Heating transformation reshapes daily life for warmer winters in southwest China's Xizang

The lives of people in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region have changed dramatically as cleaner and more convenient heating systems have reshaped daily routines and made winters warmer.

For generations, people in Xizang had to walked miles and miles every day in search of yak droppings to help their families get through tough winter.

"Upon Xizang's peaceful liberation in 1951, the region's power infrastructure was practically non-existent. There was just one small hydropower station with an installed capacity of 92.5 kilowatts. That's barely enough to fast-charge an EV today," said Zhang Peng, a professor-level senior engineer and deputy director of the Third Division of Xizang Energy Bureau.

In 2023, Xizang launched an initiative to promote clean energy heating, with pilot areas spanning all six of the region's cities and one prefecture to address the heating needs of farmers and herders.

"Xizang's total installed power capacity has surpassed 10 million kilowatts, with clean energy accounting for over 99 percent of its generation. Xizang's green power not only meets local demand but is also transmitted via high-voltage transmission lines to 19 other provinces and regions across China. That's cut CO2 emissions by an estimated 15 million tons," Zhang said.

For local residents, the changes in way of heating means that they are able to use home appliances just by turning on the switch.

"I like the rice cooker and kettle," said Ge Zhen, a 68-year-old local resident.

"The TV is still my favorite. Kids these days don't collect yak dung as much as we did," said Zhase Lama, an 84-year-old local resident.

Today, yak dung is less of a necessity and more of a cultural memory. After 75 years, life in the region has transformed from basic survival into freedom of choice.

The peaceful liberation on May 23, 1951 freed Xizang from imperialist aggression and political and economic control,and created necessary conditions for Xizang to progress and develop along with the rest of China. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, Xizang carried out democratic reform in 1959 and abolished its feudal serfdom. In 1965, the founding of the Xizang Autonomous Region marked a historic shift from theocratic feudal serfdom to socialism characterized by people's democracy.

Heating transformation reshapes daily life for warmer winters in southwest China's Xizang

Heating transformation reshapes daily life for warmer winters in southwest China's Xizang

After years of displacement in Lebanon, some Syrian families are returning home following the escalation of fighting between Lebanon and Israel, not to a land of peace and plenty, but to devastated neighborhoods, damaged infrastructure, and limited opportunities.

For families like Basel Barakat's, who fled Aleppo after the battle and spent years in Lebanon seeking safety, the dream was always to come back without oppression or shelling.

Little Ahmad, Basel Barakat's son, was born in Lebanon, but Syria is his true home, a country he only set foot in recently.

After the recent escalation in Lebanon, the family returned to their hometown in Urum al-Kubram, on the outskirts of Aleppo.

When conflict erupted in Lebanon two months ago, over 140,000 Syrians were forced to flee once more, returning to a country already struggling to aid 16 million people.

"We had a dream, a real dream, to go back without Bashar al-Assad, without oppression, without planes, without shelling of this country," said Basel Barakat.

Basel Barakat and his family live in an area shattered by years of war and earthquakes, yet they are slowly rebuilding their home, step by step.

"We came back to our houses that are completely destroyed, dilapidated, buried. I think it would be better to have these two windows. The door here is not mine. There are no doors, no electricity, no water. But it is enough for us to return to our country, our village, our homeland. There is nothing worse than being away from one's homeland," he said.

His aunt Samia Barakat returned with the family, saying rebuilding is hard amid destroyed infrastructure and few jobs.

"I came back to my country. But I am sad because my country is ruined. My homes are ruined. My income is gone. I have nothing," said Samia Barakat.

Ill and widowed, Samia Barakat now lives with her sister. Still, she was determined to return home.

"When I die, they will bury me in the soil of our country, Syria," she said.

Stories like Samia Barakat's are common across Syria. Returning families face the daunting challenge of rebuilding their lives from the ground up.

After years as refugees in Lebanon, some Syrian families are now returning home, but many are coming back to destroyed neighborhoods and limited services.

Still, for many here, returning to Syria is about rebuilding their lives in the place they still call home.

Coming home is only the beginning, and families like the Barakats are finally starting over.

Displaced Syrians return home to rebuild amid destruction