CRAFTSMANSHIP PUTS ARCHERY ON TARGET

正While most of the shops in Tibet's tourism hot spot of Nyingchi city sell local tourism products,one store in the city attracts customers by selling archery supplies.The owner of the shop is called Baluk,a Tibetan from the city's Mainling County,and the main product of his shop is arrowhead for the local whistling archery sports.The sport is widely practiced in the city's rural and     

A TRIP TO DEJUNG HOT SPRI NG WITH MY DAD

To take my aged father to Dejung hot spring for several days in summer or fall had long been a wish of mine since I started working. Now 77 years old, my father＇s rheumatic arthritis had worsened a lot since he was 70. A rugged and proud man, he had some tough times in his youth. He used to silently swallow all the pain without any complaint, afraid of causing trouble for his children.     

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.     

Langmar Hall in Yerpa Village

Langmar Hall is a ＂Tibetan KTV＂. As in other cities like Lhasa, it is a very crowded place and also a big draw card for tourists. Different from KTVs in the mainland, Langmar Hall does not charge admission. It makes money from beer consumption, so the waitresses are happy to open beers for customers. They often stand beside you, raise your glass and propose a toast to you. Friends from the mainland are not aware of this trick, and believe it is required etiquette, so they are happy to drink as much as they can. People in Lhasa make fun of this and say that the     

LOSANG

Losang is now 78 years old,one of the villagers who enjoy longevity.He is the former village head of Dangram Village,also a senior Party member.By right of his senior experience,he is really somebody of the village. It was Losang who sent us to Dangram in earlier times and provided horses and mules     

Rebuilding the Yerpa Primary School

There used to be a primary school between Yulo and Sengo in Yerpa Village:three classrooms in a row,plus dormitories and a canteen. In the 1990s there were three teachers at the school and about 60- 70 students distributed over the three classes.When those village-funded teachers were dismissed,the township’s central primary school sent two teachers to work for six months.Later,Yerpa Primary School merged with the town school and ever since then the old school building has fallen into disrepair.     

PROMOTION OF TIBET’S NATURAL DRINKING WATER HELD IN BEIJING

<正>Themed as"Tibet's Good Water,the World to Share",the promotion was held in the Great Hall of the People,Beijing on Nov.27,2014 in order to boost Tibet's high-quality water further into domestic and foreign markets.Many famous water brands of Tibet took part in the activity,such as Qomolangma Glacier,5100,Sunbara,Droma Spring.Chinese Academy of     

A SAFE HARBOR

<正>Raised in Europe,an ethnic Tibetan orphan returns to her roots to provide a home for the young and homeless.Operating an orphanage is a duty or mission for some,but for Gyalzur Tendol,it is a matter of repaying love and pursuing true happiness."Economic needs are not our main focus;instead,we focus on ensuring the children feel at home with parental love,trust,and unity,"says     

THE LIVING FOSSIL OF SHANGSHUNG CIVILIZATION： TSEDRUP DIVINE DANCE

Tibet, the most magical snow-land plateau on the planet, has given birth to the most mysterious and ancient civilization in human history： Shangshung. ＂Yung-drung Bon Religion＂ （＂Bon＂ for short） originated in the ancient Gangdise Mountains of the Shangshung area （now the Ngari area of Tibet） and is the oldest religion in Tibet with thousands of years of history.