Yumai is where I have lived for most of my life. Yumai Township, Longzi County, Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region is located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, with an area of more than 3,000 square kilometers and 200 kilometers away from the county town, but is separated by several high-altitude mountains. When the villagers had the least crowded people, there were only three people, including my father, Sanjie Quba, my sister, Yangzong, and Yumai, therefore, was called "Sanren Township". But no matter how bad the conditions are, we have always been here, rushing yaks to grazing every day, and hanging the national flag where we walk - home is jade mai, country is China, and grazing and guarding the border is our responsibility.
We often see on TV that General Secretary Xi Jinping visited and comforted the masses during his inspection at the grassroots level. So my sister and I had an idea, and wrote a letter to the General Secretary to report on our experiences and experiences in guarding the border for the country and the development and changes in our hometown, and to express our determination to continue to insist on grazing and guarding the border and repaying the party’s kindness with our fellow villagers. In October 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping wrote back to us. In his reply, the General Secretary instructed: "I hope you will continue to inherit the spirit of patriotism and border guarding, and to encourage more herdsmen to take root in the snowy border like Gesanghua , and to be the guardians of the sacred land and the builder of a happy home." This is an affirmation of the persistence of our generations, and it is also a great encouragement to our work in the future.
The road to guarding the edge is not easy to walk. When I was young, Yumai had no pathway. In 1988, I was elected as the mayor of Yumai Township, and I often put in all my efforts to replenish materials in winter. When we go out to purchase, we need to cross Rila Mountain, we have to wear special long leather boots to prevent the snow from coming in and freezing our feet. We have to break several pairs of shoes in one winter. We set out at the coldest time in the early morning, so the probability of encountering an avalanche will be lower. During the snow-capped mountains, sometimes there was ice hanging above my head and cliffs under my feet. I was rushing to carry things in a group of yaks, and I was very scared. But I knew that I was transporting hope from the whole town, so I still walked over with a tough bullet.
Image source: People's Daily Client Tibet Channel
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Yumai has undergone earth-shaking changes. The asphalt roads that are protected by the four seasons are fully opened to traffic. We go to the county town or other places and no longer have to hike over snow-capped mountains. National Grid has moved in, and every household has also achieved WiFi coverage. Nowadays, the permanent population of Yumai Township has also increased. Last year, the per capita disposable income of reached 38,848 yuan. There are more and more tourists coming to Yumai for tourism. Even if the journey is long, many people want to come here to see it. My father's old residence was also converted into an exhibition hall to display the stories of Yumai people guarding the border.
For the people of Yumai, patrolling and guarding has become everyone's conscious action, and prosperity is a common expectation. My eldest daughter Basangzhuoga returned to Yumai to find employment after graduation. Her nephew Solangdunzhu was the first college student to go abroad and is currently the first secretary of Yumai Village, Yumai Township. Like them, many young people have become vital forces in building Yumai and shoulder the glorious mission of patriotism and border guarding. Not only that, Yumai has many relocated residents. Their arrival has made Yumai more popular and brought more development.
Standing the border for the country is my lifelong career. Now that I am older, I am almost unable to walk on the border patrol, but I will continue to inherit the patriotic and border guarding spirit and tell you more red stories. This is where the home is and where the country is. With the strong support of the country, we will surely build Yumai Township better and protect the borders of the motherland.
(The author is the winner of the " July 1 Medal ", a villager in Yumai Township, Longzi County, Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region, interviewed and compiled by our reporter Xu Yuyao)
