Tibetan Festival Celebrated at Foot of 'China's Most Beautiful Peak'
- Home
- News
- People
- In-depth
- ACWF
Tibetan Festival Celebrated at Foot of 'China's Most Beautiful Peak'
November 16, 2023Tsering Toinzhub (3rd L) and Lhapa Drolma (4th L) pose for a photo with their family in Suosong Village of Nyingchi, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 14, 2023. [Xinhua/Jiang Fan] |
LHASA, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) — At 6 a.m. before the dawn broke, Lhapa Drolma, donning a beautiful Tibetan costume, started distilling highland barley liquor and making tsampa, a traditional food made of roasted barley flour.
As a festival tradition, the 38-year-old spared some tsampa, yak milk, beef and other food to feed dogs. "The dog drank the milk first, which is an auspicious sign indicating that we will have a good harvest of yak milk in the coming year," she said with a smile, explaining the customs to the tourists curiously watching.
Lhapa Drolma, who runs a homestay, hails from a small village located at the foot of Mount Namcha Barwa in the city of Nyingchi in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
Lhapa Drolma feeds a dog in Suosong Village of Nyingchi, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 14, 2023. [Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida] |
Tuesday marked the first day of the Kongpo New Year according to the Tibetan calendar, the most important traditional festival in the Nyingchi area. As locals in the city are on a three-day holiday starting on Monday, tourists are also flowing in to experience the festive atmosphere and enjoy the breathtaking scenic view.
Mount Namcha Barwa, also spelled Namjagbarwa, was listed at the top among China's most beautiful peaks by the Chinese National Geography magazine in 2005. Part of the Himalayas, Mount Namcha Barwa is an ideal destination for tourists looking to savor the beauty of nature. The burgeoning local tourism industry has benefitted locals like Lhapa Drolma.
In the past, Lhapa Drolma relied on collecting matsutake mushrooms for a living. Not only the work was extremely tiring as she had to hike to altitudes of over 4,500 meters, but she could barely make ends meet with the income.
Things started to change in 2013 when Lhapa Drolma transformed part of her home into a guesthouse to supplement the family income as she smelled business opportunities from the increasing number of visitors coming to enjoy Mount Namcha Barwa.
Over the past decade, the guesthouse has expanded from merely eight beds to two buildings with over 50 rooms, with her family's annual income exceeding 1 million yuan (about 140,000 U.S. dollars) now.
"While childhood seldom granted the luxury of a hearty meal or new garments, new clothes and delectable treats are at our fingertips today," she said.
A tourist surnamed Wu drove from northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to the region for vacation, with Nyingchi being his first stop. He chose to stay at Lhapa Drolma's homestay as the view was magnificent.
"When I woke up in the morning, I could see Mount Namcha Barwa right through my window," said Wu, showing the photos of the sun-kissed peak he had captured the previous day on his phone.
Tsering Toinzhub (2nd R) and Lhapa Drolma (1st L) drink buttered tea with their family in Suosong Village of Nyingchi, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 14, 2023. [Xinhua/Jiang Fan] |
With the beautiful peach flowers and greenery in spring and summer, and the snowy peak at the backdrop in fall and winter, the village has attracted visitors all year long.
The booming tourism has greatly stimulated the village's homestay business and the number of guesthouses has surged from two to 41 with 1,600 beds in total, said Cering Norbu, head of the villagers' committee.
In 2022, the per capita disposable income of the village exceeded 31,000 yuan. Living a prosperous life, Lhapa Drolma can now realize her dream of traveling.
"I've never seen the sea, so I plan to go to the beach in the city of Sanya next year with my family to celebrate the Kongpo New Year," she said.
(Source: Xinhua)
32.3KPlease understand that womenofchina.cn,a non-profit, information-communication website, cannot reach every writer before using articles and images. For copyright issues, please contact us by emailing: [email protected]. The articles published and opinions expressed on this website represent the opinions of writers and are not necessarily shared by womenofchina.cn.
Comments
Magazines
Projects
- 2023 Women Science and Technology Innovation Pioneer...
Photos
- People Enjoy Blooming Tulips in Jinan, East...
- Flowers Bloom Across China in Spring
Special Coverage
Related articles
Young Boys seals 6th Swiss soccer league title in 7 years after rallying from firing coach Wicky
GENEVA (AP) — Young Boys sealed its sixth Swiss league title in seven years by winning at Servette 12024-05-21New Mexico high court upholds man's 3 murder convictions in 2018 shooting deaths near Dixon
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld a man’s murder convictions in the 20182024-05-21Doja Cat proudly shows off the results of her breast reduction and liposuction in a see
She had already stunned onlookers by donning little more than a towel and a sheer wet T-shirt.And Do2024-05-21- OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Corey Seager hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Texas Rangers2024-05-21
Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Maryland ban on rifles known as assault weapons
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday declined, for now, to hear a challenge to a Maryland l2024-05-21Chinese paddlers stunned at WTT 2024 Saudi Smash
The WTT 2024 Saudi Smash witnessed a series of upsets for the Chinese table tennis team as Ma Long,2024-05-21
atest comment