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Gampa Village: eco-tourism promotes poverty alleviation
By:China Tibet News
update:November 21,2019
Nov.21, 2019 -- Bomi County, located in the southeast of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is known as "pearl of the green sea", "land of glaciers", "peach blossom world", "plateau oxygen bar" and other good reputations. Besides, it is rich in water resources such as Parlung Tsangpo River, Yi'ong Tsangpo River, Potoh Tsangpo River, Yarlung Tsangpo River, Chodzong Tsangpo River and so on. Among them, Parlung Tsangpo River is a big tributary of the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River.
 
Located along the Parlung Tsangpo River, Gampa Village belongs to Zhamog Town, Bomi County, Nyingchi City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. "Gampa" in Tibetan means a place of high terrain. 25 kilometers away from Bomi County, Gampa Village is a national nature reserve, having the famous Gang Spruce Forest Scenic Spot and other good tourism resources.

 
Nov.21, 2019 -- Sonam Yuandeng, party branch secretary, village committee director, and first secretary of Gampa Village, is introducing the growing condition of fruits in the ecological picking garden. [China Tibet News/Drakpa Wangchen]
 
Relying on tourism development and rural revitalization strategy to build eco-tourism village
 
Gampa Village is home to the Gang Spruce Forest, one of the "ten most beautiful forests in China", with a total area of 4,600 hectares. Influenced by the southwest monsoon of the Indian Ocean, Gang Spruce Forest has a mild and humid climate. There are spruce that is over 90 meters in height and 11 meters in trunk girth, beautiful grass lake that is embedded in the forest, boulder that looks like human face, and so on. Peculiar landscapes form a unique scenery. In addition, many rare wild animals live here. Panax Notoginseng, Gastrodia Elata and other kinds of rare Chinese medicinal materials, as well as Lucid Ganoderma, Matsutake, Morchella Esculenta and other undergrowth resources under tree crowns are also growing here.
 
"Relying on the Gang Spruce Forest and other tourism resources, in August this year, we applied to the tourism authorities for classification. At present, the approval of the 3A scenic spot has been determined. Next year, we plan to invest 1.2 million yuan RMB to buy some rubber dinghies and 10 electric sightseeing vehicles to further develop tourism resources in Gampa Village," says Suyu, a member of the village task force.
With the vigorous development of eco-tourism and the implementation of rural revitalization strategy, Gampa Village is committed to creating a unique and charming eco-tourism village by relying on the superior geographical location and rich tourism resources.
 
Improving traffic condition to increase per capita income
 
Walking into Gampa Village, the first building that comes into view is the tourist reception and service center. There are tables and chairs with Tibetan characteristics, where tourists can rest and dine. There is also a special tourism products sales counter, where Matsutake, Gastrodia Elata, Morchella Esculenta and other undergrowth resources under tree crowns picked by villagers can be sold here with flat list prices, which can not only expand the sales channels, but also provide comfortable and guaranteed services for tourists.
 
Next to the tourist reception and service center is the ecological picking garden, which is one of the collective economies of Gampa Village. It consists of four greenhouses, which are planted with watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, cherries, plums and so on.
 
Sonam Yuandeng, 60 years old, is party branch secretary, village committee director, and first secretary of Gampa Village. He has served as the party branch secretary for 21 years. In the past, the road to Gampa Village was dirt road. In 2008, the road was paved with sand and stone at the government's expense. In 2012, it was paved with asphalt with the help of Guangdong Province. In 2018, the Gampa Bridge was built 7 kilometers away from Gampa Village, reducing the time of villagers going to the county seat from one hour to over 20 minutes. With better traffic condition, more people visit the village and the income of the villagers increases year by year. "In 2012, the per capita income of Gampa Village was only 5,000 yuan RMB. In 2017, the total economic income of the whole village reached 15,572,800 yuan RMB, the per capita income reached 25,100 yuan RMB, and the per capita net income reached 18,500 yuan RMB. At present, more than 70 of the 87 households in the village have private cars," says Sonam Yuandeng.

 
Nov.21, 2019 -- Wu Jin, who is the father of Yeshe, is taking care of the child at home. [China Tibet News/Drakpa Wangchen]
 
Operating family inns to increase annual income 
 
With convenient transportation, the first family inn opened in 2012 in Gampa Village. With the support of the government and the mutual effort of the villagers, there are now 24 family inns in the village, one third of which are open all the year round. The annual income of a good one is more than 200,000 yuan RMB, which is many times of the income from farming.
 
Yeshe is the daughter of villager Wu Jin. In 2013, after consulting with her family, she put 10 beds on the first floor of his house and opened a family inn. During the peak tourist season, when the peach blossoms are in full bloom, the rooms of Yeshe's family inn will be in short supply. In 2015, Yeshe built six rooms with 16 beds on the vacant lot next to her house. In order to provide a comfortable living environment for tourists, the expanded family inn is equipped with independent toilet, hot water bath, WiFi and free breakfast. In 2016, Yeshe expanded the family inn again, adding 14 beds. Since then, the family inn has a total of 40 beds, which can meet the needs of more tourists. After the two expansions, the annual income of the family inn is 150,000 to 200,000 yuan RMB.

 
Nov.21, 2019 -- Photo shows the family inn of Yeshe after expansion. [China Tibet News/Drakpa Wangchen]
 
Good ecology has become the lettered signboard of Gampa Village. Relying on unique resource advantages, the life of the people in Gampa Village has been greatly improved. In 2017, the whole population of the village has been lifted out of poverty. 

By:Liu Fang, Zhi Xinghua
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