Yulu helps addicts reintegrate into society

Wang Kangyuan (not his real name) left the Yulu community sober and clean in 2019, having lived there for about seven years.

Unlike conventional drug rehabilitation centers, the community not only offers treatment for drug addiction but also helps recovered addicts rebuild their lives.

Launched in 2008 in Kaiyuan, a city in Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture in the southwestern province of Yunnan, Yulu covers about 8.5 hectares and can accommodate 3,000 people. Its name means "rain and dew" in Mandarin.

From factories and residential buildings to supermarkets and shopping streets, Yulu has almost everything a functioning community needs. It has just one goal: to rehabilitate people with drug addictions and help them reintegrate into society.

Bordering the Golden Triangle, an area known for rampant drug production and trafficking, Yunnan is a major front in China's battle against drug crime and abuse.

"Without stable jobs, it is very easy for recovered addicts to relapse after they reenter society. Once people are occupied with work, they are unlikely to think about taking drugs," Li Qian, a police officer working at Yulu, said.

As such, the community has established many vocational rehabilitation programs, Li said.

When Wang enrolled in the community in 2012, he was stuck in the trap of heroin addiction, which had damaged his health and destroyed his marriage.

Thanks to the programs in Yulu, Wang soon secured a stable job as a logistics worker and received recovery treatment while he worked.

Working alongside people with similar experiences also helped him relax and better adapt to the new environment. He later married a woman he had met in Yulu, and their wedding ceremony was held by the community.

A fresh start

Xiong Guangming (not his real name), who had also been addicted to drugs, was able to find a new life in the community.

After abusing drugs for more than five years, Xiong had undergone many unsuccessful addiction treatments, and he had been unable to acquire the skills needed to find a job.

In 2009, persuaded by his relatives, he voluntarily enrolled in Yulu's treatment programs alongside his girlfriend－who later became his wife－and lived in a 50-square-meter apartment provided by the community at a very low rent.

"The community has many types of jobs. I started with making clothing," Xiong said, adding that he quickly acquired the necessary skills to carry out the work. Later, he was promoted to production manager and earned a decent monthly salary.

"I left the community this year. More than 10 years in the community was long enough for my wife and me to overcome the potential to relapse," he said. "My production manager experience helped me secure a job at an apparel manufacturing company in Kaiyuan."

Li said the community offers 16 types of jobs that can be assigned to community residents based on factors such as their health conditions.

Wang said, "We want to thank the community for its help. Our rehabilitation time there helped us reintegrate into society."

Thanks to concerted efforts, Yunnan has seen a decline in the number of newly reported drug addictions over recent years, while drug control work in the province has also gained momentum.

Last year, the province cracked 5,306 criminal drug cases, arrested 6,161 suspects and seized 29.87 metric tons of drugs, with those figures falling by 33.8 percent, 31.2 percent and 15.8 percent respectively from the previous year.

Xinhua