Tibetan villages in NW China's Qinghai embrace new life

Photo shows a Tibetan-style residential house in Ta'er village, Tajia Tibetan township, Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Mingju)

Residents have returned to their homes in Tajia Tibetan township, Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province, following the repair, reinforcement, and reconstruction efforts that took place after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the area in December 2023.

"It has been a year since the earthquake, and thanks to the efforts to revamp and reinforce the house, we now live in a home that offers comfort and safety," said Sangye Tseten, a resident of Ta'er village in the township.

His home is a two-story Tibetan-style house, with the first floor used for raising cattle and sheep, and storing feed and coal, and the second floor for living. The doors, windows and eaves are adorned with exquisite patterns. The living room on the second floor is clean and tidy and a small door at the corner presents an idyllic scene of the village.

Ta'er village and Tayi village, located in the same township, are built against the mountains. Within the two villages, there are a total of 13 residential houses with histories spanning 100 years or more.

A woman sits by a stove in her house in Ta'er village, Tajia Tibetan township, Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Mingju)

Photo shows Tajia Tibetan township in Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Zhongping)

Photo shows wooden doors and a window in Tajia Tibetan township, Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Mingju)

Sangye Tseten feeds a head of cattle on the first floor of his house in Ta'er village in Tajia Tibetan township, Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Mingju)