Shifting the focus from infrastructure to industry

Because the herders on the Tibetan plateau follow the seasons in their search for fertile pastures, they spent much of the year in makeshift accommodations, which are always under threat when blizzards or landslides occur on the exposed land.

Losang, a herder from the village of Damchuka in Damxung county, was awarded a subsidy of 80,000 yuan ($13,000) by the Aid to Tibet program. The money accounted for more than half the cost of building his new house, and allowed him to buy a motorbike, which he uses to travel over the barren plateau and keep an eye on his sheep and yaks.

"The 297-sq-m house is twice the size of my old one, and it's closer to the county seat so I can still run my brick factory and make extra money," the 45-year-old said.