A highway that officially opened on Thursday links Medog county in the Tibet autonomous region to the rest of the country, ending the county's status as the only one in China inaccessible by road.

Experts said the road will help safeguard China's sovereignty and territory, as the county borders India, but more important, it will improve the lives and well-being of Medog's 10,000 people.

The 117-km highway connects Bomi county with the main town of Medog county, which is called "the elusive lotus" in Buddhist sutras.

The old path that linked Medog with the rest of China has been called the country's "most beautiful" yet also its "most dangerous", as it has unstable land formations and heavy rainfall.

The new road descends sharply from its starting point at the county border, 4,300 meters above sea level and covered by snow year-round, to the forest-surrounded county seat at an altitude of 1,300 meters.

Landslides and avalanches were prevalent in the past.

"Mountain peaks hide in the clouds while the foot of the mountain is close to a great river. You can hear people speaking, but need days to walk to them," according to a folk song that describes the rugged landscape.

The opening is the fifth time since the 1950s that the central and local governments have worked on the road.

The latest work, which began in 2009, received 950 million yuan ($156 million) from the State Council.

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