Du'an Yao autonomous county, Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo/gx.people.com.cn]

Du'an Yao autonomous county, Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region covers a total area of 4,095 square kilometers and has a total population of 726,000, among which 670,000 people depend on farming. It is one of the four extremely poor counties in Guangxi. 

Established in 1955, Du'an is one of the earliest and most populous ethnic minority autonomous counties in China, with ethnic minorities accounting for 96.34 percent of its population. It is the main settlement of the Baikuyao ethnic group.

Du'an has the largest area among all Yao autonomous counties in the country, of which most of it is mountainous. Its location brings obvious geographical advantages and rich natural resources, with numerous underground river systems and wetlands. It also features excellent wine, basket crafts, and goats.

In recent years, Du'an has been committed to poverty alleviation and development, high-speed railway construction, as well as rural revitalization, developing its tourism, science, and education to boost the economy and win the battle against poverty.

From 2016 to 2019, the incidence of poverty dropped from 26.5 percent to 3.36 percent in Du'an. In 2019, the county's regional GDP was 6.73 billion yuan ($969 million), up 7.8 percent, while its industrial output value above designated scale increased by 7.1 percent. The fixed asset investment increased by 18.8 percent and the fiscal revenue was 600 million yuan, an increase of 11.5 percent.

The total retail sales of consumer goods was 2.85 billion yuan, an increase of 6 percent. The per capita disposable income of its urban residents was 25,622 yuan, an increase of 7.6 percent, and that of its rural residents was 8,956 yuan, an increase of 10.5 percent.