Farmers Celebrate Lantern Festival with Lion Dance

Lantern Festival Celebrated

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Farmers from Dongguan city of Guangzhou Province performed dragon and lion dances Wednesday to thank the local government for helping them tap markets and become rich, at the Lantern Festival marking the end of the half-month Spring Festival holidays.

"We've become rich and should not forget the government's help," Zhang Youmin, an old farmer and also dancer, said.

With the guidance and service of the government, Zhang's clothing factory has seen prosperous business for the past years, and some products are even exported to Europe and the United States.

Zhang and his son as well as another 20-plus fellow villagers got up early Wednesday morning and drove their cars to Dongguan city to perform dances.

Dongguan is a county-level city under Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province. It has turned from a farming county 20 years ago into an export-oriented industrial city, with a computer parts manufacturing base in the building.

Farmers in Dongguan are no longer "farmers" in its traditional meaning. The majority of them are engaged in running enterprises and doing business.

"Knowing that farmers have more money in the wallet and have a better life, we really feel happy," Li Jinwei, secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Dongguan City, said as he waved his hands to thank the dancing team.

Last year the city's per capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product) reached 32,167 yuan (about 3,870 US dollars), which is among the highest in the country. Total outstanding deposits hit 10 billion yuan (1.2 billion US dollars), or 44,039 yuan (5306 US dollars) per person, leading the province.

Dongguan became the first city in China to set up a general pension system for farmers at the end of last year. All 760,000 farmers in the city benefit from the system which provides security for their later years.