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Ecological resources become ‘immovable property’ guaranteeing people’s happy life in Tibet

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By Shen Lin, Xian Gan, People’s Daily

By utilizing its natural resource endowments, Nyingchi city in southwest China’s Tibet autonomous region has helped more and more local people increase their income by engaging in eco-friendly planting, gradually transforming its rich ecological resources into local residents’ proud “immovable property” that guarantees their happy life.

Nyingchi city, located in the southeast of Tibet, is at the lowest altitude. It has the warmest and wettest climate, the best ecological environment, and the richest biodiversity among all cities in Tibet. It is also one of the three major primitive areas in China and has long been known as the “Jiangnan of Tibet” (Jiangnan means the fertile and prosperous area in the southern regions of the Yangtze River).

Since the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a delicate ecological environment, heavy industry and production modes that cause heavy pollution are unsuitable for the region. To conserve the ecological environment while boosting production and improving people’s quality of life, Nyingchi needed to find a right development path first toward modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature.

The geographical position, favorable climate, healthy ecological environment, and abundant natural resources of Nyingchi have made it a place of great natural endowments for developing understory plants. Based on its advantages, the city has blazed a trail for coordinating ecological protection and appropriate utilization of ecological resources while boosting the eco-friendly growth of industries and realizing the economic value of ecological resources.

Gastrodia elata, a traditional Chinese herb, is one of the understory plants that have changed the life of people in Nyingchi.

“These five tubers of Tibetan gastrodia elata (a variety of the traditional herb) weigh more than one kilogram and can be sold for over 400 yuan ($61.84) at market price. Compared with gastrodia elata in other regions, the herb in the highlands of Bome county, Nyingchi, has better quality, though with a lower yield, thanks to the sound ecological environment,” Qiu Quanlei, executive with a company that engages in the production and sale of Tibetan gastrodia elata, told People’s Daily in a dense forest on the side of the No. 318 national highway in Nyingchi.

The Tibetan gastrodia elata growing under trees in the forest are marked with signs of different colors in the field.

According to Qiu, who is also dubbed “Doctor Gastrodia Elata”, although the gastrodia elata produced in Bome county is of high quality, the local Tibetan gastrodia elata industry had trouble finding a good breakthrough point for standing out among competitors.

Just when the company didn’t know what to do to change the situation, Zou Yonggang, executive deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Bome county committee came to help.

“We invited the company to invest in here, and we have responsibility to help it get on track and run smoothly,” Zou said.

Thanks to the support of the local government, in April 2021, the working team of Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong province, which was established under the country’s “pairing assistance” program to help Tibet with its development, reached an agreement with JD Farm, a modern agricultural base project launched by China’s e-commerce giant JD. com. They decided to build a demonstration base of JD Farm and use it as a breakthrough point to introduce a whole-process information-based management system covering various links of the Tibetan gastrodia elata industry of Bome county, from the production to the storage, transportation, and quality tracing of the herb.

Today, sensors connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) are installed in large numbers in the Tibetan gastrodia elata planting base of Qiu’s company, helping the company realize remote monitoring of the temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors using satellites.

Meanwhile, the intelligent management and control system launched for the industry can realize intelligent decision-making based on data analysis, thus providing science-based guidance on the production of the herb.

“Every tuber has a QR code, through which you can get clear information about the product,” Qiu said to viewers during a livestreaming sales promotion of the Tibetan gastrodia elata of Bome county.

According to Zhang Hu, party chief of the CPC committee of Zhamog township, Bome county, sci-tech talents like Qiu have effectively motivated local people to join the industry, increasing the planting area of cultivated wild Tibetan gastrodia elata in Zhamog township to 1,653 mu (110.2 hectares).

The industrial chain model of the local Tibetan gastrodia elata industrial park, which features benign interactions among enterprises, research institutes, the market and professional growers, is also improving with each passing day, according to Zhang.

The business contributed to a 3.65 million yuan rise in local inhabitants’ income, supporting roughly 3,000 farmers and herders, the official added.

While the Tibetan gastrodia elata industry thriving, other characteristic industries of highlands in Nyingchi, such as tea planting, forestry, and fruit and vegetable cultivation, have also experienced rapid development, with tea leaves of Yi’ong township, apple of Mainling county, kiwi fruit of Zayu county, and vegetables of Bayi district of Nyingchi city enjoying great popularity.

So far, the planting area of characteristic forest and fruits has reached 281,000 mu, and that of vegetables and Tibetan herbal medicine 39,000 mu and 16,000 mu, respectively.

Nyingchi is vigorously promoting the construction of tea planting bases in Yi’ong township, Medog county and Zayu county, among other parts of the city, trying to improve the quality and production efficiency of tea products and promote tea brands, according to the mayor of Nyingchi city, who disclosed that the planting area of vegetables in the city will be maintained at more than 40,000 mu.

The Tibetan herbal medicine industry, with Tibetan gastrodia elata as a typical representative, is growing steadily, he said, noting that the city is advancing the construction of a Tibetan herbal medicine industrial park at the level of the autonomous region and building a germplasm bank of Tibetan herbal medicine.

The development path of Nyingchi demonstrates that development and ecology are not mutually exclusive. People’s happy life and continuous improvement in natural environment can be achieved at the same time, and man and nature can coexist in harmony.

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Trump begins mass layoffs at Voice of America

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The Trump administration has initiated sweeping layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters, effectively dismantling institutions long seen as critical for American influence abroad.

 

On Sunday, contractors working for VOA received an email notification that their employment would be terminated by the end of March. “You must cease all work immediately and are not permitted to access any agency buildings or systems,” the email read, according to multiple staff members who confirmed the development.

 

The move, which comes just a day after all employees were placed on administrative leave, disproportionately affects non-English-language services, where contractors make up a significant portion of the workforce. Many of these contractors are not U.S. citizens and may now face visa issues, further complicating their status in the country.

 

While most full-time staff remain employed for now, they have been told not to work, leaving VOA and its sister organizations in a state of uncertainty. Some services, unable to produce new programming, have resorted to playing music.

 

VOA, founded during World War II, has been a critical tool for U.S. public diplomacy, broadcasting in 49 languages to audiences in countries where press freedom is restricted. However, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday targeting its parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), as part of broader federal budget cuts.

 

The cuts extend beyond VOA, affecting other U.S.-funded media entities such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio Farda (which broadcasts in Persian to Iran), and Alhurra, an Arabic-language network launched after the 2003 Iraq invasion. The administration argues that taxpayers should not fund what it calls “radical propaganda,” despite VOA’s longstanding editorial independence.

 

Liam Scott, a VOA journalist covering press freedom and disinformation, expressed concern over the decision. “I’ve covered press freedom for a long time, and I’ve never seen something like what’s happened in the U.S. over the past couple of months,” he wrote on social media.

 

The move has drawn international attention, particularly from China and Russia, which have been expanding their own state-funded media efforts. The Chinese state-run *Global Times* reacted with an editorial declaring that “the monopoly of information held by traditional Western media is being shattered.”

 

Trump’s administration has pursued aggressive cuts across federal agencies, including eliminating most foreign aid and significantly reducing the Department of Education. With input from tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump has focused on reducing government size to facilitate tax cuts.

 

As the global media landscape shifts, the dismantling of U.S.-funded broadcasters leaves a vacuum that could be filled by rival state-controlled networks. Whether Congress or legal challenges will intervene remains to be seen, but for now, the future of America’s international broadcasting efforts hangs in the balance.

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Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law

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A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to deport migrants allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under a wartime law.

US District Judge James Boasberg issued a restraining order preventing the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel undocumented migrants accused of gang ties. The order initially protected five individuals challenging the deportation but was later expanded to all affected noncitizens in US custody.

Boasberg also directed that any planes carrying these migrants be returned to the United States. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned,” he ruled. The restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days or until further court action.

The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, citing Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization that has “unlawfully infiltrated the United States” and is engaging in hostile actions. However, civil rights groups, including the ACLU, argue that the gang’s activities do not meet the legal definition of an invasion.

The Justice Department has appealed the ruling, while the case continues in court.

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China’s new chapter in global innovation

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By Gu Yekai, Liu Yiqing, People’s Daily

At a smart construction project site managed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a quiet technological revolution is underway. Amid cranes and concrete, engineers are deploying advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that could fundamentally reshape the construction industry.

Li Fengjian, an AI specialistwith Xianyuan Technology, detailed how the company’s latest intelligent system – built on a large model – adapts to complex construction environments.”Engineering machinery equipped with intelligent agents can adjust its operations automatically in response to weather conditions,” Li explained, adding that a spatiotemporal sensing network further enhances the system, providing real-time tracking of both personnel and materials throughout the construction site.

In February this year, Xianyuan Technology rapidly integrated its self-developed model with DeepSeek-R1, effectively blending a general-purpose framework with industry-specific models. This integration, Li noted, has produced a solution capable of delivering expert-level performance in challenging, dynamic environments. The firm is based in the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, aburgeoning AI incubator that now hosts over 200 innovative enterprises.

China’s technological transformation extends well beyond the construction sector. Overthe past three decades, the country has evolved from its initial forays into internet connectivity to becoming a key player in global digital innovation.

Here, a steady stream of technological innovations are emerging, from the early days of emails and web browsing to the cutting-edge technologies represented by DeepSeek and the dynamic evolution of social media.

Wu Jianping, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and headof the Zhongguancun Laboratory, pointed out that while China had introduced only one internet standard before 2005, it now contributes to over 200 worldwide. Such strides illustrate the country’s concerted push toward high-level technological self-reliance – a journey marked by both persistence and determination.

Beyond the digital realm, China is makingsignificant inroads in aerospace, new energy, and other high-tech sectors. It has transitioned from being a follower to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global leaders, and in some areas, even taking the lead. Wu attributed these achievements to a dynamic ecosystem of policy reforms and talent cultivation that encourages creativity and technical expertise at every level.

Amid intensifying international competition, collaborative research and the integration of new technologies with traditional industries are central to China’s high-quality economic development.

Mei Linhai, a researcher at China’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Intelligence, remarked that the age of AI calls for continuous exploration. “In this era, everyone is an innovator. Only by persistently pushing the boundaries can we remain at the forefront of both technological and industrial development,” Mei observed.

In the field of general-purpose AI, Mei emphasized that independent innovation is paramount. He advocates for a self-driven industrial ecosystem that leveragesbreakthrough technologies to boost productivity and unlock new possibilities, Mei said.

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