Tibet to enjoy free delivery of home appliances

Residents in Tibet Autonomous Region's major cities of Lhasa and Xigaze will enjoy free delivery of home appliances for online orders, Cainiao Network Technology announced on Friday.

The Alibaba-backed Cainiao, together with RRS Logistics, has established cargo transport links between Lanzhou, a northwestern commercial hub, and Tibet, allowing Tibetans to receive deliveries within a week.

Free delivery for online shopping is the norm in many parts of China, but the remote Tibet Autonomous Region has been excluded for most shops on China's online shopping platforms due to high transportation costs, which can reach as much as a third of the commodity price.

It takes several days for herdsmen to travel on horseback to buy a television in the region.

Due to the environment, ox carts and tractors will also be used to transport home appliance orders, said Li Tao, a Cainiao logistics expert.

Lhasa and Xigaze are among the highest-altitude cities in the world, with an average altitude of 3,650 and 3,836 meters respectively.

About 70 percent of Tibet's 3 million population has access to the Internet and most of them use their mobile phones to get online. Alibaba owns Taobao.com, China's biggest online shopping platform.