Residents in China’s highest county relocated for better life–China Economic Net

 

* With an average altitude of about 5,000 meters, Tsonyi County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, handles a full space of 120,000 sq. km and is part of the Changtang National Nature Reserve, China’s most significant and optimum character reserve.

* Tsonyi County commenced the relocation of its 2nd batch of citizens on Tuesday, as element of the region’s approach to improve people’s living ailments and shield the fragile local ecosystem.

* 4 townships of the county will entire relocation by early August, and by then, all seven townships of Tsonyi, like the a few that moved in 2019, will have concluded relocation.

Aerial picture taken on July 13, 2022 demonstrates vans carrying home furnishings planning to depart from Doima Township of Tsonyi County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Area. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

by Xinhua writers Cao Jian, Zhang Jingpin, Lyu Qiuping and Kelsang Namgyai

LHASA, July 19 (Xinhua) — Tsonyi County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Location, started off the relocation of its next batch of people on Tuesday, as section of the region’s program to make improvements to people’s residing situations and safeguard the fragile local ecosystem.

At all over 7:40 a.m. Tuesday, more than 300 residents remaining their hometown in Doima Township of Tsonyi, China’s best county, going virtually 1,000 km southward to their new property Singpori.

Singpori is on the north lender of the Yarlung Zangbo River in the town of Shannan, situated at an altitude of 3,600 meters. It is only some 10 km from the Lhasa airport.

4 townships of the county will complete relocation by early August, and by then, all seven townships of Tsonyi, such as the three that moved in 2019, will have accomplished relocation.

Tibet relocated the 1st batch of 2,900 people in Tsonyi to Singpori in 2019.

A villager hundreds furnishings onto a truck in Doima Township of Tsonyi County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Location, July 12, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhou Dixiao)

“Soon after shifting to my new home, I will be ready to stop by the monasteries in Lhasa and Shannan additional often to worship Buddha,” explained Garma, a 70-12 months-previous herder from Doima Township.

Hard Choice

With an normal altitude of in excess of 5,000 meters, Tsonyi County addresses a complete location of 120,000 sq. km and is aspect of the Changtang Nationwide Mother nature Reserve, China’s largest and best nature reserve.

Due to the superior altitude and severe surroundings, the county is not appropriate for human habitation. The oxygen in the air is a mere 40 percent of that on the plain. Its winter lasts 10 months just about every calendar year, with the lowest temperatures reaching minus 40 levels Celsius.

Having said that, it was not straightforward for Garma to choose to transfer.

“It is the location where I was born and grew up. How can I not miss it?” claimed Garma. “But I know the relocation is fantastic for us.”

Struggling from rheumatic arthritis, a joint condition generally observed on the plateau, Garma has shed the capacity to herd. All she can do is fireplace the stove and cook butter tea although waiting around for her loved ones to return from herding.

Villagers pack their possessions for relocation in Doima Township of Tsonyi County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, July 12, 2022. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

“The relocation will not only make it less complicated for me to go to the medical center but also aid my young children avoid establishing plateau ailments like me,” she claimed.

As a payment for their sacrifice, Garma’s 5 family customers, together with her 2-yr-outdated terrific-grandson, will receive 7,500 yuan (about 1,112 U.S. pounds) per individual a calendar year as a subsidy beneath the neighborhood coverage of forage-livestock equilibrium.

The governing administration has established up a transitional period of time spanning the subsequent couple several years so that some youthful persons can just take turns to herd in Tsonyi County, with a cooperative proven in each individual village. The relocated people can maintain shares of the cooperatives with their pastures and livestock as investments and gain dividends.

When the transitional interval expires, young individuals will also arrive to their new house, returning the extensive land to nature.

“When my small children go again for herding, I may perhaps also return with them to have a glimpse at the ranch and the sheep,” Garma stated.

NEW HOPE

In Singpori, Garma’s loved ones has been allotted a two-tale household and a compact condominium, outfitted with flush bogs and gas stoves. The local community also has a recently-built clinic, a kindergarten, a university, a sector and a recreation center.

Aerial photo taken on March 27, 2022 shows a perspective of Tsonyi County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhou Dixiao)

Sichod Tsomo, Garma’s granddaughter, did not go to university as she experienced to assistance her relatives with herding when she was younger. The 22-yr-previous now has issue inputting characters on her smartphone.

She stated her son is blessed as he can enter a good kindergarten absolutely free of cost in Singpori up coming calendar year many thanks to the relocation.

“I hope my son can go to a college someday,” she reported.

Sichod Tsomo programs to show up at vocational coaching and open up a tea dwelling in the vicinity of her new dwelling. Her spouse, who gained training to come to be an excavator driver final calendar year, will test to obtain a task at a construction web-site nearby.

According to Yang Wensheng, Get together chief of Tsonyi, some of the relocated citizens have observed employment like chefs and device operators after getting vocational coaching, although some other people have commenced doing work in metropolitan areas like Lhasa and Shannan.

Thanks to the relocation, the for every capita disposable earnings of the county surged to practically 13,600 yuan in 2021, up practically 30 % from the level in 2019, when the county was lifted out of poverty.

Yang explained the latest relocation came amid attempts to consolidate and grow poverty alleviation achievements with rural vitalization endeavors.

RETURNING LAND TO Mother nature

Tibet has 11 nationwide character reserves, four countrywide scenic spots, three national geological parks, 9 countrywide forest parks, and 22 countrywide wetland parks. Secured all-natural places make up almost 40 percent of the region’s land area.

A villager herds livestock in Doima Township of Tsonyi County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Location, July 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

The exceptional wildlife population in the area has been expanding, with the Tibetan antelope inhabitants growing to over 300,000, wild yak exceeding 20,000 and black-necked cranes surpassing 10,000, in accordance to a report issued by the regional section of ecology and setting final thirty day period.

Due to the fact of the escalating populations of wild animals in the Changtang Countrywide Mother nature Reserve, the challenge of neighborhood folks and wildlife competing for dwelling space has turn out to be additional outstanding.

“Our livestock is typically attacked by bears, wolves and even snow leopards,” Garma explained. According to the neighborhood payment standard, herders get a payment of 500 yuan for a sheep killed by wildlife and 5,000 yuan for a yak.

“The relocation is advantageous to the ecological safety of the Changtang nature reserve,” explained Liu Baoyuan, a professor of geoscience with the Beijing Regular University, who is in Tsonyi to conduct a study on h2o and soil erosion.