The border represents the territory of a country and is also a symbol of national dignity, and the quality of border construction is related to the external image of a country.
The mainland has a vast territory, a very long border, and a large number of neighbors bordering the mainland, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, etc. in the south, and Russia and India in the north.
In order to protect the safety of the people, military passes have been set up in many border areas to prevent emergencies, in the Ali region of Tibet, there is a small border town called Pulan County, where the village of Koga is across the river from Nepal, and the boundary with the other party's Yusha village is only a 4-meter-wide river, and the other party can step on the mainland land with his feet up.
But many of them have never crossed the border river in their entire lives, just looking at the bustling towns on the other side and imagining the life of mainland residents.
Pulan County
Across the river from China, there is a huge gap in life
Among China's tourist mecca, Tibet can be said to be the most mysterious and desirable place, mountains, snowfields, Potala Palace, Tibetan Buddhism, these are unknown areas for mainlanders, and Tibet attracts a large number of tourists to explore the mysteries every year.
Ali Puran Port is a tourist attraction loved by many people.
This place is only more than 3,000 meters above sea level, compared with other parts of Tibet, it is already a valley, so the oxygen content is relatively rich, coupled with the perennial irrigation of the Peacock River coming down from the snowy mountains, so that the Koga village located here rarely has a flat crop planting land, which can ensure the basic life of the locals.
Although it can be cultivated by itself, because it is surrounded by vast mountains, Koga Village was a symbol of poverty and backwardness before it was developed, and the living environment was the same as the Yusha Village opposite it, and most of the area had no electricity supply, and at night it was closed to households, and lighting mainly relied on candles, torches and other tools.
Big mountains
In the early 90s, in order to promote Tibet's economic development in all aspects, the Pulan Port was selected as an important construction project for foreign trade, and the village of Koga began to gradually prosper with the use of the port.
After a period of development, the village of Koga has undergone earth-shaking changes, not only with electricity, but also with full network coverage, allowing villagers to browse information from all over the world while sitting at home.
Not only that, the living standards of the villagers have also been greatly improved, many families have built small western-style buildings, and cars that have never been seen before have entered the yards of every household.
Outside the village are lush grasslands and arable farmland, where nature and humans live in harmony, and the beautiful environment attracts a large number of tourists to visit, adding tangible monetary returns to the villagers, all thanks to the benefits of the busy commercial trade at the port of Puland.
Pulan County Port
Driven by the Pulan port, living standards began to improve
Pulan Port has been recorded very early in history, as a relatively short border crossing between China and Nepal, merchants from both sides often communicate to exchange daily necessities needed by each other, and Nepal's imports into China are mainly some of their native products and handicrafts.
For example, snow-capped mountain treasures such as saffron, snow lotus, and wooden bowls with local characteristics. The things they source from China are mainly salt, duvets, etc., which can solve the problem of local people eating on the one hand, and withstand the cold in cold climates on the other hand.
After the Chinese government spent a lot of money to renovate the Puran port, Nepal's export products have hardly changed compared with before, and they are still traditional handicrafts, with no signs of modern industry.
Every day, you can see plainly dressed Nepalese working at the Puran port, mainly responsible for the transshipment of goods, because the gap in labor costs between the two countries is relatively large, and many businesses are willing to hire Nepalese as employees in order to reduce costs.
Pulan County
After earning a salary, these young people go to Koga village to buy necessities, because many daily consumer goods in Nepal cannot be produced in-house and must be imported from China. Since the 90s, the gap between Nepal's economic development and the mainland has become larger and larger, and these gaps are also reflected in the hardware construction of the villages on both sides.
Standing by the Peacock River, you can see that Yusha Village on the opposite side is still a very backward village, which is in sharp contrast to the Koga Village here.
In this village, most of the houses are simple houses made of stone, red brick houses are very rare, and most of the houses are topped with colored steel tiles, and the main use of these things in China is to make the roof of a simple warehouse.
The only small building in the village is the local police station, because it is too old, the walls are mottled and look very old. The streets in the village are not repaired, they look very messy, and household garbage is piled up indiscriminately, and many of them are scattered on the banks of the Peacock River, leaving them to drift in the river.
Pulan County
In the poor living environment, the purity of human nature is maintained
Because of the problem of ultraviolet rays on the plateau, the people here are dark-skinned like most people in Tibet, with a mountain breeze on their faces and a red plateau, because they cannot trade goods, and the locals still mainly live by farming, and their income is very tight.
In the absence of money, the chances of the locals changing themselves are very slim, most of them have old and tattered clothes, a very simple diet, and a vegetarian diet all year round, but the smiles on their faces tell you that this pure land has not been polluted by worldly money and material desires.
Their way of life is also true, because the living conditions are difficult, the villagers often help each other, and when the family is in trouble, the whole village will come out to help, and do not ask for anything in return.
For tourists who come to visit their village, they are also warm, making many people feel the simple humanity that has been lost for a long time.
Pulan County
Now after the opening of trade at the Pulan Port, the backward appearance of Yusha Village has gradually begun to change, although there are still no wires in the village, but solar panels have appeared, which can solve the lighting problem to a certain extent, freeing them from the "Dolma-like" lifestyle of burning at night.
And because China Mobile has set up a base station on the other side, the residents of Yusha Village have also used mobile phones, although they use China's network, Chinese mobile phone cards, and even payment have to step across the border to pay bills in China, but after all, they have begun to contact modern civilization.
The dramatic changes China has brought to their lives have made them curious about the country across the river, and at night, many residents gather by the Peacock River to look at the brightly lit towns on the other side and discuss the way of life there.
I even hope to be able to cross the village of Koga and walk deep inland to see what the mountains look like.
Pulan County
Although Yusha Village and Koga Village belong to different countries, the invisible thing of feelings has no borders, and in the process of generational interaction between the two villages, many married families have appeared. Some of the people in Yusha village, although nationally divided, belong to Nepalese.
But emotionally, they are also "half a Chinese". Especially those Nepalese who do business at the Puran port, he has lived in China for a long time, drank Puran water, spoke Mandarin, and even married and had children here, and even the children studied in Chinese language schools.
It can be said that from their dress and behavior, they are already authentic Chinese.
It can be said that the residents of Yusha Village have been closely connected with the Puran Port, which is an important dependence for them to change their life difficulties, and it is also their hope to step into modern civilization, and many people have gradually become successful people in Nepal through this port.
Pulan County
Although many people in Yusha Village dream of living a rich life like Koga Village, in their inner world, they still maintain a peaceful mind and face everything in life with an attitude of being at ease with encounters. Nepal is a country where Buddhism is prevalent, and many people believe in Buddhism.
Moreover, Yuzusha village is also the road to the sacred mountain of Buddhism, Kailash Rinpoche, where a large number of monks meet every year, and their arrival brings on the exchange of information on the one hand, and Buddhist ideas to the local people on the other.
For them, money is dispensable, the abundance of spiritual life is the most important, what can be obtained, they strive to fight, but if they give too much, they may need to give up.
It is also under the guidance of this kind of thinking that although the villagers of Yusha Village do not have a rich material life, they live a very leisurely life, eat and drink, drink tea and chat with friends, and let children grow up healthy and happy.
Yusha Village
The great difference between Yusha Village and Koga Village not only represents different living habits, but also represents the different governance ideas of the two governments, and for the Chinese government, it is the historical mission of the communists to enable everyone to live a prosperous material life.
For the Nepalese government, perhaps maintaining peace and stability in the lives of local residents is the first priority.
Under different ideas, different results have also been produced, the residents of Koga Village are working hard to make life better and better, and Yusha Village is to maintain a peaceful mind to look at this era of materialism.
We say that the spirit is very important, it is where the soul of human beings is, but material things are not important, without a rich material life, a society supported by spirit alone cannot be sustained for a long time.
Yusha Village
However, Yusha Village is lucky, it has met China, a good neighbor, but also encountered China's good policies, and now in order to drive the development of other countries, the mainland has launched the "One Belt, One Road" policy, and neighboring Nepal is the mainland's key trade object.
It is believed that under the promotion of this policy, Yusha Village, which occupies a geographical advantage, will definitely get better development.
At that time, the villagers of Yusha Village do not need to guess the mystery of the other side, but live the same rich life as each other.
Resources
Investigation on the Language Landscape of Tibet Border Ports under the "Belt and Road" Initiative: A Case Study of Pulan Port - Ligeji
The significance and development strategy of Pulan Port to Tibet's economic and social development-Zhao Guodong; Raba
Cross-border and Connection: The Oral Text and Effect of the "Xuan" Culture at the Pulan Port on the China-Nepal Border - Ren Yunjuan