A new frontier for tourism

At the Luorong Pasture, which is located at the starting point of the trek into the Yading scenic spot, Tenzin manages horses and donkeys that visitors hire as transport. Tenzin says that he receives as many as 100 customers a day and gets to keep about 85 percent of the 305-yuan fee. The rest of the fee goes to the management of the scenic spot.

This job has allowed Tenzin to earn 70,000 yuan a year, which is much more than the income he earned from growing mushrooms and other types of farming work.

Before the tourism boom took place, Yongzin Lhamo led a simple life raising pigs and growing her own food. Life was all about making ends meet. After turning one of her homes into a guesthouse, her quality of life has improved considerably, with yearly earnings exceeding 500,000 yuan.

According to Huang, residents who run such businesses could earn an average of 300,000 yuan per year.

Local authorities are now expecting tourist numbers to break the 1 million mark this year, citing improved tourism infrastructure. For example, more roads have been paved and medical services have been increased to bolster safety measures at higher altitudes.

There are several flights connecting Yading to cities such Chengdu in Sichuan province and Chongqing, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, Xi'an in Shaanxi province and Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province.

Presently, the 46-km and 29-km routes in Yading have yet to be open to the public. But the cableway would be developed in the future to allow visitors to experience what professional runners go through during their race.