Editor's note: China Daily reporter An Baijie and photographer Feng Yongbin went to the Tibetan-inhabited region of Zoige county of Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province, Southwest China, from Dec 14 to 18. Our reporters went to the homes of Tibetan herdsmen and grassroots hospitals to bring readers the true stories of the lives of local people.

It's a bitter-sweet trip for me to go to the Tibetan-inhabited region as a journalist.

On the one hand, this was my chance to get close to the Tibetan herdsmen, to listen to their stories, get a glimpse into their lives, and eat plateau food, all of which were fresh experiences for me. On the other, I worried whether I would be able to get through the cold night and survive the tough plateau climate.

A colleague had recommended packing a thick sleeping bag for the trip, since she heard that "herdsmen lived only in thin tents" and "the only way to keep warm was to tremble".

My fear grew when I arrived at Zoige county, having heard that a reporter from the local newspaper fainted twice in a day, subjected to the thin plateau air.

Luckily, I didn't faint and the hotel had air-conditioners, which could keep the room temperature above the freezing point.

Lying on the hotel's bed, I was concerned more for the herdsmen who supposedly "lived in thin tents". How could they and their animals get through such freezing nights?

I got my answer when I visited a Tibetan herdsman's home. The host gave me a warm welcome, assuring me about the harmless nature of an apparently ferocious, barking mastiff in the yard.

During the talk I got to know that the family was granted 30,000 yuan ($4,730) in subsidy from the local government to build a house, which would be warmer in winter than the traditional tents. With the onset of winter, most of the herdsmen would leave their tents to reside in houses, warmed by burning yak faeces.

Winter used to be the toughest season for the herdsmen as lots of livestock would perish, for continued exposure to low temperature.

It has become easier for the herdsmen to get through the cold season after the local government helped them build a greenhouse-like structure called "warm hut", which could accommodate livestock during the extreme cold days.

"The warm hut protects the lives of our animals, warming up our hearts as well," said the herdsman.

(China Daily 12/27/2011 page4)