Tibet Environmental Watch - Editorial and Op Ed Articles

Home

What's New

Reports

Wildlife

Geography

Development

Zone of Peace

Dalai Lama

Publications

Announcements

Links

Site Map

Editorial and Op Ed Articles

Introdution and Articles

Introduction to Tourism and Tibetan Areas of China Issue of Trin Gyi Pho Nya Oct/Nov 2006

Tourism and Mythology in Tibetan Areas of Northern Sichuan

Tourism to Tibet: Context and Recent Trends

Ways to Experience Uncontrolled Tibetan Culture in the Tourism Industry of Tibet

Water Scheme's Western Route Troubles Sichuan Scholars

News with Analysis and Briefs (Prepared by Thupten Norbu)

Does Qinghai –Tibet Railway Threaten Tibetan Antelopes?

China to Launch Plague Outbreak Exercise along Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Tibet Express Railway Accelerates Illegal Trade in Endangered Species

Lhasa to Link Shanghai Through Train

Conservationists Criticize the Government of China and India for not Taking Measures to Save Tigers

China to Launch Plague Outbreak Exercise along Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Public Burning of Fur was not Allowed During Kalachakra in Amdo

Nathula-pass Closed for Trade for this Year

2 More Villages of Kollegal to Go Organic, August 14, 2006

The Number of Canadian Mining Operation Grow in Tibet

Local Tibetans Protest Against Canadian Mining Company

17 Villages in Shangrai-la County to Form Napahai Wetland Association

UNISCO Threatens China to Delist One of its World Heritage Sites

The Western Route Water Diversion Project Worries China’s Minister of Water Resources, Scientist, and India

Introduction to Tourism and Tibetan Areas of China Issue of Trin Gyi Pho Nya Oct/Nov 2006
By Jack Patrick Hayes (Guest Editor)*

Western China’s uniquely diverse environment and ethnic societies are central issues of tourism and development in China. The astounding natural beauty of the Tibetan Plateau, from Sichuan to Nepal, attracts both domestic and international visitors. It is also home to a complex array of ethnic groups who are a key component of the environmental niches and eco-systems they inhabit in, and interact with as an integral part. While tourism can be a beneficial industry in local development, it can also be problematic in preserving authentic visions of the landscape and authentic Tibetan culture. This current issue of Trin Gyi Pho Nya looks at tourism issues in Tibet and Sichuan specifically, and the broader sphere of development in general.

As Jack Hayes’ essay points out, as tourism booms, an increasing number of creative ways of viewing the environment and history of northern Sichuan is problematizing local Tibetan identity and authentic Tibetan and Qiang culture. This is in part due to the increasing number of entrepreneurs from outside the region, but also based on provincial and national plans to turn the region into a tourist Mecca. Emily Yeh turns to the Tibet Autonomous Region and examines Chinese domestic tourism trends and their impact on representations of Tibet in China. The increase in domestic tourism has not only continued trends of commodification and exotification of Tibetan culture among Han Chinese, but also begun to change the nature of the tourist service industry and challenge the sustainability of tourism in the Lhasa area. Thupten Norbu closes the articles for this newsletter with an examination of the primacy of tourism in developing regional economies in western China. By promoting tourism as the primary industry of the region, the national government has not only expanded projects to publicize the Tibetan cultural landscape, it has also expanded moves to more closely control conditions and guides. While tourism can generally help the regional economy, care must be taken to avoid limiting Tibetan access to the industry in the sustained expansion of the tourism industry.

As these short essays make clear, the intertwined issues of tourism, identity and access are major issues facing the continued and rapidly expanding pillar industry of western China. The Tibetan Plateau’s diverse natural and cultural environment is central to the issues of tourism and development in western China, as it is the astounding natural beauty and culture of the region that attracts both domestic and international visitors. The “News with Analysis and Briefs” section further demonstrates the environmental issues facing Tibetan areas of China.

[* Jack Hayes is Ph D candidate at the University of British Columbia and did his field research in the Tibetan region of Songpan. For a full text version of the above article and more information relating to Songpan region, please contact Jack Hayes at jphayes@interchange.ubc.ca]

Tourism and Mythology in Tibetan Areas of Northern Sichuan
By Jack Patrick Hayes

The Tibetan areas of northern Sichuan are now well known and major destinations of choice for both domestic and international tourists for their unique natural geography, animals, and local cultures. The northern counties of Songpan (Zungchu), Jiuzhaigou, Hongyuan (Rme ba) and Heishui (Dmu dge) were not always known as a unique place outsiders know of and visit. During the late 19th and early 20th Century, the region was collectively considered by Han Chinese and most foreigners as a wasteland rife with banditry, or the remote eastern edge of Tibetan culture and religion. Tibetans knew it for its Bon and Buddhist temples, its holy mountains, and as the trade-gateway to Tibet proper. By the late 20th Century, however, local Tibetans and visitors of various stripes, largely in response to tourism and environmentalism innovations by the Chinese state, have altered their identification toward the region. The creative (re-) construction of regional identity has both positive and negative ramifications for local Tibetans and cultural identity. The Chinese state’s interest in the region, and subsequent investments in infrastructure began in the 1980s as part of Xibudakaifa (Develop the Great West) programs. Prior to the ‘80s, the entire region was considered remote and unproductive by Chinese authorities, and was exploited to a degree only for its forests. By the late ‘80s, however, the remote and unproductive designation gave way to a significantly redefined state-led regional identity. Surveys of the mountain ranges and forests by natural scientists alerted the state to the impressive geological and biological features of Jiuzhaigou (Gzi rtsa sdedgu) and Huanglong (Gser mtsho) areas. In the early ‘80s, the state designated several regional nature reserves with the goals of preserving the unique natural features of the region, but allowing planned and “environmentally sensitive” tourism development. Two main tourist circuits were planned and invested in—the primary circuit heading north through Songpan and Huanglong Nature Reserve to Jiuzhaigou, and a secondary tourist circuit that includes Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou, as well as stops to the west at Kalonggou Scenery area in Heishui and the grasslands of Hongyuan. The state proceeded through the late ‘80s and ‘90s to invest heavily in building the required infrastructure to allow mass tourism to develop in the area. This has not only included rebuilding the local highways and towns for tourist busses, but also construction of a new airport and runway in 2002-03 and the complete razing of downtown Songpan to create a “new-old Songpan” patterned on the architectural styles of late Imperial Chengdu.

The successful tourism development in these counties, in the name of ecological and environmental sustainability, have both helped and hampered local Tibetan identity. Local Tibetans, on the whole, have been happy to receive the extra income from various forms of tourism related service industries, which are not totally monopolized by Han and Hui. Furthermore, the state has encouraged (to a limited degree) performance of pilgrimage in Jiuzhaigou and around Songpan and Hongyuan, and even helped rebuild local monasteries and encouraged local Tibetans to add a host of “ethnic culture” experiences to tourist itineraries. These innovations have all been based on aspects of Tibetan life, folk traditions, and popular rituals—including commercialized Tibetan “village life” in Jiuzhaigou and “annual temple fairs” in Huanglong. However, the commercialization of local identity and the creation of local mythology by the state and Han tour guides is not without its problems.

In recent years, the identity of Tibetan areas of northern Sichuan is something that the Chinese state has seen fit to manipulate in a variety of ways without any reference to the Tibetans themselves. In this process, territorial claims are established by new myths and defined and reiterated with new rites and practices. Prior to the 1980s, this was accomplished in these four counties by renaming the landscape and places in Tibetan areas with Chinese names, not just on maps, but also all of the local signs and postings. More profound is the way in which Chinese territorial claims about the mountains, valleys and plains of the region have systematically erased Tibetan discourses from their narratives and replaced it with their own modern “myths.” The narrative cultural history of Huanglongsi nature reserve in the state management plan discusses the region in four primary contexts—that the area was neglected by Han and Tibetan Chinese, that it was linked to ancient Chinese history through myth stories of Emperor Yu, that Chinese poets eulogized the region during and after the Ming Dynasty, and that after Han Chinese built various temples, local Tibetans, Han and Qiang worshipped it as a sacred place. The site gained an illustrious Chinese history without mention of the Tibetan discourse about the “golden lakes” or the holy mountain, Shardung ri (Chi. Xuebaoding) or any of the other sacred sites in or adjacent to the nature reserve. Yet this is only one example of many where interesting new Chinese “myths” about the area created by state agencies to foster domestic tourism and lay “undeniable claim” to Tibetan areas of China. Other examples of creative mythmaking in the region include commercializing a-historical “temple fairs” in Huanglongsi, on Shardung ri, around Kalonggou, dispensing with Tibetan culture altogether around Jiuzhaigou or southern Songpan by using other exotic signifiers like the Qiang or Hui minorities, creatively anchoring the Long March (c. 1935) in the area by building a monumental sculpture park (who missed the area by about 100km), and commercialization of temples and monasteries throughout the region (the state has funded the restoration of “accessible” monasteries with the aim of opening them to mass tourism, but not as large-scale sites for teaching Tibetan monks).

In all of these cases, these areas provide money, jobs, and in the words of some local Tibetans, “entertainment.” But the success of the new “myths” about the region is problematic for local Tibetan culture and identity. The myths of the “temple fairs”, Long March, that the region was less Tibetan and more Chinese, or that Tibetans “neglected” the area have entered guidebooks and popular press books on the area as “history.” What was once a part of eastern Tibet, dominated by its holy mountain of Shardung ri, with its many Bon and Buddhist temples and monasteries, has become more integrally Han Chinese, where tourists enter a modern Chinese territory of Snow Treasure Peak, Yellow Dragon Temple, or hotels built in Qiang-style masonry and towns rebuilt in the likeness of late Imperial Chengdu.

Tourism to Tibet: Context and Recent Trends
By Emily Yeah *

In 1995, a year before tourism was declared a pillar industry there, roughly 30,000 tourists visited the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Ten years later, that number had grown to more than one million. In contrast to the situation a decade ago, the vast majority - over 90% - are Chinese rather than foreign. Indeed, according to the TAR Tourism Bureau, domestic tourists generated 1.2 billion RMB out of 1.5 billion RMB of gross revenue; local tour operators estimate that half of high-end package tours are taken by residents of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou alone. This dramatic explosion of domestic tourism to Tibet has resulted in part from the growing income levels and leisure time of the Chinese middle class. Furthermore, in recent years, the state has actively promoted "leisure culture," the transformation of culture into a resource that can be consumed by tourists and used as a form of capital accumulation. As part of this effort, in 1999 the state declared three "golden week" national holidays - the extension of the Spring Festival, Labor Day (May 1st) and National Day (October 1st) holidays to seven days each, as a way to encourage consumption and expand the domestic tourism market. These have led to complaints about overburdened transportation and services during these weeks, as well as problems of crowding beyond capacity. According to 2004 statistics, an average of 18,900 people per day visited China's 99 top tourist attractions over one Golden Week, but the average tourist attraction has a capacity to handle only 6000 visitors per day to prevent damage.

Another important driver is the changing representation of Tibet within China, from a barbaric and backwards place, to a mysterious and beautiful land. The commercialization of Tibetan culture has made it trendy, as evidenced by the growing number of chic boutiques in major cities selling "Tibetan" trinkets, as well as Shangri-la wine, Tibetan Fragrant spring sorghum liquor, and Tibet grass brand ginseng-berry juice, among many other products. While many tourists prefer to join tour groups which often make a whirlwind tour to the TAR, consisting only of Lhasa and perhaps Namtso, independent tourists are also growing in numbers, and a visit to any major bookstore in China will reveal several dozen travel guides and travelogues to Tibetan areas with titles such as Encounters with Paradise. Not unlike Western tourists, domestic Chinese tourists are often searching for something exotic and different while also approaching their destination with a sense of what can be called imperialist nostalgia. Distinct marketing campaigns and image production within China have also produced new patterns of travel to certain destinations. Namtso Lake, for example, has acquired a new representation as an auspicious site for lovers, leading to a dramatic increase in its number of visitors - 25,000 in the year 2003. A wedding ceremony for ninety-nine couples from across China was held at Namco in August of 2003, and another collective wedding ceremony for 39 couples in October 2006.

The shift to the domestic market has had other noticeable effects in Lhasa's tourist economy. Restaurants that for years catered to the Western backpacker crowd have developed Chinese language menus, and Chinese language skills have become ever more important for anyone working in the service industry. Tibetan shopkeepers who sell cultural artifacts such as jewelry and thangka paintings note that these days, Chinese tourists are on the whole more likely to spend large sums of money on their products than foreign tourists (a process paralleled by the changing composition of foreign vs. domestic donations to lamas and monasteries). At the same time, authenticity and proof of local production of handicrafts does not seem to be as high of a priority for the domestic tourist market as it is for many foreign tourists, a situation which has allowed many Chinese entrepreneurs to more easily move into the business of producing and selling "Tibetan" goods. Though not directly caused by trends in tourism, there has also been a noticeable shift over the past several years from Tibetan to Chinese management of stores in Lhasa 's Barkhor, the most prominent market from which tourists purchase souvenirs.

This question of who is able to capture the economic benefits of tourism in Lhasa is likely to grow increasingly contentious. Of more immediate concern, though, is the explosion in sheer numbers of visitors since the Qinghai-Tibet railway first started to bring passengers to Lhasa in July 1 2006. A daily average of 4,400 arrived by train in Lhasa during the first month, leading the regional tourism bureau to estimate the total number of tourists in 2006 to the TAR to reach 2.6 million, almost double the previous year and roughly equivalent to the entire population of the TAR. Furthermore, according to the People's Daily, 100,000 tourists visited the city of Lhasa in the seven-day National Day holiday of 2006 alone. Though the railway was heavily promoted for its ability to bring down commodity prices, the tourist influx it brought raised prices, at least during the first several months of its operation. Locals noted that whereas taxi drives had once been almost uniformly 10 RMB per ride, many drivers were now charging 15 RMB for slightly longer distances within the city.

Furthermore, in August 2006, the very high occupancy rates of hotel rooms led to a noticeable price jump from the previous year; rooms which in 2005 cost some 240 RMB jumped to 380 RMB or more. Indeed, the rush to Lhasa has been so intense that tourism offices encouraged people to delay their trips from the summer to the autumn and winter. More serious than surging hotel prices have been problems with overcapacity and the potential for damage in major tourist destinations, particularly the Jokhang and Potala Palace, which have experienced an intensified version of the problems experienced at tourist attractions across China during the Golden Weeks. The government issued a regulation on July 1 limiting the daily visitor quota to the Potala to 2300, including 1600 group tourists and 700 pilgrims and individual tourists, but the surge in tourism and the system of advance ticket sales that were set up, have led to illegal ticket sales. Less publicized than problems with the overcrowding in the Potala, a complaint of many tourists as well as locals, is the belief among residents in Lhasa that the rush of tourists is damaging the paintings on the walls in the Jokhang Temple. The sustainability of tourism in Lhasa is, thus, a very open question on many fronts.

[*Emily T. Yeh is an Assistant Professor at University of Colorado's Geography department. She may be contacted via email.]

Ways to Experience Uncontrolled Tibetan Culture in the Tourism Industry of Tibet

By Thupten Norbu

Tourism is clearly an important economy in Tibet today. With the increasing number of tourists visiting Tibet, the industry is becoming more regulated by the government. There are also increasing number of Chinese immigrants who are joining the industry to make quick money, making Tibet a hub to generate remittance income. Given these circumstances, it becomes important for conscientious and responsible tourists to respect the sensitivities of local Tibetans and to support their livelihoods through their tour engagement and money.

To promote tourism and to celebrate the achievement of modern China in so called Western Regions of China, the government ensembled simulacra of the Potala Palace, the Gormo-Lhasa Railway, and the Three Gorges Dam in the Tiananmen Square during the “golden week” national holidays. As the China Daily reports on September 30th, “Beijing residents and visitors can see the Potala Palace, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Three Gorges Dam during the National Day "Golden Week" celebration and all without leaving Tiananmen Square.” On September 21st, Xinhua reported that China spent 53 million yuan (6.625 million U.S. dollars) and 1,000 Kilograms of gold to refurbish Potala Palace in Tibet from the allocation of 330 million yuan (41.25 million U.S. dollars) in 2002 to amend three ancient relics in Tibet such as the Potala Palace, Norbu Lingka and Sagya Monastery. On October 10, Xinhua reported that the first “high-level forum on Tibetan culture” opened in Beijing, which was attended by around 120 officials and scholars from China and abroad to preserve and develop Tibetan culture.

Through these initiatives, China might be able to preserve and publicize the Tibetan culture to attract tourists in Tibet. However, non-Chinese media have reported that China has taken measures to crack down on Tibetan culture practices in Tibetan ways, and exclude those who may not abide to China’s conditions to perform in the state’s governed tourism industry in Tibet. The Washington Times reported on October 9, Tibetan monks in Lhasa are forced to learn six books of state dogma, one devoted to denounce H.H. the Dalai Lama. In May 6, 2004, the BBC reported that China dismissed many Tibetan tour guides and replaced them with politically-reliable Chinese guides. With China’s campaign to preserve Tibetan culture on the one hand and laying preconditions for Tibetans to practice their own culture on the other hand, it is hard to tell whether the visitors will be able to seek the Tibetan culture that are performed freely without state control.

United Press International reported on September 8, according to Wu Wingjie, the vice chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, the visitors in Lhasa increased 66 percent in the first month of operation of Qinghai-Tibet railway. Xinhua reported on October 4, Tibet received 121,000 overseas tourists in 2005, a 26.6 percent increase from 2004. So far, the vast majority of the tourists in Tibet are Chinese from major cities. The number of international tourist might grow with the increasing travel agents with services to tour Tibet. These days, World Expeditions, GW travel, Great Rail Journeys, Audley Travel are operating in Tibet. These statistic and claims demonstrate that inflow of visitors increased in Tibet and it will continue to do so.

It is critical to know the role and the degree to which visitors can play a role in experiencing uncontrolled Tibetan culture or avoid experiencing staged Tibetan culture. A good starting point is for the western and Chinese tourists to get over their respective mystical images of Tibet. Tibetans can neither fly nor are they savages. They are just ordinary humans. In order to more fully appreciate the Tibetan culture and empower the local Tibetans, Chinese and western tourists must not ignore the sensitivities of the local people and tourists should endeavor to support the activities that are freely run by Tibetans.

Today it is easier to connect with a travel agents owned by Tibetans in Tibet. Recently, an American friend arranged a trip to Tibet through a Tibetan travel agent in Lhasa. This friend learned about the travel agent through a friend, however the whole deal was made through the use of technology – emails and telephone calls. There are increasing number of travel agents owned by locals and are accessible through the Internet. The same could be done by any visitor from Hong Kong, Australia, Africa or Europe. Anyone can arrange for an experience that involves more Tibetan services for their trip. It is possible to explore areas and sites that are not advertised in packaged prearranged tours. Or get a more genuine Tibetan story of the tour sites by hiring a knowledgeable Tibetan guide and refusing to accept Chinese guides. The visitors can pick a small Tibetan restaurant over larger migrant restaurants. They can choose to stay in a Tibetan lodge and ride taxies run by Tibetans. These practices will allow not only tourists to participate in the Tibetan way of life but also support the locals who deserve to be benefited by the Tourism industry.

Water Scheme's Western Route Troubles Sichuan Scholars
(Source: ThreeGorgesProbe.org; September, 2006; direct quote)

Below, a summary of an article by He Zhongping that appeared in 21st Century Economic Report (Ershiyi shiji jingji baodao) on Aug. 24. (Translation and summary by Three Gorges Probe.)

"We are really concerned about the western route of the south-north water transfer project. We wonder whether the proposed scheme could do little or nothing to save the Yellow River, and end up destroying the Yangtze instead."

-- Professor Liu Shiqing, secretary-general of the West Development Research Centre, Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, Chengdu

The western route of the south-north water transfer project is designed to divert water from tributaries of the Yangtze, including the Dadu, Yalong and Jinsha rivers, to the upper reaches of the Yellow River. Work on the eastern and middle routes of the diversion project was formally launched in 2002, and construction on the western route is scheduled to get under way in 2010. The volume of water diverted along the western route is projected to amount to 17 billion cubic meters a year.

The western route has been budgeted at about 304 billion yuan (US$38 billion at 2000 fixed prices), but someone has also estimated that as much as 500 billion yuan (US$62.5 billion at 2000 prices) would be needed because of the extremely difficult geological and climatic challenges the project faces.

A memo on the western route of the water diversion project, signed by a number of leading scholars and experts in Sichuan, was made public at the end of July.1 In a sense, the document is not just a memo but rather a petition that questions the wisdom of building the project. It offers suggestions in the following areas:

* the major problems related to engineering geology;
* the shrinking of the glaciers on the Tibetan plateau and water-volume shortages on the source rivers' upper reaches;
* the impact of building the project on the environment of the Tibetan Plateau;
* the project's impact on the west-east power transmission scheme;
* issues related to the compensation of residents affected by the project;
* schemes to protect religion, culture and relics if the project goes ahead;
* investment model for project construction;
* a comparative study of the proposed project and alternative engineering programs.

Lin Ling, an economist and former director of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, observed: "We are well aware that building the western route is much more difficult and riskier than building the Three Gorges project. The latter was debated by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and finally voted on by the National People's Congress. But the planners in charge of the western route simply declared that it had been given the green light, claiming that the announcement by the central government of the formal launch of the eastern and middle routes meant the western route could go ahead too."

Scientists, scholars and experts in Sichuan province knew nothing about the planning and design of the western route until March 2005, when the Ministry of Water Resources convened a conference in the provincial capital, Chengdu, and invited a group of scientists and experts to discuss the proposal. In fact, however, an expert panel had already approved the Yellow River Conservancy Commission's plan to build the western route as far back as July 2001.

Professor Lin and many other scientists and experts in Sichuan are unhappy both with the way the plan was approved and with the plan itself, in which few local academics have been involved. Some of them have written letters to Premier Wen Jiabao, while others have traveled to the area affected by the project to collect more data and conduct further research.

"The aim of drafting this memo was to try and draw more attention to the plan from all sides, so it can be subject to a scientific and democratic decision-making process at the state level. We are appealing for more care and serious consideration, from a long-term perspective, in making a decision that involves such important state interests and safety issues," Professor Lin told 21st Century Economic Report. He raised a number of questions, including:

* What impact would construction of the project have on the environment of the Tibetan plateau?
* Could the project have negative impacts on the climate in China, and even in Asia as a whole?
* Is it possible to pump 17 billion cubic meters of water from the Tibetan plateau at a time when the glaciers are shrinking?
* Is it right to use the diverted water to discharge sediment building up in the Yellow River?

In the memo, Pan Guitang, senior researcher at the Chengdu Geology and Minerals Institute of the Ministry of Land and Resources, and Liu Baojun, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at the China Geological Survey Bureau, made a joint statement. They said it would be unwise to push ahead with the western route simply because work had already begun on the eastern and middle routes. With a number of tremendously important issues unaddressed and unresolved, constructing the western route would be very risky, they wrote.

In the statement, the two scientists presented three general principles that they feel should govern the development of water resources. Firstly, the outmoded way of thinking, in which man conquers nature, must be replaced by a respect for nature. Secondly, the system in which important decisions on water resources are made by a single water department needs to be changed to one in which the public is invited to participate, and more sectors are involved. And finally, the traditional approach that has focused on building dams and diverting water should be transformed into a new way of thinking and of practice aimed at the harmonious development of people, society and nature.

Footnote:

1 The drafters of the memo include well-known academics such as Lin Ling, former director of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences; Liu Baojun, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and professor at the China Geological Survey Bureau; Ma Huaixin, president of the Hydro Electricity Association of Sichuan; Liu Shiqing, secretary-general at the West Development Research Centre, Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences.

The long list of contributors to the memo also includes professors and senior researchers from the Chengdu Institute for Mountain Hazards and Environmental Research of the CAS, the Chengdu Institute for Life Sciences of the CAS, Sichuan University, Chengdu University of Technology and Southwest Normal University, along with senior engineers from the Sichuan Power Grid Company and Ertan Corporation, officials from Sichuan People's Congress, the Environmental Protection Bureau of Sichuan and the Development and Reform Commission of Sichuan, among others.

Does Qinghai –Tibet Railway Threaten Tibetan Antelopes?
(Source: Xinhua; September 2006)

On September 20, Xinhua reported that the Chinese Academy of Science would send a team of 45 scientists to the Hoh Xil region on October 10 to study the impact of the Qinghai-Tibet railway on its wildlife. The team will investigate the geology, ecology, animals, plant and environment of the region, which is bordering Tibet, Qinghai and Xinjiang. “While [Chinese] government officials applaud the environmentally friendly construction of the railway, some Chinese scientists are more restrained, believing more time is needed to evaluate the impact of the project, ” the source reported. Ding Ling, the lead scientist added, “although passageways on the line were built for migrating animals, we still don't know whether the antelopes really use them to cross the railway.” The scientist pointed out that the Tibetan plateau, which has the most fragile yet most bio-diverse ecosystem also poses threat from global warming. Two days before the news was reported, Cega, head of the management bureau of the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve told Xinhua “An increase in tourists to Tibet poses a threat to migration of Tibetan antelopes”. The construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has hiked the number of tourist thus increased the traffic in the highway. Each year, over 3,500 antelopes cross the highway to the hinterland of Hoh Xil Nature Reserve and come back with their babies during the peak tourist season.

China to Lunch Plague Outbreak Exercise along Qinghai-Tibet Railway
(Source: Xinhua; September 2006)

China had launched a plague outbreak simulation exercise to test the country’s ability to respond to such disasters. This exercise was carried out in response to discovery of a “feverish passenger” in the Qinghai-Tibet train who was suspected of having plague by the work staff. Plague, a fatal bacterial disease transmitted by fleas from infected rats and through contact with infected blood or tissue has killed humans in Qinghai province over the past five years. In the past 1,500 years, the disease has caused death of 200 million people through out Asia, Europe and the Middle East. According to the source, experts opinioned that the disease, which is usually carried by marmots in Qinghai and Tibet, could be spread further distance by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Tibet Express Railway Accelerates Illegal Trade in Endangered Species
(Source: Telegraph, October 2006)

Telegraph, a UK based news agency reported that the Tibet Express is used by smugglers to trade parts of endangered species to meet the growing demands of rich Chinese. Sa Bei Long, a smuggler from China displayed two snow leopard skins and a black bear pelt to the reporter and said "Yes, I can get you a tiger skin for 200,000 yuan [25,302 USD]… It will take 10 days to order and bring from Tibet by train," thinking that he was talking to a potential buyer. “The train is easy to use, safe and cheap. Many people are using it to sell stuff all over China," the middleman told the source reporter. Due to widespread corruption among railway official and police, the illegal trade of endangered species is not regulated. Snow leopard skins are sold at 48,000 yuan (6,072 USD), black bear furs for 2,600 yuan (329 USD) and wolf pelts for 600 yuan (76 USD). The growing demand from rich Chinese for exotic animal skins to decorate their homes and use of their parts in Chinese medicines are wiping away the population of endangered species in Tibet and India. To read the article published on the Telegraph

click here.

Lhasa to Link Shanghai Through Train
(Source: Xinhua; September 2006)

China daily reported on September 20th that a new Shanghai-Lhasa train services would commence on October 1st, the beginning of China’s National day. According to the source, the train will depart every other day from Shanghai to Lhasa, taking a journey of around 53 hours. The facilities on the train include two soft sleeping berth carriages (per berth cost 1,300 yuan or 162.5 USD), seven hard sleeping berth carriages (per berth cost 980 yuan, approximately 120 USD), four hard seaters (per seat cost 406 yuan or about 51 USD), one dining and one staff members’ carriages. Tibetans fear that the further linking of railway would exacerbate the current threat that Lhasa to Gormo railway poses to Tibetans, culturally, politically and environmentally.

Conservationists Criticize the Government of China and India for not Taking Measures to Save Tiger.

Public Burning of Fur was not Allowed During Kalachakra in Amdo

(September 25, 2006; Source Phayul)

According to Phayul, Tibetans who were prepared to burn and destroy fur of endangered species like leopard at the end of Kalachakra held in Amdo region were not permitted to do so. About 2000 heavy armed securities were deployed to maintain “law and order”. The Kalachakra initiation was held from September 3rd to 7th by H.H. the 8th Aala Dewatsang Jamyang Thubten Gyatso at Keguthan near Xitsang Gonpa Gaden Shedrup Chokhorling in Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province. The source reported that around 150,000 people attended the Kalachakra and the number of people wearing fur of wild life on the costume remained low.

Nathula-pass Closed for Trade for this Year.
(Source: Xinhua News Agency, Hindustan Times; October 15, 2006)

The first session of trade between India and China through Nathula-pass ended on September 28th. The trade route was reopened on July 6th after it remained closed for 44 years. According to Sikkim’s Director of Industry and Commerce, Saman Prasad Subba, the trade will resume next year on June 1st and will end on September 30th. This year, merchants from Tibet and India were allowed to trade goods from Monday to Thursday for the period of three months. Under the bilateral agreement, 15 items from China such as silk, yak pelts, goat and ship skins and 29 items from India including textiles, tea, rice, vegetables and herbs were approved for trade. According to Xinhua, the countries traded 186,250 USD worth of goods. However, the Indian sources reported that the volume of trade between the countries through the pass was approximately US dollar 26,100 USD. "The volume of trade through Nathu La in the first year itself may not be that high, but the mood was very positive and we would say this was a good beginning," Subba said.

2 More Villages of Kollegal to Go Organic.
(Source: www.tibet.net ; August 2006)

The Tibetan government in exile (TGIE) added two more villages at Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement, Kollegal, to become organic after the government successfully carried out organic farming practices in over 100 acres of the pilot villages. In 2005, Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement in Kollegal was chosen as the model settlement to experiment organic farming to work towards transforming all the Tibetan settlement into organic and natural farming systems. Last year, the Department of Homes of TGIE called for an open art competition with a reward of Rs. 3000 (67.00 USD) cash prize to design the trademark to market the organic products. To date, many workshops and pilot project have been carried out to encourage Tibetan farmers in India to adopt organic farming practices. The introduction of organic farming is aimed at providing “non-violent, eco-friendly and high-yield-low-labor means of livelihood,” aligning with the TGIE’s vision for a cuture Tibet based on principle of non-violence and harmony with the nature.

The Number of Canadian Mining Operation Grow in Tibet
(Source: Maxy Gold Corp, GobiMin Inc. and Market Wire; October 2006)

Under the China’s go west campaign, the government has been attracting western companies to exploit Tibet’s minerals and resource through bids, auctions and providing joint venture opportunities. The number of Canadian mining operation grow despite Tibetan government in exile’s discouragement and Tibetans disapproval of foreign mining companies operation in China’s occupied Tibet. On October 4, Maxy Gold Corp (Maxy), a Canadian company reported that the company signed 4 letters of intent with mining subsidiaries of the Western Mining China Group (Western Mining) to jointly explore gold and base metals properties in Tibet and Qinghai Province (

click here for the press release

click here for more information

Local Tibetans Protest Against Canadian Mining Company
(Source: undisclosed)

17 Villages in Shangrai-la County to Form Napahai Wetland Association
(Source World Wildlife Fund; August 24, 2006)

According to WWF, 17 villages surrounding Napahai in Shangri-la county in Yunnan Province have come together to form the Napahai Wetland Association to protect the wetland in the area. Black crane, an endangered and endemic species to the Tibetan plateau and holy bird for Tibetans have been in decline due to increasing destruction of wetland in the area. According to the source, increasing pollution, shrinking water sources, overgrazing, questionable zoning, and unsustainable development have been some of the sources of habitat destructions. The locals fear that rapid urbanization and tourism development in the area would further decimate the population of the crane. An increasing number of planned hydropower stations, dams, roads, bridges and tourism infrastructure, including hotels, are also threat to the fragile ecosystem. Over the past few decades, rapidly growing economy and population have been the root causes of wetland and vegetation degradation through out China. To protect the wetland in the Shangri-La County, as an initiative of the newly formed association, the villagers are conducting series of activities such as solid waste treatment initiatives, organic farming and outreach work with locals to protect the habitat of the black necked cranes.

Editorial and Op Ed

UNISCO Threatens China to Delist One of its World Heritage Sites
(Source: The Age; The Sydney Morning Herald, October, 2006)

China faces a threat from UNISCO to drop the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Area from World Heritage Sites if the government continues with a plan to reduce the site by 20 percent and conducts mining and dam development in the area. The UNESCO advisers who visited the area in April warned that the proposed mining, tourism and hydro-dam development would distort the integrity of the site and would lead to the deletion from the world heritage site listing. The team from the UNESCO stated, "the evidence tells us that mining, tourism and boundary revision, and uncertain hydro power development plans and other environmental reports, furthered our concern on future integrity. Also, mining activities within the heritage area show it is likely to be listed [as endangered]," The Guangzhou magazine Nanfeng Chuang (South Wind Window) reported. The site was listed in the World Heritage Sites in 2003. It is widely known for its spectacular natural beauty and rich biodiversity.

Editorial and Op Ed

The Western Route Water Diversion Project Worries China’s Minister of Water Resources, Scientist, and India.
(Source: South China Morning Post (October 25), The Times of India (October 23)

According to South China Morning post, the Western Route Water Diversion Project to divert water from Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra), Lancang (Salween) and Nu (Mekong) to the Yellow River and arid northwestern and northern areas such as Shaanxi, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin worried Water Resources Minister, Wang Xucheng. Many Chinese scientists and academia including Pan Guitang, senior researcher at the Chengdu Geology and Minerals Institute of the Ministry of Land and Resources, and Liu Baojun, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at the China Geological Survey Bureau also voiced concern over the unsustainability of the project on scientific ground (to read more in detail, read “Water Scheme's Western Route Troubles Sichuan Scholars” above). During a lecture at the University of Hong Kong, Mr. Wang said, “as the minister, I won't comment on whether it's possible to realize the proposal in the long run. But as a water expert, I can say the idea is unnecessary, unfeasible and unscientific,” South China Morning Post reported. If the water diversion project goes through, the project would strangle one of the main water sources, where millions of people depend on for livelihood in India and Bangladesh. The Times of India reported, the project is giving “sleepless nights” for the Indian government. Although, the project is at discussion stage and many Chinese scientists do not support the viability of the project, the project has the backing of President Hu Jintao, a hydro-engineer by profession. Through garnering support from the Communist party leadership in Beijing, Mr. Guo Kai, a hydrologist proposed the project in so called "Shuo-tian" (reverse flow) canal. Many believe that the proposal was inspired by Li Ling’s book, “How Tibet's Water Will Save China.”

Editorial and Op Ed