A city of blue tents. It isn’t a place I have visited before. All the landmarks and reference points that I have put so much effort in remembering – the great steamboat restaurant, the market places, Yak Square where trading of cordyceps was like buying and selling of ikan bilis, Princess Hotel the place I used to stay, the little family shops along the main road near to Norling Library – are all gone, replaced by rubbles, cleared land and an ocean of blue tents. Many buildings are cordoned, awaiting demolition. Almost everyone is either living or doing business in blue tents.
When I left Yushu I left my sleeping bag, winter jacket, warm clothings, thermal wear, socks and everything that will help clothe someone warm for the coming winter. In Yushu there are only 3 months of cool weather, leaving the other 9 months biting, freezing cold. They are expected to live in this condition for the next 3 to 5 years.
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