Miracles on the 'roof of the world' as China battles poverty in Tibet

The “roof of the world,” the Tibet Autonomous Region is known for its picturesque plateau landscapes and splendid ethnic cultures. It is also one of the main grounds in China’s nationwide campaign against poverty.

Miracles have been made in the area. The number of people living in poverty has fallen from 800,000 in 2013 to 150,000 last year. This year, Tibet aims to eliminate absolute poverty that has been looming over the region for thousands of years.

In Tibet, the special geography is one of the main causes of poverty in many areas. Extremely high altitudes, snow-capped mountains and the barren land are standing in the way of people’s efforts to shake off poverty. Some places are largely naturally isolated from the outside world.

Relocation has been a major measure for the region to alleviate poverty.

Renqin, 38, was once a herdsman living in Rongma town of Nagqu, 5,000 meters above sea level. The area is plagued by a lack of oxygen and vegetation. In the past, local herdsmen migrated regularly to wherever water and grass were available.

As part of a governmental project to relocate people from harsh living conditions and ecologically fragile areas, 262 households of herders in Rongma were moved to newly built houses in Gachong Village in Lhasa’s Doilungdeqen County in June last year.

“Life is so much better now. We have tap water, stable electricity supply and home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines. This was unimaginable in the past,” he said, looking proudly around at his new house.

Back in his Nagqu hometown, people fetched water from wells and had a limited supply of electricity with some simple solar panels equipped on their houses.

More to Renqin’s satisfaction, his five children now enjoy better access to education and hospitals.

The local government is building a cattle raising collective enterprise and rural hostels, which will offer abundant job opportunities for the relocated herdsmen like Renqin.

China plans to invest 19.78 billion yuan (US$2.79 billion) in a relocation program to build 60,931 houses in around 970 settlements for 266,000 poverty-stricken residents in Tibet.

Some 248,000 people in Tibet have moved into 910 new settlements by the end of August, according to the region’s poverty-relief headquarters.

The township of Lunang in the southeastern part of Tibet has become a booming tourist destination for those who want to experience the challenge of climbing a plateau while still enjoying enough oxygen.

Last year, over 1 million tourists visited the small township in Nyingchi, which at a lower altitude than the average in Tibet. Lunang is described as an oxygen bar, China’s Switzerland.

In 2017, Guangdong, one of the most developed provinces in China, bankrolled an international tourism development project in Lunang. Local residents like Lhapa Tsering, 42, were sent to receive training on providing quality dining and accommodation services.

In 2018, the township made 70 million yuan from tourism.

Lhapa Tsering made about half a million yuan last year. “Life has become as good as it can be,” he said.

The leapfrog development of ecological tourism in Lunang is both a result and an example of “pairing-up support for Tibet” from provincial-level regions and centrally administered enterprises.

With the pairing-up policy, which started in 1994, certain provinces, municipalities and state-owned enterprises are designated to help Tibet.