Though a headman named Xiang Nawu of Tujia ethnic group in the mountainous western parts of central China's Hubei Province died 500 years ago after failing to materialize his ambition to feed and dress his people, the mission impossible for the chieftain has now been realized.

Thanks to China's Western Development program initiated in 1999, the Enshi Tujia Autonomous Prefecture, the country's youngest ethnic autonomous prefecture which was founded in 1983, has witnessed tremendous changes in economic and social development, said Li Jianchun, deputy director of the prefecture's development planning commission.

Hemmed in mountains and disadvantaged in traffic convenience, the autonomous prefecture with a population of 3.8 million was long known for poverty because of isolation, though the region was actually abundant in natural resources.

Even a decade ago, a 200-km journey by car from the prefecture capital to Badong county took as long as 10 hours, said Li, and the driving speed going from the prefecture capital to any city or county under its jurisdiction could only reach a maximum of 20 km an hour.

However, after three years' infrastructure construction, all the townships have improved traffic facilities and the journey from Enshi to Badong county has been shortened to 3.5 hours.

The journey can be shortened by another half hour by 2005, Li added.

The State Council approved on Nov. 26 the construction of an expressway from Yichang, a city in the mid-southwest part of Hubei Province, to Enshi, and a railway line from Yichang to the city of Wanzhou in Chongqing Municipality via Enshi.

The construction projects are taken as a great chance by local officials for a further development of the prefecture.

With the development of infrastructures, locals also see their living conditions improved, said Li.

Biogas is being promoted among local farmers, who account for 87 percent of the prefecture's population, as fuel for cooking.

Li acknowledged that the technology will not only bring easy access to farmers' daily life but also facilitate environmental protection, as it makes it no longer necessary for farmers to cut down trees for fuel.

Zhou Xianwang, head of the prefecture, said that the State Development and Reform Commission will invest 700 million yuan (US$84.3 million) in the next five years to promote biogas technology in rural areas of Enshi.

(Xinhua News Agency December 2, 2003)