Greetings from Gyaltang!
That was the name of the town once, and still is for some.
Once it became a trading hub on the tea-horse trails, it became known as ZhongXin - The Center. Then renamed ZhongDian. And now XiangGeLiLa.

What's in a name? We even have a district here named New Shambala!

In the final image of the woman pounding rice, her saring looks very much like what was traditionally worn by the Khmu people of Luang Namtha in Laos. According to Wikipedia, China does not recognize the Khmu as a separate minority nationality, but lumps them together with the Bulang. However, few Khmu are Buddhist, and the language, while is also in the Mon-Khmer group, is distinct.

Alien, not to worry. The loan from China is collateralized with Lao's mineral wealth. So even when Lao PDR government defaults, China will get all those mining rights.

Great piece and an interesting place, too. Thanks!

Naïve question: Do China's anti-corruption and environmental laws apply to the overseas activities of Chinese-owned companies? I am not being silly. US laws do apply to overseas operations of US companies, but many UK laws do not apply to the overseas operations of UK companies.