[8] At the present time, the Yanai Road (Chinese: 亚乃路; pinyin: Yà nǎi lù) runs along this route to Nathu La.

[9] In December 1903, British travel writer Laurence Waddell passed through Chema on his way to Lhasa and described it as follows:[5] A turn of the road, where a rocky spur dips sheer into the river, brings into view the pretty village of Byema, or "The Sandy," nestling on the sandy bank of a torrent from the rugged glen above.

Its houses, with their finely carved and painted beams, are quite the most artistic in the whole valley.His description continued with that of Pipitang:[5] Beyond this rocky point the gorge opens out again, and here we met a party of Chinese officials and soldiers, the latter in yellow blouses emblazoned on the back with three large Chinese letters in black, all hurrying down the valley.

On either side are the shops with their swinging signboards, on the window-sills are neat flower-pots with a marigold, daisy, or balsam in bloom, an unexpected luxury in mid-winter [...].

Ekai Kawaguchi describes the elaborate procedures devised by the Tibetan and Chinese administration for traders visiting India.