这个边境线上的小村子，美得超乎你想象！

Chinais a big land, with a huge variety of cultures, landscapes, cities, towns andvillages. One of the pleasures of living here is getting to see a bit of it.

幅员辽阔的中国有不同的文化、地貌、城市和乡镇。住在中国的优势之一就是能亲眼见到这些不同。

Irecently had the opportunity to spend a few days in a small village of about 60families in the mountainous rain forest in the far south of Yunnan province,about 40 kilometers from the city of Mohan, on the border with Laos.

我最近有机会在云南省的一个小村子里待了几天，这里距离磨憨市40公里，地处中老边境，有着六十户人家。

Thepeople of Hebian village in Mengla county of Yunnan, who are mostly from theYao ethnic group, have greatly improved their lives over the past few years,with their own efforts plus the help of government programs, charities, andexperts from China Agricultural University.

勐腊县河边村是瑶族聚居地。过去几年，当地政府和中国农业大学的专家们帮助村民大幅提高了生活水平。

Justfive or so years ago, Hebian had only an 8 km unpaved road for access.Villagers lived off subsistence farming, often depending on food found in theforest to supplement their diets. Children had to walk half a day to schools.

仅仅在五年前，河边村只有一条八公里的土路，村民靠种地勉强维持生计，还经常需要到雨林中寻找食物。孩子们去学校需要走半天的路程。

Today,Hebian is a gorgeous venue for tourists who want to see the rainforest and forinternational conferences. The villagers have built, with the assistance ofCAU, new houses, each with a guest room. The houses are architecturallyinteresting and comfortable — providing both a good place to live and a sourceof income for the villagers.

现在，河边村成为旅游目的地和国际会议举办地。村民们在中国农业大学的帮助下，盖起新房。房子都有客卧，设计有趣舒适，既方便住宿，也能为村民带来收入。

Theland surrounding the village is a wonderland for hikers. Small roads and trailstake you into stunning mountains and the fascinating rainforest. I wish I knewenough to recognize the hundreds of unique species of plants found in theforest. The village borders a highly-protected national forest and is in thenational elephant protection zone, so protecting the environment is a key partof the village's ongoing business strategy.

这里很适合徒步，沿小路上山进入热带雨林。我都不认识这里数百种独特的植物。村子旁边就是国家森林公园和大象保护区，所以村子的商业之路就是环保。

Hebianhas come a long way. Several older men told me that the village had a terribleproblem with illegal opium in the 1970s. Many families did not have enough toeat because addicts did not work enough. One older man said that his educationhad to stop in the fourth grade because his parents were drug addicts. But,with government help, the village was able to help its citizens escape drugs inthe 1980s. Today, there is nothing like that. 

河边村的发展并非一帆风顺。村里多位长者告诉我，这里在七十年代曾经鸦片泛滥，很多人因吸食鸦片而丧失劳动能力。一位老人说他的父母是瘾君子，所以自己四年级就辍学了。不过在政府的帮助下，这里的人们在上世纪八十年代摆脱了鸦片，现在鸦片已经绝迹。

Anational program to build all-weather roads to villages has improved the livesof villagers throughout these mountains. People in Hebian say that othervillages in the area have also seen sharp improvements in their livingstandards after all-weather roads were built to them.

国家修建公路让大山里的村民提高了生活质量。河边村村民说，其它村子的生活水平也因为修路而明显提高。

Since2012, almost 100 million rural people in China, including the people of Hebian,have escaped deep poverty. Seeing Hebian today has helped me understand thereal people behind this statistic.

从2012年开始，将近一亿中国摆脱了赤贫。我在河边村看到了数字背后真正的人们。

Mostforeign tourists who visit China usually see Beijing and Shanghai, sometimesXian, and then think they've seen China. Even Chinese city-dwellers often go toa few well-known beautiful sites, which are often crowded with visitors. 

多数来中国旅游的外国人去过北京、上海或者西安以后，就以为见识到了中国。中国人自己也一般去旅游景点。

Manyrural villages have built guesthouses and restaurants so that visitors can havean opportunity to enjoy rural life and get away from the cities. Of course, notall villages can attract tourists, but this is a good business model for many.This tourism is made possible by the rising incomes in the country.

很多农村都有农家乐，不过不是所有村子都吸引人，但这是一个好的商业模式。国民收入提高能带动旅游业。

I'mnot quite selfish enough to want to keep information about Hebian to myself.Though it was great not to be swamped by other visitors.

我虽然没有那么自私，但其实也不想太多人打扰这些安静的村子。

Thevillage is a truly beautiful and interesting place with welcoming people.Hebian is an especially great place for meetings or events, such as academicconferences and summer camps for children. Like similar villages throughoutChina, the people of Hebian are using tourism to get out of poverty whilemaintaining the viability of rural life and protecting the environment.

河边村很美，村民也很热情。这里非常适合举办学术会议或夏令营之类的活动。和很多村子一样，河边村也在利用旅游业脱贫的同时，保留乡村生活的活力和环境的原始风貌。