On the northern Xizang plateau, 4,500 meters above sea level, a quiet evolution is unfolding—the ancient salt routes once traversed by yak caravans are now paved with asphalt roads, the smoke rising from black tents stands side by side with 5G signal towers, and the life-and-death salt trade has given way to the "digital" wave of smart pastoralism. From nomadic tents to well-equipped resettlement houses with running water and electricity, Nagqu of Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China has accomplished an epic dialogue between traditional survival logic and modern civilization in less than three generations.

From Caravan Trade to Modern Commerce: The Evolution into a Logistics Network

During the era of caravans in Nagqu and other regions, scarcity of goods, limited communication, and poor transportation meant that buying a bag of salt, sending a letter home, or traveling afar involved unimaginable challenges.

Fifty-four-year-old Tashi Samdrup, a resident of Kongma Township in Seni District, Nagqu, recalls those days with deep emotion. "We didn't have a dedicated salt caravan in our area. Every summer, we had to wait for caravans from places like Baqen and Sog County passing by on their way to Lhasa, asking them to trade our wool and yak hair for salt, tsampa, and rice," she told the reporter. After the grass turned green in the sixth month of the Tibetan calendar, herders would drive yaks and horses loaded with wool and yak hair to salt lakes to barter with the lakekeepers. By the eighth month, they would carry the salt to Shannan and Lhasa to exchange for grain, returning to northern Xizang before winter.

Today, a major road network has been established in northern Xizang, with the roar of trains and trucks replacing the jingling of caravan bells. Logistics fleets transport over 3,000 tons of goods every day, covering all townships in the city. According to this year's government work report of Nagqu, in 2024, the city's total retail sales of consumer goods reached 3.51 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.7%, while the logistics industry output exceeded 1.2 billion yuan, accounting for 4.8% of GDP. The caravan history of "trading life for salt" has become a memory on museum displays and a legend among younger generations.

From Tents to Resettlement Houses: Building a New Life Brick by Brick

"In the old Domar District (now Yanshiping Township), there were only a few black tents. Winters were bitterly cold, and summers brought leaky roofs. Fetching water required trekking kilometers to break ice or melt snow, the only furniture we had were earthen bed bases and yak hair mats," said 61-year-old Chöpel from Yanshiping Township's Village One, standing in front of his new resettlement house.

The turning point came with improved transportation. In 1985, the Qinghai-Xizang Highway was paved with asphalt, allowing timber and bricks to be transported into pastoral areas. The first earthen house appeared in Domar District in 1990. In 2006, Xizang launched the "Farmer and Herder Settlement Project," and Nagqu, as the largest and highest-altitude region in Xizang, invested 2.36 billion yuan to build or renovate 42,000 homes, benefiting 168,000 people.

"The settlement project isn't just about building houses—it's a reshaping of lifestyles," said Sonam Lhundrup, a villager from Sechima Village in Yanshiping Township. "In the past, neighbors might live dozens of kilometers apart. Now, visiting takes just several minutes' walk." The deeper impact is seen in generational shifts: while older herders dry meat in hay sheds or storage rooms, the young buy and sell yak jerky in livestreams online. Three generations have found a delicate balance between tradition and modernity in their definition of "home."

In early 2022, after the 24-hour trial operation of the Zhamog 35kV power substation in Yanshiping Township, Amdo County, 787 households across eight villages—about 4,000 farmers and herders—gained access to stable grid electricity. Xizang's "northern gateway" bid farewell to unstable power and officially connected to the digital world.

Smart Pastures: Solar Power and 5G Paint a New Landscape Together

In the summer of 2024, journalists of Xizang Daily visited the summer pasture of herder Sengye in Kongma Township, Seni District. His family's breathable and rainproof tent was equipped with a WiFi router, the traditional earthen stove became a decorative shelf for Tibetan wooden bowls, and JD Logistics boxes were stacked in the corner, containing an electric butter tea maker and children's down jackets.

"During last year's 'Double 11' (an online shopping festival in China), I bought my nephew an educational poster on my phone," said Sonam Chözom, scrolling the Pinduoduo app, where a solar-powered charger and portable generator sat in her cart. Such changes are reflected in data: according to this year's government work report of Nagqu, in 2024, the total retail sales of consumer goods in Nagqu City reached 3.51 billion yuan, with 100% coverage of rural e-commerce and 5G network access in all key administrative villages.

As night fell, Sengye turned on the LED light in his tent. The Tibetan-language News Broadcast was playing on TV: "In 2024, Nagqu's GDP reached 24.634 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%..." Sonam Chözom served beef stewed in a pressure cooker, inviting neighbors for dinner. The children compared mobile game scores, while the elders sipped Pu'er tea from insulated cups bought online.

"Now, our biggest concern isn't food or clothing—it's our children's education," said one herder. The latest government work report noted an 18.7% increase in education spending.

Standing on the viewing platform in the outskirts of Nagqu City, one gazes into a surreal palimpsest of history: ancient salt-caravan trails run parallel to modern expressways, black yak-hair tents share the same sunlight with photovoltaic panels, while the tranquil lowing of livestock resonates with the electric hum of 5G base stations.

There is no replacement, only symbiotic creation—herders preserve memories in their resettlement houses yet extend nomadic freedom through drones, while e-commerce platforms expand the horizons of the grassland. As the world debates "how tradition should confront modernity," Nagqu offers its answer: gas stoves coexist with earthen ones, electric tea churners stand alongside copper pots. With open arms, the herders embrace the tides of change, ensuring their survival wisdom forever soars higher than the altitude.

Reporter: Dekyi Yangzom

Translator: Liu Fang, Jia Dan

Review: Hu Rongguo, Dong Xiuli