Twenty years ago, this area was a barren stretch along the Yarlung Tsangpo River and National Highway 318. Today, it has been transformed into a happy home where people of all ethnic groups live and enjoy life together—with wide, clean roads, neatly arranged houses, and well-developed infrastructure.

After the Rinbung Bridge opened to traffic in 2004, the strategic location of Puna Village in Chewa Township, Rinbung County, Xigaze City, became increasingly prominent. In 2006, the village welcomed its first group of residents—relocated households from eight townships and one town in Rinbung County under the poverty alleviation relocation program.

In its early days, Puna Village lacked farmland, pasture, and livestock, with all productive assets remaining in the residents' original locations. It was often called a "hollow village." How to ensure that relocated residents can move out with confidence, settle down with stability, and prosper with opportunity? In 2008, the first Party branch of Puna Village was established. Since then, six successive leadership teams have guided the Han, Tibetan, Hui, Yi, and other ethnic groups who have moved in over the years—starting from planting tree saplings, collecting ornamental stones, and making stone bricks. Step by step, they have forged a path toward shared prosperity through a model of "multiple industries in one village and inter-village collaboration."

Puna Village's development began with vegetable greenhouses. To boost residents' incomes, the government built 20 greenhouses. Xu Wenjun and his wife, Yangdron, were the first to take on a greenhouse contract.

In 2006, Xu Wenjun, originally from Dayi County in Sichuan Province, moved with his family to his Tibetan wife Yangzhen's hometown in Rinbung County and settled in Puna Village. With experience in vegetable farming, Xu took over three greenhouses. He tilled the soil, sowed seeds, watered, and fertilized—practices that fascinated the locals, who had never grown vegetables before. Curious villagers would visit the greenhouses from time to time to learn from Xu. Open and generous with his knowledge, Xu taught many of them how to grow vegetables. The peppers, cucumbers, and Shanghai bok choy they produced were not only enough for their own consumption but could also be sold, bringing in an extra 20,000 yuan a year—making vegetable farming one of Puna Village's earliest thriving industries.

"No matter our ethnicity, we are all one family. When someone faces difficulties, everyone lends a hand. Through mutual support, our hearts become connected, our bonds grow stronger, and our lives gets better and better." Xu Wenjun's words capture Puna Village's success—the unity of all ethnic groups building a shared, prosperous home.

Over the last 20 years, numerous stories of mutual aid have emerged. Ma Binlin, a Hui businessman, lacked funds when he arrived in the village but received help from villagers to open a repair shop. Today, he supports the community and funds education for underprivileged students, earning him the affectionate title "Aba". Wang Xianwei and Pengqiong Kyipa, a Han-Tibetan couple, run a thriving supermarket that also helps neighboring villagers sell their products. During festivals—whether it's making zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, brewing sweet tea during Mid-Autumn Festival, or performing Guozhuang dances during the Spring Festival—people of all ethnic groups gather to celebrate together, strengthening their bonds through shared meals and dances.

Today, industries such as Tibetan pig farming, greenhouse cultivation, and brick production are thriving, transforming a once-impoverished village into a prosperous "industrial village."

Breaking free from the limitations of going it alone, Puna Village has also pioneered cross-village industrial collaboration.

The Xingnong Huimin Supermarket, located along National Highway 318, showcases specialty products from Chewa Township, including Tibetan incense, honey, and barley wine. "Each village in Chewa Township has its own distinctive agricultural products, but without a unified sales platform, these products often remain unknown in the villages and hard to sell. We partnered with other villages to open this supermarket using vacant street-facing properties, which not only meets local shopping needs but also expands sales for agricultural products," said Lhapa Tsering, the Party branch secretary of Puna Village. Since opening in 2022, the supermarket has generated an annual net income of 200,000 yuan, distributed 450,000 yuan in dividends, and helped sell over one million yuan in agricultural products. It also provides local employment. Chodron, an employee, earns a monthly salary of 3,300 yuan and received a 12,000-yuan dividend for her family at the end of the year.

Over the past two decades, a once barren riverside has blossomed into a thriving home. On the fertile ground of ethnic unity in Puna Village, the path toward industrial revitalization continues to widen, and the flower of happiness blooms ever bright.

Reporter: Ma Xiaoyan

Translator: Yang Xiaofeng, Zhi Xinghua

Review: Hu Rongguo, Drakpa Wangchen