BySATARUPABHATTACHARJYA
inYinchuan
[email protected]R
esettlementof residents
from the mostly rural and
mountainous southern
partof the Ningxia Hui
autonomous regiontoits northern
plains, where more groundwater is
available, has taken place in waves
over the past three decades.
Some researchers consider
this populationof environmental
migrants, totaling more than 1 mil-
lion, tobeoneof the world’s largest
such groups.
Their numbers have been count-
ed since the early 1980s, when a
program totackle poverty was
launched, according togovernment
data.
So meresidents in Minning, a
resettlement zoneon theoutskirts
of the regional capitalof Yinchuan,
now spend their time in greenhous-
es,or dapeng (meaning “big tent”),
as the government looks toemploy
such migrants while increasing pro-
ductivity in Ningxia.
Manyofthose whohave been
resettledonce lived in cave dwell-
ings, a primitive yet environmentally
friendly lifestyle that is little more
than a tourist attractiontoday.
In 2017, Ma Xiuwen, whomanages
a greenhouse where a local variety
of watermelonisgrown, along with
tomatoes and cucumbers, relocated
toMinning from Xiji,oneof the five
counties most affected by the scar-
cityof water in Ningxia.
“The water problemaside, the
standardof living is low and there
is notenough work toearn a living,”
Ma, 36, saidof Xiji.
There are dozensof greenhouses
in this partof Minning, ranging from
64 to74 square meters, where fami-
lies from the latest batchof arrivals
work.
MaChaoqun (norelation), 38,
relocated from the same village,
which is nearly 400 kilometers away,
alsoin 2017. The greenhouse he runs
is similar tothat managed by Ma
Xiuwen.
The new arrivals can use the facil-
ity for free for the first fruit and veg-
etable season, and then pay 1,
yuan ($145) annually tolease a plot,
MaChaoqun said.
Anumberof migrants in andaround Yinchuan spokeof the water
scarcity and underdevelopment in
southernNingxia.
In Minning, a settlementof
60,000, someof them undergoa
month’s training before taking up
greenhouse jobs. Many are middle-
aged and unskilled.
Aneconomic model that involves
companies and farm cooperatives is
being promoted by the government,
according tolocalofficials.
Official data show 121,000 people
were living in poverty in Ningxia last
year, about 2 percentofitspopula-
tionofsome 6 million. While the
region’s poverty incidence rate (per
family) has continued todecline
since 2010, it remains higher than
the national rural average.
Ningxia is geographically smaller
than someother regionsinChina.
Most membersof the country’s eth-
nic groups live in western areas, with
the Hui people comprisingone-third
of Ningxia’s population.
The Hui mainly inhabit Ningxia,
the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous
region, and Gansu, Qinghai, Henan
and Hebei provinces.
All 65 families fromasouthern
village in Ningxia arrived in Minning
during a phaseof large-scale resettle-
ment in 2012.
Hai Fugui, a Hui communityorga-
nizer, was among them. He said he
had been thinkingof relocating in
previous years, and subsequently
paid 12,000 yuan for subsidized
housing in Minning.
Hai, 63, works foraPartyunit,
while his sonworks in a winery and
his daughter-in-law is a cook.
Minning township, as it is termed
by local authorities, has been built
across 200 square kilometers since
the first relocationsin the early
1990s.
Xie Xingchang relocated toMin-
ning from a village, alsonear Guyu-
an,asaconstructionworker in 1997
tobuild houseson wasteland. He
and his wife soon resettled in the
“new town” along with their five
children.
“It’s not easy toleave your native
place,” said Xie, 64, whomakes an
annual trip tohis former home.
“There was uncertainty at the begin-
ning, but after a while people adjust-
ed tolife here.”
Xie, wholater became a pharma-
cist, said primary and middle schoolshaveopened for the migrants’ chil-
dren.
Early training in mushroompro-
duction at greenhouses in Minning
was provided by agriculturalists
from the eastern provinceof Fujian,
he said.
“If more people c omehere, this
place will need more employment
opportunities,” Xie added.
Speaking in Yinchuan, Liu Xuezhi,
deputy directorof Ningxia’s Poverty
Alleviation andDevelopment Office,
said the next step toward employ-
ment for the region’s poorwould be
support from the fruit, meat, dairy,
potatoand herb businesses.
“We first need tosolve the problem
of absolute poverty,” Liu said, adding
that 109 million yuan was provided
in funds for different poverty allevia-
tionprograms in the region last year.
Ningxia has seen the relocationof
1.2 millionpeople,orone-thirdof its
agricultural po pulation,“in accor-
dance with requirements” since the1980s. The nation aims toend abso-
lute poverty by next year.
In 2014, 47-year-old farmer Wang
Junhong was relocated with his fam-
ilyof six fromLongde county, some
500 kmaway,becausebothwater
and jobs were scarce, he said.
“Nobody lives there now.Every-
one,or almost everyone, has moved
out,” he said, adding that his village
previously had 200 to300 residents.
Acompany executive said during
atourof the site that this andother
greenhouses, set up togrow chry-
santhemums andother flowers used
inChinese tea, are partofaphoto-
voltaic project. The site includes
an agriculture “makerspace” — a
place where people with similar
interests can cooperateonprojects
while sharing ideas, equipment and
knowledge.
Ma Xuexia, a 30-year-old employ-
ee at this ecological park, as the dual-
purpose greenhouse is known by the
company that built it, settled in Min-ning fromsouthern Ningxia in 2015
with nine membersof her family.
Speaking about the conditions in
Guyuan, she said: “We had tofetch
water fromone place, conserve it in
pits foramonth, and when it ran
out, we had torefill the pits.”
The lackof adequate groundwater
can be a leading causeofpoverty.
WenQi,aprofessor at Ningxia
University’s SchoolofReso urcesand
Environment, said drinking water
safety is a key reason driving large-
scale resettlements in the region.
He said low-earning conventional
agriculture has made way formod-
ern methods like greenhouses, in the
hopeof raising income. Those who
have been resettled have adjusted
their work schedules, from seasonal
field activities toyear-round produc-
tionprocesses.
“We still need tocreate more types
of industry for the environmental
migrants. They need toknow where
they can work. The industries need
toconnect them better toemploy-
mentopportunities,” Wen said.
Justoutside the Minning settle-
ment are glimpsesof Ningxia’s
emerging wine industry.
The chateaus — complete with
gardensand French-style stone
architecture — catch the eye. The
gray houses in Minning and the lush,
plush wine estateson its periphery
provide a hard-to-miss contrast.
It is estimated that Ningxia pro-
duces more than 100,000 metric
tonsof wine a year, and the region
hopes tocreate an area reminiscent
ofBordeaux, France, near the Helan
Mountains.
QiaoMing, a manager atoneof
the chateaus, greets tourists in a
wine-tasting hall.
The 38-year-old relocated toMin-
ning from the Shanbei areaof neigh-
boring Shaanxi province in 1997. She
listed financial problems, bad weath-
er and poor living standards as the
main reasons for her family’s move.
“This winery provides employ-
ment tomany environmental
migrants,” Qiaosaid.
Some have managerial positions
like her, while mostof theothers do
basic work.HuDongmeicontributedtothisstory.Scarcityofwater,jobssees1million
peopleresettleinnorthernplains
Migrants in
Ningxiafind
better lives
Villagers in Minning have moved from their earthen houses
(above) to brick-built homes.XINHUAMigrants assemble plastic flowers at a factory in Longde county, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, as
part of a poverty relief project.JIANGKEHONG/XINHUACHINADAILY GLOBAL WEEKLY August 9-15, 2019 CHINANEWS 7