Development transforms lives of Deng ethnic group

LHASA - Tucked away in a virgin forest bordering Myanmar and India on the southeastern fringe of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Deng - an ethnic group with only about 1,600 members in China - lived much as they had for centuries until several decades ago.

Over the past half a century, however, they've moved on from slash-and-burn farming and tying knots to keep records in the mountains, to enjoying modern lifestyles.

Most Deng live in a dozen villages in Zayul county in the Tibet autonomous region.