Seventy-five years of change. From feudal serfdom and aristocratic manors to livable, thriving, and beautiful villages; from a closed and remote borderland to a land of new homes, new villages, and new faces with modern infrastructure… the mountains and rivers of Shannan City,Xizang are resplendent.

Gross Regional Product grew to 33.18 billion yuan in 2025, general public budget revenue reached 2.226 billion yuan in 2025, and per capita disposable income of rural residents rose to 24,990 yuan in 2025… Each set of rising figures marks the brilliant footprints of an era of development.

A New Look for Urban and Rural Development

At the "May 19 China Tourism Day" Xizang sub-venue event held this year at the "Yarlung li" Arts & Culture Block, Shannan City unveiled multiple routes including the Ancient Charm of the Yarlung, the G219 Zangyuan Secret Realm Crossing, and Wellness Roaming, linking ancient temples, lakes, grasslands, snow-capped mountains, and hot spring wineries — unlocking diverse travel experiences for visitors. The vibrant cultural tourism scene testifies to the simple truth: when roads open, all industries flourish.

Shannan City has remained committed to closing infrastructure gaps. All 90 townships and 579 administrative villages across the city now enjoy 100% rural road access, and a transport network radiating outward from downtown Shannan has largely taken shape. Smooth rural roads connect specialty industries and rural tourism along "roads to development" and "roads to happiness."

In Kema Community, Nedong District, small plots have been consolidated into large fields, with roads and irrigation channels fully upgraded. Large machinery can now drive right up to the fields. "Farming used to be so time-consuming and exhausting. Now that the fields have been renovated, it's so much easier!" said villager Lhamo, gazing at the flat, expansive high-standard farmland, her words brimming with delight. Over the years, Shannan has steadily advanced high-standard farmland construction. 67 percent of the city's arable land now features "field plots in grids, forests in networks, roads connecting all, and channels linking up," with a comprehensive mechanization rate for plowing, planting, and harvesting reaching 82.7%, laying a solid foundation for comprehensive rural revitalization.

Basang, an elderly man who retired from Lhasa and settled in Nedong District, most enjoys sharing videos of his hometown's changes. "Nowadays, food, clothing, housing, and transportation are all convenient, and our quality of life will only keep getting better!" Basang's heartfelt sentiment is fully borne out by the impressive development data: the rural tap water coverage rate stands at 91%, the main power grid coverage of administrative villages reaches 100%, 369 administrative villages are connected to 5G networks, and express delivery packages reach every village and household — linking even the most remote villages closely to the outside world.

A New Pattern for Specialty Industries

Step onto the site of the Huadian Xizang Lobsang Photovoltaic Project in Qusum County, and you'll see lush meadows beneath the solar panels, with yaks grazing peacefully — a harmonious scene of "power generation above, grazing below."

Over the years, Shannan has coordinated the development of clean energy with improvements in people's livelihoods and industrial upgrading. The city's installed clean energy capacity has reached 3.04 million kilowatts, accounting for one-third of the entire Xizang Autonomous Region's total. Meanwhile, the city has gradually formed an industrial system focused on advantageous minerals, clean energy, and construction materials. The value added of the secondary industry reached 14.871 billion yuan, achieving a green transformation of traditional industries and the rapid rise of emerging sectors.

Drolma, a villager near Yamdrok Lake in Nagarze County, now runs a guesthouse riding the wave of tourism, and her annual income has grown from tens of thousands to over 200,000 yuan. "Tourists keep coming year after year, business at home is booming, and our lives are getting better and better!" Drolma's happy life is a vivid testament to culture and tourism empowering development. Today in Shannan, Yamdrok Lake, Samye Monastery, and other scenic spots have become popular internet-famous check-in destinations. The Yumai Patriotic Border Defense Red Tourism Scenic Area is sprinting toward a 5A rating. The city's tertiary industry value added has risen to 16.197 billion yuan, with culture-tourism integration showing strong momentum.

A New Picture of People's Well-Being

In early summer, from Gonggar County to Sangri County, a green corridor averaging 1.8 kilometers wide stretches over 160 kilometers, with layers of green waves rolling along the river valley. Who could have imagined that "gazing into the distance, nothing but sand; when the wind rises, no home in sight" was once the true picture here? Today, where barren land once lay, green waves now roll, and a thriving ecosystem is releasing vitality across this land.

Through persistent efforts to guard green mountains and clear waters, Shannan City has successfully been designated a National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration City. Lhozhag County became the first in the region to be named a "Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets" Practice Innovation Base, and Qonggyai County was named a National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration Zone. Green mountains and clear waters continue to empower livelihood improvements and benefit the people. To date, the city has created 3 autonomous-region-level ecological civilization demonstration counties, 49 demonstration townships, and 420 demonstration villages.

While steadily adding greenery and beauty and upgrading the living environment, Shannan has also had woven a tight safety net for people's livelihoods, steadily raising the people's sense of happiness and fulfillment. All 12 counties (districts/cities) now have on average one general hospital and one ethnic medicine hospital, and every township and village has a health center or clinic, forming two major chains of medical and health services — general hospitals and ethnic medicine hospitals. "In the past, seeing a doctor or buying medicine meant making a long trip. Now the medical conditions right at our doorsteps keep getting better, and aid-Xizang doctors come to the village regularly for consultations — it's truly so convenient!" said Basang, Party branch secretary of Sejixue Village, Lhozhag County, with genuine emotion.

At Qusum Town Primary School, multimedia smartboards connect to high-quality classrooms outside the region. Music, art, and science classes are all available, and children follow the "Everest Flag Cloud" platform to take courses synchronized with schools across the country. "The teaching quality and conditions keep getting better." Basang, a student's parent, echoed the sentiments of countless farmers and herders. From "having a school to attend" to "attending a good school," Shannan was the first in the region to achieve the goal of balanced compulsory education, completely transforming the face of rural education and letting the sunshine of educational equity shine across the Yarlung land.

Seventy-five years of unwavering endeavor, united in purpose on a new journey. Looking ahead, Shannan City will surely write a new chapter of high-quality development on the snow-covered plateau.

Reporter: Tenzin Phuntsok, Pasang Wangmo

Translator: Peng Qing, Liu Fang

Reviewer: Hu Rongguo, Drakpa Wangchen