LHASA, Oct. 4  -- For Ma Gadong, an ethnic Hui, and his Tibetan wife Tashi Yangzom, the ongoing National Day Golden Week holiday is everything but leisurely.

 

"My wife and I are mainly busy with the clothing store. We also need to buy raw materials and finished products from local residents. Afterwards, we plan to visit clothing factories in east China's Anhui and Zhejiang, and of course, do a little bit of sightseeing along the way," said Ma, who runs a clothing business in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

 

In their clothing store, all kinds of Tibetan costumes, cloth pieces and Tibetan boots and hats are arranged neatly on the shelves.

 

"We still open the first three days of the National Day holiday. People like to buy new clothes on such good days," Ma said.

 

"Their clothes have many styles, good quality and relatively cheap prices," said Lhamo, a regular customer and also their neighbor.

 

Ma left his hometown of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province to make a living in Xigaze in 1988. In just two years, he became fluent in Tibetan.

 

"At that time, I worked in a store and was responsible for delivering and shelving goods. When I met Tashi, she didn't speak Mandarin well." Ma communicated with her in Tibetan. He loved to joke and worked diligently. The two soon became a couple.

 

They got married in 1991 and had two children. "We started a fur processing business in 2000. The market was so bad that we made a loss for two years straight," Ma said.

 

Thanks to neighbors and friends in the neighborhood, the couple pulled through. "They took care of our business and deliberately bought more than they needed."

 

In 2002, as business got better and living conditions improved, the couple decided to start a clothing wholesale and processing business. They were involved in the whole process from procurement of raw materials, production and sales. They also went to Lhasa to select high-quality fabrics and sent them to skillful farmers and herders for processing.

 

Their inexpensive clothes with good quality and style were soon recognized by customers, and business was booming.

 

In recent years, Ma has also trained many farmers and herders in garment manufacturing to increase their incomes.

 

"Those who are engaged in clothing processing can earn about 100,000 yuan (about 15,500 U.S. dollars) a year if they do well," he said.

 

"Residents facing difficulties can work in my factory at any time," Ma said. "When we were living in poor conditions, we got help from people around us. Now I hope to help more people to learn skills and become rich together."