China News Agency, Dingji, Tibet, January 29th. Title: The New Year of the Farming Festival in Shigatse, Tibet: Farmers and herdsmen eat hot "Gutu"

Author Jiang Feibo Gongga Laisong

"This year, our family's 'Gutu' (a Tibetan pasta) has gnocchi, beef, fern, milk residue, and rice, which is very fragrant and delicious." January 28 is the New Year's Eve of the Lunar New Year, which coincides with the "Gutu Night" of the New Year of the Shigatse Farming Festival. In a board house in Cuo'ang Village, Quluo Township, Dingri County, Tibet, 20-year-old Yangzong told China News Agency reporters after drinking a bowl of "Gutu" cooked by his mother.

Shigatse, which mainly farms, is known as the "Tibet Granary". In order not to delay farming, Shigatse is used to celebrating the New Year in the twelve months of the Tibetan calendar, and is called Shigatse Farming New Year. On January 7, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred in Dingri County, Shigatse City, Tibet Autonomous Region, causing about 61,500 people to suffer from varying degrees of disaster. This is the first traditional festival that local farmers and herdsmen have ushered in after the earthquake.

Yangzong introduced that his family is a large family of 14 people. The house collapsed during the earthquake. "Our house was built for more than 100,000 yuan (RMB, the same below) last year. Some newly bought furniture is still buried in the ruins." She said that fortunately, the whole family is safe.

Yangzong's father Raba took over the topic and said that the family is safe and healthy, and that the house can be built again if it collapses.

Laba said that the rescue was very timely after the earthquake. At first, villagers and village cadres rescued themselves. Then on the day of the earthquake, township cadres, People's Liberation Army, firefighters, etc. all came to help, and rescue materials were also continuously. "We lived in tents four days before the earthquake. Later, we built the prefabricated houses, so we moved into the prefabricated houses."

According to the number of people, Laba's family was divided into three prefabricated houses. Among the grandchildren of Raba are a 5-month-old baby and a 3-year-old toddler. He said that the children's milk powder, diapers, etc. have never been short.

Laba introduced that the village has been cleaning up the ruins these days, and each household is busy, so it is necessary to organize and count the items that can be used, and also take care of cattle and sheep.

In the evening of that day, smoke slowly emerged from the chimneys of each house. Laba's second daughter, Bianbapuchi, and her mother Quzhen, cut beef, knead noodles, boiled water, and cooked butter tea. Then the family began to eat "Gutu".

Cuoang Village, Quluo Township, where Laba's family is located, is located in a gentle river valley with an altitude of more than 4,200 meters. It has the highest farmland in the world. The Laba family has 22 acres of land, mainly growing crops such as barley, wheat, potatoes and radish. His family also has more than ten yaks and more than fifty sheep.

Laba introduced that he, his wife and several children usually work farming and grazing at home. The fourth son Yundan works in Hotan, Xinjiang, with a monthly salary of more than 10,000 yuan. One of the fifth and sixth daughters was studying at Tibet University and the other was studying at junior high school in Dingri County.

It was a peaceful night, under the stars, the adults chatted around the stove; the children in the resettlement area chased each other, played football under the lights.