A road to happiness that changed Medog's fate

"Is the road to Medog open now?"

This was the question posed by General Secretary Xi Jinping in March 2013, when he visited the Xizang delegation for deliberations at the first session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC). He directed the question to Padma Chodron, a deputy to the NPC from Medog county in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

Medog, which means "secret lotus" in Tibetan, is located in southeastern Xizang, in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River, and on the southern slopes at the eastern end of the Himalayas. The region's unique geography has given rise to its spectacular and varied natural landscapes.

Long known as the "isolated island on the plateau," Medog was once considered the most inaccessible place on Earth. It was also the last county in China to be linked by a highway. On Oct. 31, 2013, a highway linking Medog county with neighboring Bomi county officially opened to traffic. Since then, Medog's natural beauty, ethnic culture, and charm as a border county have gradually gained public attention. What was once an "isolated island" has now transformed into a "beautiful border town."