Father's legacy

Zhoigar married a herdsman named Pasang who took on the family responsibility of patrolling the border while also herding his yaks. From the outset, he upheld the traditions established by his wife's father.

"We wanted people to see that there are Chinese people guarding the border. We all do it from our heart and proudly," he said. "As shown to us by Sangye Chopa, we put the Chinese national flag at key intersections near the border to show our presence, which is very important.

"We had to make those flags all by ourselves. Even the red cloth for the flags was hard to source back then, so they were the most valuable things," said Pasang.

A giant slogan in red on a hillside that reads our "Home is Yulmed, country is China" once uttered by Sangye Chopa, is now the most famous landmark in the township.

"Everyone in the village knows the family and its story. Those words still represent the spirit of the Yulmed people," Pasang Tsering, the teacher, said.

Since setting foot in Yulmed, Pasang Tsering has also been taking border patrol trips regularly in the mountains lasting three to five days.

The family's legacy has become well known in China after President Xi Jinping replied to the letter they wrote to him in 2017 introducing Yulmed.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, acknowledged the family's efforts to safeguard the territory, and thanked them for the loyalty and contributions they have made in the border area.

"Without the peace in the territory, there will be no peaceful lives for the millions of families," Xi wrote.

Xi also expressed his hope that the family would motivate more people to set down roots in the border area and become guardians of the Chinese territory and constructors of a happy hometown.

In 2021, Zhoigar was awarded the July 1 Medal, the highest honor in the Party established by the CPC Central Committee, for her decades-long guarding of the country's territory.

Since 2018, Xizang has launched a campaign to develop its 624 villages along the 4,000-kilometer border with India, Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan, which is of great significance to the long-term peace of the region and China's sovereignty.

The region has ramped up policy support for the project, sped up construction in those border areas, and made extensive efforts to improve the livelihoods of residents living there.

Nowadays, the border villages in Xizang have been provided with paved roads, while all the border townships in the region are now connected to power networks and mobile internet services.

Furthermore, local people's access to safe drinking water has been guaranteed, and public facilities have been further improved to make sure local residents can enjoy education and medical care. Specialty industries have also been developed in the region's border areas to promote prosperity for rural residents.

Yangzom now mainly runs a homestay and takes care of her naughty grandson who she believes spends too much time watching cartoons on an electronic tablet.

"I am sure my father would be very happy to see how Yulmed has been developed and transformed," she said, "and I have nothing to worry about now since the younger generation of villagers can have a good life here."

"More importantly, they all understand the importance of protecting the homeland, just like we do," she said.