Twenty-four ethnic groups including Han and Hui live here, of which the Tibetan ethnic account for nearly 56 percent. For thousands of years people have lived a nomadic lifestyle on the harsh plateau.

In its 45,000 square kilometers also live more than 20 rare animals, including giant pandas and Asian golden cats, and more than 400 plant species.

But for all the fabulous natural assets with which Gannan is endowed, it remains one of the most poverty-stricken areas of China.

In early 2013, nearly 37 percent of the population were having to make do with an annual income of less than 2,300 yuan ($333), compared with the national average at the time of 18,311 yuan.

So governments central and local have faced the fiendishly difficult problem of how to lift standards of living and at the same time doing their utmost to protecting the environment.

As Fei planned his very first visit to the plateau in 1985 at the age of 75, the prospect of such old bones venturing into the Tibet autonomous region lying at 4,500 meters may well have seemed too daunting for him, and it was to Gannan, at a more friendly 3,000 meters, that he opted to go.

As a scholar of ethnology, what drew him to Gannan as well was the scale of its multiethnicity. In his resulting essay, A Trip to Gannan, he described his excitement at finally being able to investigate Tibetan life in situ.

In his six days here he examined geography, ethnic demographics, commercial development, forestry, animal husbandry, education, industry and the renowned Buddhist Labrang Monastery.