STORY: Tibet Vlog: Discovering same-day delivery in China's Tibet
DATELINE: Aug. 19, 2023
LENGTH: 00:05:35
LOCATION: LHASA, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): Telephone
2. STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHAO FANG, Manager of the Tibet branch of JD Logistics
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LIU MING, Deliveryman at the Liuwu distribution center
5. STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LIU YAJUN, Grocery shop owner
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): TANG LINGLI, Manager of a Tibet rural revitalization exhibition center of JD.com
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHAO FANG, Manager of the Tibet branch of JD Logistics
9. STANDUP (English):WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent

STORYLINE:

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): Telephone
"Hello, here's your delivery."

STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"Can you believe it? I've received the goods that I ordered online this morning. That's a super-fast delivery in just six hours. I'm not even in any megacity like Beijing or Shanghai. Here is Lhasa, the highest provincial-level capital in China."
What makes the rapid delivery possible? And why is it necessary? In this vlog, follow me to find out.

STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"Now I'm at the largest smart warehouse in Tibet. Staff members here are busy sorting and packing the goods. Technology and automation have made the same-day delivery possible, despite the harsh environment on the plateau.
But it wasn't always like this."

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHAO FANG, Manager of the Tibet branch of JD Logistics
"Tibet is a remote region with expansive and far-reaching landscapes, and less-developed transportation infrastructure. In the past, the delivery of a package used to take at least five days. After our company entered Tibet, localized warehouses have been established in Lhasa, with streamlined operations of storage, distribution, transportation, and delivery. This has made it possible to offer same-day delivery here in Lhasa."

In May 2017, JD.com opened the first e-commerce warehousing and logistics park in Tibet.
In Dec. 2020, following a comprehensive park upgrade supported by the government, the coverage area for same-day delivery in Tibet was further expanded.

And now, the warehouses have turned smart.

STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"For picking goods, you don't have to go the shelves, the shelves will come to you.
Here, over 70 little robots, are working non-stop."

These intelligent robots are powered by algorithm, and have achieved a twofold to threefold increase in efficiency compared with human labor.

STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"After the product is picked and packaged, it will be sent to the smart sorting line to be sorted automatically based on its address."

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LIU MING, Deliveryman at the Liuwu distribution center
"Currently, our daily delivery volume reaches somewhere between 150 and 180, and during peak times, it can go beyond 200. The delivered items are quite diversified."

STANDUP (Chinese): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"Here's your delivery, may I ask you what you've bought?"

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LIU YAJUN, Grocery shop owner
"It's a bottle of Vitamin C. I started shopping online about five or six years ago. Back then, it would take around 10 days for the orders to arrive. Now, I can place an order online and receive it on the same day, so it has saved me a lot of trouble."

In recent years, the range of products available for online delivery has also become more diverse, in response to the growing needs of the people.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHAO FANG, Manager of the Tibet branch of JD Logistics
"In the past, the goods delivered were mainly large-size items. With the broadening array of products available in our warehouses, people are mainly buying daily necessities from our e-commerce platform, including electronic products, especially mobile phones, computers, and various 3C digital accessories.

STANDUP (English):WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"The efficient logistic system has also become a two-way channel. More and more Tibetan specialty products are being sold to other parts of China through e-commerce, including highland barley wine, yak jerky and cordyceps. Here is the e-commerce exhibition center for Tibetan products located in downtown Lhasa, next to the Potala Palace."

This center showcases how e-commerce has contributed to poverty alleviation and rural revitalization in Tibet, with many of the products sourced directly from local farmers.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): TANG LINGLI, Manager of a Tibet rural revitalization exhibition center of JD.com
"We are also engaged in online marketing, such as livestreaming. We are actively reaching out to rural areas, connecting with farmers, and facilitating the sales of their produce, including packaging and promotion. We have managed to increase their sales by 30% to 40%."

In recent years, e-commerce development has been on fast track in Tibet, thanks to improved transport facilities, telecommunication networks and courier service coverage.
Even villagers at the foot of Mt. Qomolangma, the world's highest peak, can now get access to express deliveries.

Tibet has built or renovated rural roads totaling 38,200 km since 2016, bringing the total length of rural roads in the plateau region to more than 90,000 km by the end of 2021.
Source: Regional transportation department of Tibet

The volume of online retail sales in Tibet grew 61.1 percent year on year to 18.97 billion yuan (about 2.8 bln U.S. dollars) in 2021. The growth rate ranks first in the country.
All 74 counties and districts in the region have enjoyed the convenience of rural e-commerce.
Source: Regional commerce department of Tibet

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHAO FANG, Manager of the Tibet branch of JD Logistics
"With more products coming in than going out, an important part of our work is utilizing those empty vehicles that return from remote areas, to facilitate the transportation of local agricultural goods. This effort contributes to expanding the sales channels of indigenous agricultural products, and plays a role in the broader revitalization of rural areas."

The rapid development of e-commerce, also mirrors the advancement in consumption, and people's incomes.

In 2021, the per capita consumption expenditure of urban residents in the region reached 28,159 yuan (about 3,960 U.S. dollars)
with an annual growth of 10.8 percent on average over the past decade
while that of rural residents reached 10,577 yuan (about 1,488 U.S. dollars)
with an average annual growth of 15.2 percent over the past decade.

The per capita consumption expenditure of urban residents in the region reached 28,159 yuan (about 3,960 U.S. dollars) in 2021, with an annual growth of 10.8 percent on average over the past decade, while that of rural residents reached 10,577 yuan, with an average annual growth of 15.2 percent over the past decade.

According to a Tibet government report, the region also aims to increase the added value of its digital economy by at least 10 percent this year.

STANDUP (English):WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"I was told that more and more warehouses, transfer and distribution hubs will be built here in Tibet, to further develop its logistics infrastructure. The modern, expansive logistics network, not only reduces geographical barriers, but also fosters economic growth, and contributes to the well-being of communities in the plateau region."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lhasa, China.
(XHTV)