Tashi Dhundrup, an elderly man who lives in a community of Barkor Street in Chengguan District, Lhasa, has a hale and hearty spirit. When he was young, he didn’t pay much attention to exercise, but since he retired, he bought a smartphone and downloaded a step-counting app and started walking. He sets his alarm at 7:30 every morning, goes downstairs, and starts walking; he set himself a goal for around 10,000 steps each day. “Some of my friends and family members say that I don’t walk enough, others praise me for persistence. As a result of walking everyday, my blood pressure is stable, and my body is more healthy,” Tashi Dhundrup said with a smile.

In Damquka Town, Damshung County, 60-year-old nomad Phuntsok Dorje and his wife often video chat with their kindergarten-age grandson in Lhasa. Whenever they hear him call them ‘grandpa’ and ‘grandma’, Phuntsok Dorje and his wife feel happy in their hearts. He said emotionally, “WeChat video has changed our habit of going to Lhasa every month to see our grandson. With WeChat video, we can see our grandson without having to run back and forth.”

Phutsok Dorje’s son and daughter-in-law are working in Lhasa, and their grandson also started school in Lhasa. Phuntsok Dorje and his wife missed their grandson a lot. Their son and daughter-in-law advised them to sell their livestock and move to Lhasa, but Phutsok Dorje was reluctant to do this. So, every month, the elderly couple would travel to Lhasa to see their grandson. This habit became money and time-consuming.

“Since we got a smartphone and downloaded WeChat, we can use video.” Phuntsok Dorje makes a plan with his son and calls him every night. Then he video chats with his grandson. This not only saves time and effort, they can also see each other, talk together.

Nowadays, Phuntsok Dorje has another hobby, sharing on his WeChat moments funny things : beautiful scenery, his grandson, and his own fat yaks.

Near the Lhasa Railway Station in Liuwu New District, Dekyi and her husband Phuntse from Chusur County are very optimistic about the development prospects of the region. In August of this year, they took out all their savings and purchased a new house that is 120 square meters. The hardware such as whitening the walls, tiling, and plumbing and electricity are nearly finished. In the past few days, Dekyi has been looking at her phone as soon as she’s free, following discounts on household appliances online. She is preparing to buy all appliances for her new home online.

She’s even arranged to order a sofa set she likes online. “The prices are much cheaper than in offline stores, moreover the sofa is customized to match the size of the living room, so I can use the space more reasonably.”

Editor:Yanina