Life blooms in Tibet's peach of a village

Income from tourism and transport projects helps raise living standards

Galai, a village in Nyingchi, a city in the Tibet autonomous region famous for its peach blossoms, has vowed to strengthen environmental protection and rural vitalization following President Xi Jinping's visit on Wednesday.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, arrived in Nyingchi on an inspection tour of the region's ecological preservation, urban development, rural vitalization and city park building efforts.

He stopped by Galai village on Wednesday afternoon and visited the home of Dawa Gyaltsen.

Dawa Gyaltsen said Xi asked him about his family's living conditions, what fruits he grows, if his house is connected to the water and sewer system and if it is warm enough in the winter. He also showed Xi his warehouse, which is full of wheat, buckwheat, highland barley and corn.

"I was really excited. I'd never dreamed of having the general secretary come to my house and sit next to me. He asked really detailed questions. My whole family found him easygoing, kind and concerned about our life, which really warmed our hearts," he said.

Galai village has more than 1,200 wild peach trees that blossom each spring, earning it the reputation of "the first village of peach blossoms "in Tibet.

In 2002, Galai held its first "Peach Blossom Festival". In addition to flower appreciation events, residents performed traditional dances, giving birth to a new tourist attraction.

The festival has since been held 19 times and has become well-known in Tibet.

Village Party chief Penpa said 15,000 visitors attended this year's opening ceremony on March 27 and the village made 243,000 yuan ($37,500) from ticket sales.

In addition to tourism, the village has also developed its transportation industry and fruit orchards. Last year, Galai made 11.15 million yuan and disposable income per capita reached 31,300 yuan, Penpa said.

The village pays close attention to environmental management. To encourage villagers to protect the environment, it set up a "green bank "where people accumulate points by recycling waste, which they can exchange for daily necessities.

"People live happy lives of wealth and abundance, all thanks to the good policies of the Party," Penpa said.

Dawa Gyaltsen, 37, who was born and raised in the village, said his life has changed dramatically.

Life was very difficult when he was a child. His family relied on growing highland barley and selling yaks, but could barely make ends meet.

As a result, he dropped out of school when he reached fourth grade to help his parents on the farm.

Now, thanks to the transportation and tourism dividends and the money made from selling yaks and butter, he earns more than 10 times as much as his parents did.

"The Party's policies have really made our life better. My two children now enjoy free education without paying for meals, accommodation or tuition. My parents receive subsidies to go to hospital and can be reimbursed for costs," he said, adding that he plans to build a new house.

Xi described Galai as the place where "the flower of national unity and progress" blooms, where the good life epitomizing the economic and social development of Tibet in the 70 years since its peaceful liberation is visible. He also urged local authorities to fully implement the CPC Central Committee's policy of supporting Tibet and comprehensively promote rural vitalization.

Penpa said the next plan is to improve infrastructure and build more boutique homestays to make the village more attractive to tourists and encourage them to stay.

"We will make more effort to vitalize the countryside and protect the environment at the same time, so that villagers can earn more money and live better lives," he added.