Sangye Chopa family fortifies Xizang border town patrols
By Palden Nyima and Daqiong in Lhasa |
chinadaily.com.cn |
Updated: 2025-08-26 16:59
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Defying calls to relocate, Sangye Chopa hand stitched a red flag and told his daughters, Drolkar and Yangzom: "Our home is Yumai, our country is China, and guarding the border is our duty." From the 1980s, the sisters patrolled the snow-covered terrain with their father, sometimes sheltering overnight in mountain caves.
In 1988, Drolkar succeeded her father as township head, with Yangzom as deputy. Gradually, other families returned, and Yumai began to grow. Roads were constructed in 2001, linking the isolated community to the outside world. By 2024, it had developed into a settlement of 67 households and 253 residents, with a school, clinic and border police station.
