Forest and Grassland 

Shigatse has a territory of 17.6 million hectares, of which 79,500 hectares are cultivated. About 75,000 hectares can grow crops year round, mainly along the valleys of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Nyang Qu River and the Penqoi River.

About 33,000 hectares of wasteland are waiting to be cultivated. In Xigaze, 9.466 million hectares are grasslands, and 7.333 hectares of that can be used. Apart from a few grasslands around lakes, most are alpine grasslands. The southern Tibet valley boasts the finest grasslands in Tibet, which provide the best quality grass upon which the famous Gamba sheep feed. About 20,000 hectares of grasslands are suitable for growing trees and grass. Due to rich water resources and premium grass, the river valleys have immense potential for cultivating human-made grasslands and developing modern animal husbandry grass. Zongba, Saga and Ngamring counties, located west of Xigaze, are important pasturelands.

Xigaze boasts a total forest area of 41,600 hectares, with a lumber reserve of 10 million cubic meters. Most of the forest is grown on the southern slope of the Himalayas in Yadong, Zham, Chengtang and Rongxa. The river valleys are farming areas, suitable for growing poplar and willow trees. There are now human-made forests, but, on the whole, the forest area in Xigaze covers only 0.24 percent of the whole region.

Xigaze is a traditional farming area in Tibet, with a long history and a variety of crops. In river valleys, lakeshores and places with pleasant weather, people grow different kinds of crops. Main crops include barley, wheat, canola and beans, and barley is grown in the largest areas. The valleys of the Himalayas in Gyilung, Tingri and Yadong grow corn, millet and buckwheat. Main vegetable crops include cabbage, radish, lotus, asparagus lettuce, spinach, celery, Chinese chives, hot pepper, tomato, cucumber and garlic. Some places also grow fruit crops such as apples and nuts. Local people also like to grow flowers, such as zholma flower, galsang flower, Chinese rose, rose, Chinese flowering crabapple, among dozens of others.

Commonly seen species of trees in Xigaze area include the alpine pine, the Himalayan fir, the Himalayan dragon spruce, the birch, and the Tibet larch. The long-leaf dragon spruce, the Chinese hemlock, the long-leaf pine, the Himalayan ormosia fir and the snow pine are rare and special species of this area. Xigaze is also home to many typical alpine plants that grow in the shape of cushions with highly developed stems and leaves. Huge, resplendent and vital, they brave the gusts and snow. Among the varied wild plants, more than 300 species possess herbal value, the most famous of which are the bulb of fritillary, dangshen (Codonopsis pilosula), Chinese caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis), tuber of elevated gastrodis (Gastrodia elata), root of membranous milk vetch (Astragalus membranaceus), coptis root, rhodiola root, Chinese angelica, fleece-flower root, Chinese ephedra (Ephedra sinica), Asiatic plantain (Plantago asiatica), and wild aconite root and aster.

Mine Resources

Xigaze is also abundant in mineral resources, with great potential for development. According to a general survey, in the 17 counties and Xigaze city, altogether 234 places may have 46 kinds of minerals, such as gold, silver, zinc, lead, lithium, antimony, mercury, copper, iron, manganese, cesium, chromium, boron, arsenic, salt, potassium, crystal, sulphur, phosphorus, coal, alunite, oil shale, magnesite, porcelain clay, gypsum, graphite, limestone and jade. Among them, boron reserves are the largest. And the gold mines in Xitongmoin and Larze counties and chromium and iron mines in the city of Xigaze, Rinbung and Bainang counties have high developing prospects. At present, only coal, boron sands, jade, salt, limestone and marble have been mined, developed and used.

Hydroelectric resources are rich in the Xigaze area. Besides terrestrial heat, solar heat and wind energy, hydraulic power has great potential for development. It is estimated that the annual water volume of the Yarlung Zangbo and the Nyang Qu rivers, which exceeds 27 billion cubic meters, has a natural waterpower reserve of more than 10 million kilowatts. Today, solar energy is in wide use, and most urban residents use solar energy stoves while the number of rural residents using solar energy stoves continues to increase. A solar energy laboratory has been established in Xigaze, and progress has been made in solar energy greenhouses, solar energy bathrooms and solar energy heating systems. There are 94 warm fountains in Xigaze, such as the Shichin Fountain in Larze County, Chiagya Fountain in Xitongmoin County, Kambu Fountain in Pagri of Yadong County, Charong Fountain in Sagya and alpine warm fountains in Tingri County. Famous for their medicinal properties, these fountains can not only relieve one's fatigue, soften and smooth the skin but also treat stomach diseases, nephritis, skin diseases, joint aches and nerve diseases. The Dagyai Fountain in Ngamring County has the largest geyser group in China, and the water temperature can climb to as high as 85 degrees centigrade. With nearly 100 geysers, the water pillars can reach as high as 40 to 50 meters, a wonderfully spectacular sight. The rich mineral water resources contain healthful elements such as iodine, strontium, zinc, selenium, calcium, lithium and sodium. These are effective in treating stomach diseases, assist in the development of bones, improve the functioning of heart and blood vessel, and prevent goiter. The most famous is the Qoidain Nyima mineral water in Kamba County. Legend has it that this spring is a gift from Padmasambahva, so it has been the holy water in Tibet. Gyangze, Tingri and Xigaze are also abundant in mineral waters with great prospects for development.

Qomolangma

Mount Qomolangma is the highest peak in the world. With approvals from the people's government of the Tibet Autonomous Region on November 3, 1988 and from the State Council in November 1993, the state-level Qomolangma Nature Reserve was established. It covers an area of 33,800 square kilometers, including two towns and 16 townships in Tingrin, Nyalam, Gyilung and Dinggye counties. The whole reserve is divided into three parts: the central reserve, the buffer zone and the developing zone. The terrain of the reserve descends from the high north to the low south, with a varied topography. The average elevation is 4,200 meters. The lowest is 1,433 meters, about 7,000 meters lower than the highest point. As a result, a unique, vertically changing climate is formed; as a saying goes, snow-capped peaks all year round, spring at the foot all year round, four seasons found in one mountain, different weather within ten li. High mountains and deep valleys, glaciers and snow-covered peaks all come to display grand views. Fourteen peaks on our planet exceed 8,000 meters high, and this place boasts five. According to surveys, some 2,348 advanced plants grow here, and among them are the precious long-leaf dragon spruce and the Tibetan long-leaf pine, two species that are found only in this reserve. Following the changing topography and the climate, different plant pedigrees are distributed vertically: from the lowest point to the highest point, there are alpine sub-tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen broadleaf trees, alpine warmbelt evergreen coniferous trees and hard-leaf evergreen broadleaf trees, alpine sub-coldbelt evergreen coniferous trees and deciduous broadleaf trees and bushes, as well as alpine coldbelt grasslands. Many precious animals live in the reserve: 53 mammals, 206 birds, 8 amphibious animals, 6 reptiles and 5 fishes. Among them, 9 species are under Class A state protection and 21 under Class B state protection. A large number of tropical plant fossils and three-nail horse herd fossils have been discovered, which make this reserve a great place to study the shaping of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and explore the mysteries of Nature.