Winter in the hinterland of the Himalayan area is a desolate scene, yet it is also a land that remains full of boundless charm.

As our jeep set out from Lhasa and bumped toward the highest peak in the world via the intoxicating Yangzhog Yumco and Peku Co lakes, we were lost in our affection for the area.

Gyilung Gully was our destination, located over 1,000 kilometres to the west of Lhasa and 100 kilometres from the Xixabangma Mountain. The name Gyilung means "gully filled with happiness and coziness."

The gully is located in the Qomolangma Nature Reserve. With the Himalayan Mountains stemming the northward invasion of the warm Indian humid air, the temperature between the mountains is totally different.

The northern side features semi-dry groves and grass, but the southern side under the strong impact of the warm air coming off the Indian Ocean receives plentiful precipitation, which nourishes the green foliage.

Gyilung Gully is on the southern side. The Gyilung Zangbo River running down the valley to the south is screened by towering trees on both slopes.

This part of the world, known for its changing weather, is a wildlife paradise that is home to animals such as the snow leopard, black bear and red deer.

In this beautiful and undeveloped area are the people from the Dama tribe.

Dama people originated from a Nepalese tribe in an ancient time. They began to settle in the gully during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Currently, there are 34 Dama households of over 170 members in the gully, which is under the jurisdiction of the Gyilung County.

Living at the mercy of the weather, they resort to slash and burn farming. In the prolonged process of contact with the local Tibetans, the Dama people have inherited some habits from them: They eat tsamba (roasted highland barley), wear Tibetan robes and speak Tibetan, although they still use their old language which has no written script. In addition, they go to the monastery on the eighth and 15th of each month.

While people of the older generation celebrate their own festivals, the young follow Tibetan customs.

Adult men work as blacksmiths or artisans, women weave and do household chores, and the weak and the old look after the fire at home or process bamboo chips as raw material that is used to make baskets.

Dama children play by themselves - seldom are they under the care of their parents - thus gaining their knowledge mainly through self-discovery.

Dama people live harmoniously in simple houses with stone walls and wooden or straw roofs. As the houses have no windows, it is understandably dark inside. They gather firewood to heat the houses, which are often filled with smoke. The walls are greasy.

In recent years, many people have gone out of the gully for work, which has enabled them to lead a comparatively more comfortable life than before. So far, a dozen of the Dama people are doing business outside the gully and some of them live where their businesses are located.

We met Dador, host of the largest family in the gully. He had 14 brothers and sisters, but seven of them died when they were young.

Of the eight remaining, five live in the gully and one each are in India, Nepal and Shanghai.

Dador once took his wife to visit his brother in Nepal, but returned in less than one month. When asked why, they said: "His life is poorer."

Through our chats with the locals, all spoke highly of Mima.

Married to a man from Shaanxi Province of Northwest China when she was 19, Mima got a divorce two years ago.

Now, she and her five-year-old daughter live together with her mother and younger brother.

As before the divorce she had been to Shanghai, Sichuan and Lhasa, she is more "worldly" than all of the others in the gully.

The walls of her house are pasted with printed cloth and photos of movie stars. Her belongings include an big TV set and a Canon camera.

Dama people also showed great interest in the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, where the second-phase of construction will link Lhasa with Golmud of Qinghai Province, across the vast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in 2007.

Although Gyilung Gully is over 1,000 kilometres from Lhasa, the Dama people believe the railway will enable them to do more business with the outside world.

The construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has directly benefited the locals already as a huge local labour force is needed. The Dama people can get a per-diem pay amounting to 20-25 yuan (US$2.4-$3) a day, a rate slightly higher than other labouring jobs in the area.

In 2001, the village children were able to attend their own elementary school, which was opened with funding from the Tibet Autonomous Region government. Nowadays, Dama people receive a free education.

The local Gyilung County government is now working to provide them with free housing as well.

This article first appeared in the fourth issue of this year's China's Tibet magazine.

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