Officer Qunpei and his teammate talk to a herder while on patrol. Photo: IC

A police station in Tibet secures peace and law 4,650 meters above sea level.

Huo'er is a Tibetan township along the China-Nepal border. The Huo'er police station, a station of the Tibetan Border Defense force, was established in 1996 on the plateau to fight smuggling and provide services to local people. Since its establishment, smuggling across the border has all but vanished.

Soldiers of the border defense force brave the harsh natural environment at such a high altitude, where the amount of oxygen in the air is less than 40 percent of that areas closer to sea level, and the average temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius.

Five or six soldiers share a dormitory of less than 15 square meters. At 7:50 every morning, when the dawn is just breaking, the soldiers get up and begin their day with half an hour of morning exercises.

Besides deterring crimes, their daily duties include visiting and inspecting monasteries and pastures in their jurisdiction.

During the visits, they often bring medicines that are needed and distribute winter clothes donated by online charity groups to local residents.

Their work has won the trust of many of the locals, and now the herdsmen offer to provide information about suspicious people to secure peace and law along the borders.

Global Times

Border security soldiers wade through a creek during a patrol mission. Photo: IC

Soldiers accompany a doctor as he examines the health of a lama during a visit to a monastery. Photo: IC
 

Officer Qunpei distributes winter necessities donated from charity groups on the QQ instant messenger during his visit to local families. Photo: IC

Soldiers mediate following a traffic accident involving a motorcycle and a pickup truck after receiving a call. Photo: IC