Tourism lifts Jinuo people out of poverty

Seventy years ago, Jinuo people in south Yunnan’s Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture became part of a modern society directly from their indigenous past. In recent years, they have shaken off poverty through the promotion of tourism.

Bapo, one of the oldest Jinuo villages located in Jinuoshan Township, is near Jinghong, the prefectural seat of Xishuangbanna. In the past few years, like other places in Xishuangbanna, the village has helped establish the Jinuoshan Scenic Area. Now many Jinuo villagers work there. Some of them act as tour guides, others greet tourists, and yet others perform the Jinuo great drum dance and play traditional bamboo instruments called qikuo arm. And Che Jie presides over the sacrificial ceremony before the great drum dance and the coming-of-age ceremony for Jinuo boys.

Tourism has helped local people get rid of poverty. According to Che Jie, more than 60 villagers now work in the scenic area, and their earnings range from 2,000 yuan (US284.90) to 5,000 yuan (US$712.25) every month. In Bapo, the scenic area brings in more than 300,000 yuan (US$42,700) for the village every year, and people can sell local products including fruits and honey to tourists at designated stalls.

The villagers outside the scenic areas run home inns or restaurants. In Bapiao, another Jinuo village, Zimei invested about 300,000 yuan (US$42,700) in a home inn with Jinuo characteristics. "I hope to see more and more tourists come to Jinuo Mountain," she said.

In 2018, according to an official from Jinuoshan Township, the scenic area received nearly 170,000 tourists. From January to May, the scenic area received more than 100,000 tourists, a substantial increase, year-on-year.

In addition to rural tourism, governments at all levels have also encourage the Jino people to grow rubber, tea, amomum and fruit, as well as to raise pigs, chickens and bees. In 2018, the farmers in Jinuoshan Township registered an average per capita income of 11,757 yuan (US$1674.78), and the poverty head count fell to 0.68 percent. That leaves only 79 people in 34 households still to be lifted out of poverty. (Text from Xinhua, photos from Xinhua and Yunnan Daily)