China News Service Liangshan, September 15th Title: The new wind of modern civilization blows into Daliangshan. The Yi family’s living room reflects the changes in customs
Author Wang Peng
"From childhood to adulthood, I don’t know what a living room is." In mid-September, in Waqu Village, Lamo Township, Ganluo County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, 18-year-old Baoshilibumo and his mother finished cleaning the living room and sat on the sofa and watched TV. In the family portrait on the wall, she smiled shyly. This Yi girl who grew up in Daliang Mountain said, "I am living a life that my ancestors cannot imagine."
Liangshan is the most difficult thing for China to fight poverty. Seven of the 52 poor counties in China that have not yet been lifted out of poverty are here. The difficulty of getting rid of poverty is not only at the material level. Over the years, influenced by the traditional culture of the slave society and the limitations of objective conditions, the Yi people have lagged behind in their thoughts and living habits, and have been conservative and hard-working.
Villagers of Naito Village, Bobo Township dance in the square. Photo by Lu Yang
In Baoshilibumo's memory, before the age of 15, five people in the family were crowded in a mud-filled adobe house. There is no pigpen, and the exterior wall of the house is sunken by pigs, afraid of rain and earthquakes. There was no bed at home, so she and her sister could only squeeze into the cabinet to sleep. "I often fell off the cabinet while I fell asleep, and was woken up by mice."
At the end of 2016, with the advancement of poverty alleviation in Ganluo County, the family of Baoshilibumo moved into the two-story Yi new village. In this village that has been lifted out of poverty in 2019, how to help the Yi people develop good habits and form good customs is a deeper problem.
In Waqu Village, creating "living room culture" is one of the keys to changing customs and customs. Deng Xiaoyong, the first secretary of Waqu Village, from the Sichuan Provincial Metallurgical Geological Exploration Bureau, introduced that during this operation, the local government and the village work team helped the villagers complete the living room furniture for free and taught civilized living habits in the household for a long time. "The Yi people are not used to using tables when eating, so we invited them to the work team and eat on the table with us."
Baoshili Bumo's new home. Photo by Lu Yang
Nowadays, in the living room of Baoshili Bumo's house, sofas, coffee tables, TV cabinets and other furniture are neatly arranged, and the fire pit once was replaced by a warm stove. This living room is not much different from the living room of urban residents.
"In the old house, things and clothes were placed randomly. We were eating on the ground. We usually took a shower every two or three months, and we never brushed our teeth..." Recalling the past lifestyle and habits, Baoshilibumo smiled embarrassedly, and she said seriously, "I never want to live that kind of life again."
In Naito Village, Bobo Township, Ganluo County, a special supermarket attracts attention--"New Style Supermarket". There are a wide range of daily necessities in the supermarket, but the villagers do not need to buy them, but exchange them with "Fresh Style Points".
Naitu Villager arrived in Ayi and said that village cadres and village work teams will go to their homes from time to time to score living habits and environmental sanitation, and different points can be exchanged for corresponding products. "Our family's points are the highest in the village. After saving 500 points, I will exchange it for a washing machine." Holding a pack of tissues he had just redeemed, Ayi smiled heartily. Under the influence of the "Fresh Style Supermarket", the villagers have already developed good habits.
A corner of the "New Style Supermarket" in Naito Village, Bobo Township. Photo by Wang Peng
In addition to living habits, old customs and bad habits such as raising high-priced funerals and high-priced brides have also increased the burden on the Yi people. Wu Xingpei, a member of the village assistance team in Waqu Village, said that in the past, the elderly in the village often killed more than a dozen cattle and sheep and had big banquets when they died. When their children got married, they also received lots of gifts and compared them with each other, which caused the dilemma of an elderly man paying favors for several generations and marrying a wife to bear debts.
Nowadays, under the promotion of township rules and regulations and village work teams, old customs and bad habits are disappearing. In 2019, Ma Hai, a villager in Waqu Village, said that his father passed away. When the funeral was held, he only killed one cow at home to entertain relatives and friends. "We will prepare as much as the guests come now. Not only will we not neglect the guests, but the burden of weddings and weddings is also much lighter." Ma Hai added that the Yi people are very good at face and the traditional customs of the ethnic group should be preserved, but they should also keep pace with the times.
Whether it is "living room culture" or "just kill one cow", it reflects the changes in the customs of Daliangshan.A new trend of modern civilization is blowing into this chaotic place. As Baoshilibumo said, "The mountain here is still the same mountain, and the people are still the same group of people, but in fact everything is different." (End)
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