Forest folk branch out to escape poverty

Ecological improvements prompt surges in tourist numbers and incomes, as Hou Liqiang and Daqiong report from Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region.

An ancient Chinese saw says, "If you live on a mountain, you live off the mountain". That philosophy is fully embraced by people in Nyingchi, a city in the southeast of the Tibet autonomous region.

For many years, the residents ignored local regulations and casually cut down trees to sell the wood and make money. Now, though, the situation has changed and the way people live off the mountain has been modified as a result of the local government's efforts to boost ecological protection.