Sow One Seed, Gain One More Life
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The meadow on the highland is as broad as an ocean， yet it is also as quiet as a painting， without the limitation of a frame. It seems more natural and lively than a painting. It is as simple as the clear eyes of a Tibetan sheep， refl ecting the rippling green grass and the scent of the soil as carried by the breeze. This scent followed me all the way as I followed spring’s progress across the highland and as we drove deeper into the wide prairie in the County of Hongyuan.
A Tunnel Enclosure in Camouflaged Clothing
On average， Hongyuan is more than 3600 meters above sea level and is mainly involved in animal husbandry. It is the only county largely inhabited by Tibetans in the Prefecture of Aba. There is a vast area （777，200 ha.） of lush native grassland， 91.8 percent of the whole county.
“Tashi Delek， welcome my reporter！” said Tsepudan， Chairman of the Karlama Village Committee in the Township Village of Achok in the County of Hongyuan. He greeted me with smiles. He looked tall and strong in his traditional Tibetan robe， with a large-screen cell phone at his waist.
“What’s the fence for？” I asked in curiosity. Before me was a huge fenced paddock.
“A tunnel enclosure， they helped us build it，” said Tsepudan， pointing towards our companions（Professor Li Jian， and Professor Tang Cheng from the Southwest University for Nationalities， as well as Mr. Liu Gang from the Sichuan Prairie Institute）.
Made of steel， the tunnel enclosure is shaped in a hexagon， 10 meters long. At fi rst sight， it seems to be without any technical content. Actually， it contains a certain delicacy in its awkwardness. It saves a lot of labor and time when it is used to give an injection or medicine， or shear sheep， weighs something， or transport yaks and sheep. The Southwest University for Nationalities， the Sichuan Prairie Institute and local herdsmen produced it together， including its design， site selection and construction. Eight national patents have been lodged for the tunnel enclosure.
“Are the colors you painted it to attract yaks？” I asked， pointing to the camoufl age colors on the tunnel enclosure.
“Of course not！ The yaks behave themselves in it，” Mr. Liu Gang joked， “we mainly chose the colors yellow and green to correspond with the surrounding environment， and to be harmonious with the hues of the grassland.”
The Southwest University for Nationalities set up the Institute of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Hongyuan County. It has integrated all its resources， sought out talent and skills， developed cooperation with several scientifi c research organizations and advanced the implementation and construction of many programs. The Project for Community Animal Husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of them， including the construction of the tunnel enclosures that we have mentioned above. Now the tunnel enclosures， each at a cost of 45 thousand Yuan， have been put to use amongst 300 households in the fi ve communities of Karlama. The project team provided all funds.
The Best Yogurt in the World
Our car pulled up beside a clean and tidy yard. Nearby there was a small workshop in which we could hear machinery running.
“This is the Achok Karlama Yak Production Cooperative. Next to it is a yogurt factory built jointly by the government， the cooperative and the project team. Our project is mainly responsible for equipment and the purchase of facilities， technical training and a marketing plan，” Professor Li Jian explained.
Considering the ecology is very important on the prairie， so the project team will not take a simplistic approach， such as increasing the number of yaks to help the local herdsmen make more money. They have to think about the frail ecology of the highland， particularly the grassland. “We thought it over and over， and fi nally decided that it is a good way to put more additional value into animal products by scientifi c processing，”Professor Tang Cheng explained it as he guided us into the factory，“The yak milk is natural green， unpolluted， and very nutritious. It is a milk of high-end， so we use it to make nothing but high-end dairy products. Only by this way， it deserves the yak milk’s rarity and peculiarity. We are confi dent in making the best yogurt in the world.”
“Every year， I will spend more than 2000 Yuan on dairy products for my family. If your yak yogurt arrives in Beijing someday， I will be your fi rst customer！” I said to Tsepudan with a smile.
He gave me back a simple and honest smile. His red face appeared a little shy： “Our yogurt is yummy， you should take more. I have been to Beijing in the past.”
Liu Gang told me that the Project of Community Animal Husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau emphasized fostering the herdsmen’s own abilities. The project team has invited Tsepudan， as a representative of the communities， to go to Inner Mongolia and take part in a training course in pasture management， and asked him to attend a cheese tasting held in Beijing. We were told that most herdsmen in the neighborhood didn’t speak Chinese. Tsepudan has been to the Southwest University for Nationalities for a short training course， so his Chinese is much better than the others.
The Headquarters of the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Unfortunately， our interviewing team’s vehicle had a fl at tire on the road. The driver， Tashi， jumped off quickly and took out his jack to change the wheel， “It was punctured by a stone.” he said.
We all got out of the car. It was right next to the Offi ce of Karlama Village. We saw a group of motorcycles pulled up around the Offi ce. On asking we were told that the Village of Karlama was voting to elect members of the Village Mediation Committee， whose main responsibility was to mediate in the daily disputes about pasture and water usage amongst the herdsmen. At this spot， herdsmen in traditional Tibetan robes fi lled the gallery around the big square yard up to the eaves. They clustered together and chattered warmly amongst themselves.
The spare tire in place， we said farewell to Karlama and headed for the Rakhon Village， in the Town of Khungshi， where the Institute of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is located.
The county government of Hongyuan took a broad and longterm view to offer a sincere and strong support to the Southwest University for Nationalities. They allotted 1000 Mu to the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for scientifi c research at a stroke. Occupying an area of 4700 square meters and having a usable area of 13，000 square meters， the building of the institute headquarters has unique and bright features with a red outer wall standing out in the prairie. The construction has become a landmark for the county.
“In the past when we made studies on the highland， grass was a simply grass， and animals， only animals. We didn’t connect grass with the animals. Now， we have changed our ways. We organized our team with experts on various subjects， zootechnics， range science and ecology and we developed our research together，” Professor Li Jian explained.
The Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the Southwest University for Nationalities has established fi ve science and technology parks in Hongyuan alone or in cooperation with the Sichuan Institute of Range Science， or the Sichuan Longri Pedigree Station. The parks were well equipped with facilities and had many functions. To date， the university has undertaken more than sixty national or provincial research projects on ecology， production and life on the QinghaiTibet Plateau.
It rained as we walked out of the headquarters. Looking far into the distance， we found the rain drizzled down like a hazy mist which cloaked the vast and broad prairie for thousands of meters.
“This is typical here. We are used to it，” laughed the Ecological Professor from the university. Then， he took out a simple raincoat from his waterproof jacket， quickly put it on and stepped fi rst into the rain.
Our next stop was the Sichuan Hongyuan State Seed Base in the Township Village of Wache.
The Magical Highland Grass Seed
Another companion of ours， Zhou Qingping， a researcher specially recruited by the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， who should have been a Professor of Permaculture Science in the Qinghai University. He has been working for decades and has achieved a lot in grass breeding and cultivation， pasture improvement and preservation， as well as ecological and environmental management on the highland prairie. Occasionally， he has visited the Pasture Resource Base of the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， the Southwest University for Nationalities and was eventually moved there. So he decided to join the institute and became one of its major members. “The platform here appeals to me，” Professor Zhou Qingping said.
Generally speaking， plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau take on the characteristics of acclimation of high-altitude and alpine climate， as does the grass on the prairie. It is hard for a normal seed to sprout on the highland. “By some technical means of molecular biology， we could optimize the seed， so as to help manage the environment， restore the ecology， and solve the problems of grassland deterioration and grass scarcity in cold seasons on the highland.”Such a large pasture is divided into many square cells. Each cell is planted with different grass seeds. At fi rst sight， it seems that all are grass， but we were told that some grew faster， some thicker， and some were the favorite of yaks.
“As our experiment was in the early stages， some ordinary people didn’t believe it and said ‘I have been grazing my animals here all my life， I see no difference in the grasses’. We didn’t approach them， but asked them come and see our study results after a period of time. They were all surprised by that and said： ‘it is so magical， your grass grows better and faster.’ From then on， they were eager to plant our seeds once we began to foster some new species.”
From above， we could see how simple the Tibetan herdsmen’s dispositions were. It is natural for them to believe in something seen with their own eyes. Later， in time， Professor Zhou Qingping saw his seed growing in some other county. He was curious and asked the local herdsman where the seed came from. It turned out that as the herdsman visited his relatives in Ruoergai， he found the grass in his relative’s pasture grew very well， so he took some back secretly. “I felt it was very strange then， because our seed had not been distributed to that county.” Professor Zhou Qingping smiled happily. Yes， as a research fellow， he couldn’t be happier than when his research results are accepted and widely distributed.
Heroes in the Prairie
The weather on the highland is hard to predict. Sometimes it is fi ne， sometimes bad； now it may be windy， then absolutely still. Next it enjoys good sunshine with a warm breeze as we set out. In a minute， the dark clouds gathered and a cold wind arose. It became overcast immediately. By then， we were on the way to visit the Meadow Ecological System Research Base of the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The alpine meadow is one of the main areas of the pastoral ecological system of the QinghaiTibet Plateau. The broad alpine grassland not only supports the development of the highland animal husbandry， but also maintains an important material foundation for the herdsmen’s living standards. In addition， like an ecological barrier， it plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining water resources， conserving biological diversity and fi xing the element of carbon.
Professor Wang Changting， Director of the Research Base， guided us into the base. Since it was not currently open to grazing， the meadow underfoot was quite thick and solid. In the distance， experimental equipment of different shapes （barrel， square， or house type） came into sight. “The base is to imitate the infl uences that global changes exert upon the meadow’s biological system on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with a total of six different experiments inside，”Professor Wang explained.
“These planks are imported from the USA， and the experiment is to imitate the calescence，” Professor Wang said as he opened the houselike equipment. I went over to have a look and found that the grass on the ground inside the “house”was greener than that outside. Then， we went on to see the other experiments one by one.
“Look， here is wild fl ower，” said Ms. Zhou in surprise.
I squatted and put my head to the earth and found a few purple wild fl owers growing well under a shading membrane. “This is an experiment on how the reduction of UV-B will infl uence the biocoenosis structure on the alpine meadow.”
“It will take at least three to fi ve years to fi nish an experiment， so it is impossible to draw a conclusion within a short time. For us， people studying ecology， it is normal to issue a thesis or gain an outcome in ten years，” Professor Wang said quietly.
In the cold wind， I asked him in a low voice： “Professor Wang， it is said that you will suffer insomnia once you get to the highland， then， how do you stick to your work here？”
“Hey！ Three days on the highland is a test， three months a torture， and three years later， well， one could become a hero！ I have been a hero in the prairie for a long time！” The Professor laughed. Due to altitude stress and insomnia， his face looked a little tired. However， it became bright again. “This time， you come a little earlier， the grass is just sprouting. If you come in June， the grass is tall and wild fl owers are all over the prairie.You can’t imagine how beautiful it is on the grassland！”
I was a little touched by his words. If we have these hardworking guys and gardeners now， could the spring be far away？
Ruoergai at the Horizon
“It is not easy， really not easy， that a comrade of Han nationality could have been working on the highland for so many years. He deserves our admiration！” On the way to Ruoergai， Professor Li Jian introduced us to Zuo Lin， Deputy Director General to the Ruoergai Forestry Bureau， who is responsible for the present detailed work on desertifi cation control.
It snowed all the way and turned extremely cold. We all had put on our heaviest coats， but still felt a freezing wind follow us. From the Township Village of Xiaman， Ruoergai， to the Tsakho Village， the Township Village of Meshi， the road was muddy with puddles and sinking everywhere， on which our car soared and jolted， and we had to hold the bars tightly on our seats.
The meadow in Ruoergai seems broader than that in Hongyuan， and more boundless under the hazy snows. In recent years， due to artifi cial disturbance and climatic changes， the grassland contains a large area of deterioration and serious desertifi cation. The Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of the Southwest University for Nationalities， the Sichuan Prairie Institute， the Sichuan Roman Pasture Area Development Research Center， and the County Government of Ruoergai decided to join together to manage the situation. “To solve the problems about the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， we have to combine natural science with social science，”Professor Wang Changting said decidedly. “The strategy to control desertifi cation is not only a matter of planting grass， but contains more， such as deracination， insect eradication， fence mending， fertilization， and pasture maintenance. All these require cooperation with various parties，”Professor Zhou Qingping added.
Director Zuo Lin pointed to a section of hill-like meadow， which is all distributed with cell fences in front of us and said： “This piece was restored by us. Once a meadow turns sandy， it is impossible for it to recover in a few years，” We sensed his regret from his words. At present， Ruoergai is advancing the community desertifi cation control model. Each village is a community， and the herdsmen may select their own management team. Director Zuo Lin， technicians from the Forest Bureau and experts from the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will offer them training courses. “In the past， it was the government that dominated and was responsible for the detailed work. The government gave money to hire labor. Now， the government guides it. Each household will have one person to do the labor. Only if they participate themselves， will they value the fruit of their labor， know the gains and losses， and thus the work of desertifi cation control could realize a long residual effect.”There were many moving scenes taking place at the spot when people came to work on desertifi cation control， some of which still remained fresh in Director Zuo Lin’s memory. At that time， many people came， including old people and kids. Some little children broadcast seeds， bigger ones carried saplings， and the adults were busy with planting and irrigating. Everyone worked a whole day. Some Tibetan Ama（old woman） told the young men besides her： “You should take part in work like this all the times. Do not be lazy. Plant more trees and grasses！ sow one seed， you will get one more life.” Yes， she is right. Sowing one seed will gain one more life， though too little to be of some signifi cance， it will bless the subtle highland ecology in lots of lives.
“Don’t forget to come next year. Don’t forget the Ruoergai at the horizon！” Director Zuo called out loudly and waved his hands to us， as it was time to say goodbye. It was diffi cult for us to decide whether it was snow or white hair on his temples.
That is the plateau， and those are the people who quietly dedicate themselves to the highland in obscurity. Our car bumped along further and further. In the drifting snow， their fi gures gradually faded from my sight. Ms. Zhou and I plunged ourselves into a long silence. For quite a while， all pleasure， anger， sorrow and joy turned to ashes， all words seemed to be pale and impotent， nothing remained but our innermost beings wrapped up with wordless warmth.