Land of mine: How a villager on China’s border with Vietnam is dismantling decades of landmines, one at a time
By Cui Meng, Published: 2016-05-16 22:16:40
A sign reads ”Minefield, Do Not Enter” on Laoshan Mountain in Malipo county, Yunnan Province, near China’s border with Vietnam. Similar signs are posted in many areas on the mountain, which was a major battleground during the Sino-Vietnamese War. Photos: Cui Meng/GT
Editor's Note:
Decades after China's war with Vietnam, occasional land mine explosions that cost villagers legs, arms and even their lives are a painful reminder of the war's legacy.
While the army's mine-clearing operations continue after a 16 year break, some have taken it upon themselves to clear mines placed near the border by the Vietnamese and Chinese militaries.
Wang Kaixue, 46, resident of Balihe village, Yunnan Province, holds a mine he dismantled on May 10, 2016. Completely self-taught, Wang has been disarming landmines in the area for more than 20 years. 
Wang displays a number of mines he has dismantled over the years at Malipo county, Yunnan Province on May 10, 2016. 
Pan Yunting (left), 51, a villager living near Laoshan Mountain, lost his right leg in a landmine explosion in 1995. Pan was chopping bamboo in the mountains when a landslide triggered a nearby mine. Pan’s younger cousin, Pan Yunxing, 49, lost his left hand after he was injured by a mine while farming. 
Mine sweeping is a delicate job that requires accuracy. Wang is pictured gently brushing away the layers of soil hiding a mine at Malipo county, Yunnan Province on May 10, 2016. 
Wang uses a wire tool he made especially to dismantle mines. 
Wang uses a sickle to push aside the soil. 
Wang gently removes explosive from a landmine casing on May 10 at Malipo county, Yunnan Province. 
Feng Yuying, 77, resident of Malipo county, Yunnan Province, lost her left leg to a mine while farming in the fields. 
The right leg of 49-year-old Zhou Daocong, resident of Balihe village, Yunnan Province, was amputated following injuries from a mine explosion in the 2000s. Balihe, in southeast Yunnan's Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, was one of the major battlegrounds during a series of conflicts China had with Vietnam from 1979 to 1990. 
Wang carefully dismantles a mine without the luxury of a blast suit or protection. 
A soldier with a PLA minesweeping team holds a dismantled mine on May 10 at Malipo county, Yunnan Province. 
Mines and explosives dismantled by a PLA mine clearance team 
Mines and explosives dismantled by a PLA mine clearance team 
An advanced mine detector used by the PLA mine clearance team 
PLA mine clearance team members must wear heavy equipment when clearing minefields in the hot and humid climate. 
PLA mine clearance team members must wear heavy equipment when clearing minefields in the hot and humid climate.