Editor's note: The Sichuan-Tibet Plateau, a beautiful region that reaches toward the heavens, is a place showered with blue skies, covered in white clouds, and dotted with snow-covered mountains, but recently, something truly remarkable has been materializing among the households that call this place home. A groundbreaking historic change has been reshaping the land and its people. From today on, we will publish a series of stories to tell you those changes. 

A wooden house in the local traditional style has been built along the 317 as part of the timber processing cooperative of Upper Ringo. Village Head Tupden calls it the "Timber Processing Station", and nowadays, he is busying himself trying to prepare the house for its grand opening.

Tupden is a skillful carpenter, and he has made it his responsibility to set up and operate this timber station. He has recruited villagers from poor families as his personal apprentices and has taught them the skills needed to make products necessary for everyday life, preparing them for their brighter futures.

This is not only about making everyday items, though. It is also a way of providing services to locals. As the main point is to attract tourists driving along the road, the station is divided into three main components: a product exhibition site, a place for tourists to rest, and a grocery store.

Upper Ringo has recently welcomed in a large amount of tourists, and ever since the service station has been funded, tourists often use it as a transit station. It is here that the locals have found the perfect way of combining wooden art with Tibetan paintings, and they produce crafts that feature the local Tibetan culture. Tourists are fascinated with the display and often rest for a bit of tea while they take in the breathtaking view of the snow-covered mountains. The station also has eco-friendly toilets that serve as yet another reason for tourists to drop by.

The Chinese version of this story is written by Huang Yingliang & Liu Kung and translated into English by Huang Wenjuan. And the story is sourced from the United Front Work Deparment of the Communist Party of China (CPC)Sichuan Provincial Committee.

Editor: Ana Wu