Qinghai establishes China's first plateau medical research center

Qinghai has established the country's first plateau medical research center, creating a health barrier for the plateau people and laying a solid foundation for the plateau health and wellness industry, a national political adviser said on Saturday.

"More than 10 million people in China live in areas above an altitude of 3,000 meters. Qinghai, located in the heart of the plateau region, presents a harsh environment that not only tests the limits of human life but has also fostered world-leading expertise in high-altitude medicine," said Wang Xuan, a member of the National Committee of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Wang, who is also a member of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, highlighted China's leading position in plateau medicine, particularly in clinical diagnosis and treatment, standard formulation, and field research.

"Qinghai has now established the country's first plateau medical research center and a large database of Tibetan medicine scientific and technological resources. It boasts a 4,600-meter high-altitude field research base for plateau medicine and a human genetic resource sample bank for the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau," Wang said.

"The region has achieved fruitful results in areas such as hypoxia adaptation, prevention and treatment of plateau diseases, clinical technological innovation, and the development of traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine. This has not only built a health barrier for plateau people but also laid a solid scientific foundation for the development of the plateau health and wellness industry," she added.

Wang highlighted how Qinghai has leveraged its ecological resources to provide relaxation and happiness in the mountainous, hypoxic plateau environment at an altitude of around 2,000 meters.

"Plateau ecology forms the foundation for development, plateau medicine safeguards the essence of life, and plateau wellness activates ecological value," she said. "Qinghai aims to become a health and wellness destination that integrates ecotourism and medicine, allowing plateau wellness to flourish and painting a beautiful picture of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature."