China News Agency, Lhasa, May 29 (Jiang Feibo) "I have not supported a boat for more than a decade. When the Liuwu Bridge opened to traffic in 2007, the leather boat was put away." The 51-year-old citizen of Liuwu New District, Lhasa On the 29th, he told a reporter from China News Agency that he was the last boatman on the Lhasa River. Today, his livelihood tools have been replaced by trucks with a load of 30 tons and he is engaged in transportation.

  Tibet is hailed as the roof of the world, with numerous rivers, eroded water flowing between mountains, and thousands of gullies, which has made Tibet's journey difficult since ancient times. Before the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, the local crossing rivers mainly relied on ziplines, cowhide boats and horsehead boats.

  The Department of Transportation of the Tibet Autonomous Region revealed that as of May 2020, the total number of highway bridges in Tibet reached 11,945, realizing the “Wanqiao Flying Plateau”.

  Basang said that in the 1970s, there was only one Lhasa Bridge in the Lhasa River City section. At that time, the villagers of Liuwu Village on the south bank of the Lhasa River were going to the Potala Palace that can be seen across the river. His father's ferry boat. "My ancestors were all boatmen. I started supporting ships with my dad at the age of 16." He said that he never thought that the opening of the Liuwu Village and Qinghai-Tibet Railway at the Lhasa Railway Station would change the destiny of the boatmen they have continued for generations.

  Basan has three sons. The eldest son is a fire rescue team member in Shigatse City. The second son is studying in Beijing. The third son is studying in high school in Zhejiang. He will take the college entrance examination this year.

  After the opening of the Liuwu Bridge in 2007, the urban development of Lhasa entered the "fast lane", and the Najin Bridge, Yingqin Bridge, Gate 3 and Liudong Bridge were successively constructed on the Lhasa River City section.

  According to the Transport Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the longest span bridge in Tibet is the Yarlung Zangbo River Zangang Bridge, which connects Zanang County and Gongze (Gongga to Zedang) Expressway in Shannan City, with a total length of 4,507 meters and was completed in 2015. Open to traffic.

  About two kilometers downstream of the bridge, it is the famous Sanye ferry in Tibet. It was once a "traffic main road" for Tibetan Buddhist believers to go to Sanye Temple to worship Buddha. "After the bridge was opened to traffic, the Sanye Ferry was rarely used. Occasionally, tourists wanted to see the scenery of the Yarlung Zangbo River and experience the ferry boat." Saiyan Sangya, a resident of Sanye Town, said that now they only need to ride a motorcycle or drive to the other side. It takes about one minute, and the ferry boat used to take more than 1 hour.

  The Department of Transportation of the Tibet Autonomous Region also revealed that there are currently 1009 highways and bridges under construction in Tibet, with a total investment cost of 15.815 billion yuan. (Finish)