"It's not just solving big criminal cases that makes you a policeman," said Dongrub Phuntshogs, the police chief. "We are a people's police force, so we always serve the people."

Dongrub Phuntshogs recalled how a villager once rushed into his office, looking very tense and anxious, to report that his yak was missing. Officers set out immediately and spent four hours following the yak's tracks into the mountains before finally finding it. "The villager almost burst into tears with joy when we returned the yak, and it was at that moment that we felt very rewarded," Dongrub Phuntshogs said.

The area's remoteness and steep terrain make fresh food a rarity. Vegetables need to be transported from other areas and supplies may be completely cut off when blizzards or landslides obstruct roads.

"I have already tried every single flavor of instant noodles," said Bkrashis Phuntshogs, a policeman assigned to examine vehicles on their way to Sichuan and Tibet.

The assignment also involves danger. The police post, on the edge of a cliff, is just a tent and it's buffeted by strong winds every March and April. "Sitting in the tent is like sitting on a pirate ride," Bkrashis Phuntshogs said. "I feel like I could be blown away at any minute."

The roads are constantly threatened by rockfalls or landslides. But the police motorbikes have roared along them for more than 20 years.

"I will stay here in Yangla," said Dongrub Phuntshogs, who has spent eight years at the police station. "Our previous police officers managed through patrolling on horseback, and now it is our responsibility to pass that spirit on."

Zhang Yangfei contributed to this story.