Story of the New Yellow Sheep River

Location: Yellow Sheep River Town, Gulang County, Wuwei City, Gansu province
Elevation: Average of 2230 m
Population: 23,000
Number of Rural Settlements: 81
Village governments: 15
Annual rainfall: 300 mm
Area: 175 km 2

Qilian Mountain is as majestic as always, the Gulang Gorge still plunges as steeply, and the Yellow Sheep River still flows protectively around the town. There is still a severe drought, harvests are unchanged, and the residents of Yellow Sheep River continue to struggle to survive on infertile land. The young children of farmers are still forced to drop out of school to immediately find work. However, smiles now bloom on the lined faces of the elderly. The hope and confidence in the eyes of the youth inform us that Yellow Sheep River will soon bid farewell to the plight of poverty. The bleak cycle of fruitless, backbreaking labor from season-to-season, harvest-to-harvest, will soon end. The impending Internet Village is a heartening sight for all.

The arrival of the Internet succeeds in bridging all gaps between Yellow Sheep River and the outside world. For the first time in memory, villagers in Yellow Sheep River harbor hopes and dreams. Their fates are soon to change. In the four years since Town and Talent Technologies has worked with this remote town, they have installed ITschool Computer Classrooms. This launched the first opportunity for villagers to create their own websites, the first time that villager computer training courses were held, and the first instances of e-business. The Internet opens a window to the rest of the world, allowing Yellow Sheep River to both learn about and enter into the outside world. Events such as official government inspections, news coverage and visits from honored overseas guests have rendered Yellow Sheep River a place known in the hearts and minds of all. There has also been a slow and steady change in the attitudes and ideas of the villagers in Yellow Sheep River.

Students have been using the One-Step Programs created by Town and Talent Technologies to dramatically increase their rate of ongoing education. Unlike in the past, teenagers are no longer forced to work as migrant laborers -? they have the option and means of staying in school. With the help of the English, Software? and Typing One-Step Programs, Yellow Sheep River students have radically raised their SET skill levels. Even if they elect not to continue in school, they will surely be able to seek better jobs with their newfound SET abilities. Digital technology has been instrumental for member schools to fulfill their roles as“schools leading local economic development”.They have employed the Internet in increasing their own incomes. At the same time, the reputation of the local member school has also grown. Villagers participating in the computer training courses have eliminated their fear of the unknown and embraced the potential of computers. They have learned of new agricultural knowledge and technology. Yellow Sheep River residents strongly believe that the Internet can only bring greater good to their lives.

Town and Talent Technologies has constructed the International Convention Center at Yellow Sheep River. This has heralded the arrival of further joy and surprises in the lives of locals. From the very first day of construction, villagers began taking their first steps into the world of the service industry. They set up small vendors catering to construction workers' needs, as well as erected an informal entertainment room with video and pool-playing facilities. The service economy in Yellow Sheep River is now developing alongside the local economy.

Yellow Sheep River has entered into a new era. At the same time, the story of Yellow Sheep River has stunned and pleased the world. The International Convention Center at Yellow Sheep River has marked its grand opening ceremony at September 2004. Representatives from the Taiwan Affairs Office, provincial and city officials, renowned domestic and foreign entrepreneurs, and overseas friends assembled at Yellow Sheep River. People believe that the new economy in Yellow Sheep River will soon take flight!