Tibet’s ex-porters recall tough times
Print Edition
WHEN 40-year-old Pu Drugar thinks about his days working as a porter in southeastern Tibet’s Medog County, he remembers only the hardship.
Medog, which is south of the eastern section of the Himalayas, features steep mountains and deep valleys. It was the last county in China to gain road access due to the rugged terrain.
Before a highway linking Medog with neighboring Bome County opened in October, porters were considered indispensable, as they would transport daily living necessities by foot or guide children.
Pu’s life has changed since trucks replaced manual labor as a form of transport following the opening of the highway.
“Life was difficult back then, but I had no other options. Once I was guiding a group of children on holiday from Mainling to Medog when we encountered a huge snowstorm,” he said.
“The snow hit our faces like needles and the visibility was very low. We got lost. I was so anxious. We thought we might die.”
Pu and the children finally made it to a village to take shelter.
Pu, who started work as a porter at the age of 13, now owns a sand factory.
He and his family live in a 150-square-meter apartment and own several vehicles.
“The factory made more than 300,000 yuan (US$48,000) last year, and we are expecting more,” Pu said.
Almost all of the middle-aged men now living in Medog used to work as porters, said Tenzin Gyatso, another former porter.
“The hardship will never be forgotten. When I was a porter I was young and eager to make money for my family. When others carried 35 kilograms of goods, I would carry 40. I used to cry on my way,” Tenzin said.
“One time there was an avalanche. I heard a sound and I started to run. Another porter was buried, but luckily I saw his clothes and I dragged him out,” he said.
Today, Tenzin runs a hotel that made more than 40,000 yuan last year.
“Sometimes the hotel’s really busy and I feel tired, but when I recall my old days as a porter, I regain the strength to overcome things,” Tenzin said.
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