Self-developed cooker relieves high-altitude pressure in Xizang

Workers assemble and inspect pressure cookers at Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology in Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, in October. PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY

Editor's note: Thursday marks the 65th anniversary of the emancipation of serfs in the Xizang autonomous region, when democratic reform in 1959 ended feudal serfdom and freed some 1 million serfs that accounted for more than 90 percent of the region's population. This page is dedicated to showing the livelihood improvements of Tibetan people living on the plateau.

After a video of a pressure cooker exploding went viral in May 2022, authorities in Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region, decided to take action.

Xizang is commonly referred to as "The roof of the world" due to it being located on the world's highest plateau with an average altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level. Due to this high altitude, the air is thinner with less oxygen, so cooking takes longer. As a result, pressure cookers are often relied upon for faster, more convenient and safer food preparation.

Workers assemble and inspect pressure cookers at Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology in Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, in October. PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY

Recognizing the impact of this issue on the lives of plateau residents, the government of the autonomous region launched an initiative focusing on the research, production and operation of a series of multifunctional cooking utensils designed specifically for the plateau region.

During an inspection of the region's department of economy and information technology in 2022, Wang Junzheng, Xizang Party secretary, emphasized the importance of developing and promoting pressure cooker products tailored to the plateau's unique conditions.

To address the challenges, the department collaborated with leading domestic cooking utensil enterprises. Within just three months, their joint efforts resulted in the development of a series of 14 multifunctional cooking utensil products specifically designed for the plateau region. The team applied for 18 patents for their innovative designs.

Workers assemble and inspect pressure cookers at Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology in Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, in October. PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY

Xizang Shangchu Cooking Utensils Technology, established in 2022 with an investment of 40 million yuan ($5.5 million), was the first company to produce high-altitude multifunctional cooking utensils.

With seven production lines, the company has an annual production capacity of 1 million high-altitude multifunctional pressure cookers.

"The establishment of the company provides residents with cooking utensil options more suitable for high-altitude environments, offering new possibilities for addressing high-altitude cooking challenges," said Gao Fushuai, a manager at the company.

Residents use Xizang-made pressure cookers in Nyanrong county, Xizang autonomous region, in March last year. PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY

"This initiative also helps drive the economic development of the Xizang region and provides residents with more convenient and efficient cooking tools, contributing to the improvement of people's living standards," he said.

Gao said the company produces an average of 2,000 plateau pressure cookers a day and around 50,000 a month, and has sold more than 700,000 in total.

The government has provided thousands of these pressure cookers free of charge or heavily discounted to residents.

"Thanks to the subsidies, our villagers could buy the pressure cookers for only 100 yuan last year, while it would cost nearly 900 yuan if bought in a regular store," said Yeshi Drolma.

"Due to the high altitude, low air pressure and low boiling point in Xizang, even with a strong fire, the water temperature only reaches around 80 C. Therefore, a good pressure cooker is an essential cooking utensil for the local population," she said.

Residents use Xizang-made pressure cookers in Nyanrong county, Xizang autonomous region, in March last year. PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY

"This pressure cooker is safer, more convenient and practical compared to the traditional pressure cookers we have been using for decades," she said, adding she is very grateful to the government for persuading the enterprise to produce such a good pot for local residents.

With an average altitude upward of 4,000 meters, Nagchu city is one of the harshest areas in the region in terms of living environment.

"With the new high-altitude multifunctional pressure cooker, the yak meat we cooked in this pot is tender and delicious," Zomtso, a woman from a herding family in Nyanrong county of Nagchu, was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency.

According to Xinhua, official statistics from the regional department of economy and information technology show nearly 500,000 households in Xizang have started using locally produced high-altitude cooking utensils, benefiting nearly a million people.

The Xizang-made pressure cooker is just the tip of the iceberg for the region in terms of the efforts that have been made to improve people's livelihoods.

The regional government's efforts and investment in lifting social welfare go far beyond the support for making cooking utensils. According to the region's latest government work report, 12.14 billion yuan will be allocated to implement 21 practical measures to make people's lives better this year.

The work report shows subsidies will be raised for students, basic medical insurance, elderly care and disabled services and border residents. Government spending will also go to grassroots heating, high-altitude oxygen supply, the optimization of people's dietary structure and a pilot forest insurance program.