Xizang border township thrives thanks to advancements, patriotism

When Pasang Tsering took a teaching job at the school in Yulmed, Xizang autonomous region, in 2007, he was warned by many people that the living conditions in the township located in the southern foothills of the Himalayas were very tough.

But he was still surprised by the reality of everyday life in what was once the least-populated township in China.

"Surrounded by mountains on three sides at an average altitude of more than 5,000 meters, it took me about four days to get to the township from the county seat of Lhunze due to the poor condition of the road," Pasang Tsering said. "I literally had to traverse steep slopes and rugged paths on foot to get to Yulmed. I will never forget that trip."

With an unstable electricity supply from a small hydropower station, even watching TV was a luxury back then. In Yulmed, located in the remote area near the China-India border, communication with the outside world was often cut off, he added.

But things are completely different today. A three-person township decades ago, it is now home to over 200 people and oversees two villages. Pasang Tsering has become the Party chief of one village, also called Yulmed.

With improved infrastructure, such as roads and telecommunications, the locals can access the latest information via social media and have online orders delivered to their doorstep, just like people in Beijing, Pasang Tsering said proudly.

"If a place like Yulmed can thrive so much in less than two decades, the development of Xizang as a whole is even more extraordinary," he said.

People have to get through two mountain passes at an altitude above 5,000 meters to get to Yulmed from Lhunze, Shannan city. Besides the stunning view of the snow-capped mountains and grand valleys, the 10-kilovolt power transmission line extended by the State Grid to Yulmed in 2019 along the well-paved road is also hard to miss.

The reconstruction of a 50-kilometer paved road connecting Yulmed to a neighboring township was completed in the same year with investment of over 500 million yuan ($69.67 million) by the state, which stopped it being snowbound every year.

"Before the reconstruction of the road, Yulmed would become inaccessible to vehicles when it started to snow in October, until at least the following June. The widened and hardened road has fundamentally changed people's life," Pasang Tsering said.

Since 2018, Yulmed has built itself into a prosperous border township with steel-framed houses, an electricity grid, roads, a 5G network, medical care and financial services facilities.

"As life in Yulmed has become more convenient than ever, more young people are willing to come and run businesses including shops, restaurants, family inns and teahouses," he said. "The children can also receive good education via online courses, which is something I wouldn't even dare to dream about when I was a teacher."