the rising pop for the civil service,” he said. but the residents face a dilem nearest town. es a person’s abilities through “I keep telling my family working in the village. ularity of urban lifestyles and ma. The outflow threatens the To support her family, Jin his or her mastery of Manda that being a migrant worker Almost all the other mem the growing use of the inter Population outflow survival of the group’s tradi began making traditional rin. Learning their own lan can improve their lives, but it bers of the younger genera net, very few members of the With a population of about tional culture, and even their tofu using the group’s ageold guages will not help them to can’t change their destiny. tion are migrant workers in Mulao group in Kaili age 60 31,000 nationwide, the Qiang identity in the long term. recipes. Now, her products get out of the mountains,” he Some young people have said cities. or younger can speak their is one of the smallest of Chi Hu noted that most young have made their way onto the wrote in a 2015 article for Chi they want to come back — they According to Zhao, irre own language, according to na’s 56 ethnic groups. people from the village work shelves of the county’s super na Ethnic News. just don’t know how,”he said. spective of their location, Zhang. Most Qiang live in a moun as painters and decorators in markets. Zhang, the ethnic affairs most young people return “From the perspective of tainous region in the north urban areas, but only a few Ten years ago, Jin, who official in Guizhou, said tradi Contact the writer at to the village to celebrate the authorities, we cannot west of Sichuan province, have started their own busi speaks Mandarin fluently, tional festivals and clothing [email protected] important festivals. He occasionally works as a plasterer in nearby towns. “I cannot adapt to life in Guizhou targets villages for greater protection efforts cities, and I can only find lowpaid work because of By XU WEI standards through infra and Religious Affairs, told a infrastructure, slow urbaniza In 2015, the per capita GDP help people learn Mandarin in my limited education,”he structure development, reset media briefing that the guide tion and a lack of cultural and in autonomous ethnic areas addition to their own ethnic said. A guideline published by tlement projects and the line has set a target of lifting public services, he said. was about 50 percent lower languages. “I hope my son and the Guizhou provincial gov development of industries, in all 77 minority villages out of “The cultures of some eth than the national average, Guizhou is one of China’s daughter can eventually ernment is prioritizing pover line with the objectives out poverty by the end of the dec nic groups are in danger of according to the guideline. mostethnicallydiverseprovin leave the village and make tyrelief efforts for ethnic lined in China’s 13th Five ade. shrinking or even disappear The provincial government ces, with 17 indigenous minori a living elsewhere.” groups in a bid to eradicate the Year Plan (201620). Areas inhabited by minority ing altogether,”he said, noting has named 500 key villages as ty groups, eight of them with problem by 2020. On Thursday,Xu Fei, deputy groups have many problems, that cultural heritage, folk targets for protection and ren populations numbering less XUWEIANDYANGJUN The government will director of the Guizhou Pro including low levels of eco handicrafts and art forms are ovation, Xu said, adding that than 50,000 people each, redouble efforts to raise living vincial Commission for Ethnic nomic development, poor also in danger of being lost. programs will be launched to according to the commission.