Zhaxi Qupei is not yet 30, but he knows the rainforest very well like an experienced "Monpa hunter."

　　When he was in primary school, Gelin village still had no road access. To get to school in Baibung Township down the mountain, he had to climb through the virgin forest. The straight-line distance was less than seven kilometers, but the round trip took nearly four hours. Even so, he said he was lucky as the road to Medog was opened before he went to college.

　　However, his elders had a much harder life. Since childhood, they had to act as "porters," carrying daily supplies through the forest for nearly 10 days to and from Pad Township in Milin City, more than 80 kilometers away.

　　For people in cities, with online shopping and food delivery, it is almost impossible to imagine such hardship. When Global Times reporters tried to follow the old porter"s route with Zhaxi Qupei, they found that the forest is not easy for outsiders. The space under the tall trees feels tight and heavy. The mountain path is steep, and landslides and mud make every step dangerous.

　　In this environment, being a porter was once the fate of many people in Gelin village. Learning how to survive in the forest was something they had to do from childhood.

　　Dengba Zhaba, the village"s former Party chief, told the Global Times that even horses were unwilling to travel this route, but people had to.

　　"Basic things like salt and sugar had to be bought in Pad Township," he said. "As the trip was so hard, everyone had to carry back nearly 50 kilograms of goods each time."

　　To improve transport in Medog, road builders had to work in very difficult conditions. Cao Ming, a technical expert who took part in the construction of the Medog road, shared with the Global Times that local villagers welcomed them warmly when they heard they had come to build the road.