Annotation ::::Yunnan is a typical mountainous province with 94% of its total territory belonging to mountainous areas. The ethnic minorities and impoverished population are mainly concentrated in the high and cold mountain areas, semi-mountain areas, dry and hot valleys, the linking areas between mountains and plains. The paper focuses on mountain migration in Yunnan province, and explores ways to deal with problems arising from this type of migration. Using documental study and on-site investigation, the author finds that carrying out poverty reduction programmes in local areas, particularly in mountain villages with less than 20 households, will be of high cost in terms of government investment and less effective due to over-dispersion of population, underdeveloped infrastructural facilities, and transportation limitations in mountain areas. It is extremely difficult for villages with harsh conditions to attain the goals of alleviating poverty and improving living standards even if they receive more funds. Also, if local villagers are relocated into cities and towns at one time, this will cause a sharp increase in the cost of government investment and create many difficulties for local villagers to adapt to a new place in terms of their cultural psychology, and living and production practices. The gradual relocation of mountain villagers into plains, central villages, and market towns corresponds not only with people’s willingness, but also helps them improve living standards. This promotes a new type of migration project for poverty reduction to be implemented in the process of urbanizing the rural areas. Several ways to achieve more effective implementation are identified: (1) integral planning and orderly promotion of the project; (2) making policies and providing active guidance; (3) strengthening the coordinative work; and (4) making the plan as a whole for both urban and rural areas with the rural guided by the urban. According to the Yunnan Provincial Poverty-Reduction Office, the idea and measure of “Gradual Migration in Mountain Areas” suggested by Zhao Ziyan proves to be of certain reference value in the Twelfth Five-Year Plan with regard to relocation of migrants to other places in Yunnan province
