My name is Dorjee, and I come from the Xingqin Village, Ngari, Tibet. If you ever find yourself in a sparsely populated, barren area with a beautiful lake resembling a prayer wheel, you’ve arrived at my hometown.
The lake is the most exquisite ornament of our village, yet its beauty remains incomplete, for there is not even a single flower to grace its surroundings.
My hometown rests in the heart of the plateau in northern Tibet, where rain is a rare visitor, winds persistently roar, temperature varies significantly between day and night, and daytime lasts for an extended duration. Across generations, my forebears tended herds on this expanse, which nurtures us and sculpts our resilience as well. However, in recent years, many young people in my village have fled the pastoral call, quitting school to seek employment elsewhere.
In 2022, I came of age, and the time had come for me to leave my hometown and find a job to support my family. Yet, my father told me that a company was soon coming to our village to extract the lithium resources in the lake, and it promised subsidies and job opportunities for us.
With eager anticipation, I awaited the company’s arrival, harboring reluctance to leave my hometown due to concerns for my aging parents and the uncertainties of life in distant places.
However, I found that most villagers met the news with skepticism, doubting the company’s promises and fearing deception. Many of my peers still planned to venture far away for a livelihood, and discussions and concerns about the company filled the village.
I remember clearly - it was September 20, 2022, the day I finally met them. They were dressed in neat workwear with sincere smiles on their faces, going door-to-door to share their mission and plans.
They were from Zijin Mining, and they have a vision for our village. They aimed to hire young people in our hometown and wanted to build a school for the children. They believe that even on this barren land, flowers could flourish.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck Gerze County, they reached out, donating virus prevention supplies to schools, the Red Cross, and others who needed them. As the weather turned cold, they thoughtfully bought blankets for the children studying in the Mami Town Primary School. When they heard of our village’s shortage of PPE for Covid, they brought vital supplies the very next day, accompanied by words of hope for the health and well-being of everyone in the village.
They also signed a support agreement with our village, pledging priority for us in labor services and machinery leasing.
Over time, the attitude of my fellow villagers changed. People started believing in the future envisioned by Zijin Mining, that flowers could indeed bloom on this barren land.
People from Zijin said the lake could change our lives, and we understood it was the best way forward.
From that day, I started working right by my doorstep and the idle machinery in the village roared back to life. My father asked me to work hard. He felt bad for not being able to send me to university, and hoped that in Lakkor Resources, the subsidiary set up by Zijin Mining in our village, my untapped potential could finally bloom.
On the Tibetan New Year, the village chief announced Lakkor Resources’ participation in the celebrations. They came with New Year gifts. That day, everyone enjoyed themselves to the fullest, engaging in games like tug-of-war, running races, and weightlifting competitions. People from Lakkor Resources took great interest in our customs and told us they would share what they learned with other colleagues back in the company. This, they explained, is the way they show respect for the local culture.
They value talent cultivation. My close friend was selected for a three-month training program at the Zijin School of Geology and Mining, Fuzhou University, along with 29 other young people from Gerze. The program aimed to “train a group of local employees who are equipped with solid mining-related knowledge and management skills, thus fostering new momentum for the development of local economy and society”, the company told us.
My friend messaged me about Fujian - a great place with scenic mountains, clear waters, and flowers everywhere, except for the minor downside of the scorching summer heat. As I read the message, I stood wrapped in a heavy coat by the lake, eagerly awaiting the bloom of flowers.
The creativity of the people from Zijin Mining surprised me. Having lived on this land for 18 years, I understand the challenges of making a living and starting a business here. In Lakkor Resources’ first winter on the plateau, the cold was more biting than ever before, with winds howling constantly as if attempting to strip this barren land of its last layer.
I couldn’t help but worry, would the unwelcoming environment of the highland scare them away, and render our village’s hopes in vain? Yet, to my astonishment, my colleagues remained steadfast. As if having inexhaustible energy, they worked diligently day after day.
At that moment, the essence of “perseverance, entrepreneurship and innovation”, a company motto that once appeared as mere words to me when I first joined the company, started to take root. They also uphold the principle of “green mountains are gold mountains”, meticulously planning every step of their development to minimize harm to the land and its surroundings.
Seeing all this, the phrase “flowers can bloom on barren land” echoed in my ears. At times, I felt as if the flowers had already broken through the soil.
By the shores of the Lakkor Tso Lake, people from Zijin Mining have created one miracle after another. I stood witness to these remarkable achievements and I too played my part in bringing them to life. Now, I have come to believe that this once-barren land can indeed nurture flowers, and perhaps even the most beautiful of them all.
Translator: Jian Reviser: Li Yuanxing Editor-in-Chief: Wang Jie