In the mountains of southwestern China, a minority wrestles with its future A Nuosu woman climbs the ladder up to Atulie’er, the clifftop village that has become a symbol of poverty alleviation in Liangshan. Many villagers are still struggling with poverty despite vast changes in the Chinese region. (Bowen Liu / For The Times) May 20, 2021 3 AM PT MEIGU, China — Aku Wuwu spoke in an ancient tongue, his eyes closed and head lowered, one arm outstretched as he summoned the soul of a mythic hero. “ OH … LA!!” he cried in Nuosu, the language his people had spoken for centuries deep in the mountains of southwestern China. “COME BACK!”