Medog, the last county in China to gain road access, has undergone a remarkable transformation thanks to the Medog Highway.
Winding through snow mountains and tropical rainforest, this "lifeline" connects remote ethnic communities in Xizang with the outside world, fueling economic growth and lifting living standards for the Menba and Luoba people.
The road, completed in October 2013 after more than five decades of surveying and construction, cut travel time by over 90 percent from Medog to Nyingchi, the city that administers Medog.
The highway has brought unprecedented opportunities. In Badeng Village, residents of Menba ethnic group relocated from dangerous cliffside homes to new Tibetan-style houses by the roadside. Traditional bamboo weaving has also turned into a profitable business.
"Before, we sold them (bamboo weaved baskets) for only 4-5 yuan (about 0.56-0.7 U.S. dollars) each, now they go for 140-150 yuan (around 20 U.S. dollars), and after repackaging, some sell for 400-600 yuan (about 55.7-83.5 U.S. dollars). We sell to Nyingchi or Lhasa, and they then sell to other places," said villager Sonam Phuntsog.
Xinsheng, another Badeng villager, recalled the days when he was a porter, carrying heavy loads over mountain paths.
"This is the strap on the shoulder, and this is on the head. We had to carry like this every day, from childhood. Our heads got deformed," he showed the way he used to carry loads.
Today, the younger generation is seizing new opportunities. In Dexing Village, Norbu Tsering, a university graduate returned to home, is rewriting the story of local agriculture with dragon fruit.
Upon his return in 2018, he learned cultivation techniques online, and started with 100 plants. Now, with 5,000-6,000 plants, he earns 100,000 yuan (about 13,900 U.S. dollars) annually and works with seven other households.
"I want to develop some guesthouses and local specialty dishes. For example, the flower buds of the dragon fruit can be used for soup," Norbu Tsering said.
Tea, too, has become a pillar industry since the road opened.
Gelin Village lies at the end of Medog Highway. Tea-growing was introduced seven years ago with a "company + village collective + farmer" cooperative model. Now tea growing has boosted new businesses like tea-picking experiences and mountain homestays.
"[During peak season,] there are at least 2,000 [visitors] per day. The more than 100 [guesthouse] beds are never enough. Most [visitors] camp with tents," said Dorje Phuntsog, village committee director of Gelin Village.
In 2024, Medog welcomed over 600,000 visitors, generating nearly 400 million yuan (about 55.7 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue. Tea leaf picking brought in more than 15 million yuan (about 2 million U.S. dollars) for locals.
With further road expansion, the once-isolated place is now connected to the rest of the nation, its prosperity still unfolding.
Medog Highway transforms once isolated county into thriving border town in Xizang
Many local residents in southern Lebanon are defying Israeli evacuation orders, refusing to leave despite ongoing airstrikes that have battered the coastal city since the conflict with Hezbollah erupted in 2024.
The Israeli army on Saturday warned Lebanese residents located south of the Litani River to evacuate immediately and move north of the river. In Tyre alone, one of the largest cities in that area, an estimated 30 percent of local residents refused to leave.
At the rubble of Sawt el Farah -- southern Lebanon's first radio station, which means "Voice of Joy," Tyre's Deputy Mayor Alwan Sharafeddine searches for any salvageable equipment. The building, which also housed a Hezbollah financial office, was destroyed in an Israeli strike last week, silencing a voice that had broadcast for decades.
"Founded in 1989, Sawt El Farah was the first radio station in southern Lebanon. It covered citizens' affairs in South Lebanon, especially since the south back then was occupied by the Israeli enemy. We produced stories about our relatives under occupation and the citizens of the homeland. The station had a vital social, cultural, and health awareness role; it was the memory of the residents of Tyre and the memory of all citizens of the south," Sharafeddine said.
Ali Fadel, a local resident, sent his wife and children north to safety in Beirut, visiting them weekly but always returning to Tyre to do whatever he can to help those left behind, including birds.
"Half of the restaurants here are shut. Many people left; no one is feeding the pigeons. I had some extra bread, so I came to feed them. 500 or 1,000 birds -- it's not right to leave them without food. I love my neighborhood very much; that's why I don't want to leave. I adore this town so much," Fadel said.
Home to an estimated 60,000 people, Tyre is one of Lebanon's oldest and most visited cities. For resident Mohamed Abdelwahab, resistance takes many forms, and not all of them are on the front line, but keeping society running in the rear is just as essential to making this community resilient.
"This is an aggressive enemy. Everyone should resist. Every person should resist based on their capabilities. Staying resilient in your hometown, in your house, is resistance. There are those who fight at the front lines and those who fight from home. There are other forms of resistance: those who stayed here to help the people -- opening their stores, bakeries, and pharmacies -- help residents become resilient," Abdelwahab said.
"In addition to the residents who stayed, we have a number of displaced citizens from the villages further south that were targeted by the Israeli aggression. About 600 people are in shelters; some, unfortunately, are staying in public parks and on the streets. The nine schools we converted into shelters have all reached full capacity. But overall, more people are resisting relocation than during the 2024 war," Sharafeddine said.
Lebanese refuse to leave in defiance of Israeli evacuation orders
