The founding of the Xizang Autonomous Region marked a pivotal chapter in China's unity and development 60 years ago. As Xizang celebrates the 60th anniversary of its establishment, the region stands as a living testament to a metamorphosis spanning ecology, culture and economy.

From thousands of hectares of planted forests reclaiming rocky slopes to digital guardians resurrecting ancient wisdom, and smart ranches revolutionizing millennia-old herding practices, Lhasa and the broader region embody Xizang's journey from isolation to integrated prosperity.

Breathing life into the rooftop: Greening efforts

Lhasa's northern and southern mountains were stark symbols of harshness – rocky, wind-scoured and barren.

Today, they pulse with the labor of hundreds scaling 4,000-meter altitudes under the Lhasa's Northern and Southern Mountain Greening Project.

For project manager Ma Dawu of Xizang Wanduo Construction Engineering, the early days were grueling: "The mountains around Lhasa are all rocky. Just digging planting pits was a huge task – the ground was full of stones. Even with machines, one person could only dig two or three pits a day. It was exhausting."

The evolution from sheer manpower to innovation mirrors the project's ambition. "At first, everything relied entirely on manual labor. Then we used mule caravans. Since last year, we've gradually started using drones," Ma said.

Workers like Mi Jiu, a team leader, brave thin air daily to nurture saplings. 

"Planting trees at 3,000 to 4,000 meters is not easy," Ma said. "We climb mountains every day. We do maintenance mornings and evenings because, without care, our hard work would vanish."

Lhasa's greening projects were launched in phases. In 2021, the city officially initiated the Northern and Southern Mountain Greening Project, which later included Ma's area.

Back in 2017, Lhasa had nearly 9 million mu of forested land, over 666,000 hectares, with a forest coverage rate of 19.5 percent and an urban greening rate of 37.7 percent. Today, that urban greening rate has risen to 38.8 percent.

The goal is to complete the entire initiative within 10 years, adding 2 million mu, about 133,300 hectares, of greenery and raising the forest coverage rate to 36 percent by 2030.

According to satellite imagery and surveys from previous years from the Lhalu Wetland National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, the vegetation coverage of the Lalu Wetland has increased from 60 to 95 percent. On this basis, in July 2025, Lhasa was awarded the title of "International Wetland City." This achievement marks significant progress and international recognition in wetland conservation for Lhasa.

For resident Jigme Rigzin, the transformation is delightful. "The park is right near our home. After work, I take my wife and kids for a walk or a dance. The facilities are well-developed, and the environment keeps improving. Life is happier," Jigme Rigzin said.

Tong Jige of the Greening Command Office emphasizes the vision. 

"This is about building an ecological highland where people and nature coexist," Tong said.

Eternal echoes: Digitizing the soul of the snowy plateau

While technology has helped to improve Lhasa's greening efforts, experts have introduced new methods to restore the palm-leaf manuscripts.

Beneath the crimson walls of the Potala Palace lies a treasure more fragile than gold: 29,000 palm-leaf manuscripts.

Etched on leaves of the Borassus flabellifer tree centuries ago, these manuscripts, among Buddhism's oldest, journeyed from India and Nepal to Xizang.

Yet time gnaws at them.

"The greatest challenge is existing damage: lifted copper threads, deterioration, traces of improper repairs," says Leng Benkai, an assistant curator at the Cultural Relics Conservation Section of the Potala Palace Administration. "We fear these could worsen."

A specialized team, formed in 2022 with intangible heritage masters Tsering Wangdu, wages a multi-front battle.

Natural adhesives crafted from pomegranate seed oil and elm bark restore the cracked surface.

However, sourcing original materials is near-impossible. 

"Some leaves are extinct. Others, we cannot get from India," Tsering Wangdu said, adding that script variations created complexity. "Characters differ across eras. Some we recognize, others are mysteries, missing parts leave 'vulnerabilities' in restoration."

To date, the team completed cataloging and condition surveys for 465 volumes, a total of 29,400 leaves of palm-leaf manuscript relics. They also organized and typeset illustrations from 37 volumes and carried out digital scanning of 244 volumes.

The team's silent work ensures whispers of ancient wisdom endure, digitally immortalized for future scholars.

"Beyond saving texts, we honor a millennium of cultural dialogue," Leng said. "These manuscripts testify to Xizang's role in China's unified, diverse civilization."

Pasture to prosperity: Smart ranch revolution

Smart technology has helped farmers boost their income in the countryside.

In Lhunzhub County, beneath snow-capped peaks, the Gesangtang Modern Agri-Pastoral Demonstration Park merges tradition with 21st-century innovation. Designed as a "full-spectrum, vertically integrated ecosystem," its East Zone breeds yaks, while the West Zone houses dairy cows, feed processing and fattening pens.

The park also tackles yak diseases and "genetic degradation," offering farmers veterinary support and breed swaps. Its success fuels plans for 10 more cooperatives, turning herding, a 5,000-year-old lifeway, into a driver of modern rural revitalization.

"Yak populations face severe degradation nationwide due to inbreeding," said Zhang Fugang, the deputy manager of the Gesangtang Modern Agri-Pastoral Demonstration Park. "We purify breeds here, then supply farmers with premium bulls to replace ageing stock, ending inbreeding and boosting quality."

In 2023 alone, the park fattened and sold about 400 yaks, generating nearly 4 million yuan in revenue. New high-value products like cold‑cut yak meat boxes and dried meats, branded and marketed beyond Xizang.

According to the latest local government report, Lhunzhub County's Yak Herd boosted average annual income by 1,200 yuan per household since 2018 and created 116 direct jobs with plans to expand 10 more cooperatives in the next few years.

Harmony in the highlands: A 60-year tapestry

As fireworks light Lhasa's skies for Xizang's 60th anniversary, the threads of progress weave a cohesive narrative.

The greening project's saplings symbolize ecological civilization, proving that with sustained effort, even the harshest landscapes bloom. The Potala's digital archivists embody cultural continuity, transforming relics into living legacies. Gesangtang Ranch reflects economic innovation, where yaks and algorithms coexist to uplift communities.

From once-barren peaks to flourishing valleys, Xizang's transformation is a testament to resilience, ingenuity and the enduring bond between people and their land.

What began as scattered initiatives in greening, heritage preservation and rural development has converged into a shared vision: an ecological highland that treasures its culture while embracing modernity.

As the region steps into its next chapter, the momentum built over 60 years offers a simple but powerful promise that Xizang's future will be as vibrant, rooted and enduring as the mountains that cradle it.