People are most familiar with the beautiful scenery of China’s National Highway 318 from east to west. For Baxoi County, Qamdo, Xizang Autonomous Region, China’s National Highway 318 is not only a tourist avenue connecting the “plateau dream” of numerous tourists but also an industrial road gathering energy in different fields, realizing the “industrial dream” promoting the economic development in different regions of the plateau and firmly supporting the happy life and better future of people on the plateau.

Industries are prosperous if tourism thrives

If you drive to Baxoi County along China’s National Highway 318 from Bome County, Nyingchi City, you can pass through the Ra’og Lake with autumn scenery on the way. Snow covers the mountains and trees on the mountainside and at the foot of the hill are golden and green. The milky white lake water surrounds the mountains. All of the scenes unveiling the lake’s most beautiful scenery in late autumn.

As a traffic fortress on China’s National Highway 318, Ra’og Town has established complete tourist reception facilities such as parking lots, various restaurants, hotels, and agritainment of Tibetan style. Tourists who drive on China’s National Highway 318 can enjoy the scenery of the lake in autumn and take a rest here. According to the introduction, Ra’og Town has received more than 120,000 person-times in the first three quarters of this year.

Sonam Dondrup, a local villager who has worked in the Laigu Glacier Scenic Area for many years, said that before he came to work in the scenic area, his family mainly lived on planting highland barley. However, after he worked in the scenic area, the income of his family “at least doubled”. In recent years, Sonam Dondrup also asked his wife to work in the scenic area and open a small store to sell milk tea and roasted sausages. She is very busy in the peak tourist season.

When you drive along Baxoi County, you can see a big field of lavender. Echong Village, Jidar Township, Baxoi County has planted 100,000 lavender plants on the land with an altitude of more than 3,900 meters. Such a bright purple flower sea on the plateau is amazing. According to working staff of the county, there would be subsequent Phase 2 and 3 projects. After the completion of Phase 3, the lavender manor of Baxoi County will be formed here. “Lavender has a long flowering period. The essential oil can be extracted from it and we can also develop tourism, increasing the income of local people,” said Rin chen Gangbung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Jidar Township.

The rise of industries make the strong brands 

By developing the tourism industry with the advantage of natural resources, the plateau areas along the national highway have embraced important development opportunities. Additionally, with a focus on other industrial sectors and adjusting measures to local conditions, their own brand is continuously built around the planting industry. In Pema Town, Baxoi County, Liu Xu, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Town, pointed to a newly built planting greenhouse and said to the reporter: “More than 200 mu (about 13.3 hectares) of land here all have saline-alkali soil. We can do nothing. Therefore, we can use greenhouses for facility agriculture and soilless culture to make full use of the saline-alkali soil.”

After walking into the greenhouse, red cherry tomatoes and green cucumbers can be seen all over the branches. All kinds of green vegetables grow in the greenhouse by means of soilless culture. “On Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, if vegetables and fruits are planted locally, they are cheap and it is convenient for local people to buy.” Tsering Samdrup, General Manager of Xizang Gobi Pastoral Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., introduced. At present, the local market share of cherry tomatoes produced in Baxoi County is up to 100 percent and a large number of products are transported to Lhasa, Shenzhen, Chongqing, and other places through China’s National Highway 318 and air routes.

The climate on the plateau often changes. There are limitations to the growth of many plants. However, in Shipa Key Economic Forest Base in Baxoi County, Venus Golden Apples have a place suitable for their growth. In the base with an area of 1,071 mu (71.4 hectares), where government investment and enterprise management are combined, the apples will be harvested for the first time this year after three years.

Qu Baojun, Senior Agronomist of Yantai Dashan Fruit Industry Development Co., Ltd. picked up a Venus Golden Apple, took out a machine to test, and measured the data of sugar content of 15.1 grams immediately. “After about 20 days, our apples will be fully ripe and the sugar content can be up to 18 grams. The altitude here is high, there are few plant diseases and insect pests and rich minerals content in the soil, so this variety has advantages and can enter the international market.”