Xizang Story: A postal driver's high-altitude odyssey for 26 years

LHASA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- In the Ngari Prefecture of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, there is a postal route that traverses snow-capped mountains, ravines and uninhabited areas, where Sangpo, 47, a long-distance driver for local postal administration, has worked for 26 years, covering a total distance of over 4.3 million km.

In the 1990s, the route started from Ngari's Tsochen County and was around 800 km long. It cost Sangpo four days for a one-way trip, and his postal truck departed once a week. The route was extended to the city of Xigaze in 2014, with the frequency of departures increasing to four times per week.

"At that time, the dirt road was bumpy, and we couldn't drive more than 20 km in an hour," said Sangpo.

The average altitude of Ngari is over 4,500 meters, and the lowest temperature in winter can drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius.

In February 1999, a sudden heavy snowfall occurred on the postal route of Tsochen County, trapping the truck for a day and a night. Sangpo stayed awake all night to shovel the snow and then drive in alternation.

"When thirsty, I boiled snow to make tea," said Sangpo, adding that the postal route is one with the harshest environment and the worst climate in the region.

Born in Ngari's Burang County in 1976, little Sangpo used to play the role of a postal driver whenever he saw a postal truck passing by his house, pretending that he had his hands on the steering wheel.

Sangpo finally became a long-distance postal driver in 1998 as he had wished. At that time, there were few mobile phones, which made communication inconvenient, so Sangpo would lose contact once he hit the road.

Tsering Drolkar, Sangpo's wife, asked every time she saw him off, "When will you return from this trip?"

With no villages or inns nearby, Sangpo ate tsampa, a traditional Tibetan staple made from barley flour, drank tea in his truck, went to bed at 9 p.m., and set off early in the morning when the stars were still shining.

Sangpo recalled that sometimes the delivery coincided with the Tibetan New Year and he would spend the night alone in his truck while others were gathering with their families.

"The night was dark and I felt lonely. But loneliness was a normal part of the route," said Sangpo. However, when he arrived in the village and the villagers excitedly shook his hand, hugged him, and repeatedly said "thanks" to him, he felt that all the loneliness and fatigue disappeared.

During his 26-year career, Sangpo has witnessed the changes in Ngari's postal service. In the 1990s, the main items transported were letters, with two or three bags of letters every week, each bag containing three to four hundred letters. In recent years, however, online shopping for food, clothing, and daily necessities has become mainstream, filling the postal truck to the brim, and almost no one sends letters anymore.

Ten years ago, the Ngari highway underwent an upgrade and renovation. Now, village and township roads here have been renovated and look brand new. More restaurants and garages along the route have eased Sangpo's journey. He can also make video calls with his family and share the scenery on the road with his smartphone.

With better roads and more vehicles, more young people have entered the region's postal industry.

Sangpo's route was extended again in 2018, with a one-way distance of 1,800 km to Lhasa, becoming the longest postal route in the region. However, the single trip duration was reduced to two and a half days, and the frequency of departures was increased to once a day.

"The route is my life," said Sangpo, who won China's national May 1 labor medal, a top honor for the working class, this year.