Landscapes from the top

The station's true innovation lies in the small things.

For the "10 Questions About Glaciers" display, a flipboard answers questions about why glacial meltwater is not always safe to drink, as well as how glaciers have changed over recent decades.

"We're trying to take authoritative scientific knowledge and turn it into fun experiences," says Gai Yifang, a member of the station's lead design team.

"Through science-plus-art, we transform it into interactions where visitors can press buttons and listen. For tourists, it's more engaging and less like being lectured."

The team works closely with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to ensure accuracy.

Then they distill.

"For animals, we avoid long taxonomic descriptions and morphological characteristics," Gai says. "Instead, we highlight one memorable fact that visitors might find interesting — always based on scientific fact — and pair it with professional photography and scientific illustrations."

The station is powered by solar panels paired with an integrated battery storage system, enabling it to operate its lighting and interactive exhibits off the grid under normal conditions.

But the team didn't stop at the technical side. They turned nature itself into a teaching tool. Displays explain how mycorrhizal fungi lock carbon in forest soils, how serpentinite rocks absorb carbon dioxide and turn it into carbonate minerals, and how glaciers regulate global climate.

"Nature is itself a zero-carbon textbook," Gai says. "Visitors discover that zero carbon is happening around them every day."

The Nyingchi station is part of a growing national network.

In April 2024, the first nature station opened in Metog, with a bird-focused theme. Butterfly, giant tree, geology, cat, and orchid stations followed. In September 2025, four themed stations appeared in Bomi, dedicated to the region's glaciers, spruce forests, wildlife, and unique ecological systems.

Guo, general manager of the camp, says the network currently comprises 24 nature stations nationwide, with footprints in Xizang, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Shenzhen of Guangdong province, Chongqing and Wuxi in Jiangsu province.

The latest addition of the Nyingchi station to this growing network plays a special role.

"Previous stations were focused on individual themes — a single species or resource type. This station, however, presents a systematic geographical narrative of Nyingchi as a whole," Guo explains.

"It provides an overarching scientific context for other Nyingchi stations."

Functionally, its central location in Nyingchi makes it an ideal first stop, giving visitors an overall understanding of the region before they venture further.

"Tourists no longer just take a photo and leave. They can follow the stations' guidance and spend more time systematically exploring the land. This helps position Nyingchi as a world-class destination for ecological and cultural tourism."