In 1951, Xizang was peacefully liberated, and the ancient city of Lhasa opened a brand new chapter in its history. At that time, Lhasa's permanent urban population was only just over 20,000, and its gross domestic product (GDP) stood at a mere 25 million yuan(RMB).

In 2025, Lhasa's GDP reached 109.099 billion yuan(RMB), successfully surpassing the 100-billion-yuan mark and becoming Xizang's first "100-billion-yuan city," marking the debut of such a city on Xizang's economic map.

"100-billion-yuan" is a striking indicator of Lhasa's economic takeoff, yet this ancient plateau city has achieved far more than just an increase in total economic output.

A "100-billion-yuan city" rising on the plateau

Before Xizang's peaceful liberation, Lhasa had virtually no modern industry, and agriculture and animal husbandry accounted for over 90% of its total economic output.

Over the past 75 years, Lhasa's economic structure has undergone tremendous changes. In 2025, Lhasa's GDP surpassed the 100-billion-yuan mark for the first time in history, with the industrial structure optimizing from "primary–tertiary–secondary" to 3.4 ∶ 42.9 ∶ 53.7 in 2025. The tertiary sector now accounts for more than half of the economy, while modern industry, the digital economy, and cultural tourism are accelerating their growth as new engines of economic development.

In the first quarter of 2026, Lhasa's GDP reached 34.318 billion yuan(RMB), a year-on-year increase of 6.0%, one percentage point higher than the national average. The city got off to a good start in the quarter, with ample development momentum, taking a solid first step on the new journey of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

The shift from "relying on nature for a living" to "achieving prosperity through technology" is a vivid microcosm of how modern industry is empowering traditional agriculture in Lhasa. This plateau city is integrating itself into national and even global industrial chains with a more open attitude.

In April 2026, Xizang Jueluo Digital Industry Management Co., Ltd. obtained Xizang's first data intellectual property registration certificate for its 65 million-pair Chinese-Tibetan parallel corpus dataset, with a potential asset value exceeding 10 million yuan(RMB). Its self-developed Tibetan large language model, DeepZang, supports language services in over 80 languages.

Technology empowers agriculture, and digitalization leads the future. Driven by the dual engines of "technology + industry," Lhasa is broadening its path of modern industrial transformation. Notably, Lhasa High-tech Zone is home to 2,894 digital economy enterprises, 99 national-level high-tech enterprises, and has achieved full autonomous-region coverage of "little giant" specialized and sophisticated enterprises.

The ancient city transforming, spreading two wings

Seventy-five years ago, Lhasa's urban area was confined to the area around Barkhor Street, covering less than 3 square kilometers, with virtually no municipal facilities.

Today, Lhasa has formed a layout of "one core, two wings, and north–south connectivity" – with the old city as the core, Doilungdeqen District and Dagze District as the two wings, and clusters such as theLhasa Economic and Technological Development Zone and Lhasa High-tech Zone rising. The built-up area has expanded to 128 square kilometers.

Transportation leads economic development. Following the construction of the Sichuan-Xizang and Qinghai-Xizang highways, the Lhasa–Nyingchi expressway, the Lhasa–Xigaze railway, the expansion of Gonggar Airport, and a densified rural road network, Lhasa has established a three-dimensional transportation system combining roads, railways, and aviation. With the completion and opening of key projects such as the Lhasa–Nyingchi expressway, the Nagqu–Lhasa section of the G6 Beijing–Xizang Expressway, and the Lhasa–Xigaze expressway, a "three-hour comprehensive transport circle" and a "two-hour economic circle" centered on Lhasa have largely taken shape.

In summer, strolling along the Lhasa River, residents can experience the harmonious beauty of "water nourishing the city, greenery filling the city, and digitalization energizing the city." A 62.5-kilometer urban water system connects points into a line, with dynamic and well-proportioned waterfront spaces such as the two-island river course, Nizhuoyuan Living Water Forest, and Tax Forest. Forty-six pocket gardens dot the streets and corners, and over 100 kilometers of elevated tree planters form green corridors, while a "15-minute green space convenience service circle" has basically taken shape. Digitalization is quietly changing lives: smart bus stops, an intelligent urban management platform, a national Internet backbone direct connection point... This ancient plateau city, with water as its vein, greenery as its foundation, and digitalization as its wings, is radiating vigorous youthful vitality.

Green blessings nurturing livelihoods, renewing all things

Seventy-five years ago, Lhasa was plagued by wind-blown sand, a fragile living environment, and an average life expectancy of only 35.5 years. Today, Lhasa's ecological environment continues to improve: the North-SouthMountains afforestation project has spread greenery across thousands of hills, the urban water system management has woven a dynamic network, and air pollution prevention and control have preserved the blue sky.

Through returning farmland to wetlands, dredging and replenishing water, and relocating core areas, Lhalu Wetland has become a "gene bank" of plateau biodiversity. In 2025, Lhasa's air quality remained among the best of 168 key cities nationwide, water quality in major rivers and lakes remained consistently good, and the number of green mines ranked first in the autonomous region.

People's well-being has also improved tangibly. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Lhasa's college graduate employment rate has remained above 95% for years running, with 100% employment for college graduates from registered impoverished households who seek employment. The rate of employment outsideXizang Autonomous Region has remained above 12% annually.

In healthcare, average life expectancy has risen to over 72.5 years. Health examination standards for urban and rural residents have been continuously raised. Hydatid disease and Kashin-Beck disease are subject to free screening and treatment, and no new cases of Kashin-Beck disease have been reported for nine consecutive years.

In education, since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Lhasa has built 32 new schools, achieving full coverage of kindergartens in villages (communities). The annual per-student standard for the "three guarantees" (food, accommodation, tuition) has been raised to 5,940 yuan(RMB). Lhasa Normal College has been successfully upgraded to an undergraduate institution. The transition from "having access to education" to "having access to quality education" makes education the warmest reflection of Lhasa's changes over the past 75 years.

Seventy-five years pass like a song. Every change in this new plateau city is etched with the marks of endeavor. Standing at the new starting point of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Lhasa will shoulder its responsibilities as the capital city, forge ahead with an even more vigorous posture and more solid steps, and continue to write a brilliant new chapter on the snowy plateau.

Reporter: Lu Wenjing, Pei Cong

Translator: Zheng Yujie, Zhi Xinghua

Review: Hu Rongguo, Drakpa Wangchen