"The opening of Medog Highway not only freed the feet of local people who had been isolated for a long time, but also freed our minds and made our hometown more and more open to the outside world," said Padma Chodron, the NPC deputy of the Moinba ethnic minority from Medog County in the Tibet Autonomous Region during the ongoing "two sessions".

On Oct. 31, 2013, the opening of Medog Highway ended the county's status as the only one in China inaccessible by road. But the feat is not enough for the locals.

As a deputy of China's National People's Congress (NPC for short) from Medog, Padma Chodron submitted a proposal at the annual NPC and CPPCC sessions last year to open roads for all of the county’s seven townships. During the following year road construction was steadily underway, connecting a number of remote villages by rough, rudimentary roads.

"In the past we almost had to go everywhere by foot, either to go to school or see the doctor," said Padma Chodron, who became the village head at a young age. Today it is no longer difficult for the Medog people to leave the mountains, providing a once seemingly distant opportunity to engage in the outside world, she said.

The connection to the outside world has been evident for the Moinba ethnic minority, who create hand-knotted items from vines and bamboos found in remote mountains. The items are adored by both Tibetans and tourists from the outside. But the Moinba were unable to sell their goods to the outside world in the past, and a less isolated living environment has now inspired their business sense.

Furthermore, building materials such as timber and cement are also transported smoothly into the village, allowing the locals to build sturdier living quarters.

The changes of the village epitomize Medog's development, where GDP amounted to over 400 million yuan last year, a 30 percent year-on-year increase. The per capita income of farmers and nomads is over 7,000 yuan, up 20 percent and much higher than the average in Tibet.

"This year my proposal calls for improving the border subsidy policy to provide more benefits for ordinary people," said Padma Chodron. "Though Medog is far away from Beijing, we feel the care of the central government."

The Moinba ethnic minority is one of the smallest ethnic groups in China. Its population stands at 3,000. Located in the southeast Tibet Autonomous Region, the southern foot of the Himalayas and downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Medog County is the settlement of the Moinba and Lhoba ethnic minorities. Known as "the last lotus holy land," with its name meaning "flower" in Tibetan, Medog County is home to a unique natural environment but disadvantaged economic and social development.