At an Internet cafe in Ngari, the most remote prefecture in western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Dundrub, a young Tibetan man, is chatting online with a friend in Canada.

"When I click the mouse, a new world opens before me, just like saying a magic word and opening a treasure chest," said Dundrub.

Since the Internet cafe opened six months ago, it has become a favourite hangout for Tibetan people, especially young men, said Yang Zhoin, a waitress there.

"Most of them come to read news online because newspapers can't always arrive in Ngari on time," she said. "But with the Internet they can update themselves with the world in minutes."

Covering an area of 340,000 square kilometres, Ngari is the most sparsely populated region in China with only about 70,000 people. It was regarded as "the most remote corner of the world" because of its location on the high and cold mountainous region 4,500 metres above sea level and due to its poor transportation and communication infrastructure.

"In the eyes of the local people, the plain is the whole world, as most of them have never left Ngari during their whole life," said a writer who visited Ngari years ago.

But when Internet came, the door of the world opened, as a result of tens of million US dollars of government investment that has greatly improved communication facilities in Ngari over the last few years.

At present, there are an average of two Internet cafes in each county under the jurisdiction of Ngari Prefecture, and countless companies and families have access to the Internet.

Nowadays, the strongest love of Yang Hui, a local agronomist in Rutog County, is to log onto the Internet.

The Internet has not only shortened the distance between Ngari and the other parts of the world, but also changed the lifestyle of the local people.

As an experiment, Basang Cering, a newly graduated college student, bought a fashionable jacket online.

"Maybe I am the first to shop online in Ngari," Basang Cering said proudly. "Even the daughter of my neighbour asked me to buy her cosmetics online."

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