73 years on, Xizang paints new picture in modernization drive

As a team leader in the production department of a Tibetan medicine company, Bu Tsamjo was awarded the May Day national labor medal this year, and she has witnessed and participated in the modernization of Tibetan medicine production over the past years.

When she started working at the plant, the manufacturing and packaging of Tibetan medicine relied on manual work. However, through recent advancements in mechanization and automation of packaging, the machinery of the company can now package 38,000 pills daily.

According to a white paper on the policies of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on the governance of Xizang Autonomous Region in the new era issued by China's State Council Information Office last November, Xizang is home to 49 public institutions of Tibetan medicine, and 94.4 percent of township health centers and 42.4 percent of village health clinics in the region offer Tibetan medicine services as of early 2022.

Tibetan medicines are now being produced on a commercial basis, and the production of the medicine has been standardized and regulated.

Thursday marks the 73rd anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Xizang. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Xizang has achieved remarkable progress in economic growth, people's livelihoods, environmental protection and the development of Tibetan culture.

Today, various businesses on the snow-covered plateau are booming, and people of all ethnic groups in Xizang have equal access to development opportunities.

High-quality development in snow-covered plateau

Embarking on a new journey, the region is striving to promote high-quality development, focusing on social stability, economic development, ecological conservation and building solid borders.

In 2023, Xizang's GDP expanded by 9.5 percent year on year to nearly 239.3 billion yuan (about $33.7 billion). Its per capita disposable incomes of urban and rural residents exceeded 50,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan, up about 6.5 percent and 10 percent, respectively, compared with 2022.

Public health services have been elevated to a higher level. The region provides a comprehensive public healthcare system covering regular basic medical services, maternity and childcare, disease prevention and control, and Tibetan medicine and therapies.

Border areas continue to develop rapidly. Today, a total of 624 border villages with moderate prosperity have been built. The 5G networks now cover all counties and main townships in Xizang, and optical fiber broadband, 4G, radio and TV signals cover almost all administrative villages.

To date, Xizang has gradually formed a relatively comprehensive modern education system covering preschool education, basic education, vocational education, higher education and others.

This year, the region will also expand and improve basic education, including by building and expanding 26 kindergartens and 30 primary and secondary schools.

A 'three-hour economic circle'

In a bid to promote regional economic integration, a "three-hour economic circle" was proposed, aiming to build a number of roads, tunnels and bridges in order to reduce travel time from Lhasa to these surrounding four cities to three hours.

Over the past years, the construction of infrastructure has achieved a historic breakthrough. The Fuxing high-speed train series is now operating in Xizang and reaches the regional capital of Lhasa, and the total mileage of highways open to traffic exceeds 120,000 kilometers.

This year, the highway from Lhasa to Shigatse will be completed and opened to traffic, shortening the travel time between the two cities from five hours to three hours.

Currently, Xizang is building the region's first border economic cooperation zone in Gyirong County, aimed at introducing a new energy motorcycle production line to cultivate and develop the border trade processing industry.

While in Shigatse, the city is striving to promote the construction of an international land port this year and develop modern logistics, commerce, and import and export processing industries.

By enhancing economic exchanges and cooperation between cities, the region's agricultural and livestock products can more effectively enter the market, improving the income of farmers and herdsmen.

Taking the economic circle as an opportunity, Xizang is taking new steps in development through multiple measures, including strengthening transportation infrastructure construction, promoting economic exchanges and cooperation, and optimizing industrial structure.