In order to prepare for the construction of the FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope), or the “China Sky Eye,” in 2007, Pingtang county in southwest China’s Guizhou Province launched a relocation program that involved 6,633 rural residents from Kedu and Tangbian townships.
In September 2015, Kedu township started a project to transform itself into an astronomy-themed township. It has put more than 20 projects into action to popularize astronomical science, and many relocated rural residents have since secured jobs or started their own businesses in the township.
The FAST, which was first put into use in September 2016, is the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope.