On October 18, in Gongga County, Tibet, a beekeeper named Zhang Hua, wearing a protective mask, was inspecting the honeycombs at the Hive No. 1 apiary in Jiangtang Town. “This winter, the bees’ ‘food supply’ is secure,” he stated while checking the thickness of the honey layer. Recently, our reporters visited the Tibet Peak Gong Honey Co., the most valuable enterprise in Changsha's aid to Tibet initiative.

Preparation for the Overwintering of Aid-to-Tibet Bees

In October, the wind from Yambajan Lake in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau brings a hint of chill. From the Hive No. 1 apiary in Jiangtang Town to the “highest beekeeping base in the world” at an altitude of 4,480 meters, workers are busy preparing for the winter for these aid-to-Tibet partners. “The thickness of the sealing honey layer in these beehives is generally up to standard. If we find any hive with insufficient thickness, we will redistribute honey from other hives to ensure each hive has enough honey to last until spring,” Zhang Hua, who has nearly thirty years of beekeeping experience from Hunan, expressed his contentment with the local conditions since arriving in Gongga.

“The ‘bees aiding Tibet’ originally come from LiuYang, Changsha!” said Hu Xuegang, general manager of Tibet Peak Gong Honey Co. Looking back to 2018, during an investigation in Gongga County by Changsha's technical aid cadre Wu Guoqiang, he discovered that the flowering periods of蜜源 plants like wolfberry and dandelion were well-timed, and the plateau's clean environment was suitable for developing high-quality beekeeping. In 2020, with the strong push of the Changsha aid team to attract investment, 10 million LiuYang bees were sent across 3,000 kilometers to assist in the plateau’s development. The Hive No. 1 beekeeping base was officially established in Jiangtang Town, and Tibet Peak Gong Honey Co. was registered in June of the same year.

Currently, the Hive No. 1 apiary has expanded from a single base to an industrial cluster covering ten plateau apiaries, situated at an average altitude of over 3,600 meters, and producing over 80,000 pounds of honey annually.

Changsha Standards Cultivating the Sweet Industry

In the dust-free production workshop constructed based on pharmaceutical standards at Peak Gong Honey Co., the entire automated production line introduced from Changsha is operating smoothly. Hu Xuegang picked up a bottled product, with the number “43” prominently displayed on the packaging. “This is our quality commitment, representing that the Baume degree of Peak Gong Honey's products is no less than 43,” Hu explained. Much like how alcohol content indicates the level of alcohol in beverages and protein content indicates the nutritional density of milk, Baume degree is specifically used to denote the ratio of effective components and moisture in honey. The Baume degree of Peak Gong Honey products is not lower than 43 degrees, corresponding to a moisture content of only 17%, which is significantly higher than the national first-class honey standards.

In 2021, its wolfberry honey product won the “National Citizens’ Assured Honey Gold Award,” becoming the only honey product in Tibet to receive such honor. “The green food certification is currently in its final review phase, and the ‘Hundred Villages, Ten Thousand Households’ initiative is also underway!” Hu Xuegang noted that the Changsha aid team is working closely with the company to identify locations in Shannan City, planning to establish standardized apiaries in 100 villages in the future.

Today, the entire industry of Peak Gong Honey Co. has created job opportunities for 458 local individuals. With its high altitude, high standards, and high quality, Peak Gong Honey is rooted in the plateau, resonating with the message “Allowing the common people to live increasingly sweeter lives,” showcasing the rich “Changsha DNA” as the sweet enterprise flourishes in the snowy plateau.