Zogang County is located in the southeastern part of Tibet Autonomous Region and the southeastern part of Chamdo Prefecture. It borders Chaya to the north, Mangkang to the east, Deqin County of Yunnan Province to the south, and Zayu and Basu counties to the west. It is the junction of Sichuan, Tibet and Yunnan.
The main mountain ranges in Zogang County include Dongda Mountain, Duola Mountain, Chawazhu Mountain, Chawaduojizhiga Mountain, and Meili Snow Mountain, which borders Yunnan Province. The highest peak is Que La Mountain, with an altitude of 5,434 meters. The average altitude of the county is 3,750 meters.
Meili Snow Mountain is a major pilgrimage and tourist attraction in the county. It is a natural scenic area and is regarded as a "sacred mountain" by the local people. Every year, pilgrims come in an endless stream.
According to the young lama Basang, the white lion is the guardian deity of Meili Snow Mountain.
The altitude of Zogang is slightly lower than that of Mangkang. At least Zhuang Rui didn't feel the same way he did in Mangkang. Even if he smoked a cigarette or did some light exercise, he didn't feel any obvious discomfort.
It seems that accommodations had been arranged in advance. After arriving in Zogang, Gyatso drove directly into a government guesthouse. Zhuang Rui discovered that during registration, Suo Nan used a letter of introduction, but the official reason given was that he was accompanying personnel from a Hong Kong charity organization on a visit and inspection.
Because Peng Fei was injured, Zhuang Rui drove the entire fourteen or fifteen-hour journey alone. After arriving at the guesthouse, Zhuang Rui didn't go to eat dinner and went straight to his room to sleep.
Zhuang Rui's body didn't feel anything physically, but he was mentally stressed. After a night's rest, he was full of energy again the next day, which surprised Suonan and Jiacuo. This young man's physical condition was unbelievably good.
"Brother Suo Nan, how should we search for him?"
After eating something at the guesthouse, the group went to Suo Nan's room together.
Zhuang Rui, Peng Fei, and the young lama had no experience in finding reincarnated children. Only Suo Nan had participated in the search for the 11th Panchen Lama more than ten years ago.
"Here's the thing, Xiao Zhuang. Your current role is as a representative of a Hong Kong charity that specializes in helping infants with congenital heart disease. You'll be conducting a survey on the prevention and treatment of infant diseases in the remote mountainous areas of Zuogong and Mangkang... This is the registration form. We need to register all the infants born in the past few months and then visit them one by one..."
Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded by Suo Nan's words. It turned out that Suo Nan had arranged an identity for him without his consent and had even prepared a registration form. It seemed that he was destined to be a fake charity worker.
"Okay, whatever you say, I'll do..."
Zhuang Rui nodded helplessly. He hadn't expected that he would actually donate a lot of money and goods later on.
Chapter 734 Karma Village (Part 1)
Fortunately, the so-called foundation representatives did not need to be medical experts, otherwise Zhuang Rui would have been completely at a loss.
"Brother Gyatso, where are we going?"
After a brief meeting inside the house, Gyatso invited everyone to get into the car. After driving around half of the county town, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but pick up the walkie-talkie in the car and ask a question.
"We've arrived..."
As soon as the sound came from that direction, the car stopped. Zhuang Rui looked ahead and saw that it was a hospital. There were more than 10 people standing at the hospital entrance, and a red banner was hanging there. Zhuang Rui couldn't make out what was written on it.
After parking his car behind Jiacuo's SUV, Zhuang Rui, along with Peng Fei and Bai Shi, got out of the car.
"This time, we're really going down there to address the issue of congenital heart disease in infants. If we find any cases of this, we need to report it to our superiors, and then real staff will come down..."
After Suo Nan got out of the car, he saw that Zhuang Rui looked confused, so he explained to him that Zhuang Rui's identity was not entirely fabricated.
The reason this search activity was made so complicated is that the reincarnation of a Living Buddha is an extremely solemn event for Tibet. It is necessary not only to take into account the feelings of the Tibetan people, but also to prevent international interference.
During the search for the 11th Panchen Lama, that treacherous lama unilaterally announced that he had found the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama. Although many Buddhists at home and abroad did not recognize this, it still caused a very bad influence.
Jampa Lodro Rinpoche is the ordained Living Buddha of the 11th Panchen Lama. He holds a high position in Tibetan Buddhism, and the search for his reincarnation has attracted much attention from believers both at home and abroad. Therefore, both the central government and Buddhist leaders attach great importance to it.
When the Living Buddha passed away, the direction in which he sat in meditation was the border between Zogang County and Meili Snow Mountain in Yunnan. Later, several eminent monks also sensed this direction when they went to the sacred lake.
Therefore, Suo Nan's search team needs a very strict confidentiality system, while the other teams mainly serve to confuse outsiders.
The main reason for using the name of this foundation is that Tibet is located in a high-altitude region, where the incidence of congenital heart disease in infants is much higher than in inland areas. A charity like this wouldn't attract much attention.
"Mr. Zhuang, I am Lunzhu, representing the county party committee and the county government. Welcome to our place to help alleviate the suffering of infants and young children. You arrived too late yesterday, so I couldn't come over..."
As soon as Zhuang Rui and the others got out of the car, a group of people standing at the hospital entrance surrounded them. Perhaps Jiacuo had already spoken a few words with this Lunzhu, because the man immediately shook Zhuang Rui's hand, acting very friendly.
Zhuang Rui glanced at the man with some surprise. He looked to be in his early forties. His face was flushed from the high altitude, indicating that he was definitely a native Tibetan. His eyes were very clear.
"This is County Magistrate Lunzhu..."
Suo Nan whispered something in Zhuang Rui's ear.
"County Chief Lunzhu, this is what we should do..."
Although he had never had such an experience, Zhuang Rui still knew how to exchange pleasantries. He had a good impression of the weathered county head in front of him. If this were in the mainland, let alone the county head personally greeting him, at most the health bureau would have to step in.
Furthermore, of the officials Zhuang Rui had met, nine out of ten were basically fat-headed and pot-bellied, which led Zhuang Rui to believe that no fat official was a good official.
"This is Dean Laba Tsering. He will be leading the work team and accompanying you on your trip to the mountains..."
County Magistrate Lunzhu was indeed very pragmatic. After getting to know each other, he immediately introduced the people around him to Zhuang Rui.
After introducing everyone, County Magistrate Lunzhu said to Zhuang Rui, "Mr. Zhuang, let's have a welcome dinner at noon, and then head to the mountains this afternoon..."
"Thank you for your kindness, County Head Lunzhu, but we're here for the children who don't have the means to see a doctor. Once we're done with our work, we'll definitely have a good drink with County Head Lunzhu..."
Zhuang Rui sighed inwardly. This kind of feasting and drinking is unavoidable no matter where you go. However, firstly, Zhuang Rui didn't like dealing with officials, and secondly, he was an imposter. So, he righteously declined the lunch invitation and asked to leave immediately.
To be honest, Zhuang Rui's Hong Kong-accented Mandarin, which he learned from Zheng Hua, was quite convincing. At least the county magistrate of Lunzhu and the hospital staff were convinced of Zhuang Rui's identity, and after hearing his words, they all began to make preparations.
Since Zhuang Rui insisted on leaving, County Magistrate Lunzhu stayed for a while longer before taking his leave.
"Not bad, brother..."
Suo Nan leaned closer to Zhuang Rui and quietly gave him a thumbs up. As the leader of this search operation, he didn't want to have too much contact with local officials. He had signed a confidentiality agreement before coming. Zhuang Rui smiled and turned his gaze to the hospital. Seeing that there were two ambulances and another car, he asked curiously, "Brother Suo Nan, why are there so many cars at the hospital?"
"We need to bring a lot of testing equipment. Even though there are many vehicles going, we might have to carry everything up the mountain by hand later on. There are some places that even our off-road vehicles can't drive into..."
Sonam had participated in the 11th Panchen Lama's search activities and was very familiar with some mountainous Tibetan areas. Although those places were beautiful, they were very poor because roads could not be built and they had no way to communicate with the outside world.
After hearing Suo Nan's explanation, Zhuang Rui suddenly felt a little heavy-hearted for some reason, because he thought that while he was traveling on a private jet and driving a luxury car, there were still many people who needed help.
The hospital had clearly made preparations; the medical vehicles and personnel arrived quickly, and the original two vehicles became a convoy, driving out of the small county town in a grand procession.
According to Suo Nan's idea, the first step is to investigate the most remote mountainous areas and collect the birth statistics for the past six months, and then gradually collect statistics on infants and young children near the county seat.
Because reincarnated lamas are usually only able to develop their intelligence and recognize certain people from their previous lives or objects they used in their previous lives at the earliest age of two or three, if a little kid who has just opened his eyes can speak and distinguish objects, then he is probably not a living Buddha, but a demon.
Based on the timing of the Living Buddha's passing, even if he has been reincarnated, he would likely still be an immature infant, making it impossible to proceed with the reincarnation identification process.
"Dean Laba Tsering, how many babies were born in our county in the first half of the year?"
Zhuang Rui specially invited Laba Ciren to his off-road vehicle. He had just heard Suonan's words and was feeling a bit moved. He wanted to see if there was anything he could do to help those children who were really suffering from illnesses.
"The number of births in the first half of the year was relatively high, with a total of 618, but it may be less in the second half..."
Aside from those who live in the mountains and have difficulty coming to the hospital, almost all the other pregnant women were born at Laba Tsering's hospital, so he answered Zhuang Rui's question without hesitation.
"How...how many? Only...only 600-plus people?"
Zhuang Rui's hand on the steering wheel trembled slightly. How could a county only have a little over 600 births a year?
Zhuang Rui found it hard to believe. Weren't ethnic minorities allowed to have two children?
"Hehe, Mr. Zhuang, our county only has 40,000 people in total. After deducting the elderly and teenagers, there aren't many young men of marriageable age..."
Laba Tsering smiled and explained to Zhuang Rui that the average altitude of Zogang County is 3,750 meters, and most people will experience altitude sickness such as headache, shortness of breath, chest tightness, loss of appetite, and slight fever when they reach an altitude of 2,700 meters.
Therefore, apart from the Tibetans who have lived here for many years, there are very few outsiders who can settle in this small town for a long time. As a result, the birth rate cannot be compared with that of the inland areas. You should know that even the smallest county in the inland areas has hundreds of thousands of people.
Another point is that, compared to the situation in the mainland where the average housing area is only a few square meters, it is completely unimaginable here. As long as you have money, you can use a lot of land at will, and you can even build a castle in Western Europe without any problem.
Zhuang Rui was speechless. It is said that God is fair. He gave Tibet beautiful and mysterious natural scenery, but also gave it altitude sickness that is difficult for ordinary people to adapt to, so that these hardworking Tibetans can never get rid of poverty and disease.
After leaving the county town, the convoy basically disappeared from the roads, and the vehicles sped across the vast grasslands. The blue sky, white clouds, and endless green grasslands created an exceptionally beautiful landscape.
Zhuang Rui and his team's first stop was a small village located in the Chawaduojizhiga Mountain. According to Laba Ciren, the village only had a few dozen households, but six children were born in the first half of the year, making it the focus of their investigation.
More than two hours after the car started moving, the once flat grassland began to undulate, with small hills causing the car to slow down.
Meanwhile, the snow-capped mountains in the distance, which were covered in snow all year round, gradually became clearer. Zhuang Rui could see that the mountainsides were shrouded in mist and the peaks were majestic and spectacular. However, the closer they got, the more difficult the road became.
After driving for another half hour, the car finally could not go any further because the road ahead was a mountain road and impassable. Everyone got out of the car, and the hospital staff began to carry the equipment downhill.
Laba Tsering pointed to the mountains ahead and said to Zhuang Rui, "After crossing this mountain and then a canyon, we'll reach Karma Village..."
Chapter 735 Karma Village (Part 2)
"Xiao Zhuang, hold this. If you feel uncomfortable, just put a piece in your mouth..."
While directing everyone to move the equipment, Dean Laba Ciren handed Zhuang Rui a strip of pills.
They are now at an altitude of about 4,200 meters. For people who live here year-round, this is nothing, but for those who are new to Tibet, it is a life-threatening altitude.
"American ginseng tablets?"
Zhuang Rui glanced at it, then couldn't help but smile wryly, saying, "Dean Laba Ciren, I usually pay close attention to exercise, so this height doesn't affect me much..."
Perhaps it was because he had been using spiritual energy to cleanse his body for over a year, but Zhuang Rui did not experience any altitude sickness during his trip to Tibet. Even after activities and smoking, he felt about the same as in the mainland. In terms of physical condition, Zhuang Rui believed that no one present could compare to him.
"Take it, just in case..."
Before Laba Tsering arrived, he was instructed by County Chief Lunzhu to take good care of Zhuang Rui and his group, so they brought more than a dozen oxygen inhalers and a small oxygen tank.
In addition to American ginseng tablets, Laba Tsering also gave Zhuang Rui and others several other medications, including Rhodiola rosea, Panadol, and Nodikang capsules. As he said, these things are good to have on hand in case of emergency on the plateau.
In high-altitude areas, symptoms such as fever caused by altitude sickness are most likely to lead to many complications such as acute pneumonia and cerebral edema. These symptoms can cause a person to lose their life in a very short time, and even if they receive treatment, it will be to no avail.
And those soldiers stationed at high-altitude outposts, almost every one of them suffers from chronic altitude sickness after their discharge, which for some even affects their entire lives.
Including Laba Ciren, there were four doctors and two nurses in total. Adding Zhuang Rui and five others, the group of 11 people began their journey into the mountains along the rugged mountain path.
The mountain they were about to cross wasn't very high, unlike the previous mountain, where the snow on the mountainside could be seen from a distance.
Perhaps due to the high altitude, even in summer, there are few tall trees on the mountain, and very few trees taller than a meter. Most of the trees are shrubs, and the whole mountain is lush and green. The surroundings are quiet, with only the sounds of Zhuang Rui and the others walking on the mountain path.
"White Lion, slow down..."
Upon arriving here, the white lion seemed to be on steroids, running ahead and occasionally startling a wild rabbit or roe deer from the grass, which the white lion would chase and play with. It wasn't that it wanted to hunt, but rather that it felt incredibly novel.
Although the mountain wasn't very high, it still took the group more than four hours to climb. However, to the surprise of Laba Tsering and the Tibetans who accompanied him, Zhuang Rui was the first to reach the summit, and he had a rosy complexion and showed no signs of altitude sickness.
Keep in mind that this is at an altitude of 4,800 meters, which is close to the forbidden zone of life. Even people who live in Tibet all year round slowed down their pace and were panting when they reached the top of the mountain. The two female nurses even had to use oxygen several times along the way.
"Xiao Zhuang, do you often participate in mountain climbing activities?"
Laba Tsering told everyone to rest on the mountaintop, and then sat down next to Zhuang Rui. He watched as Zhuang Rui actually took out a cigarette and prepared to light it, thinking to himself that Zhuang Rui was a monster.
Now Laba Tsering can confirm that his act of giving Zhuang Rui the medicine was indeed unnecessary.
"No, but I take the white lion for a walk every day..."
Zhuang Rui's words made everyone roll their eyes, and they wondered if they should take more walks after meals from now on.