NGARI IS THE NAME of a faraway place and also the name of an area.
Ngari is a small town in the Gobi Desert. It is a place ordinary people look up to and bow down to， but you will never truly understand the difficulty of living here with the constant looming of death， nor will you know the true meaning of laughing out loud and enjoying happiness until you personally experience in Ngari the midday sun， the midnight chill， the snow in July， the distant desert and the threat of death with all your heart and soul.
When in Ngari， I always have delusions， unable to tell reality from scenes that appeared in my dreams. Once， in broad daylight， I thought for a long time but still couldn't think of where I was. I did not know where I came from and where I was going， and I even forgot the date.
While I climbed to the top of the high hills of Rutog County， I admired the rock paintings and the totems of yak， bharal and brown bears created by the ancient Ngari people； I panted for breath after going through the time-tunnel and bathed in the sun that had once shone upon the ancient Guge Kingdom； I boated on the rippling water of Bangong Lake and found that where bar-headed geese flew past， there were outposts of neighboring countries. All the astonishment and fabulousness that I experienced here provoked my constant pondering over the history and fate of Ngari. What challenges and opportunities are waiting for it？ Will this amazing land become better tomorrow， just like the songs predicted？
One has to trudge over numerous snowcapped mountains， Dabans[1]， glaciers and uninhabited areas on the way to Ngari from Lhasa. The first time I went from Lhasa to Ngari in 2009， it took me six days in an ordinary cross-country vehicle， traveling from sunrise to sunset， to arrive at Shiquanhe Town ( "Lion Spring River Town" ， the main town of Ngari Prefecture commonly known as Ngari Town). Even though the asphalt highway connecting Ngari with Lhasa has been completed and was opened to traffic in 2011， it still takes two days driving both day and night， even in a high-end cross-country vehicle， to finish the trip.
The name "Ngari" is associated with wars and a history of wretched circumstances unfolding on a magnificent scale. Nowadays， we can only get a glimpse of it through fragmentary records and folk legends.
On August 1， 1950， a cavalry troop from the independent regiment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the Xinjiang Military Area， led by Li Disan， started from Pulu Village in Yutian County in the south of Tarim Basin， climbed over the Karakorum and Kunlun Mountains and headed for Ngari， thus officially opening the prelude to the liberation of Ngari. The people of this army also became the first Han people to reach Ngari Plateau. On August 23， 1951， the PLA was stationed in Gartok[2] and succeeded in liberating all of the Ngari territory.
Among the four sets of troops marching for Tibet from Xinjiang Province， Qinghai Province， Xikang Province (now non-existent) and Yunnan Province， the one led by Li Disan was the earliest to reach Tibet， however Ngari was the last to receive peaceful liberation. Li's advance force to Tibet was composed of 136 soldiers， of which 63 died on Ngari Plateau. They sacrificed their life for Ngari's liberation.
It is said that the three most known people in Ngari are Li Disan， Bi Shumin and Kong Fansen in the fields of military history， culture and leadership respectively. In fact， during the long history of civilization on Ngari Plateau， others such as Tonpa Shenrab Miowoche， founder of the Bon Religion tradition of Tibet； Milarepa， a Buddhist publicist； Yeshe-?， a prince of the ancient Guge Kingdom； Ati？a， a Buddhist master and Rinchen Zangpo， a great translator of sutras， all occupy an eminent place in the pantheon of sages and doyens here.
Yesterday is the history of today， while today is the history of tomorrow. The life of the Ngari people is like that of a river， which goes on and on with no end. They live a life which is colorful and full of vitality on the vast and lofty Ngari Mountains， just like the prayer flags.[3]
My love for the people and things of Ngari grow with my deepening understanding of it. I make new discoveries and have surprises every time I go there， which in turn adds to my feeling that it is important to safeguard this territory of our motherland. Gradually， I've come to understand how more than 90，000 tenacious people survive in this desolate wild land between West and South Asia and how native Ngari people and outsiders fight against external intrusion and the harsh natural environment here， how they fight against mental and physical loneliness to live a simple and happy life.
Please accept my benediction， Ngari.
