Residents leap from isolation to prosperity in Yumai Town
Villagers make traditional snacks for the upcoming Tibetan New Year at home in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
Villagers take a walk in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
A villager makes traditional snacks for the upcoming Tibetan New Year at home in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
A villager recalls changes in her life at home in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 6, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
A villager welds the steel framework for the ceiling of a residence in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 5, 2026 shows a panoramic view of Yumai Town in Lhunze County of Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
A villager works at his home-stay in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
A shop owner arranges shelves in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
A villager makes bed in a room at his home-stay in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 5, 2026 shows a view of Yumai Town and surrounding highways in Lhunze County of Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
Children pose for a photo in front of a house in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
This photo taken on Feb. 5, 2026 shows a view of Yumai Town, Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
This combo photo shows the views of Yumai Town in Lhunze County of Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region separately taken on Oct. 26, 2003 (top, photo by Xinhua photographer Sonam Norbu), Oct. 31, 2017 (middle, photo by Xinhua photographer Purbu Zhaxi), and Feb. 5, 2026 (bottom, drone photo by Xinhua photographer Tenzin Nyida). Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua)
A doctor reads a book on Tibetan medicine in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
Colorful flags are hoisted outside a hotel to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival and Tibetan New Year in Yumai Town of Lhunze County in Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, Feb. 5, 2026. Yumai Town, located on the southern foot of the Himalayas, was once home to merely three permanent residents due to its harsh and rugged terrain. Today, residential houses here are neatly arranged, with comprehensive infrastructure including drainage and communication facilities in place.
Schools, health clinics, and hotels have also been established, alongside with home-stays, small shops, and courier stations operated by villagers.
In 2025, the area received over 12,000 tourists, with home-stay income exceeding 284,200 yuan. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida)
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20260207/4d279ca9d2134a9dbb4a4def0507b0f3/c.html
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
