The people of De’ang have moved into a new stage, well-stocked with all kinds of electrical appliances, livestock and corn. San Taishan Town, located in Dehong prefecture, is the perfect town to prove this. Almost 60% of its inhabitants belong to the De’ang ethnic group.

Over the past few decades, many historical leaps have been made in San Taishan Town. A series of policies, including “Increasing Support to Less Populous Ethnic Groups,” the “Program to Support Border Areas and Improve People’s Lives" and “Shanghai Aid to the De’ang Ethnic Group,” have been implemented.

In just a few years, new buildings have sprung up, thatched-roofed houses have turned into tile-roofed houses, and a modern Dehang ethnic group town has emerged on the southwest border of China.

Industrial Restructuring and Economic Development

With the support of all levels and sides, the San Taishan Town Party Committee has led the people to press ahead with the building of a new countryside.

The Party Committee and government of the town have transformed the traditional production mode of the town and adjusted its industrial structure.

They have also established economic tree bases and offered free baby pigs to people, leading them onto a road toward ecologically sound agricultural development.

But that’s not all—to enable people to acquire practical skills, training courses have been held to pass on planting, husbandry and biogas techniques to the masses. After a few years of development, the income of the villagers has doubled and remarkable changes have taken place both in production and in people’s lives.

Developing Education

The “Three Free Education Projects” that allowed many students to waive fees for textbooks, stationery and tuition have enabled many children who couldn’t afford the tuition themselves to go back to school and greatly improve the teaching quality of the school.

Even more important is that people’s ideas and goals for employment have changed. Many young De’ang men hunt for jobs in big cities, and some turn into leaders in marketing.

Promoting National Solidarity

The social-economic development brought by these policies has further promoted the unity between all ethnic groups. The social relationships of equality, unity and mutual assistance between different ethnic groups have been continuously consolidated and developed.