Yak racing is also a popular event among herdsmen.	Tibet's farmlands stretch as far as the eye can see.	An ore dressing plant.

Seen from a map, the counties of Maizhokunggar and Doilungdeqen resemble the left and right wings of Lhasa City. And with the opening to traffic of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on July 1, they are expected to become twin engines of local economic growth.

Maizhokunggar: Natural Resources Fuel Economic Growth
Known as the "town on the edge of the horizon," Maizhokunggar County is about an hour's drive east of Lhasa. Its downtown area is small but bustling. As part of the inland drive to develop Tibet, investment has flooded in from Maizhokunggar's sister city, Jiangsu Province's Nanjing City. This money has funded the construction of new schools and roads.

The county's young, energetic magistrate may have a Han-style name, but he is a full-blooded Tibetan. He delights in talking about the region that he serves.

With a population of 42,000, Maizhokunggar occupies a territory of 5,492 square kilometers. Its cultural relics include the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet as well as a cluster of tombs from the Tubo Period. It also boasts the Derzhom and Rutong hot springs, which are known for their magical effects in alleviating numerous ailments and enhancing health. It is also rich in dozens of minerals, including gold, silver, copper, iron, lead and zinc, as well as a number of medicinal herbs including cordyceps sinensis, snow lotus, Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don, gentiana tibetica king and Rhodiola rosea.

With the support of higher-level governments, and the funds from Nanjing, Maizhokunggar is quickly pressing forward along its course of modernization. In order to tap the region's rich hydropower resources, the state has invested RMB 1.3 billion in the 100,000kW Zhigung Hydropower Station, the largest project in Tibet's 10th Five-Year Plan. The state has plans to spend even more on the construction of another in Zaxoi Township.

Maizhokunggar sees new hopes of transforming its natural resources into economic growth. Crucial to the realization of those hopes is the recently completed Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The county has worked out the strategy of optimizing its agricultural structure, strengthening its industry and promoting its service sector, and the ultimate goal is to bring prosperity and security to the region.

Says Magistrate Jiang, "All our work must help us achieve our long-term development goals. We therefore carefully consider and plan any policy or project before its execution to avoid redundancy."

Doilungdeqen: Industrial Parks and Transportation Hub

Lying 12 kilometers from Lhasa, Doilungdeqen is the only county in Tibet that sits within a city's outskirts. It has a population of 40,000, and a territory of 2,714 square kilometers. The county has vast reserves of mineral resources, including limestone and nickel laterites. Among its tourist attractions are the Curpu Monastery, the Xungba Lha Qu Holiday Resort and the Sangmo Village in Donggar Town. County magistrate Ms. Zhoigar says that Doilungdeqen's proximity to Lhasa yielded few advantages 40 years ago, when residents had no means of living besides barley farming. But it has since set up industrial parks, scientific and technological development zones and specialty agricultural districts, and grown into the richest county on the plateau.

Doilungdeqen sits at the intersection of three highways - Qinghai-Tibet, Lhasa-Konggar and Sichuan-Tibet. Trains on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway also pick up their largest passenger and cargo volumes in Doilungdeqen, boosting its potential for greater economic growth.

Stability and Prosperity, a Shared Goal of Both Counties

Both magistrates insist their top priority is to guarantee a peaceful, better-off life for the local people, and they have taken various measures to bring their priority towards fruition.

The ongoing housing project in Maizhokunggar will cover more than 1,600 households this year. By the end of July, 639 new homes were finished, 246 were under construction, and 480 were due to break ground. Meanwhile, Doilungdeqen is carrying out work on 1,526 homes for its people, including the repair of 1,317 homes, and the construction of 147 homes for poor families and 62 for herdsmen's families that have decided to settle down. So far work is underway on 918 homes.

Magistrate Jiang Hua reckons that providing decent abodes is just the first step in offering locals a decent life. Farmers and herdsmen must master more knowledge and skills so they can make more money and consequently bring about prosperity in their hometown. So the county sends local people to work in developed counties in neighboring regions, where they get jobs, and, more importantly, experience. During the first few months of this year, 17,291 people worked outside of the county, bringing back payment totaling RMB 28 million.

That Tibet's largest passenger and cargo volume originate from Doilungdeqen is certainly good news for the local economy, but on the other hand, it adds to security concerns. Magistrate Zhoigar regards contentedness as the cornerstone of social stability, and thus peace and plenty, care for the aged, and the eradication of poverty feature high on her government's agenda.

The two counties may have adopted different methods, but they share the same economic and social goals. Together, they will help Lhasa fly.