Development can be seen everywhere in the Wa region. (Photo/CGTN)
Onstage the history of the Wa people unfolds. Yang Na has led this performance all across the country and beyond. In what she regards as her highest honor, the production even made it to China's most prestigious stage, the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
Now Yang Na has a new role, as the only Wa delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. [Special coverage]
"I'm grateful for all the development that has taken place in the Wa Mountains," she says, her silver necklace and bracelets chinking as she gestures enthusiastically. But for her, it isn't enough.
"I want more. This is a unique region, and I hope the Party can make special policies for us where necessary."
Outside of the theater afterwards, Yang Na heads to visit her grandmother in the village. Her father died in an accident while paving the first road that connected these villages. On the fireplace, the family cooks a traditional meal, porridge with chicken, eaten with hands.
Singing is indispensable. Even Yang's grandmother, in a thin, frail voice, joined in. "Grandma used to say, singing makes your heart fly," Yang Na says.
