Longmenka Village lies quietly amidst the high-altitude pastures in Rebang Town, Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous region, serving as the ancestral home for herders for generations. Looking back to 60 years ago when the Xizang Autonomous Region was established, Longmenka Village, constrained by poor transportation and harsh natural conditions, was a typical high-altitude pastoral village with tough living and production conditions and weak infrastructure.

On the morning of June 10, as the first light of dawn broke, a group of reporters entered Longmenka Village. Rows of two-story Tibetan-style houses with red eaves and white walls shone brilliantly in the morning glow. The slate-gray cement roads, like lively ribbons, connected every household. Newly planted Bangong willows in front of the houses were just sprouting tender buds, and a sense of vibrant vitality permeated the air everywhere.

From "following the water and grass" to "settling down stably"

59-year-old villager Aduo's new home is nestled within this brand-new village. In the neat and clean courtyard, the joyful laughter of his grandchildren echoed continuously.

"I grew up living in a black tent, moving with the pastures. In winter, the piercing wind and snow would seep through the gaps," Aduo recalled, his eyes filled with bitterness. "During the migration, the whole family, young and old, had to dismantle the tent, tie up the yaks, and carry all our belongings for dozens of miles. Life was incredibly tough."

After getting married, Aduo used the savings he had accumulated from years of herding to build a 30-square-meter stone house in the winter pasture. "Finally, we didn't have to chase after the pastures anymore, and we didn't have to worry about the roof leaking," he said. However, the house was cramped, with the living room doubling as the bedroom, and half of the room was occupied by beds, making life extremely inconvenient. During the cold winter, the thin walls couldn't block the biting cold wind, and he had to get up in the middle of the night to add firewood. To get water, he had to travel a long way to chisel ice.

In 2006, with the implementation of the rural herders' resettlement project, Aduo's family moved into an 80-square-meter adobe house. At that moment, he was overjoyed. "There are separate bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The whole family finally didn't have to squeeze together, and there was even a well in the courtyard. I was truly grateful for the care from the Party and the government," Aduo said.

In 2022, Longmenka Village launched the ethnic village project with a total investment of 176 million yuan. The project built 234 new residential houses with an average of 25 square meters per person and improved supporting facilities simultaneously. "I never dreamed that I could live in such a spacious and well-equipped new home! Our family of 11 got the largest house, 125 square meters," Aduo exclaimed with emotion. "Thanks to the good policies of the Party and the country, I only had to pay 500 yuan per square meter, and with 62,500 yuan, my dream of having a stable home came true! Now we have running water at home and electricity 24 hours a day. This is the home I've always dreamed of!"

"Soft gold" paves the way to prosperity

Today, the herders' lives have undergone a complete transformation, and their production methods have also changed dramatically. In 2021, Aduo's family contributed 279 white cashmere goats and 50 sheep to the village's pastoral reform cooperative, which not only freed up labor but also allowed family members to engage in other work and broaden their income sources.

"Our village currently has nine solid industries that are leading the entire village on the path to prosperity," said Losang Ganden, deputy secretaryof the Party Branch and director of the Village Committee of Longmenka Village.

Following Losang Ganden, the reporters visited the white cashmere goat breeding base in Longmenka Village. The older generation of village cadres recounted that around 2003, a "township enterprise" with a total of 80 female goats served as the precursor to today's white cashmere goat industry and was the only collective economy in Longmenka Village at that time. However, its benefits were only enough to keep the cooperative running and couldn't bring tangible benefits to the villagers.

Nowadays, the white cashmere goat industry has become a pillar industry in Longmenka Village. The cashmere produced is of excellent quality and has won numerous awards, including the "Gold Medal" at the China International Agricultural Expo, earning it the nickname "soft gold" in the local area.

Losang Ganden introduced, "as of the end of 2024, our village has a total of 33,773 white cashmere goats. The white cashmere goat industry has generated more than 6 million yuan in revenue, with cashmere income alone reaching over 2.6 million yuan."

A diverse range of industries flourish

The development of the "one-goat" industry in Longmenka Village is inseparable from the construction of high-standard farmland and land leveling projects. The artificial grass planting project provides a solid feed guarantee for the breeding and growth of white cashmere goats.

Artificial grass is generally sown around June each year and can grow until late autumn. It is a green industry with both ecological and economic benefits. As an emerging industry, artificial grass planting yields quick results and good returns, becoming a new engine driving the development of the village's collective economy.

In May 2022, with the strong support of the county's rural revitalization bureau, the artificial grass planting project was successfully implemented to promote high-quality development of the animal husbandry industry and sustained income growth for herders.

That year, the land leveling project for the village's 0.413 km² artificial grass planting base passed the acceptance inspection smoothly. Under the guidance of technicians from the Ngari Prefecture Science and Technology Bureau, the village completed the trial planting of over 0.333 km² of forage grass. After careful maintenance, the first batch of forage grass was harvested in late autumn, not only meeting the feed needs of the village's white cashmere goats but also increasing revenue through the sale of dry grass.

Based on the successful experience in 2022, Longmenka Village has further increased its investment and expanded the artificial grass planting area to 1.01 km². In 2024, the base harvested 420 tons of fresh grass and 250 tons of dry grass, generating a net profit of 450,000 yuan from the sale of dry grass to the county's agriculture and rural affairs bureau, with the proceeds directly used for the development of the village's collective economy.

Currently, the artificial grass planting base has entered a stage of stable development, with a comprehensive range of activities including sowing, fertilizing, irrigating, and harvesting, creating numerous employment opportunities for local villagers.

From land plowing and seed sowing to daily irrigation, every step requires a large amount of manpower. "I have participated in the village's sowing and dry grass harvesting work for four consecutive years. By working for two months each year, I can earn over 16,000 yuan and receive dividends at the end of the year. At the beginning of this year, the village arranged for me to attend a planting technology training course in the county, which further improved my planting skills," said Shinu Gyatso, a technician at the artificial grass planting base.

In 2024, the artificial grass planting project in Longmenka Village distributed over 380,000 yuan in labor fees to the villagers, and it is expected to distribute 300,000 yuan this year. By developing the artificial grass planting industry, Longmenka Village has found a new path that achieves both ecological improvement and economic development, injecting strong impetus into rural revitalization.

The vigorous development of the white cashmere goat industry and the successful practice of the artificial grass planting project are vivid examples of industrial revitalization in Longmenka Village in recent years. Today, compared to 60 years ago, Longmenka Village has undergone earth-shaking changes. The village has gradually cultivated nine characteristic industries, covering various fields such as breeding bases, nursery bases, gas stations, and sand and gravel yards...

Industrial diversification has continuously broadened employment and income channels for villagers and strengthened the collective economy. The village's appearance has taken on a new look, and everyone's lives are getting better and better. The beautiful vision of rural revitalization, with thriving industries, beautiful countryside, and prosperous villagers, is gradually becoming a reality.

Reporter: Tamdrin, Yongchen, Losang Tenzin

Translator: Zhi Xinghua

Review: Dawa Tesring, Drakpa Wangchen