Postal services expand in Tibet's border counties

LHASA — In a border police station in Tsona county in Lhokha city, Tibet autonomous region, deputy director Hou Qiang unpacked a parcel filled with local specialties from his hometown, which is several thousand kilometers away in Sichuan province.

The station overlooks a canyon at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters and used to be a blind zone for courier services.

"Now, after placing an order, the goods arrive on my doorstep. It's so convenient," Hou said.

By the end of 2021, postal outlets covered all 21 border counties and the townships under them in the autonomous region. The Lhokha government also invested funds to subsidize private express delivery outlets in the counties.

Tsona lies at a height of 4,000 meters and experiences cold weather all year round.

"More than nine months of the year are equivalent to winter. Frostbitten hands and cracked lips are common," said Guo Lei, manager of a courier service outlet in the county.

According to Guo, express deliveries, which require traveling 240 km over four mountain ranges over 4,000 meters high, usually start at 7 am and end after 9 pm.

Guo has been doing this job for nine years, delivering countless packages to different parts of the county, including Hou's.

Since the Spring Festival, Guo's outlets have received more than 200 parcels a day, and the four staff members often kept busy until midnight.

Nowadays, people coming to work in Tsona can receive parcels from their hometowns. Residents can also send specialties to their relatives studying and working elsewhere.

"We can also deliver perishable goods such as yak butter by air," Guo added.

Many residents wear Tibetan clothing bought online during the Tibetan New Year. Locally produced tea, herbs and milk products are also sold nationwide through the express delivery network.

Fu Xiangfu said that many residents did not know about courier services in 2016 when he first came to Shigatse city to expand the delivery network.

"They didn't even know how to send or receive parcels," Fu said.

He said that some 10,000 parcels were handled daily on the busiest days during the Tibetan New Year.

Data from the regional post administration showed that 178.8 million postal deliveries were made throughout Tibet last year. Now, 138 border villages have postal services, and deliveries will be made three times a week starting in 2024.

Xinhua