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New Life of a Tibetan Herdsman
Ser Gya, a young Tibetan herdsman, is now the owner of his own pastureland with 80 hectares, 50 yaks and a mini-bus.
Only four years ago, Ser was one of the poorest men in his village with only seven yaks.
Ser Gya and his wife and three sons live in the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Hongyuan Grassland, where Ser's village is located, was once a remote area. The Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army came to the region in a major strategic movement during the famous Long March in 1934-35. Local herdsmen used to roam about the grassland to search for water and grass.
"We used to move once a month to search for grass. We had as many as 90 yaks 17 years ago. But most of them had died of either hunger or cold. Only seven were left by 1996," he said.
The most significant change was a historical shift from a nomadic lifestyle to settlements on permanent grazing lands. "The government has helped build new settlements for us and we are living a relatively comfortable life," he said.
"We drove cattle and sheep into a warm shed built with the help of the Provincial Grassland Research Institute. Solar energy has replaced oil lamp for lighting," he added.
Ser Gya raises two new bred milk cows presented by the Sichuan Provincial Grassland Research Institute. Each cow produces 15 kg of milk a day, equivalent to the output of 10 yaks.
He has bought a mini-bus for transportation, earning about 500 yuan of pocket money a month.
"I believe the life will be further improved with each passing year," Ser Gya said.
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