Miao Family in Guizhou Mountains Lifts Itself Out of Poverty by Farming Ecological Fish

"The water quality here has been tested and is ideal for developing ecological fish farming. Over a year, families that earn a lot can make 200,000 yuan, and those that earn less still make 70,000 to 80,000 yuan." Miao villager Wei Xiaoquan told reporters while feeding the fish.

Wei Xiaoquan's family has lived for generations in Huanghuazhai, Duncao Township, Changshun County, deep in the mountains of Guizhou. This Miao village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with green hills and clear waters, but it is isolated by poor transportation. For a long time, the only road to the township was a rugged mountain path, and the per capita arable land is less than 1 mu. "In the past, we scratched a living from the soil all year round, and many families lived in poverty," Wei Xiaoquan said.

In 2008, the local government decided to build a hydropower station on a river near Huanghuazhai. Including Wei Xiaoquan's family of 5, dozens of households in the village relocated to the county seat as migrants. "Life after moving out is more convenient, but many villagers have difficulty finding suitable jobs because they lack work skills, and they have no source of income," Wei Xiaoquan said.

"This situation drew the attention of government departments." Chen Yong, Party secretary of Duncao Township, told reporters that to help the relocated households of Huanghuazhai escape poverty and increase their incomes as soon as possible, the county immigration bureau and the township government had been seeking employment channels for them. In 2014, the construction of the Huanghuazhai Hydropower Station built a dam, turning the former small river into a reservoir with a storage capacity of 178 million cubic meters. The reservoir area stretches 18 kilometers, forming excellent waters for ecological fish farming.

The township government mobilized and supported 11 Miao households to develop cold-water fish farming in the Huanghuazhai reservoir area. Wei Xiaoquan, then in his 40s, and his wife took the lead in responding actively.

"When we first started farming fish, the fry were expensive, costs were high, and the pressure was great. So the government helped these 11 households get bank loans, and later provided government subsidies and helped connect them with sales channels. In the end, everyone made money," Wei Xiaoquan said.

Reporters recently visited the reservoir area for an interview. Standing on the 110-meter-high dam of the Huanghuazhai Hydropower Station, one could see cages for cold-water fish farming scattered in an orderly way across the water surface, small boats shuttling back and forth, and the figures of anglers swaying from time to time along the reservoir edge. The scenery was enchanting.

"Aiming at urban dining tables, the reservoir area currently farms about 400 cages with more than 200,000 fish, including grass carp, longsnout catfish, and sturgeon. Because they are pollution-free and of good quality, market sales channels are stable. All the fish raised in 2014 have been sold, and the fish farmers all made money." Wei Xiaoquan said his family's annual income from fish farming reached 200,000 yuan.

"Having seen the benefits, everyone is now planning to further expand the scale of fish farming." Wei Xiaoquan said that as the construction of the hydropower station improved transportation conditions, many city dwellers now drive to the reservoir area on weekends and holidays to sightsee and fish. Fishery family inns and family farms providing food and lodging for guests have emerged as the times require, and the lives of the Miao family are getting better and better.