Minqin

The symposium seriously studied Chairman Mao's teaching on militia building and Chairman Hua's important instructions on militia work and penetratingly exposed and criticized the crimes of the gang of four and their agent in Kansu in sabotaging militia building. The participants inspected 23 military demonstrations of the 22 armed basic-level militia battalions, companies, platoons and squads of the 11 communes in Minchin County, inspected the repair of weapons in a Minchin County farm machinery plant and listened to the reports on experiences by the Minchin County CCP Committee, the Armed Forces Department of the Minchin County CCP Committee, the Wuwei Military Subdistrict, the Tinghsi Military Subdistrict, the Lingtai County Armed Forces Department and the Chengcounty Armed Forces Department.

[1977 December 9 [1977 December 6], “Kansu PLA Holds Symposium on Militia Work”, in Daily Report: People's Republic of China, volume I, number 237, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Lanchow Kansu Provincial Service, translation of original in Mandarin, →ISSN, →OCLC, People's Republic of China: Northwest Region, page M 1

Why is Minqin County, with 115 millimeters of annual precipitation, being farmed? Why do crop failure, abandoned fields and dust storms surprise the government? One hundred fifteen millimeters is not enough for crops to grow. Parts of the Sahara have more precipitation. It is totally unsuited to farming. I have never heard a government official take responsibility for any policy impact or failure. Minqin officials assign crops, including wine grapes and tomatoes at the edge of Tengger sand dunes, but the local farmers bear the economic risk. The motivation is perceived high profit for officials. The sad scene turns a desert into a wasteland.

2016 October 27, Edward Wong, quoting Troy Sternberg, “How China’s Politics of Control Shape the Debate on Deserts”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Oct 2016, Asia Pacific