Western China - news and development

[JSCh]

Tibet to host development forum
Source: Xinhua 2016-07-06 16:19:32

LHASA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The Forum on the Development of Tibet will be held on Thursday and Friday in regional capital Lhasa, local authorities said on Wednesday.

More than 130 researchers, officials and correspondents from over 30 countries and regions are scheduled to attend the forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Tibetan regional government.

The agenda will be focused on discussion of entrepreneurship and industrial modernization in Tibet, preserving tradition, environmental protection, Tibet's involvement in regional infrastructure projects, and poverty relief, the regional government said in a statement.

Nikhil Agarwal, a forum participant from the Press Trust of India, visited Lhasa and Shannan before the event.

"The forum is going to be very interesting for all of us," he said. "India shares a long border with Tibet, but still, due to the geography and the mindset, we do not really get to know what is happening in Tibet.

"This is the best way to see things that are happening in Tibet, not from reading newspapers or bias about what is happening here."

 

[TaiShang]

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@AndrewJin @TaiShang

Isn't that the high speed rail in the left background of these pictures?

Actually I did not notice it, with a lot of focus on the hami melons, LOL.

But, most likely so. Otherwise, looks too narrow to be expressway.

 

[JSCh]

Tibet development forum opens in Lhasa
Source: Xinhua | 2016-07-07 16:04:35 | Editor: huaxia

LHASA, July 7, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Participants attend the Forum on the Development of Tibet in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 7, 2016. More than 130 researchers, officials and correspondents from over 30 countries and regions attended the forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Tibetan regional government. The agenda will be focused on discussion of entrepreneurship and industrial modernization in Tibet, preserving tradition, environmental protection, Tibet's involvement in regional infrastructure projects, and poverty relief, the regional government said in a statement. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun)

LHASA, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The Forum on the Development of Tibet opened on Thursday in the regional capital Lhasa.

Liu Qibao, publicity chief of the Communist Party of China, said at the opening ceremony that Tibet's development should be guided by the principles of innovation, coordination, green development, openness and sharing.

Tibet is on the cusp of a new round of development. It will continue to pursue economic and social improvement, augment people's livelihoods, encourage multiculturalism, and protect local culture and the environment, Liu said.

Christine Davies, vice president of the Asia Society, said forums like this play a very important role in generating understanding and respect. "I hope that many outside groups -- whether scholarly, business or other communities -- are invited to follow in our path this week to see firsthand both the progress and opportunities that exist for further development of this very strategic region," she said.

French writer Sonia Bressler, who has visited Tibet three times, said, "We need to put down our ignorance, pay attention to details and listen harder when in Tibet."

More than 130 researchers, officials and correspondents from over 30 countries and regions have been invited to attend the forum, which will last until Friday. It is hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Tibetan regional government.

The agenda is focused on discussion of entrepreneurship and industrial modernization in Tibet, preserving tradition, environmental protection, Tibet's involvement in regional infrastructure projects, and poverty relief, according to the regional government.

 

[JSCh]

Qinghai-Tibet groundwater rising: report
Source: Xinhua 2016-07-07 14:43:54

LHASA, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Groundwater in and around the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is on the rise thanks to increased runoff from glaciers, precipitation, and administrative actions to store more groundwater, according to a report by Chinese and Swedish researchers.

Groundwater has risen in the Jinsha River basin, Nujiang-Lancangjiang Rivers source region, the Yangtze River source region, Yellow River source region, Qaidam Basin and the Qiangtang Nature Reserve, said the report, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Scientists with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Swedish Land Survey Authority, and the University of Hong Kong's Department of Earth Sciences used satellites to monitor changes in groundwater storage in the plateau and its surroundings from 2003 to 2009.

"Understanding the changes in groundwater is key to the use and control of water resources in the plateau," said Wang Hansheng, a researcher with the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, under the CAS.

The government could use the research findings to plan farming, herding, engineering projects, prevent geological disasters and explore geothermal resources, Wang said.

 

[ahojunk]

More news on the forum in Tibet.

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Forum aimed at Tibet development
2016-07-07 07:47:04 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Li Linxi

Scholars travel around Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. Over 130 scholars, officials and correspondents from 30 countries and regions gather in the city, to attend a Forum on Development of Tibet held on the same day. [Photo: CRIENGLISH]

More than 130 scholars, officials and correspondents from over 30 countries and regions have gathered in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, for a Forum on the Development of Tibet.

The scholars were very impressed by the changes Tibet had gone through in the past couple of years.

CRI's Li Jianhua reports from Lhasa.

Traveling in a convoy of buses, the scholars, who are interested in Tibetan culture, were carried from one place to another, to see the development of the holy land.

With an average elevation of more than 3,600-metres, altitude sickness didn't seem to dampen the interests of the foreign scholars.

Albert Ettinger, a German scholar, was very impressed by what he saw.

"For those who often read newspapers from western countries, they would definitely be shocked by what they see here. I've read some books in French and German--I think the authors are all the mouthpieces of Dalai Lama. The books say Tibetans are like living in prisons. They ignore the economic development of Tibet, but whoever comes here would notice that the transportation system in Lhasa is quite developed, and the city planning is also very good."

Likewise, Professor Bonaventure Haruna with the University of Jos in Nigeria was happy to see the development in Tibet, such as new infrastructure and all sorts of facilities.

"I have never been here when Tibet was in its original state. I would prefer that Tibet should grow modern because everybody likes comfort. So why should people remain deprived of facilities that would make life comfortable. So let them ride on and provide them with facilities that would make life comfortable for the people."

In addition, the professor said education, in particular, should be given priority as it has multiplier effect on impacting on all sectors and guaranteeing self-reliant development as envisaged by the Tibetan regional government.

Against the background of China's "One Belt, One Road" Initiative, David Monyae, co-director of the University of Johannesburg Confucius Institute based in South Africa, said that the success of the initiative largely depends on how China manages its underdeveloped western regions such as Tibet.

Also, he said it is universal that there will be a conflict between economic development and cultural preservation, but China is doing well.

"This is not just a Chinese or Tibetan story. It's a global story. What do we do when we modernise. How do we modernise while we keep the tradition of our culture. It's a question of balancing--while you are modernising, you don't have to destroy your tradition and your culture. This is only the early phases, and the Chinese government is doing extremely well. China is learning from the world and the world is learning from China."

The agenda of the forum will be focused on discussions of entrepreneurship and industrial modernization in Tibet, preserving tradition, environmental protection, Tibet's involvement in regional infrastructure projects and poverty relief.

The conference will start later today and last until Saturday.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua reporting from Lhasa.

 

[ahojunk]

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Overseas experts praise Tibet ahead of forum
2016-07-07 16:32 | chinadaily.com.cn | Editor: Feng Shuang

Overseas experts and scholars have been impressed by the development of Tibet whilst sightseeing before the opening of the 2016 Forum on the Development of Tibet.

More than 130 scholars and experts from more than 30 countries and regions attended the forum today in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region. It is hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Tibet autonomous region government.

Before the forum's opening, the participants visited Lhasa and nearby areas, including cultural relics such as the Potala Palace.

Ahmed Zarif Alkadi, who teaches Chinese at Egypt's Minia University, said it was his first trip to Tibet, and that he was amazed by its beautiful natural scenery.

He has visited many places, including monasteries in Lhasa and a nearby village, in the past few days, he said.

He also considered Tibet different to what he thought it was back in Egypt.

"In Egypt we had little information about Tibet and I knew Tibet mostly from novels, and Tibet is depicted as a primitive place of isolation," Alkadi said, in Chinese.

"But here I have found a lot of modern elements, and people here are plain and kind."

Jim Stoopman, program coordinator at Brussels' European Institute for Asian Studies said it was his second visit to Lhasa and that he had seen incredible changes in the city compared to his last visit in 2010.

"It starts with the road from the airport to the city," he said, adding that it had been new, but there was mud when he first visited the city.

He also said he saw many new apartment buildings this time and also visited agricultural farms and monasteries in the past few days.

"I think the central government in China is trying its best and putting all efforts to develop the region and livelihood of the people," he said. "We've seen some examples in the past few days. Tibet is really developing and people are moving out of poverty. It's easier for minorities to go to universities, to enjoy good primary education, and to learn their languages."

Nikhil Agarwal, a senior correspondent at the Kolkata Bureau of Press Trust of India, said China had fulfilled its commitment to protect Tibet's fragile ecosystem, which is reflected in the fact that Tibet's forest coverage has increased from less than 1 per cent of the land area in the 1950s to the current level of 11.98 per cent. Protection of rare species, such as red deer and Tibetan antelope, has been successful, Agarwal said.

 

[TaiShang]

Tibet committed to environmental protection: official
Xinhua, July 8, 2016

Tibet will remain committed to protecting the environment, a deputy director of the regional Environmental Protection Department, said at the Forum on the Development of Tibet on Thursday.

Zhang Tianhua said more than 7.1 billion yuan (about 10 billion U.S. dollars) has been spent on this area since 2009, when an ecosystem protection plan got central government approval.

A total of 15.5 billion yuan is earmarked for environmental protection measures before 2030, Zhang told the forum.

The funding so far has been used to conserve grassland, forests, wetlands and wildlife reserves, and for building monitoring facilities.

More than a third of Tibet's land area is covered by nature reserves, totalling over 412,000 square kilometers.

"Sandstorms have been contained, biodiversity increased, and the wildlife population has been expanding faster than ever before. Tibet has made great achievements in conserving the environment," Zhang said.

"The regional government has also spent heavily on compensating farmers and herders for their efforts in protecting environment," he added.

Last year, more than 4.3 billion yuan was paid to Tibetan farmers and herders who patrol and protect forest and grassland.

 

[TaiShang]

Pilgrims to Lhasa benefit from Qinghai-Tibet Railway
2016-07-08 05:13:33 Xinhua Web Editor: Guo Yan


Passengers are seen on a train from Lhasa to Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 24, 2016. The quantity of pilgrims by train from Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces to Lhasa increased year by year as China's Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened on July 1, 2006. [Photo: Xinhua]


Monks are seen on a train from Lhasa of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to Xining of Qinghai Province after pilgrimages on May 27, 2016. The quantity of pilgrims by train from Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces to Lhasa increased year by year as China's Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened on July 1, 2006. [Photo: Xinhua]


A passenger reads at a waiting room of Lhasa Railway Station in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 24, 2016. The quantity of pilgrims by train from Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces to Lhasa increased year by year as China's Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened on July 1, 2006. [Photo: Xinhua]

 

[ahojunk]

Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang

Bayinbuluke Prairie in Xinjiang is two grassland hills with a total area of about 23,000 square kilometers. It is China's second largest prairie, smaller only than the Ordos Grassland Prairie. The Mongolian word "Bayinbuluke" means "rich spring water."

The famous "Swan Lake," China's one and only swan nature preserve is also in Bayinbuluke Prairie.

Enjoy these beautiful pictures!

Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

 

[JSCh]

Across China: Tibetan innkeepers cash in on tourism boom
Source: Xinhua 2016-07-08 16:59:10

NYINGCHI, Tibet, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Tibetan innkeeper Phuntsog describes his family hotel as the "dwelling place of the immortals."

His business card displays a beautiful scene of his hometown: two-story Tibetan houses surrounded by green pastures with a full moon against a snowy mountain in the background.

Phuntsog's home village is Tashigang, located in Lunang Township in Tibet's Nyingchi Prefecture, with an average altitude of 3,300 meters. It is near "China's most beautiful thoroughfare," a 5,476-km-long highway that runs from Shanghai, China's largest city, to Zham on the China-Nepal border in Tibet.

As tourism booms in Tibet, the remote, landlocked village has received a growing number of sightseers, particularly backpackers in search of scenic, lesser-known attractions.

Tashigang Village, hidden among craggy snow-covered mountains and evergreen forests, is home to only 311 people from 68 families. The village has become a major stop on many tourist itineraries.

In 2015, 20.2 million tourists visited Tibet. Tourism revenue topped 28 billion yuan, 15 times more than a decade ago. The flood of tourists has become a gold mine for the villagers, and Phuntsog was among the first to try his luck in the hospitality industry.

Phuntsog, born in 1950, never received any formal education. He learned to speak Mandarin only after China's reform and opening-up drive began in the late 1970s, when tourists started arriving at his hometown.

"There was little access to traffic, so I offered tourists rides on horseback and told them everything I knew about the land," Phuntsog said.

Fascinated by the landscape, many tourists asked him if they could stay for a couple of days.

"There were no hotels anywhere near the village, so I said they could stay with my family if they did not mind," said Phuntsog in an interview with Xinhua on Thursday, on the sidelines of a two-day forum on Tibet's development.

In 1998, he opened the first family hotel in the village, a small, traditional Tibetan house with eight beds. He charged 70 yuan (about 10 U.S. dollars) a day for three meals and a bed. The price was low and negotiable when lodgers were short of cash. In one extreme case, a guest paid only 10 yuan a day.

The guests love Phuntsog, who is friendly and always ready to help.

Once a careless guest forgot his video camera in the hotel room. Without a car or motorbike at hand, Phuntsog hiked to town to return it to him.

He carefully keeps everything that is lost and unclaimed, including clothing, cameras, handbags and cash. "I hope their owners will eventually come back and get them," he said.

Phuntsog became a member of the Communist Party of China at 62. "I feel compelled to live up to my obligations and lend a helping hand whenever I'm needed."

He often brings food and other supplies to his bedridden neighbor, Sanggyai Yeshi, who is over 70 and lives alone. Phuntsog took the old man to the hospital several times when his condition worsened.

Xiao Liujun, a photographer based in the regional capital Lhasa, stays at Phuntsog's family hotel every time he visits Tashigang Village. "There are a number of family hotels to choose from nowadays, but I still prefer Phuntsog's place."

Phuntsog's hotel has hosted guests from France, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.

As his business continued to expand, Phuntsog built three new houses that could accommodate 53 people.

Last year, he received nearly 3,000 guests and made about 300,000 yuan.

"It's not enough for me alone to become rich," said Phuntsog. "I want everyone's business to prosper, too."

He often shares his management experience with fellow villagers who have followed him into the hotel business, and when his place is full, he readily escorts guests to his neighbors' inns.

In Tashigang Village, there are now 43 family hotels with room for nearly 1,000 people. The village's tourism revenue topped 2 million yuan last year and the villagers' per capita net income surpassed 20,000 yuan, said Basang Tsering, Party chief of the village.

"We have all benefited from Tibet's tourism boom," he said.

 

[ahojunk]

NW China city denies rumored plan for nuclear power station
2016-07-07 11:33 | Ecns.cn | Editor: Mo Hong'e

(ECNS) -- Hanzhong City in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province has denied rumors that the city has plans to build a nuclear power station, local media reported.

The Development and Reform Commission of Hanzhong, the city's top economic planner, said in a statement on its official website that there's no such program in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020).

It also called on residents not to trust or spread the rumor.

Located in southwestern Shaanxi province, Hanzhong is the birthplace of the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) and the source of the biggest tributary of the Yangtze River.

Two other cities in the province, Ankang and Shangluo, also denied having any plans to build nuclear power stations.

China has 30 nuclear power generating units with a capacity of 28 million GW and another 24 units under construction, Xinhua reported in January.

 

[grey boy 2]

Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang

Bayinbuluke Prairie in Xinjiang is two grassland hills with a total area of about 23,000 square kilometers. It is China's second largest prairie, smaller only than the Ordos Grassland Prairie. The Mongolian word "Bayinbuluke" means "rich spring water."

The famous "Swan Lake," China's one and only swan nature preserve is also in Bayinbuluke Prairie.

Enjoy these beautiful pictures!

View attachment 316328
Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

View attachment 316329
Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

View attachment 316330
Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

View attachment 316336
Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

View attachment 316331
Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

View attachment 316332
Bayinbuluke Prairie, Xinjiang.

Beautiful pictures
Thanks for sharing bro

 

[ahojunk]

This dark sky reserve is good for astronomy and tourism.

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China's first dark sky reserve launched in Tibet
(China Daily) 09:06, June 23, 2016

China has launched its first dark sky reserve in the Tibet autonomous region's Ngari Prefecture.

Ngari is among the best sites for astronomical observation on earth, due to its high altitude and large number of cloudless days throughout the year. [Photo by Wang Xiaohua for chinadaily.com.cn]

The reserve covers an area of 2,500 square kilometers and aims to limit light pollution by stepping up protection of dark-sky resources for education and tourism development.

It was jointly launched by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation and the regional government of Tibet.

Wang Wenyong, head of the legal affairs department with the foundation, said in a news briefing on Tuesday that the launch of the preserve is only the first step in protecting the area from light pollution.

The reserve will also try to seek accreditation from the International Dark-Sky Association, a nonprofit organization based in the United State that is devoted to preserving and protecting the night time environment and dark skies globally.

Wang Xiaohua, head of the Chinese branch of the International Dark-Sky Association and a leader of the Ngari reserve program, said such areas were important for promoting astronomy.

Ngari is among the best sites for astronomical observation on earth, due to its high altitude and large number of cloudless days throughout the year.

However, the recent inflow of people from other areas has given rise to increasing urbanization, and thus the associated risk of more light pollution.

"If we do not take action now to preserve the area, we risk losing one of the best astronomical sites on earth," said Wang at the news briefing.

The foundation has also signed an agreement with authorities in Tibet's Nagchu prefecture to establish a night sky park, which will feature limited lighting facilities and a special area for astronomical observation.

The dark sky reserve covers an area of 2,500 square kilometers. [Photo by WangXiaohua for chinadaily.com.cn]

Airglow rippling over the Himalayas, taken on April 27, 2014. [Photo by Dai Jianfen for China Daily]

 

[JSCh]

Tibet forum: Road to progress
By Faisal Kidwai (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-07-08 10:05

Overseas experts and scholars attending the 2016 Forum on the Development of Tibet visit Jokhang Temple at Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet autonomous region, on Monday. [Photo by Tentsen Shiden/Tibet Daily]

If there's one word that could sum up the first day of the ongoing Tibet development forum, it would be infrastructure.

A region that had no paved roads in 1950 now has gleaming highways, a rail network and a well-connected airport.

"The central government has provided 600 billion yuan ($90 billion), or 90 percent of fiscal spending, in the form of subsidy to the Tibet autonomous region," said Liu Qibao, publicity chief of the Communist Party of China, at the forum's opening in Lhasa on Thursday.

Leonard van der Kuijp, a Harvard University professor and Tibetologist, said to China Daily website that when he first came to Lhasa in 1982, it took him more than six hours to reach the city from the airport, a distance of 70 kilometers. Today, it takes just an hour.

He wasn't alone in praising the achievements the region has made in such a short time. Many speakers at the forum expressed their admiration.

Albert Ettinger, a scholar from Luxembourg who is on his first visit to Tibet, said to China Daily website that although he had heard a lot about the development, he was surprised to see the progress.

Van der Kuijp said President Xi Jinping's plan under the Belt and Road Initiative to increase connectivity with neighboring countries, such as Nepal and India, will boost not only Tibet's economy, but also of these nations.

The region has already launched massive programs to take advantage of the opportunities. By 2050, it plans to build four rail lines going out of Lhasa. The construction of Sichuan-Tibet line and Lhasa to Nyingchi route is already under way.

But it is not just trains Tibet is focusing on. It aims to have more than 100,000km of highways by 2020.

The guests at the forum, which ends Friday, said they were confident that Tibet will overcome the challenges and continue to maintain balance between sound environment and development.

 

[TaiShang]

Wild animals seen along Qinghai-Tibet Railway



Photo taken on May 28, 2016 shows a Tibetan wild donkey along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Nagqu Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was designed to have 33 green channels for wild animals to migrate as long as it was built. These channels have been fully used by local animals within 10 years. [Xinhua]



Photo taken on June 6, 2016 shows Tibetan antelopes along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Nagqu Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was designed to have 33 green channels for wild animals to migrate as long as it was built. These channels have been fully used by local animals within 10 years. [Xinhua]



Photo taken on May 28, 2016 shows Tibetan antelopes at the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was designed to have 33 green channels for wild animals to migrate as long as it was built. These channels have been fully used by local animals within 10 years. [Xinhua]


Photo taken on June 6, 2016 shows Tibetan antelopes along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Nagqu Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was designed to have 33 green channels for wild animals to migrate as long as it was built. These channels have been fully used by local animals within 10 years. [Xinhua]


Photo taken on May 28, 2016 shows Tibetan wild donkeys along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Nagqu Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was designed to have 33 green channels for wild animals to migrate as long as it was built. These channels have been fully used by local animals within 10 years. [Xinhua]


Photo taken on May 28, 2016 shows a Tibetan antelope at the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was designed to have 33 green channels for wild animals to migrate as long as it was built. These channels have been fully used by local animals within 10 years. [Xinhua]

Photo taken on June 6, 2016 shows wild yaks along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Nagqu Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was designed to have 33 green channels for wild animals to migrate as long as it was built. These channels have been fully used by local animals within 10 years. [Xinhua]