by Xinhua Writers Yao Yuan and He Wen
LANZHOU, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- In an obscure museum in Huachuan Village, old items and furniture collected from local farmers are testimonies to the tremendous changes wrought by China's anti-poverty drive.
Kerosene lamps and water containers made from bark were once common objects in the village in northwest China's Gansu Province. Now they are displayed like ancient relics in the three-room "Rural Memory Museum."
Hold your breath and meet the most grandiose dowry of a local family: five pottery bowls of different sizes juxtaposed like an unfolded Matryoshka doll.
"In the past, only the richest of the impoverished families in the village could afford them," said Wang Ting, a township official stationed at the village and a guide at the three-room museum.
Pottery jars of various sizes and shapes are the most common items on display, redolent of the era when local families need to store water to prepare for droughts.
Another photo showed villagers gathering around a newly-installed open-air faucet in 2014.
"It was the first time tap water reached the village, and villagers wrapped the faucet with plastic bags to protect the precious water source from freezing in the winter," said Wang.
China has set the goal of eradicating absolute poverty by 2020. As destitution fades across China, villages like Huachuan have set up museums to document the memories of poverty, both to honor the historic campaign and to preserve local cultures and identities.
In east China's Shandong Province, over 210 village memory museums have been set up since 2018 with government funds. One of such museums in Caoxian County collected over 100 wooden farming tools that have been replaced by machines.
Huachuan is one of the better-off villages in Tongwei County, which is in the homestretch to remove itself from the poverty-ridden county list. The village was delisted in 2014 with developments in its animal husbandry and strong government assistance.
Last year, the village opened the museum to preserve its cultures and collective memories in the battle against poverty. The museum initially displayed 486 items, all donated by enthusiastic local residents.
"Many villagers rummaged their houses for old items, and some wealthy locals living in other cities mailed us old pictures and wired money to express support," Wang said.
"The opening ceremony of the museum was attended by many elderly villagers, who were excited to see their items being displayed as something of great value," she said.
Xu Shangwen, a 48-year-old villager, donated some jars passed down from his parents, a couple of old stamps and deserted farming tools.
"These old items are useless junks in my house. I'm glad they found a place in the museum and became memories of the village," he said.
"I hope the museum can help young people understand how hard our lives once were, so they would cherish today's good life," said Xu, whose family is about to be removed from the poverty list this year, thanks to the take-off of local industries and government aids.
Wang agrees that such museums could educate younger generations, who "are losing memories of poverty due to rapid advances in society."
"The enormous changes since China launched the anti-poverty campaign is worth recording, so are the lives and struggles of many villagers," she said. Enditem
