Interview With Village Leaders (IV):Political,Legal and Public Services in Rural Tibet

Sainted Naxi ethnic group village head Gongqoi Zhaxi Located at southeast corner of Tibet, Yanjin (tsha-kha)is close to Yunnan Province. It is a well- known place in Tibet for several reasons. First, this place produces well salt differing from the lake salt in northern Tibet. The salt produced here is formed by isolating salty water fetched from wells beside the Lancangjiang River in salt ponds. Second, in Yanjin, there is a unique Catholic church, and there are many Tibetan people who …     

Yanjin on the Tea-Horse Trade

Fetching salt water from wells, digging a saltwater pond, putting up salt shelters, and sun-drying the water to produce saltThis is the traditional way of making salt still adopted by many people in Yanjin.Yanjin in Mangkang County is so named to match the fact that the area is filled with yan (salt) jin (wells).During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a county was set up here to supervise salt production. According to Records of Yanjin County, there were some 50 salt wells in Yanjin at that time. They     

Songs Wafted From the Tea-Horse Trade Route(Ⅱ)

When we got to the Naxi ethnic town in Yanjin, it was already dark. We were taken to theQoizeka Hot Spring, with an elevation of some 2,000 meters. The Hot Spring Swimming Pool, fed with water from 108 springs, is as large as half a football field. As it is close to the Lancangjiang River, our ears were filled with the roaring sound of the river.We met at an academic meeting in a pavilion by the river after dinner. It was agreed that the Henduan Mountains constitute one of the three major areas where the world's plants are concentrat-     

NYIMA COUNTY,A PLACE CLOSEST TO THE SUN

<正>Nyima means sun in Tibetan.In the northwest of the Nagqu Prefecture,there is a county named Nyima.As the average elevation of about 5000 meters,the county is called the place closest to the sun.Photos in this column present the changes taken place there during a period about 30 years.Located in the near south of the"no man's land"in the northern Tibet,the former Nyima is very barren and poverty.But this is left in photos     

TSOGO VILLAGE,A LASTING IMPRESSION OF KONGPO CULTURE

正Tsogo Village is situated at the head of the Basum Tso in Kongpo Gyamda County of Nyingchi City.Access to the lake is only possible by passing through this village, and about 40 kilometers to the north can one also find Xing Tso Lake, a place just begging for exploration.The village of Tsogo itself is quite popular among visitors, most notably due to its favorable geography, with nearby famous mountains making it possible for the entire area to be surrounded in lush forests in the middle of broad     

Folk Singing And Dances Attract Visitors

A dozen km west of Lhasa there lies a small village called Sangmo No.5 in Donggar Town. Sitting by the Lhasa River, it is screened on three sides by woods.With visitors to Tibet increasing in number with each passing day, the village turned to tourism, attracting visitors with singing and dancing.The Tibetans are a race good at singing and dancing. Rural folk villages have sprung up in the last few years but Sangmo is obviously is different from others. Its villagers created their own singing and dancing items.     

THE STORY OF COUNTRYDOCTOR DEBU

正On the afternoon of July 11,2015,with the company of a Tibetan girl named Phuntsog,I paid a visit to Doctor Debu,who works in a rural health center of Karma County within Karuo District,Chamdo City,Tibet Autonomous Region.The health center is located in the village of Litu,not too far from the county government.This simple hospital is surrounded by a few compounds with an area of a few hundred square meters,among which there are two recently built     

A SALUTE TO THE NORTHERN TIBET AN HIGHLAND RECORD OF THE QINGHAI-TIBET RAILWAY PATROL TEAM

Extending for 1,956 kilometers from Xi’ning of Qinghai in the east to the city of Lhasa in the west,the Qinghai-Tibet Railway traverses the broad highland as well as a deserted no-man’s land in the Northern Tibet.As the highest and the longest railway in the world,it employs multiple security measures,the most ancient of which is to maintain a watch by employing human overseers. This involves a unique group,the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Patrol Team that undertakes this special task.The team carries out a strict management with military discipline.Every day,the patrol team members work hard in this lonely and deserted place.Once you take the Qinghai-     

Home Visits

Once the work team had settled in, we started visiting the villagers in their homes to get the lay of the land. There are four unincorporated villages in Yerpa： Gogo and Yulo are downstream on the east bank of Nujiang River; Sengo, the one in the middle, is the seat of the village committee, and Dangran Village, a hour＇s walk from Sengo （upstream and to the west） is the smallest and most remote. Accordingto old statistics, there was a population of 489 in the 78 households in Yerpa Village. That made it a relatively big administrative village. It is also typical of the eastern river valley region of Tibet, with features such as deep valleys, steep mountains, a widely dispersed population over a wide area, the shortage of arable land, a dry climate and lack of transport facilities. Currently a road runs past the village but there is still no electricity, telecommunications, schools, medical services.., or safe drinking water. In the past people had to use a cable slide to cross the Nujiang River and then walk another 10 kilometers to get to Junyong Village in Dombang Township of Dzogong County. In order to continue on to the county seat of Dzogong there was another steep mountain to climb. On looking up from Yerpa Village, the highway was like a thread hanging from the clouds. The villagers used to climb Khekela on the other side of Nujiang River to reach Temtok Town of Dzogong County. Our legs almost gave way just from looking at that narrow trail. But the villagers had to rely on it to go to the nearest town for selling produce and shopping. Sometimes they would return on the same day. Our visit started from the village of Dangran. Since it was farthest from where we were, we decided to tackle the hard stuff first. Dangran Village had sent several horses and mules to us so we could use them to carry our gifts, plus a bottle of cooking oil bought in the county seat, for each family. On the gravel road that doubled as a water channel, the horses were fine but the mules liked to head for the thorn bushes by the roadside.     

Walking to the Tsosisumkyi“Tribe”

Why do I refer to Tsosisumkyi village as a"tribe"?The simple reason is that this rural community did not go through any democratic reform while Tibet experienced its transition from a feudal serfdom to socialism.How is Tsosisumkyi today?Is there any kind of chieftain in control of this"tribe"?     

MIRACLES SHOWN BY MARRIAGE CUSTOMS IN SOPA FISHING VILLAGE

Sopa Village in Chushur County of Lhasa Municipality is the only village in Tibet with a fishing business.The unique culture of this village includes ancient traditional customs.One in particular is a strange marriage custom.     

THE HAPPY LIFE OF PADMA DROLKAR

正Padma Drolkar is from a small village located in the Dranang County of Lhoka within the Tibet Autonomous Region. Although the village is about 20 kilometers away from the downtown area of the county, the nearby mountain range makes it nearly impossible for the village to     

News in Brief

正Two Tibetans Awarded for Reform and Opening-up Contributions China awarded 100 people for their contributions for the country's 40 years of reform and opening-up at a gathering in the Great Hall of the People on Dec. 18th. Among the 100 people,there are two ethnic Tibetans. One is Nyima Dondrup from Ngari Prefecture in Tibet and the other is Sonam Dargye from the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai province.     

Interview with Village Leaders （1）：Political,Legal and Public Services in Rural Tibet

The Tibetan Areas Development Study Group of the CAS, led by research fellow Wan Luolin （who is the head of the CAS Learning Advisory Committee and original administrative vice president） and research fellow Zhu Ling （deputy director of CAS Economic Research Institute）, developed the extensive research activities in the Tibetan-inhabited areas since 2000, While the study group completed the special subject policy report, it also published some learning achievements such as Choice of Roads to Development in Underdeveloped Areas-Case Study of the Tibetan-Inhabited Areas in Yunnan （published by the Economic Management Press in 2003）and Marketization and Grass-roots Public Serices-Case Study of Tibet （published by Nationality Press in 2005）.In July and August 2005, the study group developed a research program in Garze of Sichuan Province and the Qamdo area of Tibet along the Sichuan-Tibet highway.     

西藏芒康:时光深处（英文）

正May had already arrived,but the northern lands of Tibet were still covered in the whitest of snow.It is in this place that Markham County of Chamdo City is found peacefully seated,embraced by rivers and abundant,verdant forests and seemingly enlivened by the nearby spring making everything just a little bit greener.     

THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF ETHNIC MONPA

<正>Magmang Town in Legpo Valley is a small town located in the south of Tshona County.This is a fascinating place blessed by a favorable climate and seems like a paradise.With their unique culture,ethnic Monpa have lived in this splendid country for generations while earthshaking changes have taken place around them,in conjunction with economic advancement and social transformation.     

TRAVELOGUE FROM THE AREAS INHABITED BY SMALL ETHNIC MINORITIES ON THE TIBETAN BORDER

<正>Now,when you walk around the villages of ethnic minorities on the snow highland,you will find Tibet different from a primitive and isolated stereotype,but rather a place taking on a brand new scene.In 2014,we drove thousands of miles to visit some areas in Tibet     

Jails in Tibet

There are three jails in the Tibet Autonomous Region, with 2,300 inmates, including those serving lifesentences or awaiting execution. They account for 0.9 per 1,000 of the Tibetan population.The three jails are the Tibet Autonomous Regional Prison, the Lhasa Prison and the Borne Prison. Of the three, the TAR Prison is the largest and the only one exclusively for female inmates.Of the inmates, 76 percent are of the Tibetan ethnic group, 20 percent from the Han ethnic group, and remaining four percent from