They said there was a secret behind their house.

他们说，屋子后面有一个秘密。

So, I left the couple shoveling corn into a wooden roasting barrel to investigate.

这对夫妇正忙活着将玉米塞到烤热的木桶里，我决定独自前去探个究竟。

It turned out to be a cave containing buried treasure — liquor.

原来是一个埋藏着珍宝的洞穴——酒窖。

The couple uses the cavern hidden behind their home to inter large ceramic urns in which their corn liquor ferments.

这对夫妇将大陶瓮埋在屋后的洞穴里，让玉米酒在瓮中静静发酵。

I sniffed the finished product. It smelled… potent.

我闻了闻发酵好的酒。一股强烈的酒味扑面而来。

Deng Zaiquan and his wife haven’t yet relocated from Guizhou province’s underdeveloped Yikoudao village to Tongren city like most of their neighbors.

邓再权和他的妻子没有像大多数村民一样，从一口刀村这个贵州省的穷乡僻壤搬迁到铜仁市。

He’s concerned about getting a job, since he has an arm disability.

因一只手残疾，他担心在城里找不到工作。

So, they’ve spent the past four years brewing spirits to support their three children in high school in Tongren.

因此，过去四年来，他们一直靠着烤酒供三个孩子到铜仁念高中。

“Disabled people are worried there are no jobs for them in the city,” says Xiao Han, a public servant in Tongren, who assists relocated villagers to adapt to urban life.

铜仁市市委办驻一口刀村第一书记肖涵负责帮助搬迁村民适应城市生活，他表示，“残疾人担心在铜仁找不到工作。”

“There’s no specialized training for them.”

“现在还没有专门针对这部分村民的培训。”

Deng’s family owns a 120-square-meter modern apartment in Tongren. But the couple only visits about five times a year.

邓再权一家在铜仁拥有一个120平米的现代化公寓。但这对夫妇一年只去五回。

“I want to find a job in the city to stay with our kids,” Deng says, shoveling corn in front of his rustic house.

在自家农舍前，他边铲玉米边说，“我想在城里找个工作，和孩子们住在一起。”

The kernels flew from the blade like sparks as he spoke.

玉米粒在刀片间飞舞，好像跃动的火花。

“But most of my family’s income comes from alcohol. I can do that here.”

“但我们家大部分收入都靠烤酒。在这儿我能干活。”

They earn 40,000 yuan ($6,000) to 50,000 yuan a year selling booze.

他们每年靠卖酒能赚四五万元。

I’ve focused on covering poverty alleviation during my 11 years in China.

待在中国的这11年里，我一直在跟进扶贫报道。

No society in human history has lifted so many people out of poverty so fast.

在人类历史上，从没有一个国家能像中国这样，以如此快的速度让这么多人脱离贫困。

The relocation program in Tongren and the construction of infrastructure in Guizhou serves as a microcosm for what’s happening nationwide, as China has declared it’ll eliminate extreme poverty by 2020.

中国宣布2020年基本消除绝对贫困。而铜仁市易地扶贫搬迁工作以及贵州基础设施建设正是全国各地扶贫工作的一个缩影。

Everyone knows China is a huge country with a huge population.

众所周知，中国是一个人口大国。

But fewer people appreciate the role of geology, which has largely conspired against the 1.4 billion people who inhabit the country’s terrain.

而复杂的地质情况也困扰着这片土地上的14亿居民。

China is crowded not only with people but also with geological hazards.

中国人口密集，且自然灾害频发。

Its inhabitants dwell among an inordinate density of fault lines, mountains, deserts and plateaus.

其人口遍布于断层带、山区、荒漠和高原。

Guizhou has long remained one of China’s poorest provinces because it’s one of its most mountainous. It’s diced by karst peaks that make agriculture, industry, transportation — basically you name it — difficult to develop.

作为多山省份，贵州长期以来是中国的贫困大省。该省的喀斯特地貌使农业、工业和运输业——几乎所有行业——都难以发展。

The country has made great strides in overcoming such roadblocks as mountains to enhance transportation in such tricky terrains.

中国在应对多山等路障方面已取得重大突破，极大保障了复杂地形区的交通安全。

Urban centralization in places like Tongren provides advanced, accessible public services and modern, private amenities in homes.

铜仁正在加快中心城市建设，着力提供先进便民的公共服务以及现代化的私人家居设施。

A growing number of programs provide job training to former farmers and herders that offer better livelihoods.

越来越多的就业培训项目开始针对农牧民，为他们提供更好的生活。

Deng is an outlier.

邓再权是个例外。

One of the final steps to eliminating poverty is to provide new opportunities for people like him.

消除贫困最后的任务之一，便是为像他这样的困难户提供新机遇。

I’ve noticed that when people remain poor in places where the government has generally brought prosperity, it’s often linked to illness or disability.

我注意到，那些在政府的帮助下已基本实现繁荣的地区仍存在一些贫困人口——他们通常疾病缠身或身患残疾。

Deng’s family is doing OK, financially.

邓再权一家经济上还勉强过得去。

But if he could work in the city, he could live there, too.

而若能在城市工作，他自然也会在城市生活。

And he could enjoy its advantages — including being with his kids.

如此一来，他便能享受到住在城市的许多好处——特别是能和孩子们生活在一起。

翻译：黄敏华

Erik Nilsson is an American journalist who has worked in China for over 10 years. His work has won various honors, including the Chinese Government Friendship Award — the highest honor the country bestows on foreigners. He has traveled to every provincial-level jurisdiction except Chongqing and Guangdong, covering such stories as the Wenchuan and Yushu earthquakes, nomadic communities’ development and civil society.

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