Reference News Network, March 19 report (text by Luo Xiaofei, Liu Zexing) As an important hub on the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province shares similar customs and close people ties with Nepal. The busy commercial and cultural exchanges have continued for thousands of years. From merchants exchanging goods to craftsmen exchanging skills, from frequent civilian visits to in-depth cultural exchanges, the two places have built a solid bridge for cooperation and exchange.

Today, with the opening of international freight channels, the expansion of exchange platforms, and the deepening of civil interactions, the two places continue to consolidate a complementary and mutually beneficial commercial pattern, promote the friendly feelings of mutual assistance among the people, and continue to write the chapter of friendship across the Himalayas.

The thousand-year-old commercial route continues

Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located at the junction of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Tibet. Since ancient times, it has been an important hub on the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road. The administrative center of Yushu Prefecture, Jiegu Street, means "a place where goods are gathered" in Tibetan.

According to the "Yushu Prefectural Annals," during the Tang Dynasty, with the formation of the trade route between the West and the East through Chang'an, Xining, Lhasa, and from Jian'nan in Sichuan through Yushu and Tibet to South Asia, private commerce in Yushu immediately emerged, and the exchange of goods among the people became increasingly frequent. Yushu became an important trade route between the mainland and India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Starting from the late Qing Dynasty, goods from Britain, Germany, and other countries were transported into the mainland through Jiegu. Every year, more than 3 million kilograms of tea were transported from the mainland through Jiegu to Tibet, and some goods were further transported to Nepal and other places through Tibet.

For thousands of years, the trade between Yushu and Nepal has continued. Yushu's black barley, butter, and curd products, which are of high quality and low price, are popular among the people of Nepal. The carpets and handicrafts produced in Nepal are exquisite, and they are well known in the Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, and Gansu.

Logistics is the "lifeblood" of commercial exchanges. Due to the limitations of natural environment and transportation conditions, for a long time, the trade routes between Yushu and Nepal were not smooth, and high logistics costs and complicated procedures have long been a problem for local traders.

With the opening of the connection road between the 345 National Highway in Yushu, Qinghai, and the 317 National Highway in Baxing, Nagqu City, Tibet, in 2024, the "Central Qinghai-Tibet Line" was fully connected, making the route from Yushu to Nepal smoother.

Seeing the business opportunity, Zaxi Nima officially established the Yushu Sanjiangyuan International Freight Company in Nepal in March 2025, focusing on building a two-way logistics channel between Yushu and Nepal, realizing efficient communication between "Made in China" and "Nepal specialties." "Through signing an agreement with the Lhasa Comprehensive Bonded Zone, Yushu products can be packed in the bonded zone and directly transported to the border between our country and Nepal, simplifying the customs clearance process," said Zaxi Nima. "In the future, Yushu's high-quality specialty products can enter the Nepali market at lower logistics costs and shorter transportation times. At the same time, Nepalese specialty products can also more conveniently enter the Yushu market."

Sonam is from Yushu and has been running a store selling Nepalese goods in Yushu for more than seven years. He mainly sells wool products, boots, handmade butter jars, and water pots from Nepal. "The fabric imported from Nepal is particularly good, and the handicrafts are very exquisite. Now that the herders' living standards have improved, they like to buy some decorative items from Nepal, which gives them a sense of prestige," Sonam said. The best time for his business each year is summer and the Spring Festival, with monthly sales reaching over 60,000 yuan.

Sonam picked up a pair of long boots and introduced: "The fabric on the boots comes from Nepal, very warm and durable. The leather on the boots comes from Yushu, and the perfect combination of these two makes this shoe a hit, often attracting customers who come in to inquire and buy."

Thanks to convenient logistics, Sonam no longer needs to go to Nepal himself to purchase goods, but instead directly contacts Nepalese sellers online and "waits at home for delivery" via express delivery. Upon learning that an international freight line had been opened between Yushu and Nepal, Sonam began planning to sell Yushu's handicrafts and gems in Nepal.

Vibrant Civil Exchanges

On April 25, 2015, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck Nepal, causing significant casualties and property damage. Yushu experienced a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on April 14, 2010. With support from all over the country, Yushu quickly advanced its post-disaster reconstruction, and the city's appearance achieved a "hard work for three years, crossing twenty years" transformation.

Because of their own experience of the destructive consequences of earthquakes and the profound feeling of the love of "when one area is in trouble, all others help," after the earthquake in Nepal, many people from Yushu spontaneously went to the Red Cross Society of Yushu to donate money. "We want to help them," "We must send our love to them," "The amount isn't much, but it's my heartfelt contribution," ... Through the gathering of many acts of love, the people of Yushu spontaneously donated 4.5 million yuan.

Since 2023, the exchanges and cooperation between Yushu and Nepal in fields such as commerce, culture, tourism, and sports have become increasingly frequent.

In the first day of the Lunar New Year in 2024, the Yushu football team was invited to Nepal to participate in the first "New Year Cup" Sino-Nepal Friendship Football Match, which was the first time in the history of the Yushu Youth Football Team to compete abroad.

On the field, both sides competed fiercely. Off the field, many local fans and Chinese overseas Chinese cheered for the teams, and many local residents held Chinese flags, giving the faraway Chinese players enthusiastic applause and cheers, rapidly bridging the gap between the two sides.

After Yushu actively implemented Nepal post-disaster reconstruction, dance performances, and sports exchanges, among other "small but beautiful" civil foreign exchange projects, the trade between the two places continued to expand, becoming an important growth point for Yushu's foreign trade.

Starting from 2024, every year, a large number of Nepalese companies came to Yushu to hold exhibitions of Nepalese specialty products. In the first year, 140 companies participated, and in just six days, the sales reached 10.8 million yuan, creating a very lively scene. In the second exhibition in August 2025, in addition to Nepalese merchants, companies from Pakistan, India, and Bhutan also participated, achieving sales of 34.22 million yuan within 13 days, with a year-on-year increase of more than twice.

Two-way Journey Across Mountains and Rivers

"Ding ding ding", "Dang dang dang", entering the Nepalese Handicraft Training and Processing Center of Losong Niga in Yushu City, dozens of craftsmen are busily making silver and copper articles. Behind the workshop is a shop on the street, where salesperson Meizhou is skillfully promoting fabrics imported from Nepal to Tibetan customers in Tibetan.

Meizhou is 29 years old and is from Kathmandu, Nepal. She has been working in Yushu for nearly seven years. Gradually, she learned Tibetan and is now the "gold medal salesperson" of the shop.

"Many Nepalese people come to work in China. They told me that Yushu is very good. The food, culture, and everything are similar to Nepal, but the wages are much higher than in Nepal," said Meizhou. With the dream of earning money, she came here through an introduction. Her daily work is to promote Nepalese fabrics and clothing, and she gets commissions when she sells more.

Meizhou told the reporter that now her monthly salary is close to 5,000 yuan, which is about ten times the wage of a similar job in Nepal. "Now I am the highest earner in my family," said Meizhou, very satisfied with her current life.

Sanzhou Zhuoma, the head of the processing center, said that the shop mainly sells Nepalese fabrics, clothing, and handcrafted articles. There are 19 branches in Lhasa, Naqu, Chengdu, and other places. The shop currently has 16 craftsmen, of whom 7 are Nepalese. "These Nepalese products are all handmade, with exquisite craftsmanship and are very popular. Correspondingly, the wages are also high, and some people can earn more than 40,000 yuan a month," said Sanzhou Zhuoma.

Learning from the craftsmen from Nepal, the local craftsman Sodan Deke has made rapid progress in his skills, and he even has almost mastered Nepalese. "I mainly assist the Nepalese craftsmen, making small decorations. Their lifestyle and ours are similar, and they are very honest and easy to get along with," said Sodan Deke.

To build a more convenient and efficient exchange platform, in November 2023, Yushu established the "Nepal Qinghai Chamber of Commerce (Yushu Branch)" in Nepal, aiming to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Yushu and Nepalese enterprises through the chamber platform, promote information sharing and resource complementation, and provide more professional services and support for enterprises.

The establishment of the "Nepal Qinghai Chamber of Commerce (Yushu Branch)" further promotes the institutionalization of the cooperation mechanism between the two places. Today, more and more Nepalese enterprises and handicraft workers choose to settle in Yushu, and most of the important commercial streets in Yushu can see shops selling Nepalese imported goods.

At the same time, Yushu enterprises are also entering Nepal, setting up sales points and conducting cooperative projects, forming a "two-way journey" style of commercial cooperation. "Opening a store in Nepal has become the first step for many Yushu enterprises to go global," said Zaxi Nima. "This year, we will continue to expand our chain stores and sales network in Nepal, bringing Yushu specialties into more Nepalese homes."

On August 1, 2025, during the Nepalese commercial and cultural exchange event held in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yushu Prefecture dancers were performing programs. (Liu Zexing photo)

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7618930341897634350/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author themselves.