Nestled beneath the snow-capped mountains of southeastern Xizang autonomous region, the city of Nyingchi is emerging as a new frontier of technological innovation and high-value industry. Historically reliant on traditional agriculture and natural resources, the region is now advancing a science-driven development model centered on high-altitude biotechnology.

　　In 2024, the Nyingchi Economic and Technological Development Zone (NETDZ) introduced a range of innovation-focused policies to amplify regional strengths and attract cross-regional collaboration.

　　At a biotech industrial park in NETDZ, a revolution is underway. Companies like Dawa Quzhen Industrial Co. are producing functional foods using locally sourced materials. Their matsutake-infused noodles, developed with support from the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, are now reaching consumers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area through major e-commerce platforms. These products demonstrate the potential of value-added processing powered by scientific cooperation.

　　Last year, NETDZ attracted a certified high-tech enterprise, with five more in the pipeline, and registered 26 new technology-driven small and medium-sized enterprises. Patent filings in the zone rose by 53.57 percent year on year, marking a strong momentum in intellectual property development.

　　Traditional Tibetan medicine is also being modernized. In an R&D center in a Tibetan medicine industrial zone, traditional mineral-herbal medicinal mixtures like "Zuotai," used to treat nervous system diseases, have been standardized using extraction equipment, raising the extraction rate of active compounds to 98 percent. Once the equipment is put into operation, the annual output of Tibetan medicine will be increased while there could be 500 jobs for local farmers and herders.

　　Agricultural innovation here is equally impressive. In Dongruo, a village growing gastrodia elata, a Chinese herb, the yield has doubled per mu (about 666.7 square meters) thanks to a fungus strain developed by a research team from Guangdong. The breakthrough has lifted the income of the county where Dongruo is located by more than seven million RMB.

　　To overcome logistical challenges, NETDZ launched a dual-subsidy freight system and upgraded rural logistics infrastructure. With the smart warehouses of e-commercial giant JD and "last-mile" delivery networks in place, logistics efficiency has improved by 40 percent, driving over 35 million RMB in online sales this year by far.

　　A full-chain incubation system and enterprise-friendly services — including streamlined approval procedures and talent incentives — attracted 427 new businesses in 2024. Industrial output has surged by 179.95 percent year on year. Nyingchi is rapidly becoming a model of high-altitude economic transformation powered by science and innovation.