Astronomy gives impoverished township in SW China’s Guizhou a facelift

People visit a planetarium in Kedu township of Pingtang county, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

In order to prepare for the construction of the FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope), or the “China Sky Eye,” in 2007, Pingtang county in southwest China’s Guizhou Province launched a relocation program that involved 6,633 rural residents from Kedu and Tangbian townships.

A visitor looks at a model of the FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope) at a planetarium in Kedu township of Pingtang county, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

In September 2015, Kedu township started a project to transform itself into an astronomy-themed township. It has put more than 20 projects into action to popularize astronomical science, and many relocated rural residents have since secured jobs or started their own businesses in the township.

The FAST, which was first put into use in September 2016, is the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope.

Homestay owner Liu Chengliang, who is now 32 years old, makes up beds at his homestay in Kedu township of Pingtang county, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Photo shows Yang Li, a relocated villager, who works at an embroidery factory in Kedu township of Pingtang county, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Photo taken on July 22, 2022, shows the FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope). (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Photo shows a picture of Huang Xiaomei (right), a villager who relocated to Kedu township in July 2016, alongside her husband, inside their new home in Kedu township of Pingtang county, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

This combo photo shows a relocation site in Kedu township of Pingtang county, southwest China’s Guizhou Province on March 29, 2018 (top) and July 19, 2022 (bottom), respectively. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)