(18 Jul 2021) LEAD IN:
In Tibet, the Chinese Communist Party is changing an ancient tradition: yak farming.
They are now reared centrally on a ranch where villagers are employed as farm hands.
STORY-LINE:
High up on the Tibetan plateau, an ancient tradition is being given Chinese characteristics in the name of poverty alleviation.
Policymakers modernizing the raising of Yaks, potentially boosting incomes but eroding a traditional lifestyle that endured for centuries despite the hardships of nature.
While once Tibetans drove herds across the vast alpine plains above 3,000 meters (9843 feet) in elevation, known as the Roof of the World, the ruling Chinese Communist Party now offers a modern option: collective yak herding, farming, milking and butchering.
A new ranch makes employees' work easier and takes away all responsibilities, including costs.
"In the past, when we kept our own yaks, I had to handle the difficulties such as shortage of forage in winters, and I had to bear the costs if the yaks got sick. After coming here, I don't need to worry about the forage supply. Also the company has the facilities to treat the yaks if they are sick," says Tsering Samdrup, breeder of Pure Land Ranch.
Yaks bask in the sun below white clouds in the county of Damxung, which means "select pasture" in Tibetan.
The animals are central to Tibetan culture, with their meat, milk, hair and skin being used in a wide range of traditional products.
The Associated Press visited Pure Land Ranch in the Khorchen village of Damxung on a rare and strictly controlled media tour to Tibet, highlighting what the government describes as the region's social stability and economic development after 70 years of Communist Party rule.
People here seem unconcerned by the political controversies long circling Tibet, which China has claimed as part of its territory for centuries.
Communist forces entered the region in 1951, and the Dalai Lama, Tibet's traditional spiritual and political leader, fled to India during an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
While Tibet's government in exile maintains the region was independent for most of its existence, economic development and intense pressure from China's ruling Communist Party have diluted many of the sources of opposition.
China's rising economic and political clout has also reduced the willingness of foreign governments to show their support for the Tibetan cause.
The Pure Land Ranch is a scheme where villagers give up their yaks to be communally raised by the local government.
In exchange, the villagers are employed as ranch hands and receive dividends from profits out of the cooperative as shareholders.
Tsering Samdrup, 37, once followed a traditional Tibetan herding life by roaming with his family's 20 yaks across the plateau but joined the ranch as soon as it opened.
Now he's a specialized yak breeder responsible for 60 yaks, earning 5,400 yuan (835 US dollars) a month.
"I still miss the the time I used to spend on the grassland, when we did bonfire dances and horse racing. They've become rare since I came here to work. Despite of this, I'm still happy to be here because my life is better off than before," says Samdrup.
Manager Awang Dorbje says ranch had sold more than 4,000 yaks since it was established in 2018.
A newly-built feed plant makes sure the yaks get enough to eat year-round.
He says the ranch is experimenting with new technology that it hopes will increase the pregnancy rate of female yaks from once or twice every three years to once a year.
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