Western China - news and development

[JSCh]

So they invested almost 100 million dollars on 7000 people which is close to $14000 USD per person just for electricity and still moving people out. It is very confusing.

Well, I can't help you. Probably those people that are moved are from surrounding area, not from the city? Since they are herder, and I don't think animal could be herd at 5,000 meters, therefore maybe they herd tibetan yak at lower altitude?

As for the investment, isn't that what gov't is supposed to do? State grid is SOE, and is the world second largest company, I don't think it would be a big problem for them.

 

[艹艹艹]

Infrastructure picks up speed in Xinjiang
Last Updated: 2020-01-07 09:12 | China Daily

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region accelerated infrastructure construction in 2019, including starting a record number of airports to boost economic development, the chairman of the regional government said.

"The construction of nine airports kicked off in 2019, which is unprecedented. Now, 56 regional air routes have opened, which is a great step forward in achieving the goal of connecting northern and southern Xinjiang as well as making travel inside and outside the region faster," Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the regional government, said on Monday while delivering the government work report during the opening ceremony of the annual session of the Xinjiang regional People's Congress.

Of the nine airports under construction, four are in less-developed southern Xinjiang, including Tashkurgan county in Kashgar prefecture and Yutian county in Hotan prefecture.

Covering one-sixth of Chinese territory, Xinjiang currently has 21 airports-the most among all provinces and regions.

What's more, all prefectures and cities in Xinjiang were connected with highways by 2019. Meanwhile, the power transmission network around the Tarim Basin was put into operation in 2019, solving the problem of shortages in Kashgar and Hotan, he said.

The region plans to further invest in infrastructure construction and boost connectivity by improving rail and highway networks this year, making it a key corridor on the Silk Road Economic Belt. The highway connecting Kashgar city with Pakistan is expected to be completed this year and will support the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Shohrat said.

Meanwhile, the region's annual GDP achieved growth of 6 percent in 2019 as the implementation of measures to root out religious extremism and fight terrorism in accordance with the law continues.

The measures have kept the region-which had experienced frequent terrorist attacks in the past-stable for more than three years. As a result, tourism in the region has boomed and significantly contributed to economic growth, he added.

Tourists visited the region, which is famous for its natural scenery and ethnic cultures, more than 200 million times in 2019, an increase of 41.6 percent year-on-year, according to the government work report.

 

[JSCh]

Tibet builds, upgrades 43,000 km of rural roads in 5 yrs
Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-07 17:08:16|Editor: mingmei

Coaches carrying herdsmen from Shuanghu County of Nagqu City run on a road while heading for relocation destinations in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Dec. 23, 2019. Tibet Autonomous Region has built or renovated a total of 43,400 km of rural roads over the past five years, according to local authorities. The regional government has invested 95.7 billion yuan (around 13.7 billion U.S. dollars) over the period in paving modern roads to 2,276 villages, according to the regional transport department. (Xinhua/Chogo)

LHASA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has built or renovated a total of 43,400 km of rural roads over the past five years, local authorities said Tuesday.

The regional government has invested 95.7 billion yuan (around 13.7 billion U.S. dollars) over the period in paving modern roads to 2,276 villages, according to the regional transport department.

Among the 74 counties in Tibet, all except Medog have been connected to passenger transport services.

Another 2,000 km of rural roads will be added by the end of 2020, the department said, adding that all the towns, as well as 80 percent of the villages, will have passenger transport services by then.

​

 

[letsrock]

Well, I can't help you. Probably those people that are moved are from surrounding area, not from the city? Since they are herder, and I don't think animal could be herd at 5,000 meters, therefore maybe they herd tibetan yak at lower altitude?

As for the investment, isn't that what gov't is supposed to do? State grid is SOE, and is the world second largest company, I don't think it would be a big problem for them.

Take it easy man - I am not holding you accountable for it haha. Just expressing surprise thats all. Like moving people 1000 kilomteres away and then investing hundreds of millions in the very area people moved away from. BUt i am pretty sure there is good explanation - china govt is very competent ofcourse especially in these matters.

 

[JSCh]

How AI (and Mushrooms) Are Helping Fight Poverty in China's Most Remote Villages
BY CHARLIE CAMPBELL
JANUARY 10, 2020

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10157173511331491

The last thing on Geru Drolma’s mind was becoming an internet celebrity. All she wanted was to make rent.

But the steamed buns Drolma rose at 5 a.m. each morning to make in her village in western China’s Sichuan province just weren’t selling fast enough. So with the bills mounting up, Drolma set off to hunt for wild fungi she hoped to sell at the local market, following the same azalea-strewn mountain paths carved by generations of her fellow ethnic Tibetans before her.


....

How AI Is Helping Fight Poverty in China's Most Remote Villages | Time

 

[JSCh]

Tangka painting takes root among Tibet youth with free classes
Source:Global Times Published: 2020/1/16 17:48:41 Last Updated: 2020/1/17 10:17:16

Annual Buddha tangka displaying ritual is held in Tashilhunpo Monastery in July 2019.

Young Tibetan people from poverty-stricken families in Southwest China's Sichuan Province can attend free Tangka art classes, allowing them to follow their dreams and change their lives.

There are three Tangka institutes or bases in Aba county of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan. These institutes offer free courses for poor farming or herding families, the China News Service reported on Wednesday. More young Tibetan people, including those born after 2000, have picked up the art of Tangka painting at these institutes. Their participation in Tangka painting also provides new opportunities for the survival of this ancient art.

Tangka, a style of Tibetan art involving painting on embroidery, can be admired by tourists thanks to the thriving development of tourism in Tibet, where over 2,000 Tangka artists can create about 1,000 pieces of Tangka paintings every year, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Tebuge, an inheritor of the Gula Pandita school of Tangka painting, published a textbook on Tangka. The book was reprinted for the eighth time in 2019, said the China News Service.

In April 2013, Tebuge founded a small Tangka teaching base and recruited 39 students. Tebuge taught them for free.

According to the report, the Tangka courses have three levels by complexity.

Zhaxi Lamu, a local-level culture and sport department official, said that painters in the base help students acquire painting skills for free. Most of the students go on to open their own studios or teach Tangka painting in other places. "This benefits not only local employment, but also preserves the traditional culture," he said, according to a report by the Sichuan News Website in 2017.

​

Students are working on Tangka.

​

A painter is drawing a Tangka featuring yaks on a stone.

​

The colors for painting Tangka

​

Sonam Drolma, a Tangka painting student born in 2000s, is at the Teguo Tangka base in Aba county of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on January 13.

 

[Stranagor]

NW China's Xinjiang aims to lure more tourists

CGTN

Northwestern China's Xinjiang Region plans to attract 300 million tourists this year to make tourism a pillar industry and support economic development as the region has effectively curbed the spread of terrorism and religious extremism, local officials said.

Xinjiang, which is famous for its natural beauty and diverse cultures, has always been a top tourist destination in China. However
the region experienced frequent terrorist attacks led by religious extremists and separatists between 1990 and 2016. Safety concerns drove many travelers away.

After the region implemented a series of measures to fight terrorism and religious extremism, not a single terrorist attack has happened in the past two years. As a result, tourism, which is seen as the indicator of the region's social situation, has boomed since then.

Winter sports are getting popular in northwestern China's Xinjiang Region.

Xinjiang received more than 200 million visits from tourists in 2019, up 41.6 percent year-on-year, Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the regional government, said when delivering the government work report last week.

In addition, the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, known for its vast grassland in the Ili River valley, drafted a tourism development plan in 2019 to support future development of the industry, which still has huge potential, according to Kurmash Yisjon, head of the prefecture. The number of tourists reached 59.7 million in 2019, showing a year-on-year growth of 45 percent.

"Tourism has become a driving force in sustainable development of the prefecture," Kurmash said. "We plan to use social media to better promote the unique beauty and experiences in Ili."

The scenery of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in spring.

The Altay Prefecture also witnessed a 45 percent increase in the number of visitors in 2019. The income brought by tourism reached 36.4 billion yuan (5.3 billion U.S. dollars), up 64.6 percent year-on-year, said Hadan Kabin, commissioner of the prefecture.

"The prefecture, which is rich in snow resources, plans to further boost tourism in the winter, which traditionally is Xinjiang's off-peak season," Hadan said.

Meanwhile, the regional capital of Urumqi is building itself into a famous international winter sports destination while constructing a Silk Road international tourist resort to attract tourists from around the world, said Yasen Sidik, mayor of Urumqi. The city received 67.3 million visitors from January to October last year, up about 50 percent year-on-year.

Xinjiang currently has 13 tourists sites with the top 5A ranking in China, and 16 more sites are in the process of applying for the designation.

Source(s): China Daily

 

[JSCh]

Urumqi's housing renovation benefits over 90,000 households
Source:Xinhua Published: 2020/1/19 13:00:00

Locals chat with each other in a renovated house in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Aug 18, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua)

More than 90,000 households in the city of Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, will see their neighborhoods transformed over the upcoming Spring Festival, according to the local government.

To improve the living conditions of local residents, the city started a comprehensive housing renovation project in dilapidated urban areas last year.

The project focuses on neighborhoods built in the 1980s and old residential areas without property management, where renovation works have been launched including the installation of elevators and the renovation of kitchens and toilets.

The local government said the project would continue to benefit more people in Urumqi.

"Thanks to the renovation project, a sink and shower have been installed in my bathroom," said Zhao Yongqiang, a local resident whose neighborhood was built in the 1980s.

"The costs of the renovations of kitchens and restrooms are shared by the government and us. We didn't spend much on our brand new house," Zhao said.

"I feel very happy as the living conditions are improved and we can enjoy a more convenient life," said Adili Xurondoker.

In recent years, Xinjiang has continuously spent more than 70 percent of its public financial expenditure on improving people's livelihoods every year.

 

[JSCh]

Tibet digitizes nearly 6TB of ancient documents
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-13 16:12:52|Editor: huaxia

Conservators of the Potala Palace make digital registration of the ancient documents in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

LHASA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has established a 5.94-TB database of ancient Tibetan documents and literature, with nearly 6,000 ancient books surveyed and registered in 2019, local authorities said.

The database construction in the region aims to further protect and utilize the old documents.

For many years, Tibet has faced difficulties in conserving and utilizing its ancient books, with most scattered throughout more than 1,300 temples.

A conservator of the Potala Palace registers an ancient document in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Nov. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

In 2009, Tibet started to comprehensively protect its ancient books. So far, it has surveyed and registered more than 18,000 old documents, which has laid a solid foundation for the database construction.

"The construction of the database of ancient Tibetan books and literature collected in Tibet's libraries will be completed soon and they will be accessible to the public," said Penpa Tsering, deputy head of the regional ancient book protection center.

 

[JSCh]

Roof of the world: The land that breeds the Bon religion
Mar 22, 2020
CGTN

The Dangra Yumtso is the largest holy lake for the Bon religion. On a land plot beside the holy lake are hundreds of small farmland patches. All of the farmland patches have their own names, showing how much their owners cherish the lands on which they were born and bred.

 

[JSCh]

Construction begins on 40 key projects in Tibet's Nyingchi
Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-27 21:49:41|Editor: huaxia

LHASA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Construction has begun on 40 key projects in the city of Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, authorities said Wednesday.

The projects cover a variety of areas, including infrastructure, public services, culture and tourism. The total investment stands at 2.339 billion yuan (327.2 million U.S. dollars). The projects are expected to employ more than 4,800 local farmers and herdsmen, and will increase people's incomes by 234 million yuan.

The projects bear great significance as they will bolster the industrial development and improve people's lives in Nyingchi, according to the city's government.

Work resumed on 51 key projects previously in Nyingchi.

 

[JSCh]

Construction of third highway across Taklimakan Desert enters final stage
Jun 7, 2020
New China TV

The construction of Yuli-Qiemo highway, the third north-south route running through China's largest desert of Taklimakan, has entered the final stage in Xinjiang, China

 

[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1270619205436489728

People's Daily, China✔@PDChina

Two helicopters carrying aircraft seeders on Mon started an aerial seeding trial in SW China’s Tibet, marking the first large-scale afforestation effort via helicopter in the area. The greening efforts will cover areas of over 145 sq km in Lhasa and Shannan in the next 5 yrs.



103
3:30 PM - Jun 10, 2020

 

[JSCh]

China's Xinjiang improves drinking water supply for the poor
Premiered Jun 17, 2020
New China TV

China's Xinjiang has been striving to provide clean and safe drinking water for all rural households, especially the poor.

 

[JSCh]

Orange flowers cast glow of prosperous future for farmers in China's Xinjiang
Jun 21, 2020
New China TV

A sea of flowers on the edge of China's largest desert. Mexican marigold planting helps farmers rise above poverty in Shache County in Xinjiang, China. #BeatingPoverty