Lisu people are one of the ethnic groups of China. Like other ethnic groups, they have their own customs, festivals, clothes and traditions, including a unique dance. The Lisu Village of Laoyashu of Baohe Town, Weixi County of Yunnan Province has 86 households with 322 people. It was included into the poverty alleviation program under China’s 13th Five-year Plan (2016-2020), with the aim of improving not only the living conditions but also the life of the locals.

Over these five years and thanks to the support of the government, the village underwent massive improvements, essentially in terms of infrastructures. All houses in the village have been either rebuilt or upgraded and new roads were built, bringing improved transportation possibilities and easier access to the nearby town, and water access has been greatly improved. The village has a history of vegetables farming, and the new roads now allow people to sell larger amounts of their production, hence improving their income. The nearby town also put in place a platform for villagers to sell their products online.

While some young people keep looking for jobs in China’s big southern cities, the new roads also enable people to look for jobs in city and some are now commuting between the village and the town where they work. Thanks to all the possibilities of improving their income, most households have been able to afford a car.

After the poverty alleviation national target was successfully achieved in 2020, the government has already put in place further measure to improve life in the countryside and Laoyashu village is now entering the rural revitalization plan, which is already on the way thanks to the tremendous improvement of the last five years.

Laoyashu Village keeps attaching great importance to the Lisu culture and set up three local centers for protecting and passing down the Lisu cultural heritage to the next generations. The centers are for traditional clothes making, traditional music and traditional dance. Culture classes are also part of the education in the village’s kindergarten.

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY CECILE ZEHNACKER

Source: China Pictorial