Travels in Northern Tibet: Winter Pastoral on the Plateau – Home Page Slideshow – China Engineering Network

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Travels in Northern Tibet: Plateau Winter Pastoral

Damxung County in the Tibet Autonomous Region is located at the southern foot of Nyenchen Tanglha Mountain, with an average altitude of about 4,200 meters. Because of its flat and wide terrain and abundant water and grass in summer, it is named “Dangxiong”, which means “carefully selected pasture” in Tibetan.

Yundan, 33, is a villager in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County. In his home near Namtso, the “Sky Lake”, he has more than a hundred yaks and more than 200 sheep.

Shepherds migrate with the seasons and live in pursuit of water and grass. Every September, Yundan and other herders migrate north from the south bank of Namtso to winter pastures at lower altitudes, and then return to summer pastures by the lake in March of the following year.

At the winter grazing point in Yundan, brick and stone houses and prefabricated houses have replaced tents made of yak hair. Large power grids and large wells have also made life on the grassland more convenient. By the end of the year, Yundan plans to sell eight yaks to the slaughter. Coupled with the income from driving a sightseeing car in the Namtso Scenic Area in the summer and various subsidies, the annual income of Yundan’s family is expected to exceed 110,000 yuan.

With the implementation of Tibetan farmers and herdsmen’s housing project in recent years, plateau herdsmen like Yundan have also realized their dream of living and working in peace and contentment. The originally cold winter in northern Tibet can be as warm as spring for the Yundan family.

This is the winter grazing spot in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10, drone photo).Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ding Zengnida)

This is a pasture in Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 11, drone photo).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fei

This is a pasture in Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ding Zengnida)

Herdsmen play with Tibetan mastiffs at the winter grazing spot in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ding Zengnida)

Herdsmen are making milk residue at the winter grazing point in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jigme Dorje

Yundan’s wife Tongji milks cows at the winter grazing spot in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ding Zengnida)

At the winter grazing point in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet, Yunzhu, Yundan’s father, counts the number of sheep (photo taken on November 10).Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ding Zengnida)

This is Zhiga Tsomo, a herdsman living in Dabu Village, Namhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ding Zengnida)

Yundan’s wife Tongji (right) and her friend Zhiga Tsomo are boiling water at the winter grazing spot in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jigme Dorje

Yundan is grazing at the winter grazing spot in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ding Zengnida)

Yundan is wiping solar panels at the winter grazing spot in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County (photo taken on November 10).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fei

Herdsman Zhiga Tsomo cuts beef for his son Dorje Tashi at the winter grazing point in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jigme Dorje

At the winter grazing spot in Dabu Village, Namhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet, Dorje Tashi (right) helps his mother Zhiga Tsomo make cow dung cakes for heating (photo taken on November 10).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fei

This is the night at the winter grazing spot in Dabu Village, Namuhu Township, Damxung County, Tibet (photo taken on November 10).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jigme Dorje