Ben Walta, China
27 May 2010
AVI volunteer Ben Walta leads a high altitude, perilous journey
into Shangri-La and Landua's Mei Xiang cheese factory and yak farm,
where a sustainable development project has merged with the
traditional Tibetan way of life.
Robert M. Kerns reports on his journey to Shangri-La with AVI
volunteer Ben Walta
Doubled-over, panting, gasping, some of the smokers among us
even wheezing for a gulp of air -any air no matter how thin at
altitudes above and below the 4,000 meter threshold, serious
questions regarding the wisdom of this trip were competing with the
pulsating force of my pounding heartbeat for some space inside my
head. We had just finished our second stint at adding some
"muscle power" to our drastically underpowered Suzuki mini-vans and
topped out from some non-descript incline along the road to finally
catch up to our grinning drivers who were attempting to shuttle us
through the mountains surrounding Shangri-La for the tiny village
of Landu. Pushing a vehicle is never fun, especially when you
are paying the driver for the pleasure and their smiles, despite
their authenticity, still have the effect of a dagger through
burning lungs. But after all, we all were only fulfilling our
destiny when back in Shangri-La, we had foolishly opted out of the
more luxurious, powerful, and expensive Land Cruisers for the
cheaper alternative. Being cash poor and adventure rich, we
calculated that the cheaper Suzukis would better sustain our
collective travel budget. We were, in the end, getting
exactly what we paid for, though I wasn't sure the pushing would
qualify as adventure.
Our friend Ben had urged the seven of us after last year's total
solar eclipse in the western Xijiang deserts to come to Yunnan's
Shangri-La to take in some of the legendary mountain scenery that
encircles the city and to also learn more about his volunteer work
aimed at guiding sustainable development projects in Landu village
and other areas across Tibetan portions of China reach a larger
market. Our struggling Suzukis were weaving us up and down
valleys where Tibetan families keep their herds of yak. In
these valleys between 3,200 and 5,400 meters above sea level,
semi-nomadic herders have been tending to their flocks of yak for
generations, obtaining almost all they need from these majestic
animals.
Yak milk, fibre, and meat continue even now to be an important
source of material locals use for shelter, rope, decorative
ornaments, clothing and food. His employer, Ventures in Development
(VID), seeks to improve the livlihood of people in its project
areas by opening up new markets for some of these products through
a sustainable business model. Ben and VID's work will
diversify the economy here just a bit and create a more profitable
product from the yak herds. That product is a unique, richly
textured, high quality, savory Tibetan yak cheese which can be
found in gourmet retail outlets in Shangri-La, Dali, Hong Kong, and
soon in boutique stores across the planet.
Staring at Ben deftly handle the double rigors of translating
and navigating simultaneously with our drivers, I felt a strange
yet magical mix of pain - as I struggled to regain a semi-normal
breathing rhythm, and fortune - as I was standing among stunning
mountains on the cusp of a little-visited valley about to get an
intimate look at a truly sustainable business model. With any
luck, it could become an important model project which could be
replicated across the tangled knot of valleys and bring increased
income needed to sustain these villages without additional
environmental impact. To feel a bit closer to the real lives
of people who call these mountains and meadows home, and not
haggling with souvenir sellers far beneath us somewhere in the
distant city, was a sublime moment of triumph for all of us seeking
a bit more authenticity in our travel experience.
We later left the paved road and climbed through a diverse
forest of some scattered old-growth trees standing broad and
stately amid younger trees, yet this rich forest and its streams
and rivers also face threats from an invasive moss and a growing
mining operation. Numerous exploratory drill rigs could be
seen situated deep in these high valleys and even precariously
perched atop and along sharply projecting rock outcrops that
otherwise form a spectacular ridgeline. They are probing the
mountain's interior depths in hopes of finding a continuation of
the ore-laden seams that are being extracted further down the
valley. The entire river bed is sometimes dammed and
flattened to create holding ponds used in the mining process.
We humans need forest products and metals, but none of these
projects are sustainable. Seeing all of these contradictions
enroute to Landu brings into sharp contrast and clearly highlights
the magnitude of the differences, however, between the relatively
modest aims of Ben's project and the enormous impact typical
development has wrought on these famous lands. Without
question, it will be a sustainable business model that must be
employed to steer the planet away from its collission course with
disaster as unsustainable resource exploitation feeds an over
consuming, expanding global population which now has the planet
teetering on the brink of social and environmental collapse.
We have much work to do, and that is a big reason to come to
Landu.
As our Suzukis sputtered higher and higher, we rounded out near
the 4,500 meter elevation mark and, amazingly, bouncing along these
snowy alpine mountain ridges (this was early September) our dainty
machines somehow managed to reach the pass without requiring
another muscle-powered shove from our altitude-weary bodies.
Crossing over the rocky pass high above tree line, we left behind
the reminders of our unsustainable course and began dropping
between a series of mountain tops dusted in fresh snow and alpine
meadows and valleys still dotted with wildflowers.
It is in these high mountains and valleys where semi-nomadic
Tibetans have been tending to their yak herds for such a long time
that, for our limited minds, probably approaches perpetuity.
Yak milk and its by-products were and still are the primary
economic benefit from these herds. Thankfully, much of China,
particularly this small slice of traditional Tibetan pasture where
yaks and semi-nomads have quietly coexisted for eons, the human
connection to the natural system which sustains it has mostly
endured.
So it is here where a sustainable development project should
easily succeed by building on this long history. But due to
the remoteness of the valley and the subsequent lack of market
access and demand, much of the milk products were not fetching full
market potential. Some of it was even being wasted.
With the assistance of the China Explorers and Research Society
(CERS) - a Chinese NGO - the valley was targeted to demonstrate how
cheese production could be used to more efficiently utilize the
yak's ancient symbiosis with these high mountain valleys. The
Mei Xiang Cheese factory was thus born. VID stepped in to
further advance the cheese factory by employing an aggressive
marketing strategy while professional advice and operating
oversight was provided by cheese experts from the United
States.
It was in part due to VID's marketing strategy (and thanks to
Ben) that our group was now here. After about 4 hours from
Shangri-La, we made it to Landu. We were greeted by a
slightly worried but still gracious Zhou Ma, who hadn't anticipated
our muscle-powered transportation efforts nor some of Ben's lengthy
navigation discussions with the drivers, and thought we would have
arrived earlier. After some quick introductions, we were
shown to our well provisioned rooms and sparkling clean shared bath
and shower rooms. The Mei Xiang factory and mountain retreat
are nestled in a forest grove that backs up against a sparkling
clear brook. Within minutes of settling in, I had identified
two new birds I had never before seen fluttering around the
stream-side forest just outside my room.
Five permanent employees work the cheese factory, managed by
Zhou Ma. Last year the factory produced about 2
tons of cheese, but as demand increases, production can easily be
expanded to produce a maximum of 5 tons of cheese
annually. Because of the sensitive sanitary conditions
required inside the cheese factory, a tour inside this facility is
extremely limited and requires special advance permission.
The adjoining guest facilities can accommodate 30 people, but they
are planning to double this number in the coming year as Zhou Ma
hopes more people will want to visit and take an active part in
helping the operation succeed in its sustainable business
approach.
Alternative energy enthusiasts should be serenely satisfied to
learn that even the electricity used to power the cheese factory is
entirely carbon-free. A small hydroelectric station situated
nearby draws water from the same high meadows and lakes that the
yak graze and provides a sustainable resource from which to draw a
sufficient supply of energy for the factory and surrounding
villages.
After such strenuous, unplanned physical effort required to get
here, it was without surprise that we were all lavishly hungry and
dove into our meal of some vegetarian versions of Tibetan and
Chinese dishes, complimented by a selection of fresh cheese as well
as our favorite - fried cheese! We all loved each delectable
dish, but especially the exquisite variety of tasty cheese
recipes.
On our second day, we took a mellow hike up to see the yak herds
in the nearby meadows rising above the cheese factory.
Getting to these meadows, some approaching 4,500 meters above sea
level and encircled by peaks hovering around 5,000 meters hardly
requires even breaking a sweat. We walked to a tranquil
alpine lake surrounded by a soft lush carpet of verdant green
pasture grazed by yak, horse, cows, and other pack animals and
flanked by high granite rock needles. Numerous vibrant colors
of purple, pink, red, yellow, and blue alpine wildflowers added a
splash of color to the backdrop of evergreen forests surrounding an
emerald lake. Towering far above the lake was the gray
ridgeline of the local peaks high above Langdu.
Many of those peaks would no doubt offer fine climbing
possibilities, but the grass proved too inviting and most of us
napped in the warming rays of early autumn sunlight instead.
This was a direct consequence of a delicious meal and imbibing in
far too many beers, and glasses of wine and baijiu. Our
resultant late start to our hike meant that these inviting peaks
had to be left for our next visit. Realizing our height was
slightly shocking because none of us, despite nursing a touch of a
hangover, had any serious problems with the altitude. This is
a major benefit of coming here for two days as acclimatization on
the first day allows for an enjoyable excursion on the second.
Small, simple clapboard shacks were perched above the lake
providing intermittent shelter for the nomads that migrate up and
down these mountains and valleys with the seasons. Three
families live in this part of the valley and an additional five
families reside still higher in the upper grassy plains.
These families each own between 30 and 40 yaks which is within
limits of the natural capacity of the land to retain a healthy
ecosystem. They provide about half of the yak milk used in
the cheese factory with the other half coming from other pastures
located deep in the folds of Landu's other mountain ranges.
To maintain minimal environmental impact, cool mountain streams
are used to store the yak milk at the appropriate temperatures,
eliminating the need for advanced refrigeration techniques.
Part of the reason this operation is so special lies in the use of
low technology knowledge that has been employed by countless
generations of these nomads. But even way up here technology
is increasingly, and to us disconcertingly part of daily
life. A young herder walked past our lounge yelling into his
cell phone in the local Tibetan dialect, but this device has
undoubtedly helped improve the efficiency of this operation.
A visit to Landu's Mei Xiang cheese factory and yak farm is much
more than a factory tour and a meal. A visit is as much an
introduction into an ancient and very authentic Tibetan way of life
as it is an education in environmental management. It is best
appreciated as a multi-day retreat to better understand the subtle
holistic management concepts and more fully integrate into the
natural rhythms. Witnessing and remembering all the
development challenges obviously facing Landu just over the
mountain actually helps frame and bring into clear focus what is at
stake in these valleys and in many more places across China and
back home too.
Shangri-La has been associated with that mythical place where a
pure people lived together and in perfect harmony with a pristine
environment for a long time. This image perfectly describes
what we should consider a utopian community rooted in the
sustainable development model at its very core. Shangri-la -
the word - now is part of our English lexicon meaning a paradise on
earth, and that has always been the place where our deepest
aspirations and hopes survive. In no small way, we are each
of us given life to create our own Shangri-La.
People everywhere are now beginning to build their personal and
communal Shangri-La, around Landu village, in the "real" Shangri-La
region of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet and across the world.
Sustainability has become the hallmark of our age and it is the
ultimate goal we all share, whether we know it or not. A
sustainable world is our Shangri-La.
You may wish to come to Landu to escape the crowds of tourists
that at times sadly overwhelm Shangri-La. You should come to
get a first hand look at sustainability in practice. The
reasonable and very affordable prices contribute to the creation of
a world undiminished by its inhabitants, even in this small corner
of Landu. In these modern times fraught with serious
environmental challenges, an introduction and lesson in sustainable
development provides priceless perspective and critical
encouragement. Consider it a down payment on your very own
Shangri-La. Even our Suzuki drivers loved the challenge and
thrill of going to a totally new place even for them - hardened
Shangri-La taxi drivers, and learning about new environmental
concepts, but unless your prepared to push, you may wish to select
a more powerful vehicle.
Mei Xiang Cheese Factory Details:
If you want to come, contact Ventures in Development about
relaxing weekend retreats or, better yet, ask how you can volunteer
to help create our new, sustainable world!
www.venturesindev.org
About the Author: Robert M. Kerns
Robert leads the One World Window project which
investigates global environmental trends.
www.oneworldwindow.com