Brief Introduction to Tibet Communication

Old Tibet communications were extremely backward, 1 million serfs suffered from
communications frustration, the regional economy languished, and people lived an impoverished life. Following the Party Central Committee's call and Chairman Mao Zedong's instruction of marching forward and building roads, carried forward the revolutionary heroism spirit of fearing neither hardship nor death, conquered thousands of hardships and dangers, spent five years in building the Sichuan-Tibet and Qinghai-Tibet Highways with a total length of over 4,360 kilometers on the world Ridge, built the Goladen Bridges leading to happiness for the Tibet people, and created Tibet modern communications cause. The Air Off-Limits was broken in 1956, and air flight was available in Lhasa. The Golmud-Lhasa oil pipeline was built in 1977. Modern communications and transport replaced the protracted backward communications and transport means of plank roads, sliding ropes and goods carrying on human and animal backs, signaling the Tibet communications and transport cause has entered a new era.
Since the Qinghai-Tibet and Sichuan-Tibet Highways opened to traffic, under the kind attention of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, vigorous support of the State Planning Commission, the Ministry of Communications and other relevant ministries and commissions, selfish assistance of other provinces and regions, and direct leadership of the Autonomous Region Party Committee and government, workers of various ethnic groups in the Tibet communications system have made concerted efforts, worked hared, displayed the old Tibet spirit of particularly being able to endure, fight and devote, successively built trunk highways including Yunnan-Tibet, Xinjiang-Tibet and Sino-Nepal Highways, and built several intra-regional highways and defense highways and county-township highways. Since the late 1980s, the Chinese Government has boosted investment in Tibet communications construction year-on-year, and Tibet communications has met new historical development opportunity. Some 100 highway construction projects have been implemented, including reconstruction of Qinghai-Tibet Highway Golmud-Lhasa section, Sino-Nepal Highway Chuse-Shigatse section, Lhasa-Gonggar Highway and Gonggar-Zedang Highway, rectification and reconstruction of Sichuan-Tibet Highway, Nearly 2,000 kilometers bitumen pavement has been laid in the region, highway grade has been raised year by year. An initial highway network has shaped up with Lhasa as the center and radiating the whole region, and open mileage reaches 24,808 kilometers. The Gonggar Airport and Bamda Airport have been reconstructed and repaired.
The communications and transport industry has been thriving. A modern transport system with road transport as the mainstay and common development of aviation and pipeline transport has formed, providing powerful guarantee for Tibet economic development. The region has 33,000 domestic car including 13,000 business lorries and over 3,000 business passenger cars, basically solving the travel problem for most people.
Following the development of Tibet socialist construction cause, communications enterprises have been growing up. The region has now 33 state-owned communications enterprises with nearly 1 billion yuan assets. Seven state-owned enterprises engaging in highway construction, road transport, communications industry and trade affiliated to the Communications Department have some 730 million yuan assets. With the establishment of reform and open-up and socialist market economy, communications enterprises encountered with both opportunities and challenges have actively involved in the reform and attained growth in such course.
Communications industrial management has been gradually improved and strengthened. Road transport management, road maintenance collection and check and highway administration organizations have been launched successively. By following the overall goal of unified, open, competitive and orderly road transport market, the transport market management is cemented, the road transport market is actively nurtured and developed and the healthy and orderly development of the road transport market is correctly guided. The Highway Law publicity is enhanced, and the regional highway assets and highway rights are effectively protected. Difficulties are overcome, road inspection and check are stepped up, set fees are collected in accordance with laws to provide capital guarantee for highway maintenance.
With the development of the communications cause, communications workers have been expanding, and quality of cadres and workers has been improving year-on-year. The region has 13,356 employees, including 813 with above medium-level professional background and 845 professionals.
The progress of Tibet communications pioneering and development is the glorious progress of communications workers' hard struggle and enterprising exploration. Communications workers have carried forward fine traditions and made outstanding contributions to Tibet socialist revolution and construction in various stages. A large number of advanced workers, model workers, hero figures and advanced collectives have emerged. Over 80 units were cited as national and ministerial advanced units, 378 comrades won the tiles of national and ministerial model workers, March 8 red flag holders and advanced workers. Tibet communications has a staff with fine styles, progressive ideology, staunch positions, diligent and down-to-earth, and fearing no difficulty.
Tibet communications is following the rapidly developing steps of times, taking firm steps and stepping towards the 21st century in the reform and enterprising spirit.