Northwest Yunnan’s Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture is one of the poorest areas in China. Living in high mountains and deep valleys, most folks here were impoverished. Yu Youdeng is a villager from Adimadi in Nujiang’s Fugong county. 

"Aimadi means a place without flat land, and it’s hard for us to carry materials there to build a new house,” said Yu. “So we have to leave Aimadi, which is far away the Fugong county seat.” 

In the past, life was difficult for the folks in the Aimadi natural village deep in the mountains. At birth giving or critical illness, Yu Youdeng and his fellow villagers had to carry the suffering ones to the county hospital.

“Some gave birth to the baby on the way, others died before reaching hospital,” said Yu, adding the food shortage after the Spring Festival was relieved by eating wild herbs or money from logging.

In January 2018, the 62 households from Adimadi were resettled at the Aludi site in Fugong County, embarking a brand new life. 

"The new settlement is pretty good, with schools and medical services readily available," said Yu with approval. 

To ensure a steady income for the resettlers, a 25-hectare tea plantation was build up to created job opportunities. A total of 69 villagers have been turned into forest rangers, and other industries for poverty relieve are being cultivated for a better life.

Source: Xinhua; trans-editing by Wang Shixue and Yuan Yingcen