Western China - news and development

[TaiShang]

Roads, rails transform lives in the west

China Daily, September 5, 2017

For centuries, the only connection between Mashuping village and the outside world was a narrow, meandering path deep in the mountains. Now, a highway has ended its isolation.

A car travels along the Yan'an section of the Yanhuang Highway in August. The highway, stretching 828.5 kilometers along the west bank of the Yellow River, opened on Aug 28 and is set to benefit more than 2 million residents.[Photo by Shao Rui/Xinhua]

It takes just five minutes to walk from the village in Shaanxi province to the Yanhuang Highway, which opened this week. The road, stretching 828.5 kilometers along the west bank of the Yellow River, cost 6.9 billion yuan ($1.05 billion).

In the past, it was not easy to transport construction materials to the village, so many residents lived in cave homes. Children had to walk for hours to get to school, and if a villager became ill, they would be carried by stretcher to the nearest road, where they could be taken by car to hospital.

The lack of infrastructure meant there were no business opportunities. Persimmons would rot on trees, as there was no way to take them to market.

Due to the isolation and poverty, men also struggled to find wives. "When I got married more than 20 years ago, I was brought here on the back of a mule," recalled Shi Bianrong. "I have regretted my decision ever since."

Yet the Yanhuang Highway promises to bring prosperity to the village. Some residents plan to open guesthouses or stores along the road, which links several tourist destinations, including Hukou Waterfall and the sacred Mount Huashan.

The central government unveiled a national strategy in 1999 to accelerate economic growth in the inland west, including building a network of highways, railways and airports. Shaanxi alone now has around 5,000 km of expressways, and that number is expected to surpass 6,000 km in 2020.

The Belt and Road Initiative also aims to link the economies of dozens of countries, propelling growth.

A new bullet train service between Baoji in Shaanxi and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, began operation on July 9, connecting the northwest to the national high-speed rail network.

Every Spring Festival, Wang Yadong and his wife travel from Tongwei, one of the poorest counties in Gansu, to Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, where their son and daughter work. The journey used to take more than 36 hours.

"Now I take the bullet train to Guangzhou. The travel time has been cut to 11 hours," Wang, 55, said.

Shaanxi has 46 international air routes as well as freight train routes to Central Asia and Europe, and it has a free trade zone and inland port to facilitate the building of an international logistics hub, according to its Party chief, Lou Qinjian.

"Western China is an important area in the latest round of opening-up," said Zeng Zhaoning, a professor of economics at Xi'an Shiyou University. "Improved transportation infrastructure has transformed western areas and people's lives."

 

[JSCh]

Scientists collect HDR under Earth’s surface
By Shan Jie Source:Global Times Published: 2017/9/7 0:08:39

Chinese scientists have successfully excavated and collected hot dry rock (HDR) beneath the Earth surface in Northwest China's Qinghai Province, which analysts said could become a potential clean energy resource for China in the future.

The HDR of 236 C was collected under 3,705 meters beneath the surface of the earth in Gonghe Basin in Qinghai, making it the deepest-level and highest-temperature HDR ever collected by Chinese scientists, CCTV reported on Wednesday.

"The HDR is a new energy source that can be used to generate electricity," said Zhang Senqi, chief of the geothermal department of the Center For Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology under the China Geological Survey (CGS).

"It is often buried under the earth with a depth of at least 3,000 meters, and has a temperature above 150 C," Zhang told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Zhang and this geographic team have been working in Qinghai on the HDR for three consecutive years.

The HDR is scattered almost all over the world. The energy contained in the HDR at a depth of 3-10 kilometers could be 30 times that of petroleum, natural gas and coal, according to a report by the Science and Technology Daily on Saturday.

The CGS under the Ministry of Land and Resources said that China's HDR reserves might amount to 856 trillion tons of standard coal equivalent, among which 17 trillion tons could be excavated and collected, CCTV reported.

"The Tibetan plateau, especially the South Tibet region, has the rich deposits of the HDR with high temperature," Zhang said.

"The HDR, clean and recyclable, could be a potential energy source for China, which lacks energy resources," Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Zhang said that compared with the traditional hydrothermal and geothermal, the HDR is solid with higher temperature and rich energy content. "Moreover, the exploitation of HDR would not cause environmental hazards and will be hardly impacted by environmental factors."

Zhang added that some countries, such as the US, have begun research on HDR since the 1970s.

According to a Xinhua News Agency's report in 2014, only a handful of countries including the US, Japan and Sweden have mastered the technology regarding power generation using HDR.

"However, the utilization of the HDR for energy has a long way to go due to constraints of available technology means, including difficulties to collect the HDR and how to convert it into power," Lin noted.

"The theory of the HDR has existed for a long time, but since it has no market currently, few scientists are researching it," Lin said, adding that the country need to pay more attention on it.

 

[AndrewJin]

Liuzhou!
Guangxi, Southwest China

@powastick @Kaptaan @Götterdämmerung @Gibbs @Arsalan @Jlaw @Keel @GeraltofRivia et al

 

[JSCh]

What's in a Tibetan baby name?
XINHUA Sep.20,2017

The medical team from CNPC Central Hospital take a group photo in Tsonyi County, Tibet Autonomous Region. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

By Cheng Lu, Lin Li, Huang Yan

After just a week in Tsonyi County, China's highest county, doctor Huo Zhiping had two babies named after him, because he performed caesareans on their mothers.

Huo, an obstetrician with a medical team from Central Hospital of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), was a volunteer in Tsonyi County，Tibet Autonomous Region, this summer.

Huo Zhiping, an obstetrician with the medical team, checks on a patient. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

The newborns, Huo Dangsheng and Huo Yousheng, were the first babies delivered locally via cesarean operation in the county, where most areas are around 5,000 meters above sea level.

LIFE STORIES IN NAMES

With her baby boy in her arms, Chode remembers her fear about his birth. She was diagnosed with a deficiency of amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck.

"Chode needed a caesarean, but we had never performed one," said Changchub Drolma, head of the People's Hospital of Tsonyi County, the only hospital in the county.

Expectant mothers like Chode were usually transferred to hospitals in Lhasa, across more than 700 kilometers of mountain roads. "The trip was perilous for both mothers and babies," said Changchub Drolma.

The consulting room is overcrowded with Tibetan patients. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

Chode was lucky as the medical team was in the county for a week.

"On the plateau, it's hard to know the condition of mother and baby with such little natural oxygen," said Zhang Yanzong, who led the medical team.

Huo pointed out that Chode was 36 years old, which made complications such as postpartum bleeding more likely.

The altitude also affected the doctors who had to perform the operation while taking in bottled oxygen themselves. "Lack of oxygen makes you slow in your reactions," Huo said.

After one and a half hours, a baby boy was delivered.

Huo Dangsheng, a baby boy, is delivered via cesarean operation. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

"Thanks to doctor Huo and others in the medical team," said new father Pasang. The couple decided to name their son after Huo, so he would remember who had saved his life.

One day later, Sangye Drolma, 28, came to the hospital from a township more than 200 km away. She showed signs of a difficult childbirth.

After a cesarean lasting around 70 minutes, her daughter was born. She also named the girl after Huo.

A doctor takes care of the baby girl Huo Yousheng. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

These naming stories remind Yang Wensheng, Party Secretary of Tsonyi County, of his own family.

Yang's mother had a difficult delivery when giving birth to his older sister in northwest China's Shaanxi Province over 60 years ago. The doctor on duty told his parents that only one could survive, either the mother or the baby.

Doctor Meng Xiangan is doing medical ultrasound for Tibetan patients. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

"It was their first baby," Yang said.

But a doctor named Yang rushed to hospital from home and performed surgery that saved both mother and baby girl.

"My father felt so indebted that he decided to name my sister after the doctor. He even said no matter how many children he had, they would all be named Yang," he recalled.

The Tibetan family kept its word. All nine children have the surname Yang.

Doctor Liu Tao measures blood pressure for Tibetan patients. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

IMPROVED MEDICARE ON THE PLATEAU

Home delivery was preferred in rural Tibet, causing high maternal and infant mortality. Tibetans believed that home births were more "natural" and it was difficult for many who lived in remote areas to get to hospital.

When the plateau was liberated in 1951, its maternal and infant mortality rates stood at 50 per and 430 per 1,000 respectively. The figures had dropped to 1 and 16 per 1,000 in 2015.

Behind the change is improved medical care and more acceptance of hospital births. More than 90 percent of Tibetan women choose hospital births now. Tibet covers hospital costs for mothers from rural areas and offers a one-off payment of 1,000 yuan (around 150 U.S. dollars) each time they deliver in a hospital.

Doctor Dong Yixue checks blood sugar for a patient. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

With 22 medical staff, the People's Hospital of Tsonyi County can treat simple illnesses and perform some surgery. Patients with severe problems still have to go to Lhasa.

"The medical situation in Tsonyi has improved a lot in recent years," said Yang. Tibetans who were once unable to afford to see a doctor, now regularly visit government clinics and hospitals.

Doctor Rao Shijun checks out patient’s health report. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

Through a government "pairing-up" program since 1994, various provinces, municipalities, central government departments and state-owned enterprises have provided personnel, materials, financial and technological support to Tibet.

In 2002, CNPC, China's largest oil and gas producer and supplier, began to support the county, said Li Anming, director with the emergency office of CNPC Central Hospital. Affiliated hospitals started to send medical teams to the county in 2009. So far, nearly 100 doctors have volunteered to go there. Local Tibetan doctors and nurses also visit affiliated hospitals for training each year.

Huo's medical team received more than 950 patients and performed four operations, including the two caesareans, in just a week.

Lots of Tibetan patients are waiting to see doctor in the corridor of the People's Hospital of Tsonyi County. Photo by Wang Zhifu from CNPC

"Most of patients traveled over 200 km to see us. I was touched by their trust," said Huo.

Before leaving Tsonyi, Huo put the photos of the two Tibetan babies in his suitcase.

"I started missing this place before I even left, missing my 'daughter' and 'son,'" he said.

 

[JSCh]

Stable power supply available to 70 percent of Tibet
(Xinhua) 16:52, September 28, 2017

LHASA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Stable electricity supply has reached 70 percent of Tibet's population as grid upgrades in the region conclude.

Sources with the State Grid Corporation said the region's main grid has been extended to 62 out of 74 counties and urban districts in Tibet Autonomous Region, covering 1.6 million people living in rural areas.

As of the end of 2011, power had reached the last 520,000 rural Tibetans living without electricity, but the supply remained unstable as power in some places were provided by small hydro stations and blackouts were common during the winter dry season.

In 2016, Tibet began the latest upgrade of rural electricity, extending the main grid to previously unreachable areas. The upgrade is estimated to cost about 11.9 billion yuan (1.83 billion U.S. dollars).

The authorities have set a target to provide stable electricity to 97 percent of Tibet's population by 2020, and the remaining 3 percent will use solar panels or small hydro-stations.

 

[JSCh]

Tibet opens air ambulance center
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-30 18:29:03|Editor: Lu Hui



LHASA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- An emergency rescue center was established in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region Saturday, marking the first two air ambulances for civil use in the region.

Each fully-fueled helicopter equipped with breathing machine, defibrillator and other medical facilities can carry a patient for up to 600 km, said Ma Jun, director of the center affiliated with the Red Cross Society of Tibet.

The helicopters will be based in Tsechokling airport in the regional capital of Lhasa, and can take off in 25 minutes if needed.

The center will provide services to seven prefectures and cities in the region, with only a 20 square meter spot needed for landing, Ma said.

According to Ma, the center will have a further helicopter equipped with a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, and an A505 passenger aircraft, which will help deliver patients around the world.

Liao Yidong, with the Red Cross Society of Tibet, said the air ambulances would make delivery of patients in critical condition much faster in the plateau region.

 

[JSCh]

Tibet Museum goes into renovation, will reopen in 2020
CGTN
2017-10-29 11:58 GMT+8

The Tibet Museum kicked off a renovation plan on Saturday to extend its current size on the original site in Lhasa, which is expected to complete in 2020.

The outlook of the museum will be designed in the asymmetric structure after the renovation, with its size expanded to 65,000 square meters, doubling its present size. The renovated museum will be able to accept up to 7,000 visitors per day upon reopen.

A relic preservation center will be built for Tibet art treasures protection and study, and there will also be areas for public education and entertainment.

A photo showing the designing of the Tibet Museum /CNS Photo

According to Xinhua's report, the country has invested 660 million yuan (99 million US dollars) into the expansion project, and the architecture will follow the traditional Tibetan style but applying modern construction materials so that new energy such as the abundant solar energy there will be used.

The Tibet Museum has about 520,000 pieces of collections, including thangka, Tibetan Buddhist paintings on cotton or silk applique, Buddhist statues and jade and porcelain containers.

There are also many priceless collections, such as a pottery cup made 4,000 to 5,300 years ago, a century-old Buddhism sutra written on birch bark, which is the only one of its kind in the world, as well as edicts on gold foil issued by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).

A photo showing the designing of the Tibet Museum's interior‍ layout /CNS Photo

It was opened to the public in 1999, in order to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China as well as the 40th anniversary of the democratic reform in Tibet. It is the first and largest museums in Tibet.

The museum has already shut down since December 2016, but during the years of renovation, its collections will continue to be exhibited through tour exhibitions in other museums out of Tibet.

 

[JSCh]

'Border mothers' give love to children of poor families in Tibet
2017-10-30 13:26 CCTV.com Editor:Li Yan

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Photo shows border mother Liu Lian taking a picture with her 'claimed sons' on Oct. 27, 2018. (Photo/Xinhua)

Dingjie border police station of Tibet Public Security Frontier Corps has carried out an activity of 'border mothers' helping children of poor families. Nine female officers, called border mothers, have claimed 15 poverty-stricken children from Dingjie Central Primary School. Among those children, the youngest is 4 and the eldest is 14. These young border mothers, some of whom also have their own children, visit their 'claimed kids' at least twice a month. The border mothers’ responsibilities are to give the children mental and material support and guide them to grow up healthily.

 

[JSCh]

China completes renovation of Tibet's iconic Potala Palace
CGTN
2017-11-05 14:13 GMT+8
Updated 2017-11-05 15:27 GMT+8

The 1,300-year-old iconic Potala Palace, the official residence of the Dalai Lamas in Tibet's capital Lhasa, has completed a large-scale renovation project on Sunday.

The renovation took nine days and used 92 tons of natural pigments in total.

The project, focused on repairing the palace’s gold-plated roof and improving its security surveillance system, was estimated to cost over 10 million yuan (1.5 million US dollars). It was approved by China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage on October 5.

The Potala Palace was home to the Dalai Lamas since 1964 and it remains an iconic feature of Lhasa till date. Due to the long-term exposure to wind, sun and rain, parts of the gold plating have been damaged, said Jorden from the palace's administration body, stressing the renovation will prolong the life of the roof.

Originally built in the 7th century, the palace was then rebuilt and extended during the 17th century. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994 and is the most famous tourist attraction in Tibet.

Last year, 1.37 million domestic and international tourists visited the place. The number of tourists was restricted to 2,300 per day to avoid overcrowding its narrow rooms and corridors.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the central government has spent nearly three billion yuan protecting cultural heritage in Tibet in the last two decades.

 

[AndrewJin]

New high-speed railways to be opened at the end of 2017
2 in Western China

Western China: Xi'an-Chengdu (final phase)
Western China: Chongqing-Guiyang (could be in Jan. 2018)
Northern China: Shijiazhuang-Jinan

marked in green

 

[JSCh]

1,424 historical and cultural sites protected in Tibet
2017-11-28 10:36 Xinhua Editor:Li Yan

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Photo taken on March 12, 2017 shows the Baiqoi Monastery in Xigaze Prefecture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. So far there are 1,424 historical and cultural sites being protected at different levels in the autonomous region. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

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Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2017 shows the remains of the Guge Kingdom in Ngari Prefecture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. So far there are 1,424 historical and cultural sites being protected at different levels in the autonomous region. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun)

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Photo taken on April 26, 2017 shows the Sagya Monastery in Xigaze Prefecture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. So far there are 1,424 historical and cultural sites being protected at different levels in the autonomous region. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

 

[JSCh]

Nov. 2812:05 PM
Construction Complete on Roadbed of Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway

The primarily work on the roadbed of a railway connecting Lhasa, capital city of the Tibet autonomous region, and Nyingchi county in the region’s southeast, has been completed, China Railway Corp., the country’s railway operator, announced Tuesday.

The 402-kilometer railway line will become an important route linking Tibet with the neighboring Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, further facilitating rail transport to central and eastern China.


Weibo -> 这个牛啊---川藏铁路拉萨至林芝段路基主体... 来自彩云香江 - 微博

 

[JSCh]

Reporter’s Diary: Covering poverty relief in Tibet
Wang Zheng
2017-12-17 08:23 GMT+8

​

My 14-day trip of covering poverty relief in Tibet has come to an end. During the two weeks, I and 40 other journalists traveled to Lhasa, Xigaze, Shannan, and Nyingchi. Because Tibet is so big, we had to travel on bus for a whole day sometimes to get from one place to another. It was tiring, but sometimes, it provokes thinking.

A man having altitude sickness was taking in oxygen. / VCG photo

Altitude Sickness

The moment I knew that I'd be visiting Tibet, my first reaction was how to deal with altitude sickness. I was told to have medicine that contains Rhodiola rosea before the trip to ease the pain. So I did.

But it didn’t help that much. The moment I stepped out of the plane, I felt like fainting, with headache and nausea at the same time. Luckily I walked it off in a few minutes, but the pain returned and haunted me for at least three days.

I restrained myself from taking in too much oxygen from a bottle, because I don’t want to get addicted. Later, my driver told me that the best thing to ease altitude sickness is actually sugar rather than the medicine.

So for those who want to travel to Tibet, here’re some useful tips: Do bring or buy glucose drinks. Do drink a lot of fluid. And summer is the best time to visit the plateau. The oxygen is richer during summer and scenery is more beautiful.

CGTN photo

Government’s role in poverty reduction

The government plays a crucial role in poverty alleviation. In the case of Tibet, the local governments need to role out polices targeting households with different situations, while providing all kinds of support to those in need as well.

Authorities make plan to help residents in poverty after thorough investigation. They need to decide whether to move households to a more suitable place or to help households land jobs by providing training.

Besides, the governments in Tibet provide all kinds of support to businesses and people to reduce poverty. As I have mentioned in the fourth episode of the series Poverty relief in Tibet, the government provide money directly to businesses to fund their development, while using financial leverage at the same time. Authorities also set up cooperatives to help find orders for businesses. For example, Tibet Supply and Marketing Agency, a subsidiary of the national agency, has launched a program to collect farm product from counties across Tibet and help farmers, collectors, herdsmen to find sales representatives. Consumers are assured to find quality product with reasonable price there.

VCG photo

Balancing between stability and development

When I was traveling in Tibet, I didn’t notice any difference between Tibet and other provinces till I met with quite a few check points. Some required the passengers to get out of car and swipe ID cards to go by. I didn’t think much of it at first. But after talking to a local official, the thoughts on balancing between stability and development grew on me.

The official told me that tourism was robust in the summer of 2007, after Qinghai-Tibet railway was lunched. Hotel rooms were hardly available. But after violence erupted on March 14, 2008, tourism in the region plunged. People in the traveling business took a hit. He noted development was important, but there’s no development without stability.

His words made me think. I firmly believe everyone is entitled to live a good life. And it largely depends on the macro economy. That is to say, development should be a priority for governments. But, as the official pointed out, steady development cannot be realized if there’s no stable environment. Anyone knows a little economics know risk is not a friend of capital. So, in order to bring good life to the people, the government do need to create a stable environment.

 

[TaiShang]

More than 1 trln USD invested in western China
Xinhua, December 18, 2017

China has plowed 6.85 trillion yuan (1.04 trillion U.S. dollars) into the development of its western regions since 2000 to help the less-prosperous inland catch up with coastal areas.

"So far, there have been 317 major projects...which not only improved infrastructure in western regions but boosted advantageous industries and people's livelihood," Meng Wei, spokesperson with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said Monday at a press conference.

In 2017, nearly 500 billion yuan was pumped into 17 infrastructure projects covering railways, roads, water conservation and energy.

Although lagging behind in terms of economic aggregate, western regions are taking the lead in growth pace. Their fixed-asset investment rose 9.3 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months, quicker than the 8.1-percent and 6.9-percent increases in eastern and central areas, respectively.

China launched its "go west" strategy in 2000 to boost economic development of 12 western provincial-level regions, including Chongqing, Tibet and Inner Mongolia, which are home to more than 400 million people.

Under the strategy, western regions enjoy support in areas including infrastructure construction, foreign investment, environmental protection and education.

The NDRC also said it approved 16 fixed-asset investment projects in high tech industries and water conservation with total investment of 72 billion yuan in November. A total of 3.84 billion yuan is earmarked for reducing poverty in 2018, with 90 percent going to Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu.

http://www.china.org.cn/business/2017-12/18/content_50109524.htm

 

[JSCh]

Tibet offers free treatment to patients with parasitic tapeworm disease
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 15:38:51|Editor: pengying



LHASA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Tibet Autonomous Region has this year conducted around 1,300 surgeries for people with hydatid disease (Echinococcosis), a fatal parasitic tapeworm disease affecting China's herding communities.

The local government also provided medication worth more than 5.8 million yuan (around 900,000 U.S. dollars) to infected residents at no charge, according to the regional health and family planning commission Friday.

Tsotri Sangmo, a herdsman from Bachen County of Nagqu Prefecture, was found to be infected with the disease, and received a nine-hour surgery in the No. 2 People's Hospital of Tibet.

"I didn't spend a penny on the screening or on the treatment," he said.

Jiang Zonghua, a doctor with the hospital, said dozens of medical workers from across the country went to Tibet to train local doctors on the disease's control and treatment.

The commission revealed earlier this week that Tibet had screened 3 million people in 74 counties and districts and found around 30,000 cases of the parasitic disease, caused by the larval stage of the dog tapeworm, which leads to death if not treated.

The disease mainly affects herding areas in China's Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet and Xinjiang.

To fight hydatid disease, Tibet has set up 34 receiving stations and housed more than 85,000 stray dogs. By December, 90 percent of lambs in the region had been vaccinated against the disease and 90 percent of dogs offered anti-tapeworm medication, the commission said.