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Motuo, a seclusive island of mystery on the ridge of the world

Motuo, as the only county with no highway link to the outside world among all of China's 2,100 strong counties, is the last county where the Brahmaputra River crosses over in China before it flows to India. As the remotest county in the southeastern part of Tibetan Autonomous Region , Motuo is located on the southern slope of the Himalayas. Covering an area of 30,550 square kilometers, the mysterious Motuo County is mainly inhabited by the Menba and Luoba ethnic groups with a population of about 10,000.

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  The only county with no highway link

Once there was a highway linking Motuo to the outside world, but it only existed for two days with four automobiles driving on it altogether. On September 25 and 26 in 1993, a simple and crude highway penetrated the bumpy mountain roads between the peaks and gullies to reach this secluded island. This was obviously a big event for the people in the county, as local people from various directions came to Motuo for a glimpse of the legendary running monster. But just a few days later, this piece of news became history, as autos became legendary again. The only remain was the rusty skeleton of a truck which was never able to get out of the county.

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  The suspension cable across the Brahmaputra River

The suspension cable is currently the only way to enter the county. The steel cable linking the two riverbanks is altogether about 200 meters long and near 100 meters above the river. 

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  Motuo carriers

The most common way of commercial transportation in Motuo is via labor carriers. As the lifeline of the Motuo people, this special transportation team has carried thousands of tons of materials in and out of Motuo in the past few decades. These people peddle through the snowcaps, canyons and landslides to transport corns, medicines, concrete, steels, and other daily necessities to Motuo, contributing significantly for the life of the people in China's remotest county.

(Author: Jeff)

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