Villagers reap a golden harvest

In the plateau county of Nyima, the yearly average temperature stays at -4 C and herding is the main walk of life for most of its residents. But there is one exception-Ombu township, where two major lakes, Tangra Yumco and Tangqung Co, help create a rare climate for farming in the grasslands. One of the three holy lakes of the Bon religion in Tibet, Tangra Yumco covers an area of 1,400 square kilometers. The lakeshore, several hundred meters long, on the side of South Ombu village is a long strip of emerald green canopy, complementing the azure blue water in the lake.

About 4,645 meters above sea level, the village is semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral and was listed in the third batch of Chinese traditional villages in 2014. A total of 2,109 farmers and herdsmen live in Ombu with a combined cultivation area of 666.19 mu (44.41 hectare) and the grassland area 443.16 mu. The average annual income per capita is 9,853 yuan ($1,529).