The county town of Medog deep in the mountains. Photo: Shan Jie/GT

Medog is China's last county to be connected by roads.

Before 2013, to enter the mysterious town deep in the Yarlung Zangbo valley in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, one had to cross over mountains and walk for four days.

Thanks to a package of policies that support the development of border regions, Medog has seen a boost in development in the past years and created its own way in poverty reduction. 

By the end of 2019, all villages in the county had shaken off poverty.

Moreover, sitting at a key spot at the border region, Medog bears the heavy duty of border defense, which is deeply carved in everyone in the small county.

Medog's development has proven that development and infrastructural construction are some of the most effective ways to reinforce border defense.

The Guoguotang Big Turn of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Medog. Photo: Shan Jie/GT

Roads of development

In 2013, a road across Namcha Barwa Mountain and its surrounding mountains was built, finally connecting Medog with the transportation network of the rest of the country, ending the county's history of being isolated.

From then on, goods have been sent into Medog consistently, projects have been launched here one by one, and tourists can finally visit this place.

Dawa Sengye, a local driver, has one of the deepest experiences about Medog's development.

Dawa was born in Deergong village, one of the most remote border villages in Medog. 

In 1994, Dawa, who was still a teenager, met his greatest life-changing moment - he walked out of his village for the first time and arrived at the Medog county center. On his two-day trip from village to town, he had to take his own food, set fire to keep warm and sleep under plastic cloth. He didn't go back home for many years.

After years of hard work, Dawa realized his dream to become a soldier; more specifically, a military driver in Lhasa.

After retirement, Dawa returned to Medog and served as a driver in local government.

According to him, road construction has been growing vigorously in recent years. 

Nowadays, Dawa is able to drive home to meet his parents every weekend.

Moreover, a new highway connecting Medog and Pai town will be open to the public in 2022, and shorten the time from Medog to the nearest airport from nine to four hours.

Dawa told the Global Times that his two daughters are both studying in big cities - one in Shanghai and the other in Guangzhou. "They could have a totally different life than my generation," he said.

A car speeds along the new highway connecting Medog to Pai town. Photo:VCG

Featured methods

Juice from South Korea, biscuits from Italy, and beer from Thailand - these are goods you could easily buy at the supermarket in Medog nowadays.

The main street of the county center is surrounded by shops and restaurants, ranging from Sichuan cuisine, barbecue, to milk tea and coffee.

If not for the green mountains and fog around the small town, you would not realize it is a unique border town in the most remote part of Xizang.

Medog's development also relies on support and aid from outside regions.

For instance, the ninth team of the Foshan government, South China's Guangdong Province, invested 11 million yuan ($1.7 million) in aiding Medog. 

Healthcare in Medog largely benefited from the supports. During the epidemic, Medog could accomplish rounds of mass testing for COVID-19 in around 24-48 hours, Wang Wenhui, director of local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times.

The Medog People's Hospital could provide nucleic acid test results within four hours after sample collection, and the results could be uploaded to the national network in a day.

The border defense troops garrisoned in Medog are also actively involved in work meant to boost border prosperity.

At Gelin village, not far from Deergong, households receive assistance from local troops in poverty relief.

Huang Jiabin, Party secretary of Gelin village, told the Global Times that this mode has brought significant changes to the lives of the villagers. Nowadays, villages grow fungi, red rice, and produce honey as supplementary products under the help of local troops.

Gelin village, a village of Monba people living a primitive life before Xizang's peaceful liberation, has now all been lifted out of poverty. In 2020, the per capita net income of the whole village reached 12,530 yuan. It has also become a model well-off village at the border region.

Everyman's duty

"At Medog, you are not only a guest, but a border defender." This is one of many slogans hanging in every corner of Medog.

The county has a heavy atmosphere of border defense and patriotism.

At a primary school in Medog, students are introduced to the national condition and Xizang's history frequently. Border defense soldiers and officers are sometimes invited to the campus to share their stories..

Peng Zhaogang, a teacher, told the Global Times that children in grades five or six understand the border defense situation well.

Students at a primary school in Medog pose in front of the camera. Photo: Shan Jie/GT

Eight-year-old Kelsang Tashi told the Global Times that his dream is to become a warrior with the People's Liberation Army and defend the border for China.

A arcade for preschool children is seen featured with the theme of "seize every inch of land" in Medog. Photo: Shan Jie/GT

On the Yarlung Zangbo River, there is a Jiefang Bridge, which was first built in 1962 and has experienced three major repairs. 

Now, the bridge will become the end of the new road between Medog and Pai.

At the end of the Jiefang Bridge, photos of the fighting heroes from the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020 are hung on the wall, along with the slogan "I'd rather lose my own life instead of lose an inch of the motherland."

The master of Medog's Renqinbeng monastery turns prayer wheels. Photo: Shan Jie/GT