The Derung, one of the smallest ethnic groups in China, number around 7,000. Most of the Derung people live in the deep gorges of the Dulongjiang River in northwest Yunnan’s Gongshan County.

The area was listed as one of the least developed regions in the country, and locals lived in rather primitive conditions until the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. They have now shaken off long-standing hardship thanks to the nation's poverty reduction campaign.

On April 10, President Xi Jinping called on the Derung people to continue to work for a better life, saying that “poverty eradication is only the first step, and better days are yet to come."