A chance to start over: work opportunities and better living conditions at the relocation and resettlement district in Shache County

2021-June-4 14:30 By: GMW.cn

Shache County of Kashgar Prefecture is located in the southwest of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. There are a total of 36 towns, 494 villages, and 74 communities in the county. By the end of 2020, the permanent resident population in Shache reached 1 million people, of which 668,000 are rural residents.

The advantageous natural conditions of Shache, with distinct four seasons and abundant sunlight, makes it ideal for growing agricultural products. With 209,000 mu (14,000 hectares) of farmland, Shache has ideal conditions for agricultural development. In addition, numerous mineral resources have been found here, including coal, lead, zinc, iron, copper, nickel, limestone, and gypsum. Abundant supplies and great qualities make the developmental prospects of its mineral industry also looking bright.

With favorable natural conditions, the local government has attached great importance to the development of different industries in Shache. Besides continued advancement in agricultural and mineral industries, Shache is also expanding its industry of animal breeding. In recent years, it established many centers for animal husbandry, including for cows, sheep, and camels. This is combined with the government's efforts of poverty alleviation, as these centers created numerous job opportunities not only for local residents, but also for people relocated from poverty-stricken areas.

A chance to start over: work opportunities and better living conditions at the relocation and resettlement district in Shache County

Sheep at the sheep husbandry center in Shache County (Junye Zhang/Guangming Picture)

Before 2018, many residents in Shache lived in impoverished towns in mountainous areas. The altitudes of those towns range from 2,300 to 2,800 meters above sea level. There were no hospitals or schools, and transportation was extremely difficult. High altitude makes even cooking and boiling water difficult as it was hard to cook the food thoroughly or make the water boil. While living conditions for the people there were similar to nomadism, the mountains were barren, and they had no farmland to work on.

Such was the life for Aynur, whose township was situated near an old road, which was used for trade and transportation during ancient times. Nowadays, the road is no longer in use, its poor condition causes no traffic to come by, which makes the region almost a no man's land.

The region was also susceptible to bad weather. When it rains, the water would soak Aynur's home, and the mountain roads would be covered by mud, making it difficult to walk on. The area was also troubled by strong winds, as it lacked proper infrastructural protection.

Without any means of finding work, Aynur had to stay home. "Since I had no work, my husband was the sole breadwinner," said Aynur. "As a driver, his annual income was 36,000 yuan, and most of it was spent on living expenses. We didn't have much saving." Like her, many people in the area wanted to relocate, but couldn't afford it.

To improve the quality of life for people in these impoverished towns, the local government initiated multiple projects to create work opportunities and establish resettlement areas for them. It was a gradual process that have now reached completion.

In 2018, the government finished construction of the resettlement district to accommodate people who wanted to move out of the mountains. The house Aynur lives in is built with bricks, has an area of 80 square meters, with private bathrooms and good sanitary conditions. Such is the standard housing in the resettlement area.

In 2019, the sheep husbandry center in Shache was opened, which offered people like Aynur the work opportunity they had always been waiting for.

A chance to start over: work opportunities and better living conditions at the relocation and resettlement district in Shache County

A chance to start over: work opportunities and better living conditions at the relocation and resettlement district in Shache County

Sheep at the sheep husbandry center (Junye Zhang/Guangming Picture)

To make resettlement as convenient as possible, the resettlement homes were built near the work places. For Aynur, the sheep husbandry center is only 500 meters away from her new home.

Now, Aynur works as a feeder at the sheep farm, doing daily work of feeding sheep and cleaning. Her workdays are 8-hour long, and she earns a monthly salary of 2,000 yuan.

A chance to start over: work opportunities and better living conditions at the relocation and resettlement district in Shache County

Photo of Aynur at the sheep husbandry center (Photo provided by A Date with China)

The sheep husbandry center was not the only available option, as the local government established many centers to provide employment opportunities for people who resettled here. "There are many work opportunities in the district. We have husbandry centers for sheep, cows, and camels. We also have greenhouses and other places. After moving here, people can choose where they want to work based on their skills and interests," said the supervisor at the sheep husbandry center.

By now, 1,915 households with a total of 10,062 people have relocated to the resettlement district in Shache.

Besides the previous difficult living conditions which already prompted people's desire to find new homes, the local government also made great efforts to invite people to resettle here. Many village cadres travelled multiple times to the mountainous areas to inform villagers of the new opportunities in development, and assisted them in their relocation process.

To help the relocated people adapt to the resettlement area, the county also established comprehensive facilities to meet people's daily needs. There is a hospital, three kindergartens, along with other schools in the county, all located near the resettlement homes. For Aynur, whose children are attending kindergarten at the moment, her house is only 500 meters away from the kindergarten, about the same distance between her home and work.

In addition, with better welfare in Shache, their living expenses have hardly increased here. For Aynur's family, the living expenses have been greatly reduced, their monthly expenditure is only around 500 to 600 yuan. The sheep husbandry center covers Aynur's meals, which is also the case for Aynur's children at the kindergarten. Aside from dinner or on the weekends, the family doesn't need to spend much money on food.

Finally, Aynur has the chance to save up her own money and can gradually achieve her personal goal. "My dream is to save up enough money to go to a driving school and get my license," said Aynur. "One day, I hope to have my own car."

Editor: JYZ
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