This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the aid-Xizang program. Since 1994, the central government has paired the high-altitude southwest Chinese region with experts from eighteen provinces and cities. These experts in different fields are helping Xizang develop its own industrial chain. Guo Tianqi reports on how Guangdong Province has facilitated a fishery industry from scratch in a Xizang village. 

Rosenberg's Prawn, Smallmouth Bass, even Rainbow Trout – these expensive, high-end fish are now raised in Linzhi, a city in the eastern Himalayas, 3-thousand meters above sea level. Aquaculture professor Luo Mingfei is leading his local team in testing more than a dozen types of fish to find the most suitable one for scaling up in the Tibetan Plateau.

LUO MINGFEI, Professor of Aquaculture, Tenth Batch of Aid Xizang Cadres "The flesh of these trout is more elastic because they constantly swim."

These fish live in the meltwater of snowy mountains, where parasites have never been detected due to the excellent water quality.

GUO TIANQI, Milin, Xizang Autonomous Region "What are Linzhi's advantages in promoting aquaculture facilities?"

LUO MINGFEI, Professor of Aquaculture, Tenth Batch of Aid Xizang Cadres "Xizang's water resources account for 30-percent of the whole country. The rich solar radiation allows us to use simple greenhouses to increase the temperature and insulation in aquafarms, and breed fish and shrimp adapted to the temperature of the warm water."

In winter, temperatures in Linzhi can reach minus three degrees Celsius, so the fish need to be kept warm. According to Luo's research, building a greenhouse aquafarm costs only 50,000 yuan, less than 7,000 US dollars.

Despite these advantages, the industry still lags behind due to nomadic tradition. The self-sufficiency rate of aquatic products in Xizang is only about 5-percent, and transportation difficulties also result in high prices.

LUO MINGFEI, Professor of Aquaculture, Tenth Batch of Aid Xizang Cadres "For example, these white leg shrimps. The wholesale price in Guangdong is about 20 yuan per kilo, but the price here is more than 100 yuan. So the local industry here has a huge price advantage and commercial value."

Luo will finish his three-year term next year, but he's not worried because his student Nima Wangdui is ready to take over.

NIMA WANGDUI, Fisheries Base Manager, Milin Farm "I majored in architecture, but now I chose aquaculture because of the huge potential of plateau fisheries. I also went to Zhuhai in Guangdong Province, for two months of training to strengthen my skills."

LUO MINGFEI, Professor of Aquaculture, Tenth Batch of Aid Xizang Cadres "Guangdong has rich experience in aquaculture, so we've improved the technology according to the climate and water conditions here. At present, we think this small mouth bass is worth promoting in the plateau."

This modern fishing and seedling factory will be completed this August, and large-scale fisheries in the Tibetan Plateau will start here. 

Guo Tianqi, CGTN, Linzhi, Xizang Autonomous Region.