# Western China - news and development



## ahojunk

*Taklimakan Rally Tour 2015*

The Taklimakan Rally Tour 2015 involves 143 vehicles, 22 motorcycles, and 308 drivers, with a scale only second to Dakar rally, making it among the best events in the Asia-Pacific region.

The rally kicked off in Heshuo county and close in Altay. From June 20 to July 1, the 12-day event is divided into nine sections with a distance of 5,500 km, where the road with special conditions totaling 3,000 km, and a long part for Marathon match reaching 600 km, all of which making a cross-rally record in China.

*A glimpse of China Around Taklimakan Rally*
The Taklimakan Rally is held in northwest China's Xinjiang Region. On June 25 the racers began racing on the 602-kilometer Dahaidao racetrack. This section, characterized by sandstone roads, Gobi desert and Yardang landform, is known as the most difficult one in the rally. The racers were given up to ten and a half hours to finish it.
















=====================
More pictures from the Taklimakan Rally 2015.
They came from far and wide in the pursuit of adventure, and the competitors in the*annual 5,500-kilometer Taklimakan Rally* got that and a lot more besides, not the least of which was the *exquisite beauty of the ever-changing landscape of the Xinjiang*.

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## ahojunk

*Haval Team crowned in 2015 Taklimakan Rally*

On July 2, 2015 the Taklimakan Rally wrapped up in Beitun, Xinjiang. Haval Team's Han Wei/Pan Hongyu pair steering the No. 104 race car was crowned in the car category with an overwhelming advantage of four hours over the runner-up.





*Perfect pair Han Wei/Pan Hongyu wins*

With the successive arrival of motorcyclists, there was dust in the distance kicked up by cars. "Red, it's Haval!" someone waiting at the finish shouted. No. 104 racecar steered by the pair Han Wei/Pan Hongyu which started and arrived first had interpreted a familiar model. Crossing the finish line, the car was encircled by those waiting there. Journalists from different medias reached their equipment to the new champion pair.

The co-driver Pan Hongyu told the press, "I feel very happy to reach the finish line of the last stage, for Haval Team and for our efforts." When asked about the performance of the Haval racecar, he said, "The car had the best performance in the hot day, we nearly could not stand such high temperature, but the car had no problem, it was commendable and the basis of our brilliant results." Speaking of his feeling about this event, he said, "This was our first time to be paired for such a long-distance rally, there is still much room for improvement. We found a lot to be improved in the rally and will make up for it in the next competition."





_*Off-road heroes gather, organizer presents championship award to Haval Team*_

Following the rally, the organizer delivered a ceremonious finishing and victory ceremony at Beitun Culture Square. To the cheers of the crowd, cars cruised to the finishing platform slowly one after another. The moment Han Wei, Pan Hongyu and their No. 104 racecar ascended the platform and received the trophy, champagne splashed, arousing cheers of congratulations. Relaxed smiles appeared on their faces. To Haval Team, they are deserving heroes. All competitors in the rally are undoubtedly heroes.

In the rally crossing southern, eastern and northern Xinjiang, teams from around the country left spectacular scenes from south to north. Haval Team retained the lead from the very beginning, and experienced various harsh conditions such as dunes and deserts. Despite turnovers and other thrills, the team won seven stages, showing its tremendous comprehensive strength.

With a first-rated operation team, a first-class racecar and top drivers, Haval Team passed the acid test of the Taklimakan Rally by virtue of its professional strength, and is gearing up for the upcoming China Grand Rally. To Haval Team, which won by overwhelming superiority, the rally is undoubtedly a good drill. By challenging various off-road competitions to test the quality of Haval SUVs, constantly improving products and enhancing the sports gene of Haval SUVs, Haval is enhancing its image as the SUV leader step by step.

In the rally, Haval organized interaction with local distributors and fans at the camp of each station, and presented Haval H9 Taklimakan Challenge along with the organizer to display the elegant demeanour of Haval's mass-manufactured model. From that, we can see Haval has returned to international competitions and not only focuses on results of specific competitions, but also values the inheritance and promotion of off-road culture more. In this sense, Haval as the SUV leader ,is showing its product strength by action.

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## TaiShang

ahojunk said:


> *Haval Team crowned in 2015 Taklimakan Rally*
> 
> On July 2, 2015 the Taklimakan Rally wrapped up in Beitun, Xinjiang. Haval Team's Han Wei/Pan Hongyu pair steering the No. 104 race car was crowned in the car category with an overwhelming advantage of four hours over the runner-up.
> 
> View attachment 238894
> 
> *Perfect pair Han Wei/Pan Hongyu wins*
> 
> With the successive arrival of motorcyclists, there was dust in the distance kicked up by cars. "Red, it's Haval!" someone waiting at the finish shouted. No. 104 racecar steered by the pair Han Wei/Pan Hongyu which started and arrived first had interpreted a familiar model. Crossing the finish line, the car was encircled by those waiting there. Journalists from different medias reached their equipment to the new champion pair.
> 
> The co-driver Pan Hongyu told the press, "I feel very happy to reach the finish line of the last stage, for Haval Team and for our efforts." When asked about the performance of the Haval racecar, he said, "The car had the best performance in the hot day, we nearly could not stand such high temperature, but the car had no problem, it was commendable and the basis of our brilliant results." Speaking of his feeling about this event, he said, "This was our first time to be paired for such a long-distance rally, there is still much room for improvement. We found a lot to be improved in the rally and will make up for it in the next competition."
> 
> View attachment 238897
> 
> _*Off-road heroes gather, organizer presents championship award to Haval Team*_
> 
> Following the rally, the organizer delivered a ceremonious finishing and victory ceremony at Beitun Culture Square. To the cheers of the crowd, cars cruised to the finishing platform slowly one after another. The moment Han Wei, Pan Hongyu and their No. 104 racecar ascended the platform and received the trophy, champagne splashed, arousing cheers of congratulations. Relaxed smiles appeared on their faces. To Haval Team, they are deserving heroes. All competitors in the rally are undoubtedly heroes.
> 
> In the rally crossing southern, eastern and northern Xinjiang, teams from around the country left spectacular scenes from south to north. Haval Team retained the lead from the very beginning, and experienced various harsh conditions such as dunes and deserts. Despite turnovers and other thrills, the team won seven stages, showing its tremendous comprehensive strength.
> 
> With a first-rated operation team, a first-class racecar and top drivers, Haval Team passed the acid test of the Taklimakan Rally by virtue of its professional strength, and is gearing up for the upcoming China Grand Rally. To Haval Team, which won by overwhelming superiority, the rally is undoubtedly a good drill. By challenging various off-road competitions to test the quality of Haval SUVs, constantly improving products and enhancing the sports gene of Haval SUVs, Haval is enhancing its image as the SUV leader step by step.
> 
> In the rally, Haval organized interaction with local distributors and fans at the camp of each station, and presented Haval H9 Taklimakan Challenge along with the organizer to display the elegant demeanour of Haval's mass-manufactured model. From that, we can see Haval has returned to international competitions and not only focuses on results of specific competitions, but also values the inheritance and promotion of off-road culture more. In this sense,
> Haval as the SUV leader ,is showing its product strength by action.



H9 in action

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## ahojunk

I hope this thread will consolidate all the news of development in Western China.





Western China is the region in red colour. The three biggest cities are Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an.

*This area has 12 provinces, 70% of China's territory, 25% of china's population and 13% of China's GDP.*

I have attached this map, which is a more accurate representation of China's western region.









*The 12 provinces in the western region
- Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet.*

@TaiShang @Shotgunner51 @AndrewJin @Shotgunner51 @terranMarine @JSCh @jkroo @cirr

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## TaiShang

ahojunk said:


> I hope this thread will consolidate all the news of development in Western China.
> 
> View attachment 284338
> 
> Western China is the region in red colour. The three biggest cities are Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an.
> This area has 12 provinces, 70% of China's territory, 25% of china's population and 13% of China's GDP.
> 
> @AndrewJin @TaiShang
> ------------------------------
> *Guizhou on the high road to success*
> By YANG JUN/ZHAO KAI (China Daily)
> Updated: 2016-01-01 07:34
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Construction workers inspect a bridge that connects the highway between Bijie and Duge in Guizhou province in October. LIU YELIN/CHINA DAILY_
> 
> For 53-year-old Tang Hua, a farmer in Daozhen county, Guizhou province, Chongqing is a big city on the other side of a mountain near his home. It used to take six hours to get there. Not any longer. On the last day of 2015, an expressway linking Daozhen to the rest of the province and beyond opened. It was the last county in Guizhou to be linked to the transportation network.
> 
> "The muddy mountainous path to Chongqing will be deserted, as well as many old ways of life," said Tang.
> 
> Guizhou's rugged and rocky terrain can make traveling a burdensome task, increases transportation costs and aggravates poverty. By the end of 2015, about 4.9 million people in the province lived on less than $1.25 a day, a sharp reduction from the nearly 12 million in 2011.
> 
> "Traffic has been the main issue hindering the province's development," said Wang Bingqing, director of the provincial transportation department.
> 
> By the end of 2006, the total length of highways in Guizhou was less than 1,000 kilometers, a level that some coastal provinces in East China had attained by the late 1990s.
> 
> In early 2009, Guizhou focused on infrastructure, aiming to weave all of its 88 county-level regions into a highway network by 2015. The total investment was about 410 billion yuan ($68 billion). The province now has 5,126 kilometers of highways.
> 
> "The investment and construction scale are both all-time highs in the province's history," Wang said.
> 
> Wang Jianguo, chief engineer of the Wengan-Daozhen highway project, said the length of tunnels and bridges accounted for more than 50 percent of the highway, which "increased both budget costs and difficulties for construction".
> 
> Compared with areas where the terrain is flat and the highways go across plains, the cost of building a highway in Guizhou is generally about 30 percent higher, Wang said.
> 
> Building tunnels and bridges take up a great deal of time as they must be designed and measured to pinpoint accuracy, he added.
> 
> China Communications Construction Co will operate the road for 30 years, and use the earnings to repay loans that were spent building it. It will then present the road to the local government.
> 
> Li Ruguo, deputy general manager of the company, said this arrangement saves the government money, and ensures construction quality. "About two thirds of Guizhou's highways go through less well-off areas, and increased traffic will greatly boost logistics and attract investment", said Wang Bingqing, head of Guizhou transport department.
> 
> "The improvement in infrastructure gives the county government more confidence to attract investors," said Gan Liyi, deputy director of Meitan county's industrial park. "We had lost so many good investors due to the lack of a highway."
> 
> The Meitan industrial park was established in 2001, and up until 2010, when the two highways were finished, it had largely remained empty.
> 
> Now it's our turn to get businesses to settle in the industrial park, Gan said. "The road changes our status."
> 
> The highway network in Guizhou also integrates into regional cooperation in Southwest China that involves the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan as well as Chongqing municipality, said Deng Ling, a professor of economics and development at Sichuan University.
> 
> "Guizhou is a member of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, a regional development plan made by the central government. A developed highway network in Guizhou can make it a regional hub connecting nearby provinces and let productive factors, say resources, funds and man-power penetrate into the less well-off areas in Guizhou," she said.
> 
> _Li Yang contributed to this story._



Nice thread. Anything related to the defined region, we can info-pool here.

@cirr , @Shotgunner51

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## ahojunk

*Guizhou on the high road to success*
By YANG JUN/ZHAO KAI (China Daily)
Updated: 2016-01-01 07:34





Construction workers inspect a bridge that connects the highway between Bijie and Duge in Guizhou province in October. LIU YELIN/CHINA DAILY

For 53-year-old Tang Hua, a farmer in Daozhen county, Guizhou province, Chongqing is a big city on the other side of a mountain near his home. It used to take six hours to get there. Not any longer. On the last day of 2015, an expressway linking Daozhen to the rest of the province and beyond opened. It was the last county in Guizhou to be linked to the transportation network.

"The muddy mountainous path to Chongqing will be deserted, as well as many old ways of life," said Tang.

Guizhou's rugged and rocky terrain can make traveling a burdensome task, increases transportation costs and aggravates poverty. By the end of 2015, about 4.9 million people in the province lived on less than $1.25 a day, a sharp reduction from the nearly 12 million in 2011.

"Traffic has been the main issue hindering the province's development," said Wang Bingqing, director of the provincial transportation department.

By the end of 2006, the total length of highways in Guizhou was less than 1,000 kilometers, a level that some coastal provinces in East China had attained by the late 1990s.

In early 2009, Guizhou focused on infrastructure, aiming to weave all of its 88 county-level regions into a highway network by 2015. The total investment was about 410 billion yuan ($68 billion). The province now has 5,126 kilometers of highways.

"The investment and construction scale are both all-time highs in the province's history," Wang said.

Wang Jianguo, chief engineer of the Wengan-Daozhen highway project, said the length of tunnels and bridges accounted for more than 50 percent of the highway, which "increased both budget costs and difficulties for construction".

Compared with areas where the terrain is flat and the highways go across plains, the cost of building a highway in Guizhou is generally about 30 percent higher, Wang said.

Building tunnels and bridges take up a great deal of time as they must be designed and measured to pinpoint accuracy, he added.

China Communications Construction Co will operate the road for 30 years, and use the earnings to repay loans that were spent building it. It will then present the road to the local government.

Li Ruguo, deputy general manager of the company, said this arrangement saves the government money, and ensures construction quality. "About two thirds of Guizhou's highways go through less well-off areas, and increased traffic will greatly boost logistics and attract investment", said Wang Bingqing, head of Guizhou transport department.

"The improvement in infrastructure gives the county government more confidence to attract investors," said Gan Liyi, deputy director of Meitan county's industrial park. "We had lost so many good investors due to the lack of a highway."

The Meitan industrial park was established in 2001, and up until 2010, when the two highways were finished, it had largely remained empty.

Now it's our turn to get businesses to settle in the industrial park, Gan said. "The road changes our status."

The highway network in Guizhou also integrates into regional cooperation in Southwest China that involves the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan as well as Chongqing municipality, said Deng Ling, a professor of economics and development at Sichuan University.

"Guizhou is a member of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, a regional development plan made by the central government. A developed highway network in Guizhou can make it a regional hub connecting nearby provinces and let productive factors, say resources, funds and man-power penetrate into the less well-off areas in Guizhou," she said.

Li Yang contributed to this story.

More pictures




Construction workers inspect a bridge that connects the highway between Bijie and Duge in Guizhou province in October. LIU YELIN/CHINA DAILY





Construction workers inspect a bridge that connects the highway between Bijie and Duge in Guizhou province in October. LIU YELIN/CHINA DAILY





Construction workers inspect a bridge that connects the highway between Bijie and Duge in Guizhou province in October. LIU YELIN/CHINA DAILY

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## AndrewJin

By 2014, GDP of Western China reached around 2 trillion US dollars with highest growth rate(8-10%).
I'm looking forward a more prosperous west on par with the rest of China.
@ahojunk Nice thread. I'll help contribution to this thread once there is something new!

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## beijingwalker

Wow...almost unreal

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## -blitzkrieg-

@TaiShang What about East Turkestan (Xingiang), do they see any relief upon the lifting of one-child policy?


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## JSCh

* Asia's longest suspension bridge opens to traffic in Guizhou*
*Published on Dec 31, 2015*

A suspension bridge opened to traffic on Thursday morning in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Qingshuihe, the Asia's longest steel girder suspension bridge in the mountainous region and the world's second highest one, was built at 406 meters above the Qingshuihe River with a main span of 1,130 meters.

The 2,171-meter-long bridge was built by 75 huge steel girders joint together with each weighing up to 180 tons.

The bridge, which costs 1.54 billion yuan (240 million U.S. dollars) and has taken two years to construct, is part of the Guiweng Expressway.

It will shorten the travel distance between Weng'an County and Guiyang from 160 km down to 38 km, said Gao Heng, director of the construction.

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## TaiShang

-blitzkrieg- said:


> @TaiShang What about East Turkestan (Xingiang), do they see any relief upon the lifting of one-child policy?



There is no East Turkestan term in our official literature. Like the rest of China, it is a province where people from every walk of life can freely live and do business.

About the one-child policy, since it did not use to cover minorities, the easing of the policy should not have much impact on them.

China has a lot of policies that positively discriminate the minorities, such as special university quotas, job quotas, not being subject to now-defunct one-child policy. In fact, one-child policy had never been a straight-jacket policy, it had lots and lots of exemption clauses. In the end, it mostly targeted the urban dwelling populations.

***



AndrewJin said:


> By 2014, GDP of Western China reached around 2 trillion US dollars with highest growth rate(8-10%).
> 
> I'm looking forward a more prosperous west on par with the rest of China.
> @ahojunk Nice thread. I'll help contribution to this thread once there is something new!



That's exactly one of the targets of the five-year plan (2016-2020). Lots of reforms and improvements are on the line.

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## JSCh

*
First nuclear plant in ethnic minority region begins operations*
2016-01-01 22:36:45

NANNING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The first nuclear power plant located in one of China's ethnic autonomous regions began commercial operation of its first reactor on Friday.

The No. 1 reactor of the Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region can supply 24 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a day, catering to the needs of a medium-sized city, said Gong Guangchen, the plant's spokesperson.

Based on the domestically developed CPR-1000, the No.1 reactor began generating power in October 2015. The plant's No. 2 reactor is expected to begin operating in the second half of 2016, Gong said.

The two reactors are expected to contribute 8 billion yuan (1.2 bln U.S. dollars) to the local GDP and create 64,000 new jobs annually. They will also cut coal burning by 4.82 million tonnes and CO2 emissions by about 11.9 million tonnes every year.

China has seen rapid nuclear power growth in recent years, but it suspended approval of new programs after Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Construction projects did not resume until 2014.

China currently has operating capacity of 25.5 million kilowatts and aims to raise installed nuclear power to 58 million kilowatts by 2020 in order to reduce pollution from coal-burning generators and deliver on its promise to reduce carbon emissions.

Editor: Tian Shaohui​

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## ahojunk

I thought that China would have managed this a little better. 
Wonder when China is improving Xinjiang's outbound grid transmission.

------------------------
Xinjiang's new energy plants struggle to survive winter
English.news.cn | 2015-12-19 10:54:18 | Editor: huaxia

URUMQI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Many wind farms and solar plants in far west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region may not survive this year's harsh winter as they have been suspended due to overcapacity.

Electricity demand drops during the colder months of the year as people turn off their air conditioning units in favor of the government managed, and coal-powered winter heating. Having a large number of alternate energy plants, Xinjiang lacks sufficient infrastructure to transfer power out of the region. As a result, the regional State Grid has ordered that all, bar a few, cease operation and hibernate for the winter.

"The whole year's investment almost down the drain," said Cui Wei, a sales manager of a wind farm affiliated to Beijing-based Goldwind Science and Technology Co., one of China's wind turbine manufacturing giants.

The company built a 7.5 billion yuan (1.15 billion U.S. dollars) wind farm with power capacity of 1.5 million kilowatt-hours in Xinjiang, however, 40 percent of the plant has been temporarily shut and the whole plant will suspend business by the month end, Cui said.

According to Yang Yongli of the State Grid's Xinjiang branch, in winter the region's power consumption is almost half of the summer peak as many manufacturers and construction sites halt work when the cold front arrives.

New energy's contribution to the State Grid is limited to below 300,000 kilowatt-hours to make way for the power generated by coal-power plants, while the total installed capacity in the region stands at 15 million kilowatt-hours, the branch said.

The unstable nature of solar and wind power generation means, at the current time, it is not an appropriate power source for the winter heating. As such, when the winter winds blow into the westerly region, many thermal power stations begin to warm up, bringing with them air pollution, the State Grid said.

Heavy smog in winter is a nightmare for Urumqi, the regional capital, grounding flights, closing roads and forcing residents to stay indoors.

A new trading system, which is unique to Xinjiang, is being tested by the region's electricity authority as a way to shift power generation from thermal plants to new energy.

Instead of transmitting electricity to the overloaded state grid, new energy stations supply power directly to factories that have been ordered to shut down their own power plants. The authority pays a subsidy of 0.2 yuan for every kilowatt-hour those factories buy from new energy plants.

So far 55 wind farms and 36 solar plants with a total capacity of 5.35 million kilowatt-hours have joined the deal, and another 8.43 million kilowatt-hours have begun to be added to the trading list starting from late November, said Gong Wenjun of the regional power exchange center.

Yet, a lot of new energy companies are still waiting to be included in the scheme, with many citing the lack of infrastructure as the largest obstacle.

Xu Xiaofeng, an operation director of a new energy plant, said the company's 50,000 kwh wind farm in the suburban district of Dabancheng in Urumqi has sold nearly 7 million kilowatt-hours via the trading scheme this year, but its other wind and solar plants, which boast 110,000-kwh-capacity, have been left idle.

Industry insiders said the new trading system could recoup some of the losses for new energy companies, but the only real solution is to improve the region's outbound grid transmission.

Xinjiang has transferred 53.1 billion kilowatt-hours of power out of the region since 2010, equivalent to coal delivery of 16.5 million tonnes. New energy accounts for 6.1 billion kilowatt-hours, or about 11 percent of the total delivery.

The regional government plans to add another four outbound channels, pushing the total delivery capacity to 50 million kilowatt-hours by 2020.

"Xinjiang's winter wind and solar resources have been wasted for nothing," said Cui, whose company has suffered a loss of nearly 500 million yuan this year alone. "The situation should take a turn for the better next year."

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## AndrewJin

*Western China's most important high-speed railway project of 2015
Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway(300-350km/h)

























*

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## TaiShang

ahojunk said:


> New energy's contribution to the State Grid is limited to below 300,000 kilowatt-hours to make way for the power generated by coal-power plants, while the total installed capacity in the region stands at 15 million kilowatt-hours, the branch said.



They could have thought of reducing energy generated by coal-powered plants in order to open room for renewables during winter time until enough transmission and storage capacity is installed but there is a major drawback to this: Wind and solar energy is not perfectly reliable (being subject to natural conditions). Therefore, traditional resources still matter. Hopefully, in a few years time, the grid will be able to meet the extra supply. This would also ease the dependency on coal, which, I turn, would help reduce stress on the environment.

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## AndrewJin

TaiShang said:


> They could have thought of reducing energy generated by coal-powered plants in order to open room for renewables during winter time until enough transmission and storage capacity is installed but there is a major drawback to this: Wind and solar energy is not perfectly reliable (being subject to natural conditions). Therefore, traditional resources still matter. Hopefully, in a few years time, the grid will be able to meet the extra supply. This would also ease the dependency on coal, which, I turn, would help reduce stress on the environment.


Western China has huge energy sources. 
*China makes progress in shale gas exploration*
Sinopec announced on Tuesday that its Fuling shale gas project in China's Chongqing province has an annual production capacity of five billion cubic metres.

More production capacity will be extracted, and hopefully a large-scale gas field with annual production of 10 billion will be on stream by 2017, XInhua cited Sinopec as saying.

The gas field has been producing 15 million cubic metres of gas every day for a month, which means it has an annual production capacity of five billion cubic metres. It can meet daily gas needs for 30 million households.

Since being explored in 2013, the gas field has produced around 3.88 billion cubic metres of gas, Sinopec said.

Shale gas is mainly methane. It is considered a type of clean and new energy resource.

The Fuling field, discovered in 2012, has explored reserves of 380.6 billion cubic metres of shale gas, as confirmed by the land and resources ministry.

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## jkroo

Very good thread. The development of western China is a big affair within next ten years. It's also a strategic development related to one belt one road plan, silk road and CPEC, I will follow this thread.

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## ahojunk

Some news on Tibet, which is also in Western China. 

--------------------------
China's central bank gives a helping hand to Tibet
Chen Jia | China Daily/Asia News Network | Tuesday, Dec 29, 2015






_Students work on an improvised car assembly line in Lhasa, Tibet. Photo: Reuters_

China's central bank is seeking new methods to strengthen financial support in the Tibet autonomous region, aiming to accelerate regional economic development and lift local residents out of poverty in the next five years.

New financial measures, including more aggressive bank lending with relatively low interest rates in Tibet than other regions, are under discussion, according to officials and financial industry executives.

The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, will encourage commercial banks to issue more loans to enterprises in Tibet, based on lower financial costs and required reserve ratio, according to Pan Gongsheng, deputy governor of the bank.

"Financial institutions, including banks, securities companies and insurance companies, will launch more branches in Tibet in the next five years, and the policy will support development of private banks, village banks and other micro-financial institutions in the area to expand their service coverage," said Pan.

More funds raised by those financial institutions will be injected into infrastructure construction projects, environmental protection and urban development.

The policy will focus on small and micro credit for local farmers and herders, and be used to relieve poverty, the official said.

Due to its plateau climate and relatively undeveloped economy, the financial sector in Tibet lags behind other regions in the country, and especially lacks financial professionals.

According to data from the central bank, by the end of November, 11 banks had launched branches in Tibet. Total outstanding loans reached about 205 billion yuan (S$44.5 billion), 6.8 times the amount in 2010.

In the first 11 months, enterprises in Tibet has raised fund of 21.5 billion yuan from the equity market.

In 2014, the total GDP of the Tibet autonomous region was 92 billion yuan, the lowest among all 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, which equaled only about 7.3 per cent of the GDP in Guangdong province－the country's highest last year.

Xie Xuezhi, chairman of the Agricultural Development Bank, one of China's three major policy banks, said his bank will invest more than 100 billion yuan into Tibet in the next five years. It has issued 4.9 billion yuan in loans in the region this year.

Liu Shiyu, chairman of Agricultural Bank of China, said by the end of 2016 his bank plans to expand services to all villages in the region that have basic telecommunication infrastructure.

Losang Jamcan, chairman of the autonomous region, said the region is predicted to achieve annual GDP of more than 100 billion yuan this year, up 12.2 per cent year-on-year.

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## TaiShang

AndrewJin said:


> *Western China's most important high-speed railway project of 2015
> Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway(300-350km/h)
> View attachment 284387
> View attachment 284384
> View attachment 284385
> View attachment 284386
> View attachment 284388
> View attachment 284389
> View attachment 284390
> View attachment 284391
> *



Do not also ignore your wonderful thread on China's HSR, bro  Threads like this and that must always be kept updated and on the first page.

***

*Tibet sees growth in wildlife population*

2016-01-01 10:20:00

Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region has seen its wildlife population increase in recent decades thanks to protective measures.

The regional forestry department said Thursday that the population of the Tibetan red deer, a species on the verge of extinction, has been growing since the late 1990s, with over 8,300 today.

The majority live in a red deer nature reserve in Qamdo prefecture. The 120,000-hectare reserve, established in 1993, has seen its population of red deer grow from 1,500 to over 8,000 over the past two decades, thanks to infrastructure construction, hunting bans and red deer rescue centers.

Statistics show that there are currently 47 nature reserves in Tibet, covering about one third of the land within the jurisdiction of the regional government.

Officials with Qomolangma nature reserve said the reserve now has 2,550 species of plants, compared to 2,348 in 1988 when it was established.

Qomolangma reserve, sitting at an average altitude of 4,200 meters, also has 12 species of first class national protected animals and 342 kinds of birds.

Staff with the reserve said there have been more frequent sightings of the snow leopard in recent years, and the increase of wetland has attracted flocks of black-necked cranes, while the area was not a habitat for the bird in the past due to its dry climate.

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## AndrewJin

TaiShang said:


> Do not also ignore your wonderful thread on China's HSR, bro  Threads like this and that must always be kept updated and on the first page.
> 
> ***
> 
> *Tibet sees growth in wildlife population*
> 
> 2016-01-01 10:20:00
> 
> Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region has seen its wildlife population increase in recent decades thanks to protective measures.
> 
> The regional forestry department said Thursday that the population of the Tibetan red deer, a species on the verge of extinction, has been growing since the late 1990s, with over 8,300 today.
> 
> The majority live in a red deer nature reserve in Qamdo prefecture. The 120,000-hectare reserve, established in 1993, has seen its population of red deer grow from 1,500 to over 8,000 over the past two decades, thanks to infrastructure construction, hunting bans and red deer rescue centers.
> 
> Statistics show that there are currently 47 nature reserves in Tibet, covering about one third of the land within the jurisdiction of the regional government.
> 
> Officials with Qomolangma nature reserve said the reserve now has 2,550 species of plants, compared to 2,348 in 1988 when it was established.
> 
> Qomolangma reserve, sitting at an average altitude of 4,200 meters, also has 12 species of first class national protected animals and 342 kinds of birds.
> 
> Staff with the reserve said there have been more frequent sightings of the snow leopard in recent years, and the increase of wetland has attracted flocks of black-necked cranes, while the area was not a habitat for the bird in the past due to its dry climate.


I would highly appreciate if all of u can help me upgrade those threads, metro, HSR, electric bus, etc.
@TaiShang @cirr @JSCh @yusheng et al

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## TaiShang

AndrewJin said:


> I would highly appreciate if all of u can help me upgrade those threads, metro, HSR, electric bus, etc.
> @TaiShang @cirr @JSCh @yusheng et al



And @ahojunk 's AIIB and China Culture Industry.

Also threads initiated by @Martian2 .

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## ahojunk

AndrewJin said:


> Western China has huge energy sources.
> *China makes progress in shale gas exploration*
> Sinopec announced on Tuesday that its Fuling shale gas project in China's Chongqing province has an annual production capacity of five billion cubic metres.
> 
> More production capacity will be extracted, and hopefully a large-scale gas field with annual production of 10 billion will be on stream by 2017, XInhua cited Sinopec as saying.
> 
> The gas field has been producing 15 million cubic metres of gas every day for a month, which means it has an annual production capacity of five billion cubic metres. It can meet daily gas needs for 30 million households.
> 
> Since being explored in 2013, the gas field has produced around 3.88 billion cubic metres of gas, Sinopec said.
> 
> Shale gas is mainly methane. It is considered a type of clean and new energy resource.
> 
> The Fuling field, discovered in 2012, has explored reserves of 380.6 billion cubic metres of shale gas, as confirmed by the land and resources ministry.



Besides Chongqing, Xinjiang is another producer of natural gas.
------
*Xinjiang produces 300 bln cubic meters of natural gas in 6 decades*
2016-01-01 12:59 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region produced 30.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2015, pushing the total output to 301 billion cubic meters since the autonomous region was established in 1955.

According to the latest statistics from the region's four major gas producers, the Karamay, Tarim, Tuha and Tahe oil fields, Xinjiang has yielded over 20 percent of national gas output for 11 consecutive years.

Xinjiang is the birthplace of China's petroleum and natural gas industry. The Karamay oil field was discovered 60 years ago and produced up to one million cubic meters of natural gas that year. The daily output of natural gas in Xinjiang achieved 95 million cubic meters this year.

Boasting three major gas-rich basins -- Tarim, Junggar and Tuha -- Xinjiang began developing its gas exploitation industry in 2004 after a large project started bringing gas from Xinjiang to China's booming eastern regions.

The increase in Xinjiang's gas output has also boosted the development of China's natural gas industry and clean energy use in the region. Natural gas consumption per capita in Xinjiang reached 240 cubic meters in 2014, which was 1.7 times the national average.

Xinjiang has huge potential in oil and gas exploration and production. Resource assessment shows the region has 1.4 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and 5.6 billion tonnes of oil.

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## ahojunk

This freight train is a blessing to Sichuan, Qinghai and Xinjiang. 
In the past, it took 6 weeks to ship goods from Chengdu to Europe by sea, but with this freight train, it will take only 2 weeks. It's a massive improvement!
It used to be a disadvantage to have factories in Chengdu, now it has become an advantage.

-----------
China-Europe Fast Rail Brings Mutual Benefit
2016-01-02 17:24:25 | Xinhua | Web Editor: Chu Yiming

Trains made nearly 180 round trips between Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province and Lodz, Poland, in the last two and a half years.

Since 2013, three trains a week have made the 9,826 kilometer trip on the Chengdu-Europe fast rail, reaching Poland via Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.

"Commodities are transported to Europe within 15 days," said Xu Pingfu, vice director of the Chengdu logistics office. "It is the fastest freight railway between China and Europe."

Around 300 trains will ply the route in 2016, which will extend to Hamburg in Germany and Tilburg in the Netherlands. Commodities from coastal cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xiamen are transported to Chengdu and from there to Europe because of the line's low cost and high reliability.

"The price of transporting commodities on the Chengdu-Europe line is one fifth of the air freight cost, and it is three times faster than shipping," said Xu.

Chengdu will spend a total of 1.9 billion yuan (300 million US dollars) in the next three years building China's largest international railway port, said Chen Zhongwei, director of Chengdu logistics office.

Many leading exporters are considering moving to Chengdu for these reasons, according to Chen.

"We aim to be the pivot between Europe and Pan-Asia by building international railways and establishing a European commodity distribution center in the next three years," Chen said.

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## ahojunk

Some pictures of the railway from Chengdu, Sichuan to Lodz, Poland.

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## JSCh

*Internet reaches 80 percent of Tibet's villages*
(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-01-04 19:06






People in Nyingchi county in Tibet autonomous region surf the Internet in this 2012 file photo. [Photo/Xinhua]​
LHASA -- More than 80 percent of villages in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have access to the Internet, according to the latest statistics.

By the end of December 2015, 4,208 villages had broadband, accounting for 80 percent of the total, up from 19.6 percent five years ago, said Chochi, head of the regional telecommunications department.

The length of optical cable has doubled in five years to reach 114,000 kilometers. About 1.87 million households, or 59 percent of the total, are now able to use the Internet, he said.

The plateau region is known as "the roof of the world" due to its average altitude of over 4,000 meters, and building telecommunications infrastructure is difficult and costly.

Telecom operators lowered Internet costs in Tibet in 2015, boosting e-commerce.

The remote Ngari Prefecture is one of the most sparsely populated places in the world. People in the prefecture's Tsochen County started doing e-commerce in 2014.

"By the end of 2015, revenue from e-commerce topped 4.1 million yuan (about $629,800)," said Phubu Cering, head of the commerce bureau of Tsochen. The county's population was about 13,200.

"Nine people in the county registered on Alibaba's trading platform, Taobao, to sell Tibetan incense, beef and cashmere products," Phubu Cering added.

According to Chochi, the region will expand its 4G network in 2016.

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## AndrewJin

JSCh said:


> *Internet reaches 80 percent of Tibet's villages*
> (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-01-04 19:06
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> People in Nyingchi county in Tibet autonomous region surf the Internet in this 2012 file photo. [Photo/Xinhua]​
> LHASA -- More than 80 percent of villages in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have access to the Internet, according to the latest statistics.
> 
> By the end of December 2015, 4,208 villages had broadband, accounting for 80 percent of the total, up from 19.6 percent five years ago, said Chochi, head of the regional telecommunications department.
> 
> The length of optical cable has doubled in five years to reach 114,000 kilometers. About 1.87 million households, or 59 percent of the total, are now able to use the Internet, he said.
> 
> The plateau region is known as "the roof of the world" due to its average altitude of over 4,000 meters, and building telecommunications infrastructure is difficult and costly.
> 
> Telecom operators lowered Internet costs in Tibet in 2015, boosting e-commerce.
> 
> The remote Ngari Prefecture is one of the most sparsely populated places in the world. People in the prefecture's Tsochen County started doing e-commerce in 2014.
> 
> "By the end of 2015, revenue from e-commerce topped 4.1 million yuan (about $629,800)," said Phubu Cering, head of the commerce bureau of Tsochen. The county's population was about 13,200.
> 
> "Nine people in the county registered on Alibaba's trading platform, Taobao, to sell Tibetan incense, beef and cashmere products," Phubu Cering added.
> 
> According to Chochi, the region will expand its 4G network in 2016.


Inclusive growth! I heard Sichuan has been the first province in the west having achieved 100% broadband internet access! Western Sichuan is even more geologically complicated to expand broadband network than Tibet.

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## JSCh

*＂Yuxinou＂ Railway activates China's inland cross-border E-commerce market*
Xinhua Finance 2016-01-05 14:50 BEIJING




"Yuxinou" Railway, a freight rail route linking southwest China-located Chongqing with Duisburg of Germany, is significantly activating China's inland cross-border E-commerce market.

Last week, a train carrying 40 tonnes of milk powder made in Denmark arrived in Chongqing and earlier in 2015, a renowned cross-border E-commerce operator - China.osell.com exported a batch of specialties from Chongqing and other places to Russia and west Europe.

Alongside regularized running of the two-way trains, Chinese inland-based cross-border E-commerce operators targeting the Europe and Central Asia markets are growing rapidly.

By the end of November 2015, E-commerce operators with record in Chongqing's industry and commerce authorities numbered 248 and businesses reported and completed 3.05 million transactions involving 715 million yuan of turnover via the public cross-border E-commerce platform.

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## ahojunk

Qinghai targets additional 7.1 GW of renewables in 2016
04 January 2016 | APPLICATIONS & INSTALLATIONS, MARKET & TRENDS, INVESTOR NEWS | 
By: Vincent Shaw

Qinghai Electric Power, the sub-company of China’s State Grid Corporation aims to install 7.1 GW of renewable energy in 2016, the majority of which will comprise solar PV, up from the province’s cumulative capacity of 6 GW.

Qinghai Electric Power, which is in charge of all electric connections in Qinghai Province, has said total renewable energy installations there could reach up to 7.1 GW this year.

Accounting for 30% of total power installation in the western Chinese province, cumulative renewable capacity is currently sitting at 6.07 GW, of which 5.6 GW comprises ground-mounted solar PV. An additional 467 MW of wind has been installed, and 2.8 MW of distributed PV.

Qinghai Province, one of the most underdeveloped provinces in China, has a land area of 721,000 square kilometers, similar to the landmass of Holland and Belgium combined, but with a population of just six million. Due to favorable solar irradiation and abundant natural resources, it is optimal for renewable energy development, including solar PV, CSP and wind energy.

However, like other north and northwest provinces of China, which focus on the development of renewables, Qinghai faces the trouble that, along with new power installation, local power consumption is dropping and new grid construction is lacking. Qinghai Electric Power admitted these issues are possible barriers to further implementation, but insisted that renewable energy installs will continue to increase during the government’s thirteenth five year plan.

At the end of 2015, the Chinese Government set its national 2016 targets for renewables. Slightly lower than the 17.8 GW of new solar PV capacity planned for last year, the government anticipates just 15 GW this year. Cumulative capacity is said to be 40 GW; the target is to reach 150 GW by 2020.

The government will also cut solar PV FITS and add a 27% surcharge on to domestic energy bills (of around 0.019 yuan per kWh of electricity), according to Bloomberg, which quoted a report by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

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## AndrewJin

*Number of giant pandas in China reaches 422(in captivity)*
Panda cubs are carried to meet the press at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, Oct 24, 2015. China now has 422 giant pandas bred and living in captivity with a survival rate of about 88 percent, the State Forestry Administration (SFA) said Thursday. The country aims to increase the captive giant pandas population to 500 by 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]







@Benign Persona @TruthSeeker

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## TruthSeeker

Bei Bei was shown to the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) today. FONZ Members contribute to the zoo, and especially to the Giant Panda program. My wife and I are FONZ Members but cannot go up to Washington right now. We plan to go see Bei Bei in a few weeks.

*Zoo Members Get Exclusive Sneak Peek at Bei Bei*

Privacy policy | More Newsletters




AP
Animal keeper Nicole MacCorkle holds Bei Bei, the National Zoo's newest panda and offspring of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, for members of the media at the National Zoo in Washington, Dec. 14, 2015.
Members of the National Zoo in Washington are getting an exclusive peek at panda cub Bei Bei.

The cub, who was born Aug. 22, is set to make his public debut Jan. 16, but zoo members can see him starting Friday. Visitors who want to see Bei Bei -- will have to show they have a current Friends of the National Zoo membership and a matching photo ID.

*PHOTOS: Bei Bei Reaches New Levels of Cuteness*






Bei Bei, born weighing just four ounces, is now about 21 pounds, keepers said this week. He is working on crawling and is learning to climb the rocks in his enclosure.

The cub is the third surviving offspring for parents Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, who also live at the zoo along with their second cub, Bao Bao, who was born in 2013.

Bei Bei's twin brother died days after their birth, and Bao Bao's twin sister was stillborn. A single cub born in 2012 lived just a week.

Tian Tian and Mei Xiang's first surviving offspring, 10-year-old Tai Shan, lives in China. 

Published at 5:18 AM EST on Jan 8, 2016

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## ahojunk

This is the 3rd government-to-government (G2G) project between China and Singapore.

----------------------
*Singapore and China's third G2G project gets underway in Chongqing*
The first Joint Implementation Committee Meeting to discuss the project's next step was also held in the Southwestern Chinese city on Friday (Jan 8).

CHONGQING: Singapore and China deepened their cooperation on Friday (Jan 8) with the opening of an Administrative Bureau Office in Chongqing and a project signing to flag off their third government-to-government (G2G) project.

The initiative, called the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity, aims to enhance modern connectivity and services in the southwestern Chinese city.

Chinese officials have said they hope it will have a positive effect on the government's plan to develop its vast and relatively undeveloped western region. Chongqing is one of four municipalities under the direct control of the Chinese central government. It has been one of the fastest growing cities in China since 2014, with its economy expanding 11 per cent in the first three quarters of last year.

Singapore's Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing and Chongqing Mayor Huang Qifan co-chaired the first joint implementation committee meeting for the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI). This is the first high-level meeting between Singapore and Chongqing since the launch of the G2G project announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visited the city-state last November.

Mr Chan and the mayor endorsed the implementation structure of the CCI, which will be led by a Deputy Prime Minister-level Joint Steering Council, overseeing two ministerial committees which involve the Chinese government at both the central and local levels, said Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). 

Both sides discussed potential project collaborations and the next steps for the project as well, MTI stated in a news release.







Mr Chan had called on Chongqing Party Secretary Sun Zhengchai before the meeting. Both sides agreed with the "vision, success factors, the way forward for the project, as well as how Singapore can further complement Chongqing’s development through the CCI", said MTI. 

One of the items agreed on was to jointly develop a Chongqing Connectivity Masterplan to meet the city's development priorities. MTI said that through the CCI, Singapore hopes to "value-add to the development of Western China, by enhancing connectivity of Chongqing within China and with the world". 

Mr Chan, along with Mr Sun and Mayor Huang also witnessed the signing of 11 MOUs that serve to strengthen collaboration between Singapore and Chongqing in four priority areas: Financial services, aviation, transport and logistics and Info-Communications Technology.

Said Minister Chan: "There are two things we seek to do well in this project, which is to lower the financing costs and to lower the logistic costs. Because if we can do this, they act as a lubricant to allow the rest of the sectors to flourish, so it's quite different in scope and in nature to Suzhou and Tianjin."

The Suzhou Industrial Park is regarded as a model of modern manufacturing based on industrial estates in Singapore, while the Tianjin Eco-city is a model for sustainable development. Both are China-Singapore government-to-government projects as well.

Mr Chan said because the Chongqing project focuses on connectivity, it is not geographically bound and Singapore will help the Chongqing government with different perspectives and process innovations. Singapore can also serve as a launchpad to raise capital for companies in Chongqing and the Western region, he added, but said no targets have been set yet.

"Our definition of success could be how much does it cost to raise funds in the West vis-a-vis the rest of China or benchmark against the coastal region," said Mr Chan." Our benchmark or KPI or success factor could be: If today, the logistical cost for every dollar of a product is say 20 cents, if we are able to have policy innovations, simplification of the rules, coordination of the processes, how much are we able to bring that 20 cents or 20 per cent down? How much closer can we get to coastal regions in China so that we can bring out the potential of Western China?"

Mr Chan's visit to Chongqing comes just days after President Xi opened the year by visiting the metropolis. The Singapore Minister said he got very positive feedback from the Chongqing government on the support President Xi has given to the project and the broader Singapore-China relationship.

Other members of the delegation to China include Minister of State for Health and Communications and Information Chee Hong Tat and Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development, Dr Koh Poh Koon.

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## JSCh

*State Grid's east Junggar-south Anhui UHV project kicked off*
Xinhua Finance 2016-01-12 09:39 BEIJING





Construction on the State Grid Corp.'s east Junggar - south Anhui ultra high-voltage (UHV) direct current (DC) power transmission project has been kicked off.​
Involving a total investment of 40.7 billion yuan, this 1,100KV UHV transmission line is so far the longest UHV line running 3,324 kilometers from West to East China with largest transmission capacity in the world. It is expected to start operation in 2018, aiming at delivering electricity out from the Xijiang energy base.

Analysts forecast that State Grid would invite tenders for UHV equipment supply soon. The east Junggar-south Anhui UHV project is estimated to create output value of 28.5 billion yuan in power transmission and conversion equipment manufacturing and trigger investment of 101.8 billion yuan in related power source industry.

According to the 2016-2020 development plan of the State Grid Corp, China's largest power grid operator, the company would start construction on 10 alternative current (AC) UHV lines and two DC UHV lines before 2018. Amid the pressure of smog control and clean energy delivery, China has seen faster construction of UHV projects, said PingAn Securities.

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## AndrewJin

*World's second highest bridge in Southwest China put into operation*

Qingshuihe Bridge in Southwest China's Guizhou province. "This is the second highest bridge in the world, with a depth of 406 meters and a length of 2,171 meters," said Zhang Mingshan, chief engineer of the Qingshuihe Bridge in Southwest China's Guizhou province. [Photo/IC]





Zhang, born in 1980, graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering of Northeastern University in 2005. He never expected that he would be in charge of building the second highest bridge in the world. For the past two years, Zhang and his colleagues have worked day and night in the rolling mountains of Guizhou to overcome the most difficult problems, one after another, in the history of bridge construction.

On Dec 31, 2015, the Qingshuihe Bridge was officially put into operation, one full year ahead of schedule. With that, all 88 cities and counties in Guizhou province were linked by highways. [Photo/CFP]





A foreign netizen jokingly commented that if it were his country in charge of the project, they would probably spend ten years on discussion, another five on planning, and five more on construction. He also speculated that the final cost would be four times the budget. In addition to being the world's second highest bridge, Qingshuihe Bridge is also the world's largest single-span plate truss stiffening girder suspension bridge, and Asia's first steel truss girder suspension bridge built in a mountainous area. [Photo/IC]





People may not fully understand such engineering jargon, but Zhang and his colleagues know that, behind the industry expressions, the technical team spent countless hours on discussion, experiments and calculations. "It is the creativity of every team member that supports the bridge," said Zhang. [Photo/IC]

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## ahojunk

When I looked at this picture, these words come to my mind:-
- Magnificent!
- Stunning!
- Jaw-dropping!
- Awesome!
- Amazing!

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## ahojunk

"Green Corridor" in the Taklimakan Desert
2016-01-13 20:05:43 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Guan Chao

Taklimakan Desert, also known as "the sea of death" in ancient times, saw a "green corridor" crossing through it in the modern times.

The "Green Corridor" was a road built in the 1990s, when large oil and gas reserves were discovered in the desert. The road has helped with resource exploration.

However, with a width of seven meters, the road was vulnerable to the sand. Straw fences, which were added later on, temporarily solved the problem. In 2003, China started to renovate the road for protection purposes by planting trees that can stand high temperatures and sandstorms.

Today, the road is lined with the color of life, living up to the title of "Green Corridor".





Jun. 15, 2015. The "green corridor" in the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang.










Jun. 15, 2015. Workers taking care of plants along the "green corridor" in the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang.

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## JSCh

*Over 11 million visited Lhasa in 2015*
(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-01-14 14:18:17






The Potala Palace in Lhasa,Tibet autonomous region.[Photo/Xinhua]​
Statistics from the Lhasa Tourism Bureau shows that the city received 11.79 million tourists in the past year, achieving tourism revenue of 15.49 billion RMB.

To attract tourists to experience more of Tibetan culture, last year Lhasa launched a travel route featuring the Tibetan New Year. It includes a series of activities, such as visiting Tibetan households, tasting "Gutu" (a traditional delicacy in Tibet eaten on Tibetan New Year's Eve. It’s a soup of dough drops with various stuffings), touring the Sera Monastery and observing the creation of butter sculpture. This innovative promotional effort, which caters to visitors' needs to better explore the unique cultural landscape of Tibet, has significantly boosted tourism in Lhasa.

Besides this, a variety of cultural events, like the Lhasa Shoton Festival (a traditional religious occasion, also known as the Yogurt Banquet Festival), and the Tibet International Tourism and Culture Expo also have contributed to drawing domestic and foreign tourists to visit Lhasa.






Butter sculpture.[Photo/Xinhua]





The Potala Palace in Lhasa,Tibet autonomous region.[Photo/Xinhua]





A Tibetan traditional dance during the opening ceremony of the Second China Tibet International Tourism and Culture Expo. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn]​

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## Tiqiu

Sichuan province: the so-called "Sky Ladder Highway" after snow

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> View attachment 286741
> 
> 
> When I looked at this picture, these are what that come to my mind:-
> - Magnificent!
> - Stunning!
> - Jaw-dropping!
> - Awesome!
> -Amazing!


Can u teach me more adjectives to describe magnificent scenery?

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## Tiqiu

AndrewJin said:


> Can u teach me more adjectives to describe magnificent scenery?


superb
suːˈpəːb,sjuː-/
_adjective_
adjective: *superb*

*1*.
very good; excellent.
"a superb performance"
synonyms: excellent, superlative, first-rate, first-class, superior, supreme, outstanding, remarkable, dazzling, marvellous, magnificent, wonderful, splendid, admirable, noteworthy, impressive, fine, exquisite, exceptional, glorious, sublime, perfect, of the first order, of the first water;
_informal_great, fantastic, fabulous, stellar, terrific, super, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, awesome, amazeballs, ace, cool, A1, tip-top;
_informal_brilliant, brill, smashing, bosting;
badass
"he scored a superb goal"
antonyms: poor, inferior
*2*.
impressively splendid.
"the Bey of Tunis was building himself a superb mausoleum"
synonyms: magnificent, majestic, splendid, grand, impressive, imposing, awe-inspiring, breathtaking;
gorgeous, choice, resplendent, stately;
sumptuous, opulent, lavish, luxurious, deluxe;
_informal_plush, ritzy
"a superb diamond necklace"



Tiqiu said:


> superb
> suːˈpəːb,sjuː-/
> _adjective_
> adjective: *superb*
> 
> *1*.
> very good; excellent.
> "a superb performance"
> synonyms: excellent, superlative, first-rate, first-class, superior, supreme, outstanding, remarkable, dazzling, marvellous, magnificent, wonderful, splendid, admirable, noteworthy, impressive, fine, exquisite, exceptional, glorious, sublime, perfect, of the first order, of the first water;
> _informal_great, fantastic, fabulous, stellar, terrific, super, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, awesome, amazeballs, ace, cool, A1, tip-top;
> _informal_brilliant, brill, smashing, bosting;
> badass
> "he scored a superb goal"
> antonyms: poor, inferior
> *2*.
> impressively splendid.
> "the Bey of Tunis was building himself a superb mausoleum"
> synonyms: magnificent, majestic, splendid, grand, impressive, imposing, awe-inspiring, breathtaking;
> gorgeous, choice, resplendent, stately;
> sumptuous, opulent, lavish, luxurious, deluxe;
> _informal_plush, ritzy
> "a superb diamond necklace"


@ahojunk Sorry mate, I jumped the gun.

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## AndrewJin

Tiqiu said:


> superb
> suːˈpəːb,sjuː-/
> _adjective_
> adjective: *superb*
> 
> *1*.
> very good; excellent.
> "a superb performance"
> synonyms: excellent, superlative, first-rate, first-class, superior, supreme, outstanding, remarkable, dazzling, marvellous, magnificent, wonderful, splendid, admirable, noteworthy, impressive, fine, exquisite, exceptional, glorious, sublime, perfect, of the first order, of the first water;
> _informal_great, fantastic, fabulous, stellar, terrific, super, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, awesome, amazeballs, ace, cool, A1, tip-top;
> _informal_brilliant, brill, smashing, bosting;
> badass
> "he scored a superb goal"
> antonyms: poor, inferior
> *2*.
> impressively splendid.
> "the Bey of Tunis was building himself a superb mausoleum"
> synonyms: magnificent, majestic, splendid, grand, impressive, imposing, awe-inspiring, breathtaking;
> gorgeous, choice, resplendent, stately;
> sumptuous, opulent, lavish, luxurious, deluxe;
> _informal_plush, ritzy
> "a superb diamond necklace"
> 
> 
> @ahojunk Sorry mate, I jumped the gun.

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## Tiqiu

AndrewJin said:


>


No worries.
An US girl told me that some Americans actually use supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in daily life.

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## ahojunk

Tiqiu said:


> No worries.
> An US girl told me that some Americans actually use supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in daily life.


.
@Tiqiu 
You jumping the gun? No problems mate and no worries!

This "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is so f*cking difficult to pronounce.

I will just say, it's "wonderful".

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## JSCh

*China sees world's largest potassium sulfate production base in Lop Nur*
(People's Daily Online) 17:18, January 14, 2016





The salt field of SDIC Luobupo Potash Co. Ltd. in Lop Nur.(Photo/Xinhua)​
SDIC Luobupo Potash Co. Ltd., the world's largest producer of potassium sulfate fertilizer, has been dedicated to extracting the brine of Lop Nur and producing potassium sulfate fertilizer, promoting the development of west China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Before the establishment of this company, China had been seriously lacking in potassium fertilizers; imports made up more than 70 percent of the Chinese potassium fertilizer market.

When agricultural products are deficient in potassium, one of three essential nutrients for crops' growth, they are vulnerable to a number of issues that have a negative influence on the production and quality of crops.

Potassium fertilizer is crucial to the food security of China. However, before the founding of SDIC Luobupo Potash Co. Ltd., foreign companies had firm control over China's domestic potassium fertilizer market. The reserve of potassium salt in Lop Nur accounts for 30 percent of China's proven potassium salt reserves.

At the end of the 1990s, the world's largest potassium sulfate deposit was discovered in Lop Nur, known as the "Lake of Death."

To date, the SDIC Luobupo Potash Co. Ltd. has produced over 9.2 million tons of potassium sulfate fertilizers, and China's potassium fertilizer self-sufficiency rate has increased to 50 percent. The company plans to continue increasing the capacity to 1.5 million tons per annum in 2017.

China now has the lowest price on imported potassium fertilizers across the world. Compared with import prices in India, Southeast Asian countries and Japan, the price of potassium fertilizer imports to China is dozens of dollars cheaper per ton.

(Editor:Ma Xiaochun,Bianji)​

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## JSCh

* CNPC completes construction of first national-level shale gas pilot zone*
Source: Xinhua 2016-01-14 16:53:32

CHENGDU, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the country's largest oil and gas producer and supplier, has completed construction of its first national-level shale gas pilot zone.

The daily production capacity of Changning-Weiyuan national-level shale gas pilot zone in southwest China's Sichuan Province, exceeded the target of 7 million cubic meters on Wednesday, marking the completion of the zone, according to PetroChina Southwest Oil and Gasfield Company, a CNPC affiliate, on Thursday.

The zone currently has 83 wells in the province's Yibin and Neijiang cities with an annual production of 2 billion cubic meters.

The first well was built in April 2010. The central government approved the construction of the pilot zone in March 2012.

China has recently made breakthroughs in shale gas exploration, both in capacity and drilling techniques, as the country is moving to readjust its energy structure from reliance on coal, which has been blamed for foul air.

Sinopec, China's largest oil refiner, announced in December that its Fuling shale gas project in southwestern Chongqing Municipality achieved an annual production capacity of 5 billion cubic meters.

This makes China one of the world's biggest shale gas developers, second only to the United States.

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## ahojunk

Tibet Pilots 20 Distinctive Townships
2016-01-09 15:11:56 | Xinhua | Web Editor: Guan Chao





_A file phto of Qamdo City, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. _

Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China will build 20 distinctive towns in the next three years, making them exemplary areas for comfortable living, work and tourism.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held earlier this week in Jedeshol Town, Gonggar County, marking the start of the pilot project for urban construction in the plateau region.

Town infrastructure, including roads, will also be improved. The showcase project is expected to boost the traditional colored apron weaving in Jedeshol Town, which are garments often worn by Tibetan women.

Zhoigar, deputy head of the Tibet Housing and Urban-Rural Development Department, said the township construction will highlight historical and cultural resources, improve living standards and protect the environment.

The construction of the showcase towns will stick to the principle of prudent cutting of trees, no digging of mountains, no filling lakes and little destruction of houses, according to the project.

The 20 towns are in seven cities or prefectures in Tibet. Most of them have finished their planning. Experts will join the construction and provide technical support.





_A file photo of Shigatse City, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region._

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## JSCh

*Work to start on rail link with Iran*
By Cui Jia in Urumqi (China Daily) Updated: 2016-01-15 08:00 

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region plans to start preliminary work on a railway linking China with Iran via Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan within five years.

The railway is expected to run from Xinjiang's Kashgar to Afghanistan's Herat, then go through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and finally connect with the Iranian railway.

Conducting preliminary work on the railway has been listed in the draft of the region's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) that is likely to be passed by the regional people's congress on Saturday.

The central government positioned Xinjiang as the core region on the Silk Road Economic Belt, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and aims to revive the trade route that once connected China with Europe via Central Asian countries.

Representatives of transport ministries and railway departments from the five countries signed a document on the railway in a meeting in December 2014, Xinhua News Agency reported.

To better construct transportation corridors on the southern part of the economic belt, Xinjiang also began preliminary work on the China-Pakistan railway and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the draft said. Both railways will start at southern Xinjiang's Kashgar, which borders Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

Kyrgyzstan and China have been discussing for many years the possibility of constructing a China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

Xinjiang will also launch more flights connecting Central Asia, Western Asia and Europe. With 17 airports, Xinjiang currently has more airports than any other province or region. By 2020, the number of airports in the region will reach 28.

Because of its strategic location, the region will build four more gas pipelines connecting eastern parts of China, one of which will transport Russian natural gas to China.

The coal-rich region will continue to support China's development by transmitting electricity generated by thermal plants to other parts of the country via high-voltage power lines. By 2020, 30 million kW of electricity will be transmitted out of Xinjiang.

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> Tibet Pilots 20 Distinctive Townships
> 2016-01-09 15:11:56 | Xinhua | Web Editor: Guan Chao
> 
> View attachment 287221
> 
> _A file phto of Qamdo City, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. _
> 
> Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China will build 20 distinctive towns in the next three years, making them exemplary areas for comfortable living, work and tourism.
> 
> A ground-breaking ceremony was held earlier this week in Jedeshol Town, Gonggar County, marking the start of the pilot project for urban construction in the plateau region.
> 
> Town infrastructure, including roads, will also be improved. The showcase project is expected to boost the traditional colored apron weaving in Jedeshol Town, which are garments often worn by Tibetan women.
> 
> Zhoigar, deputy head of the Tibet Housing and Urban-Rural Development Department, said the township construction will highlight historical and cultural resources, improve living standards and protect the environment.
> 
> The construction of the showcase towns will stick to the principle of prudent cutting of trees, no digging of mountains, no filling lakes and little destruction of houses, according to the project.
> 
> The 20 towns are in seven cities or prefectures in Tibet. Most of them have finished their planning. Experts will join the construction and provide technical support.
> 
> View attachment 287220
> 
> _A file photo of Shigatse City, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region._


Impressive!

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## Dungeness

Tiqiu said:


> No worries.
> An US girl told me that some Americans actually use supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in daily life.



That is a freaking "BIG WORD". Teenagers love to use big words to impress others.



ahojunk said:


> View attachment 286741
> 
> 
> When I looked at this picture, these words come to my mind:-
> - Magnificent!
> - Stunning!
> - Jaw-dropping!
> - Awesome!
> - Amazing!



Awesome !

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## Jlaw

Tiqiu said:


> No worries.
> An US girl told me that some Americans actually use supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in daily life.


Dude, don't use that as that is so 1980!



AndrewJin said:


> On Dec 31, 2015, the Qingshuihe Bridge was officially put into operation, one full year ahead of schedule





AndrewJin said:


> A foreign netizen jokingly commented that if it were his country in charge of the project, they would probably spend ten years on discussion, another five on planning, and five more on construction. He also speculated that the final cost would be four times the budget.



The foreigner is exactly right. He may be joking but its reality in most western countries, especially in Canada

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## ahojunk

A sister province coming to the aid of Tibet.

----------------
Gansu to Ease Tibet's Power Needs
2016-01-15 15:38:54 Xinhua Web Editor: Chu Yiming






_A file photo of the power grid in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. [Photo: tibet.cn]_

Northwest China's Gansu Province capable of producing extra energy will transfer 700 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity to Tibet Autonomous Region in 2016.

It is estimated that this transmission will provide 18 percent of Tibet's annual power consumption, limiting power shortages during the harsher months of the year, according to Gansu Power Grid on Friday.

In addition, the transmission will reduce power surplus in Gansu. Electricity sales in the province stood at 76.3 billion kwh in 2015, down 6.7 percent year on year, mainly due to a reduction in industrial consumption. Power consumption in Gansu declined for four consecutive months since September

Gansu is a major power provider in northwest China. New energy, including wind and photovoltaic power, accounts for more than 40 percent of the installed capacity of the provincial power grid. Nearly 17 percent of power consumption in Gansu are from new energy sector.

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## Tiqiu

Jlaw said:


> Dude, don't use that as that is so 1980!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The foreigner is exactly right. He may be joking but its reality in most western countries, especially in Canada


Exactly Cuzz, it was told to me in the 80s.
I still remember it pronounces like super-califra-gilistic-expaili-docious

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## ahojunk

International Elementary School on China-Myanmar Border
2016-01-13 14:05:39 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Huang Yue





The school gate of an international elementary school in Yunnan Province. Located on the China-Myanmar border, the Yinjing Elementary School now has 152 students, including 65 Myanmar students. It provides free compulsory education to both Chinese and Myanmar students.





Chinese and Myanmese students playing together.





Study time.

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## ahojunk

Very good news coming from one of the poorer provinces.

--------------
*Guangxi reports 15% rise in foreign trade*
(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-01-16 13:16

NANNING - South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region reported a 15 percent rise in foreign trade last year, an impressive report against a downward national figure.

Export and import values totaled 319 billion yuan ($48.46 billion) in Guangxi in 2015, according to figures published by customs authorities in the regional capital Nanning on Saturday.

The figure breaks down into 174 billion yuan of exports and 145 billion yuan of imports, up 16 percent and 13.8 percent respectively year on year.

Trade with the ASEAN economies -- which are Guangxi's major trade partners -- totaled 180.3 billion yuan, making up 56.6 percent of its total trade volume and representing a surge of 19.6 percent from 2014.

Guangxi has fully exploited its geographical advantage and its cooperation with ASEAN members to deepen coordinated development and boost foreign trade, said Wang Yadong, deputy chief of the customs authorities in Nanning.

Wang said the region will further such cooperation and seek trade expansion in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, namely, the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

China's total export and import values decreased 7 percent year on year, falling for the first time in six years, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs.

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## ahojunk

IIRC, there is a Chinese proverb that says, "if you want to be rich, build a road."

Not only is China building roads, she is also building beautiful highways and expressways.

Enjoy these pictures of the beautiful expressway from Ya'an to Xichang in Sichuan:-

*Scenery of 'most beautiful highway' after snow*

Amazing snowy scenery of the highway from Ya'an to Xichang in southwest China's Sichuan province. Police had to remind the drivers and passengers not to get distracted by the beautiful landscape and ignore safety.

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> IIRC, there is a Chinese proverb that says, "if you want to be rich, build a road."
> 
> Not only is China building roads, she is also building beautiful highways and expressways.
> 
> Enjoy these pictures of the beautiful expressway from Ya'an to Xichang in Sichuan:-
> 
> *Scenery of 'most beautiful highway' after snow*
> 
> Amazing snowy scenery of the highway from Ya'an to Xichang in southwest China's Sichuan province. Police had to remind the drivers and passengers not to get distracted by the beautiful landscape and ignore safety.
> 
> View attachment 287681
> 
> 
> View attachment 287682
> 
> 
> View attachment 287683
> 
> 
> View attachment 287684


Imposing scenery!
This expressway is one section of G5 national expressway (Beijing-Kunming), 2000+km.





The following photos were taken by myself in 2015.

The longest tunnel of Yaxi expressway is more than 10km, at the altitude of 2500m above sea level, 1600 metres from the summit! It saves at least one hour compared to previous zigzag mountainous highway.
Speed limit within the tunnel is 70km/h.





The total length of bridges and tunnels accounts for 55%





*The Ganhaizi and Tiezhaizi dual spiral tunnels!!!









*

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## JSCh

* Tibet detects 672 geothermal sites*
Source: Xinhua 2016-01-16 20:04:45

LHASA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has detected 672 geothermal sites with a combined power generation potential of 800,000 kilowatts in a new survey.

The resources are found along the plateau railway link in Lhasa, Nyemo, Yambajan, Nagqu and near Cona Lake, in areas near the Yarklunggtsangpo,Lhasa and Nyainchu rivers, as well as the vast uninhabited areas in the north of Tibet, said the regional bureau of geology and mineral exploration on Saturday.

The survey also found that Tibet's high-temperature geothermal resources of over 150 degrees Celcius take up 80 percent of China's total.

This is contrary to traditional beliefs that high-temperature geothermal resources are found only in volcanic regions at low altitudes. Tibet has an average altitude of 4,000 meters.

It plans to invest heavily in the coming decade to exploit clean and renewable energy including geothermal and solar energy.

Equivalent to roughly 853 billion tonnes of standard coal, China's geothermal energy potential could replace coal in energy consumption.

Editor: Luan​

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## ahojunk

@AndrewJin

The Yaxi expressway tunnel of more than 10 km and high up in the mountains at 2,500m altitude must have cost a fair bit of money (but China is rich!).

You are lucky. Seems to me that you are a professional traveler just touring around China on HSRs and taking pictures. 

The Ganhaizi and Tiezhaizi dual spiral tunnels - look interesting but a bit of an overkill IMHO. Why do they need to be spiral tunnels? Do you have more info on them?

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> The Ganhaizi and Tiezhaizi dual spiral tunnels - look interesting. Why do they need to be spiral tunnels? Do you have more info on them?


Because the altitude climbs up from 1889m above the sea to 2220m above the sea within a direct distance of 3-4 km. Very innovative design!





*The first spiral to the north











The second spiral in the south











After dual spiral tunnels, it followed by endless tunnels again.



*

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## JSCh

* Xinjiang to train over 10,000 textile workers in 2016*
Source: Xinhua 2016-01-18 15:41:07

URUMQI, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to send 500 management staff and between 10,000 and 20,000 workers to train at inland textile and garment enterprises this year.

After the training, they will return to Xinjiang to help boost the development of the textile and garment industry in the region, a leading producer of top-quality cotton in China.

Xinjiang has sent 300 entrepreneurs and management staff, about 70 percent of whom are from ethnic minority groups, to receive training in 21 large-scale enterprises from nine inland provinces and cities starting in October 2015, according to Xinjiang's economic and information commission.

The first batch will receive training in advanced management techniques, production processes and marketing before training finishes at the end of January, the commission said.

Xinjiang produces about 60 percent of China's raw cotton, but most textile companies are in eastern coastal areas, far from Xinjiang.

The State Council, China's cabinet, issued a guideline in June, 2015 to bolster the textile and garment industry in Xinjiang in the hope of increasing local employment and facilitate exports.

Editor: Luan​

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## ahojunk

Xinjiang Pilots Cross-border RMB Borrowing Biz
2016-01-10 15:14:02 Xinhua Web Editor: Guan Chao





_A file photo of Kashgar economic development zone, Xinjiang. [Photo: Xinhua]_

The People's Bank of China has approved two border areas in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to pilot cross-border renminbi (RMB) borrowing.

According to the central bank's interim measure, businesses in the economic development zones in Kashgar and Horgos will be able to borrow RMB loans from institutional and private lenders from abroad to finance projects in all four prefectures in southern Xinjiang including Kashgar, Hotan, Kizilsu and Aksu.

The loans can only be used for production and construction projects rather than folk transaction activities, the bank said.

With the boom of e-commerce, Xinjiang is becoming better connected with the international community after the implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.

The border areas have boosted infrastructure projects including roads, railways and energy corridors as well as the construction of cross-border logistics parks, import and export goods distribution centers and cross-border development zones to tap an unlimited trade potential with Central Asia, Russia and Europe as well as the Persian Gulf and countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

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## JSCh

* Tibet slashes maternity, infant mortality rates*
Source: Xinhua 2016-01-18 16:36:19

LHASA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region saw record low maternity and infant death rates in 2015 thanks to improved healthcare conditions, according to the regional health and family planning commission.

The mortality rate of Tibetan women during pregnancy, at or after delivery was halved from about 23 per 10,000 people in 2009 to 10 per 10,000 last year, statistics released by the commission showed.

In addition, the mortality rate of infants in Tibet was reduced to 16 per thousand in 2015 from 21 per thousand in 2009.

During the period, the proportion of Tibetan women who gave birth in the hospital increased from about 51 percent to 90 percent.

When the plateau region was liberated in 1951, its maternal and infant death rates stood at 5,000 per 100,000 people and 430 per thousand respectively.

"Twenty years ago, expecting mothers in remote areas had their children die on the long journey to the hospital. Even if some made it to the hospital, the mother had a small chance of survival due to inadequate medical conditions," said Tsetha, a retired doctor in Gerze County.

Currently, the government covers hospital delivery costs for mothers from farming and pastoral areas. Since 2009, it has invested 1.8 billion yuan (274 million U.S. dollars) in prevention of birth defects and training of professionals.

Tibet will start building its first region-level hospital specialized in obstetrics, gynecology and paediatrics this year.

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## ahojunk

This is good news for China's western regions.

-----------
*Report: More graduates choose to work in western China*
By Liang Jun (People's Daily Online) 15:48, January 19, 2016







The latest reports on 2015 employment show that the number of students who choose to work in China's western regions is gradually increasing.

In 2015, the number of new graduates reached some 7.49 million, hitting a record high. 

Among them, 7,677 are from Fudan University, where the employment rate of recent graduates was 98.06 percent. Of those graduates, a total of 158 chose to work in western China, including in Sichuan province, Chongqing municipality, Guizhou province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan province. 

For Peking University, there were 9,317 new graduates in 2015. About 23 percent of Ph.D. students went to regions in the middle, west and northwest of China to seek opportunities.They were mainly working in education, scientific research and technology services. For undergraduates and graduates, only 45.8 percent choose to stay in Beijing – the first time this percentage included less than half of the class. 

Reports also show that manufacturing, financial services and the IT sector are the top three industries favored by students, followed by public service and education. 

Financial services is the most favorable sector, according to graduates from China's top three universities; 26.5 percent of graduates from Peking University, 19.1 percent of graduates from Tsinghua University and 20.92 percent of graduates from Fudan University signed contracts within the financial sector. The first choice of 27.08 percent of graduates from Shanghai’s Jiaotong University was manufacturing.

The report also shows that graduates are paying more attention to private enterprises.Nearly one quarter chose to work at private companies.

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## ahojunk

Pictures of "left behind" children in some remote areas of China's western regions. 

Some of these remote areas are dirt poor. As China is now rich, she should look at how these kids could be helped. Their parents (migrant workers) have made a great contribution to the progress and advancement of China. Lest not forget that!

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## TaiShang

* National Winter Games opens in Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Province*



​
The photo taken on January 20, 2016 shows the mascots, named "Snow Lotus Babies," of the 13th National Winter Games in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang. [Photo/CRI]



​
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong declares the opening of the 13th Chinese National Winter Games in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang, Jan. 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]



​
A young spectator cheers for the opening ceremony of the 13th Chinese National Winter Games in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang, Jan. 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]



​
Adli (top), Chinese famous wire-walking artist, carries the torch and walks on a wire during the opening ceremony of the 13th Chinese National Winter Games in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang, Jan. 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]



​
Spectators cheer for the opening ceremony of the 13th Chinese National Winter Games in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang, Jan. 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]



​
Chinese Kazakh ethnic girls watch the opening ceremony of the 13th Chinese National Winter Games in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang, Jan. 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]



​
Athletes from Hong Kong, China, who participate in the Winter Games for the first time, enter the stadium during the opening ceremony of the 13th Chinese National Winter Games in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Region, Jan. 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

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## TaiShang

​

The Xinjiang Uygur delegation comes to the stage during the opening ceremony of the 13th National Winter Games in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang on January 20, 2016. [Photo/CRI]

​

Uygur trapeze artists give a performance during the opening ceremony of the 13th National Winter Games in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang. [Photo/CRI]

​

The photo taken on January 20, 2016 shows the conclusion part of the opening ceremony of the 13th National Winter Games in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang. [Photo/CRI]

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## JSCh

*Water supplies in Tibet set to increase in the future *
News: Jan 15, 2016

The Tibetan Plateau has long been seen as a “hotspot” for international environmental research, and there have been fears that water supplies in the major Asian rivers would drastically decline in the near future. However, new research now shows that water supplies will be stable and may even increase in the coming decades.

A report by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 2007 suggests that the glaciers in the Himalayas will be gone by 2035. This statement was questioned and caused a great stir.

“This mistaken claim and the subsequent debate pointed to a need for a better understanding of the dynamics of climate, glaciers and future water supplies in the region,” says Deliang Chen, Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Gothenburg.

*River flows stable or increasing*
Since the statement by IPCC in 2007, the Tibetan Plateau has been a focus of international environmental research.

A research group led by Professor Deliang Chen at the University of Gothenburg, in close collaboration with researchers from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, headed by Professor Fengge Su, has studied future climate change and its effect on the water balance in the region. The great Asian rivers have their source on the Plateau or in the neighbouring mountains.

The researchers recently published a study in Global and Planetary Change which modelled the water flows upstream in the Yellow River, the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Salween, the Brahmaputra and the Indus. The studies include both data from past decades and simulations for future decades.

The results show that water flows in the rivers in the coming decades would either be stable or would increase compared to the period from 1971-2000.

*Affects a third of the world’s population*
The Tibetan Plateau is the highest and most extensive area of high land in the world, and what happens there affects water resources for almost a third of the world’s population.

Dr. Tinghai Ou, who was responsible for the climate projections in the study, has commented that increased precipitation and meltwater from glaciers and snowfall are contributing to increased water flows in the region.

“This is good news because social and economic development in the surrounding areas, including China, India, Nepal and other countries in Southeast Asia, are closely tied to climate change and access to water. But the fact that the glaciers are shrinking in the region could be a concern in the longer term, and we must keep a close eye on what is happening with global warming,” says Professor Deliang Chen.

*More about the study here:*
Su, F., L. Zhang, T. Ou, D. Chen, T. Yao, and K. Tong, Y. Qi, 2016: Hydrological response to future climate changes for the major upstream river basins in the Tibetan Plateau, Global and Planetary Change, 136, 82-95, doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2015.10.012.
Link to the published study: 

Water supplies in Tibet set to increase in the future - University of Gothenburg, Sweden

*Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences's report on the same paper*: GPC：青藏高原主要河源区径流未来可能呈增加趋势----中国科学院青藏高原研究所

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## ahojunk

Yunnan Normal University to set up Potato Research Institute
2016-01-14 13:08 | Ecns.cn | Editor: Mo Hong'e

(ECNS) -- Yunnan Normal University's plan to set up a Potato Research Institute to strengthen talent development and promote scientific research has sparked a humorous uproar on the Internet.

Throughout the past several generations, experts at Yunnan Normal University have made great progress in potato research, authorities said.

The establishment of the Potato Research Institute is in line with the national development strategies of positioning the potato as a staple food, and is also in accordance with Yunnan's development plan for a green economy, food safety, and plateau agriculture.

The university has promised to promote the project and set up a leading group and committee of experts as soon as possible.

It has set up a virus-free potato seed repository, with more than 1,200 germ plasma cultivated in China and abroad. It's one of the largest in China in terms of potato genetic diversity.

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## ahojunk

This is good news for migrant workers who now no longer have to leave their kids behind.

-------
*Modern agriculture lifts Guizhou farmers out of poverty*
By Yang Jie (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2016-01-21 09:55





_President Xi visits Jiufeng's greenhouse in Huamao village, Zunyi county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, on June 16, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]_

Farmers in a remote southwestern Chinese village who left their hometown to work their way out of poverty in big cities are coming back home to build an even better life and also stay with their family thanks to the development of modern agriculture.

More than 95 percent of the picturesque province of Guizhou is covered by mountains and hills, which lack the natural conditions for the development of traditional agriculture, and the ensuing poverty drove many farmers out of their villagers to work in big cities for a better life.

Shu Changying, a 46-year-old farmer in Huamao village, Zunyi county, worked in big cities for 20 years and returned home in 2014 after she found a job with decent pay at Jiufeng Agriculture Technology Corp, which was visited by President Xi Jinping on his trip to the village in June.

"I earn a monthly base salary of 1,780 yuan ($270.56) and the company covers my board and lodging," said Shu. "It's not as much as a I was earning – 3,000 yuan – working as a waitress in the city, but the company has just started and it takes time to grow the customer base and staying at home also means I don't have to pay the rent."





_President Xi visits Jiufeng's greenhouse in Huamao village, Zunyi county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, on June 16, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]_

In order to support their two children in school, Shu and her husband were forced to leave the children behind to work in the more developed Guangdong province after trying hard and failing to earn enough money by farming their more than 666.67-square-meter land.

"I'm very happy now that I’m staying with my family," said Shu, whose daughter got married in 2014. "I left home to work in big cities in 1994 and only returned home for new year celebrations for three years."

Shu feels that most of her fellow villagers who left home to work for a better life in big cities have returned recently because they can now find a job at home which can feed the whole family.

Jiufeng corp, which is based in East China's Shandong province, was established to Guizhou in 2012 and Huamao village in 2014 for their advanced practices in growing vegetables in greenhouses. After efforts to plough and improve the land, Jiufeng finally managed to grow vegetables on the land that was deemed by agricultural experts as not fit for growing greenhouse vegetables.





_Plectranthus hadiensis var. tomentosus on display at Jiufeng's greenhouse in Huamao village, Zunyi county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, on January 13, 2016. [Photo by Yang Jie/chinadaily.com.cn]_

"President Xi told us that he chose to visit Jiufeng mainly because we can help farmers improve their life," said Suqing, Jiufeng's public relationship manager, recalling Xi's visit in June, "President Xi was supposed to stay for eight minutes but he actually stayed for more than 20 minutes."

With its current 150,000-square-meter greenhouse, Jiufeng provides 71 jobs and is expected to provide 2,000 jobs and improve the lives of 20,000 farmers in the near future.

On his visit to Huamao village, President Xi told villagers that "a good life is created with one's own hands" and nothing will stand in their way if they are confident and determined.

"The sales revenue for vegetables at our base in Huamao in 2015 reached 37 million yuan ($5.62 million), one third of which is profit, and the tourism revenue in the latter half of last year reached 1.7 million yuan," said Su in full gratitude to President Xi whose visit made the base famous nationwide.





_Farmer-turned-workers work at Jiufeng's greenhouse in Huamao village, Zunyi county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, on January 13, 2016. [Photo by Yang Jie/chinadaily.com.cn]_

It will take Jiufeng eight to 10 years to recoup their investment in improving the quality of local land, but they are confident because "agriculture is pollution free and sustainable", said Su.

Plectranthus hadiensis var. tomentosus bred by Jiufeng is a special plant that caught President Xi's attention when the President visited Jiufeng's greenhouses.

"We joked with President Xi that maybe even he has never heard about Plectranthus hadiensis var. tomentosus," said Su. "It's an interesting plant because once touched it will radiate a natural scent."

Jiufeng imported the seeds of Plectranthus hadiensis var. tomentosus from the Netherlands and managed to grow them locally, which may serve as natural air refresher or refreshing seasoning to salad. Jiufeng sells it at 80 yuan per pot and the cost is about 20 to 30 yuan.

"Despite all the harsh conditions for the agricultural industry, Guizhou has clean air, water and soil, which guarantees the quality of agricultural products," said Su.

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## kuge

i pray the last frontier of western china remain unexploited by greedy humanity


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## ahojunk

Tibet builds digital safe-deposit for intangible heritage
2016-01-21 15:53 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

Researchers in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region are racing against the clock to digitalize intangible cultural heritage as the region's Tibetan folk masters reach old age.

Since 2005, the autonomous region has collected more than 100,000 stories, 1,500 videos and 40,000 photos of intangible cultural heritage for a digital database, said Ngawang Dainzin, head of the Tibet's Protection Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage.

So far, the database includes multimedia for 114 Tibetan operas, information on 89 intangible cultural heritage programs and details on 68 state-level successors, as well as information on more than half of the regional-level programs and successors, he said.

"The masters are a 'living dictionary' of intangible cultural heritage. The digitization work will better preserve the classic cultural heritage of the Tibetan ethnic group," he said.

The digital protection covers ten categories such as folk literature, traditional music, dance, arts, handicrafts and medicine.

In recent years, folk masters have passed away without passing on their special knowledge or were too ill to train the next generation.


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## ahojunk

_The big mad rush to get back to their home village for the Spring Festival in whatever way they can._

----------
*Motorcyclists warm to free journeys home*
2016-01-25 09:01 | China Daily | Editor: Qian Ruisha





_A procession of bikers hits the road on Sunday in Foshan, Guangdong province, to travel home in time for Spring Festival. (Photo: China Daily/Qiu Quanlin)_

In freezing weather on Sunday morning, Wei Guojian began his journey home for a Spring Festival family reunion.

It will take him nearly 24 hours to travel from Foshan in Guangdong province, where he has worked as a truck driver for eight years, to his hometown in Guizhou province.

"It was really difficult to buy a train ticket," Wei said.

The journey by motorcycle would normally cost Wei, who is traveling with his wife, about 300 yuan ($45) in fuel and road tolls for a one-way trip.

In contrast, it would cost double this amount to travel by high-speed train.

To provide motorcyclists with safe and warm homeward journeys, Sinopec Guangdong Oil Products has teamed up with the Guangdong Youth Volunteers Committee to offer free gas and other packages to the first 10,000 riders.

A total of 218 gas stations in Guangdong and Hunan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will provide the service for riders, the company said.

It is the fourth year that Sinopec has operated the free service. This year, it has been extended to include 1,000 minivan drivers, according to Chen Chengmin, general manager of Sinopec's Guangdong branch.

Wei is well used to motorcycle travel. In previous years, he has made the trip home with most of his friends from Guizhou.

"You not only need to beat the cold weather, but also the waiting time if you want to buy train tickets," he said.

Several high-speed rail lines have been opened to connect most interior areas with Guangdong, which has attracted millions of migrant workers over the years to its manufacturing industry.

"But there is still a shortage of train tickets. Many of my friends would rather ride home than line up to buy tickets," Wei said.

He was among thousands of people — most of them migrant workers — who opted for motorcycle travel during the national Spring Festival travel rush, which began on Sunday.

According to the transportation authority in Guangdong, more than 500,000 migrant workers travel home by motorcycle to neighboring provinces and regions during the annual festival rush.

Thousands of migrant workers and students in the Pearl River Delta, a major economic hub in South China, began their homeward journeys by rail on Sunday.

Guangzhou Railway Group said about 134,000 people traveled by train, with most heading for their hometowns in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Sichuan provinces.

The company will arrange for more temporary services to operate during the travel rush.

More than 2.26 million trips by train will be made from stations in Guangzhou before Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 8, the company said.

The Ministry of Transport expects about 2.91 billion trips to be made during the 40-day Spring Festival travel period that will end on March 3.

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## JSCh

*Tibet's industrial output more than doubles 2010-2015*
Source: Xinhua 2016-01-26 16:21:20

LHASA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Tibet's gross industrial output in 2015 reached 18 billion yuan (about 2.7 billion U.S. dollars), 2.4 times the figure in 2010, said local authorities on Tuesday.

Year-on-year growth in industrial output exceeded 18 percent, said Xu Fei, head of the regional industry and information technology department.

Tibet's 2015 value-added industrial output was 8.2 billion yuan, up 14 percent from the previous year, Xu said. The growth rate was 8 percentage points higher than the national average.

Tibet was the only one of China's provinces, regions and municipalities that didn't lower its target for economic growth last year.

By the end of 2015, the number of industrial enterprises in the southwestern Chinese region had passed 1,000, providing jobs for 21,000 people.

The combined revenues of makers of traditional local medicine in Tibet also topped 1.45 billion yuan in 2015.

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> _The big mad rush to get back to their home village for the Spring Festival in whatever way they can._
> 
> ----------
> *Motorcyclists warm to free journeys home*
> 2016-01-25 09:01 | China Daily | Editor: Qian Ruisha
> 
> View attachment 289612
> 
> _A procession of bikers hits the road on Sunday in Foshan, Guangdong province, to travel home in time for Spring Festival. (Photo: China Daily/Qiu Quanlin)_
> 
> In freezing weather on Sunday morning, Wei Guojian began his journey home for a Spring Festival family reunion.
> 
> It will take him nearly 24 hours to travel from Foshan in Guangdong province, where he has worked as a truck driver for eight years, to his hometown in Guizhou province.
> 
> "It was really difficult to buy a train ticket," Wei said.
> 
> The journey by motorcycle would normally cost Wei, who is traveling with his wife, about 300 yuan ($45) in fuel and road tolls for a one-way trip.
> 
> In contrast, it would cost double this amount to travel by high-speed train.
> 
> To provide motorcyclists with safe and warm homeward journeys, Sinopec Guangdong Oil Products has teamed up with the Guangdong Youth Volunteers Committee to offer free gas and other packages to the first 10,000 riders.
> 
> A total of 218 gas stations in Guangdong and Hunan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will provide the service for riders, the company said.
> 
> It is the fourth year that Sinopec has operated the free service. This year, it has been extended to include 1,000 minivan drivers, according to Chen Chengmin, general manager of Sinopec's Guangdong branch.
> 
> Wei is well used to motorcycle travel. In previous years, he has made the trip home with most of his friends from Guizhou.
> 
> "You not only need to beat the cold weather, but also the waiting time if you want to buy train tickets," he said.
> 
> Several high-speed rail lines have been opened to connect most interior areas with Guangdong, which has attracted millions of migrant workers over the years to its manufacturing industry.
> 
> "But there is still a shortage of train tickets. Many of my friends would rather ride home than line up to buy tickets," Wei said.
> 
> He was among thousands of people — most of them migrant workers — who opted for motorcycle travel during the national Spring Festival travel rush, which began on Sunday.
> 
> According to the transportation authority in Guangdong, more than 500,000 migrant workers travel home by motorcycle to neighboring provinces and regions during the annual festival rush.
> 
> Thousands of migrant workers and students in the Pearl River Delta, a major economic hub in South China, began their homeward journeys by rail on Sunday.
> 
> Guangzhou Railway Group said about 134,000 people traveled by train, with most heading for their hometowns in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Sichuan provinces.
> 
> The company will arrange for more temporary services to operate during the travel rush.
> 
> More than 2.26 million trips by train will be made from stations in Guangzhou before Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 8, the company said.
> 
> The Ministry of Transport expects about 2.91 billion trips to be made during the 40-day Spring Festival travel period that will end on March 3.


Sadly, there are not enough train tickets for all migrant workers.
I have just opened 12306 app for tickets on Guangzhou-Changsha(top10 busiest corridor).
It seems that all high-speed rail tickets on 1st February are sold out, one week before spring-festival.
Including standing tickets on the bullet!
Just some(less than 300) standing tickets on traditional trains are left.
(110 bullet, 57 slow trains)

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## JSCh

*China Focus: Tibet targets double-digit growth in 2016 *
Source: Xinhua | 2016-01-27 20:12:01 | Editor: huaxia

LHASA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China has set the ambitious target of achieving GDP growth exceeding 10 percent in 2016, the Tibetan regional government said Wednesday.

The plateau region reported 11-percent GDP growth last year, which reached 102.6 billion yuan (15.6 billion U.S. dollars), said Losang Jamcan, chair of the Tibetan regional government, at the annual meeting of the regional legislature, which opened Wednesday.

Outlining this year's development plan, Losang said Tibet aims to achieve a 20-percent increase in its fixed asset investments and raise the incomes of its urban and rural residents by 10 percent and 13 percent.

China posted its slowest GDP growth in a quarter century of 6.9 percent in 2015, and many provinces have lowered their growth targets for 2016 to between 6 and 9 percent as they convened the "two sessions", the annual meetings of legislature and political advisory bodies, this year.

Some western provinces and regions set the most ambitious goals, including Chongqing Municipality (10 percent). Economists have attributed the Tibetan speed to its small economic amount, huge potentials and strong support from the central government.

Despite the double-digit growth over the past 22 years, Tibet still struggles with poor infrastructure, weak industry and a lack of talent, said Luorong Dradul, an economics professor at Sichuan University who specializes in the Tibetan economy.

Tibet's GDP ranks the last in China, less than half of Qinghai Province, which is second last, and it has 590,000 rural residents living under the poverty line of 2,300 yuan in annual income.

"It still faces daunting tasks of achieving the moderately prosperous society. While other parts of China are slowing down, Tibet must continue to speed up in order to catch up," he told Xinhua.

Financial support from the central government has boosted confidence in maintaining double-digit growth, Luorong Dradul said.

At a meeting on Tibet's development last year, President Xi Jinping promised continued special financial, tax, and investment policies for Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas in four other provinces.

China has invested heavily to enrich Tibet and improve its public services. In 2014, the per capita disposable income of urban residents in the region was 22,016 yuan, a 38-fold increase compared with 565 yuan in 1978, and that of farmers and herdsmen was 7,359 yuan, representing an average annual increase of 10.9 percent, according to a government white paper published in September.

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## JSCh

* China's highest heating project to be implemented in Tibet*
Xinhua, January 28, 2016

China's highest-altitude heating project in Tibet will be operational by October, it was announced on Thursday during the regional "two sessions," the meetings of the local legislature and political advisory body.






Yaks graze on land covered with snow in Nagqu, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Nov. 12, 2011. [Photo: Xinhua/Wen Tao]​
Heating will cover Nagqu Town, which is at an altitude of more than 4,500 meters in Nagqu Prefecture, north Tibet.

Nagqu falls within the sub-frigid zone, and has an annual mean temperature of about 2 degrees Celsius, with the lowest temperature tumbling to as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius.

Over 70 percent of the heating project has been completed, and trials across Nagqu have been successful.

The heating project will mean 200,000 residents, nearly half of the total population in Nagqu, will no longer need to burn cow dung pats for warmth.

In 2013, the local government invested 1.15 billion yuan (176 million U.S. dollars) in projects like central heating, water supply and drainage, and sewage treatment in Tibet, according to Li Hongwei, director of Nagchu Prefecture Development and Reform Commission.

Another heating project is under construction in Ngari Prefecture, about 1,500 kilometers east of Nagqu. Homes in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, were connected to the central heating network in 2014.

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## ahojunk

13th National Winter Games Boost Xinjiang's Economy
2016-01-23 07:29:31 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Li Shaotong






Nanshan ski resort near Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang. 

This year's National Winter Games are expected to bring more opportunities for Xinjiang's development, particularly when it comes to tourism.

CRI's Li Jianhua has more from the Games in Urumqi.

The 13th edition of China's National Winter Games have been dubbed China's largest winter sports event.

It runs through to the end of this month.

Officials are promoting the Games as an opportunity to promote winter sports, such as skiing and ice skating, across China.

This year's event comes on the heels of Beijing being awarded the Winter Olympics in 2022.

As Xinjiang gets a significant amount of snow every winter, and has a long cultural tradition of sports, the region has long been considered as a potential host of a national-scale sporting event.

This year has brought that to bare.

Liu Yaying, from Tianjin, is in Xinjiang for the first time.

"The ski resort in Xinjiang is much bigger than the one we have in Tianjin. The surroundings here are more beautiful as well. Snow is everywhere in Xinjiang, unlike Tianjin, where you can only see snow around the ski resort. It feels good. What's more, the temperature here is just right."

The alpine events at this year's National Winter Games in Xinjiang are held at two different ski resorts.

One of them is the Tianshan Tianchi International ski resort.

General Manager Li Xinping says they've been planning for years to take full advantage of the opportunity.

"The programme was first approved in 2007. Planning for the Winter Games began the next year. Tianshan Tianchi International ski resort is located in a beautiful environment. The local government focuses a lot of its attention to environmental protection and nationwide fitness. The programme also includes the promotion of eco-tourism."

Li Jianhong is the General Manager of the Silk Road ski resort, which is the other one hosting alpine events.

He predicts the National Winter Games are going to increase their visitor numbers to around a million people a year.

"The 13th National Winter Games have helped us upgrade our facilities, and also lets more people know Xinjiang. In the long run, we think more visitors will come and spend some time here. Over the past ten years, our tourist numbers haven't increased by more than 20 percent. But I firmly believe our visitor growth rate will increase by at least 100 percent after the National Winter Games."

Over the past ten years, the number of people traveling to Xinjiang during the winter has increased from 800-thousand to around 20 million.

Regional officials expect tourist numbers to begin increasing significantly this year thanks to the National Winter Games.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua reporting from Urumqi.


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## Jlaw

ahojunk said:


> 13th National Winter Games Boost Xinjiang's Economy
> 2016-01-23 07:29:31 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Li Shaotong
> 
> View attachment 290048
> 
> Nanshan ski resort near Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang.
> 
> This year's National Winter Games are expected to bring more opportunities for Xinjiang's development, particularly when it comes to tourism.
> 
> CRI's Li Jianhua has more from the Games in Urumqi.
> 
> The 13th edition of China's National Winter Games have been dubbed China's largest winter sports event.
> 
> It runs through to the end of this month.
> 
> Officials are promoting the Games as an opportunity to promote winter sports, such as skiing and ice skating, across China.
> 
> This year's event comes on the heels of Beijing being awarded the Winter Olympics in 2022.
> 
> As Xinjiang gets a significant amount of snow every winter, and has a long cultural tradition of sports, the region has long been considered as a potential host of a national-scale sporting event.
> 
> This year has brought that to bare.
> 
> Liu Yaying, from Tianjin, is in Xinjiang for the first time.
> 
> "The ski resort in Xinjiang is much bigger than the one we have in Tianjin. The surroundings here are more beautiful as well. Snow is everywhere in Xinjiang, unlike Tianjin, where you can only see snow around the ski resort. It feels good. What's more, the temperature here is just right."
> 
> The alpine events at this year's National Winter Games in Xinjiang are held at two different ski resorts.
> 
> One of them is the Tianshan Tianchi International ski resort.
> 
> General Manager Li Xinping says they've been planning for years to take full advantage of the opportunity.
> 
> "The programme was first approved in 2007. Planning for the Winter Games began the next year. Tianshan Tianchi International ski resort is located in a beautiful environment. The local government focuses a lot of its attention to environmental protection and nationwide fitness. The programme also includes the promotion of eco-tourism."
> 
> Li Jianhong is the General Manager of the Silk Road ski resort, which is the other one hosting alpine events.
> 
> He predicts the National Winter Games are going to increase their visitor numbers to around a million people a year.
> 
> "The 13th National Winter Games have helped us upgrade our facilities, and also lets more people know Xinjiang. In the long run, we think more visitors will come and spend some time here. Over the past ten years, our tourist numbers haven't increased by more than 20 percent. But I firmly believe our visitor growth rate will increase by at least 100 percent after the National Winter Games."
> 
> Over the past ten years, the number of people traveling to Xinjiang during the winter has increased from 800-thousand to around 20 million.
> 
> Regional officials expect tourist numbers to begin increasing significantly this year thanks to the National Winter Games.
> 
> For CRI, this is Li Jianhua reporting from Urumqi.



Are Australians aware that they can go skiing in Xinjiang?


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## ahojunk

Jlaw said:


> Are Australians aware that they can go skiing in Xinjiang?


.
I don't think so.

We have our local ski resorts in the states of Victoria and NSW.

When it comes to overseas ski resorts, we tend to think of Europe, US or Japan.


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## ahojunk

This HSR will connect Tibet to Sichuan. Goods news for the people in these two provinces.

-----
*Sichuan-Tibet railway work picks up speed*
(China Daily) 09:56, January 30, 2016





1,629-km line perched on high mountains to be complete in early 2030s

China will accelerate the construction of a 1,629-kilometer Sichuan-Tibet railway starting this year, heads of the two regions' governments confirmed.

"The government will start a preliminary survey and research of the Kangting-Lyingchi railway project this year, and accelerate the construction of Sichuan-Tibet railway in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period," Losang Jamcan, chairman of the Tibet autonomous region government, said at the fourth session of the 10th People's Congress of Tibet in Lhasa on Wednesday.

Yin Li, acting governor of Sichuan, sent out similar message in the fourth session of the 12th People's Congress of Sichuan in Chengdu earlier.

The railway connecting Lhasa and Chengdu will be divided into three sections from west to east: Lhasa-Lyingchi, Lyingchi-Kangting, and Kangting-Chengdu.

Nearly 1,000 km of it will be in Tibet. Construction of the west and the east sections began last year. The whole project is expected to be completed in the early 2030s.

Perched at over 3,000 meters above sea level, and with more than 74 percent of its length running on bridges or in tunnels, the railway will meander through the mountains, the highest of which is over 7,000 meters.

It will cross the major rivers Minjiang, Jinshajiang and Yarlung Zangbo, said Lin Shijin, a senior civil engineer at China Railway Corp.

"The accumulated height it will climb reaches more than 14,000 meters, and it will cross many fault zones," he added. "It's like the largest roller-coaster in the world. With a designed service life of 100 years, it is believed to be one of the most difficult railway projects to build on Earth."

"It will cost at least 100 million yuan ($15.87 million) per kilometer, similar to the cost of high-speed railways on plains," said Zhao Jinxue, a rail construction risk appraiser with an insurance company in Chengdu.

The Sichuan-Tibet railway presents its builders multiple difficulties to overcome, such as avalanches, landslides, earthquakes, terrestrial heat, karst caves and underground streams, Lin said. "Yet, it is still a worthwhile project."

To travel from Chengdu to Lhasa currently takes 42 hours by train and three days by road.The rail line will shorten the travel time to less than 15 hours.

"I hope the railway can be finished as quickly as possible. Then, I'll take the train back home. It is more economical, safer and comfortable than airplanes," said Qiao Liang, a Chengdu businessman in Lhasa, who regularly commutes between the two places.

The southeast is the most populous region in Tibet, and the west of Sichuan is the least developed region of the province. The two regions are filled with breath taking natural views and fascinating ethnic cultures.

"The railway will effectively boost tourism, and bring a new Shangri-La to the world and tangible revenue to local people," said He Ping, a tourism agency manager in Chengdu.

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## ahojunk

_Interesting! In 2015, Guizhou more than double its export volume in 2014._

------------
*Guizhou tea export doubles in 2015*
Updated: 2016-01-07 16:47

GUIYANG - The southwestern province of Guizhou, which has the most tea plantations in the country, exported almost 600 tons of tea in 2015, more than double the export volume in 2014.

In 2015, Guizhou exported 598.7 tons of tea, with a total value of $36.47 million, according to the Guizhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

This is 307.8 tons more than the volume in 2014. About 58 percent of the exported tea was black tea and Wulong tea, or Oolong tea. Guizhou tea is exported to 11 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.

The export growth has been partly attributed to investment by foreign companies such as British John Swire & Sons Ltd and Starbucks, industry sources said.

Guizhou is mountainous and one of the least developed provinces in China. Its tea is known for having less pesticides.

Tea plantations occupy over 459,000 hectares in Guizhou. Total production value was 224,000 tons in 2015, up 23.7 percent year on year.


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## JSCh

*NW China province boasts largest organic grassland*
Source: Xinhua 2016-01-31 16:03:42

XINING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Qinghai has become China's biggest producer of organic livestock products after years of grassland restoration and herding control, local authorities said.

The northwestern province has about 4 million hectares of grassland, the largest area in China, approved for organic animal husbandry, with 3.8 million heads of livestock, according to the Qinghai Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.

Wang Huilin, an official in charge of animal husbandry with the department, said Qinghai has 961 rural cooperatives working on organic animal husbandry and a number of factories and warehouses for such products.

The province has been promoting organic herding while enforcing grassland protection in recent years. Organic farming puts less strain on pasture with a relatively low output.

Expanding human settlements and over-gracing used to bring severe degradation on Qinghai's 36 million hectares of grasslands until the government started to resettle herders and reduce herding in 2005.

The province has banned herding on 16 million hectares of degraded grasslands and limited cattle numbers on 15 million hectares, according to Wang.

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## JSCh

*China Southern Power Gird kicks off west-to-east power transmission project*
Xinhua Finance 2016-02-04 11:27 NANNING




China Southern Power Gird on Wednesday kicked off construction of Yunnan northwest to Guangdong 800KV ultra-high direct current (DC) power transmission project.

With a total investment of 22.2 billion yuan, this west-to-east power transmission project is one of the twelve power transmission channels for implementing the State Council's air pollution control action plan and is scheduled to be ready for power transmission by 2017.

The project channels from Yunnan province's Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, via Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong and would end at Guangdong Shenzhen Baoan district.

With a total length of 1,959 kilometers, this is so far the longest power transmission project of China Southern Power Grid. When completed, the project is expected to transmit approximately 20 billion kwh of electricity to Guangdong annually, about one fourth of Shenzhen city's yearly power consumption.

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## ahojunk

*Qualcomm, Guizhou pledge $280m investment in server chips*
Updated: 2016-01-18 02:12
By GAO YUAN(China Daily)





_A Qualcomm sign is pictured in front of one of its many buildings in San Diego, California November 5, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]_

Chipmaker Qualcomm Inc delivered a boost to the high-tech sector in Guizhou province on Sunday by pledging a major investment.

The United States company said it is building a 1.85 billion yuan ($280 million) joint venture in the less-developed southwestern province to produce server chips for the domestic market.

Named the Guizhou Huaxintong Semi-Conductor Technology Co, the joint venture will be 55 percent owned by the Guizhou provincial government's investment arm and 45 percent by a Qualcomm subsidiary.

Derek Aberle, president of Qualcomm, said the venture will focus on the design, development and sales of "advanced server chipset technology" in China.

The venture will be based at a technology park near Guiyang, the provincial capital.

As part of the deal, Qualcomm will also license its proprietary server chip technology and provide research and development processes to the venture, Aberle said at a news conference in Beijing.

Sun Zhigang, the acting governor of Guizhou, said the collaboration is a major step for China's semiconductor industry and will also assist Guizhou to set up a world-class chipmaking plant.

The collaboration will also help the province to build up its high-tech industries such as cloud computing and chipmaking, providing key ways for it to grow its economy in the coming decade.

"The partnership is a win-win deal for both Guizhou and Qualcomm," Sun said.

Xu Shaoshi, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, said the partnership sets an example for cross-border technological innovation, the key to economic growth.

"China is open to foreign investment. … We welcome more overseas investment flowing into China, especially in the western part of the country," Xu said.

Wu Lianfeng, vice-president and chief analyst at research firm International Data Corp China, said more overseas technology companies are expected to set up joint ventures in China to gain access to highly profitable government procurement deals.


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## ahojunk

*Xinjiang's foreign trade grows 40% over 5 years*
(Xinhua) | Updated: 2016-02-02 17:18

URUMQI - Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in northwest China has made 770 billion yuan ($116.8 billion) from foreign trade from 2011 to 2015, up 41.5 percent over the previous five years.

According to Urumqi Customs Office, the region's trade growth had slowed during the past five years.

Foreign trade volume for the region totaled $19.7 billion in 2015, down 28.9 percent year on year. Exports shrank by 25.4 percent to settle at $17.5 billion, while imports plunged by 48.2 percent to $2.2 billion.

Customs data showed a decline of more than 40 percent in trade with Kazakhstan in 2015, but growth of 180 percent with the United States last year. Electro-mechanical products, textiles and shoes accounted for the majority of export while the region also imported large quantities of electro-mechanical and agricultural products as well as paper pulp.

Customs statistician Chen Guoliang was upbeat about the outlook for Xinjiang's exports thanks to supportive policies from the central and regional governments.


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## ahojunk

*Vegetable production base in Yunnan*

Some pictures of a vegetable production base in Tonghai County, in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 4, 2016. This vegetable production base is quite large.

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## ahojunk

*Xinjiang welcomes labor-intensive plants for more jobs*
Feb 07,2016

URUMQI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's remote Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region aims to cultivate more heavy labor employers in the next five years.

Medium and small enterprises are also on the welcome list.

With abundant resources of cotton and labor, Xinjiang will try to attract textile and clothing manufacturers with the support of policy, capital, and training, during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020).

It will also encourage as many as 200,000 residents to find jobs in textile mills or clothing companies in eastern inland areas during the same period.

The westernmost region is the biggest cotton cropper in China, harvesting 3.5 million tons of cotton last year, 62.5 percent of the national yield. Textile and garment industries contributed 130,000 new jobs in Xinjiang during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

In Tarim Basin, one of the region's principal cotton producers, many villagers left farmland for factories where they earn stable income.

Currently, 1.85 million people, 8 percent of Xinjiang's population, are living in poverty.

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## ahojunk

*Southwest China's Guizhou pioneers in setting up regulation for big data*
By Ma Si in Beijing and Yang Jun in Guiyang (China Daily)
Updated: 2016-01-30 08:19





_Photo taken on Sept 16, 2015 shows a view of the Yueliang Mountain in Guizhou Province. [Photo/Xinhua]_

Big data enterprises in Guizhou province say they expect benefit from the country's first local regulation for the budding industry, which urges governments to expand public data initiatives and offer more policy support. The regulation, published by the southwestern province, will be implemented from March 1 and is designed to promote the development and application of big data in the inland province.

"As one of the country's first batch of companies focusing on healthcare big data, we have been cautious because there are no laws that tell us what we can and what we cannot do," said Huang Guohong, president of Guiyang Longmaster Information & Technology Co Ltd.

"The Guizhou regulation has set a direction for us by promising tax rebates, financial support as well as encouraging us to voice opinions on industry standards," Huang said.

The regulation lays out a framework for a wide range of big data related issues such as how to collect and store data, what types of data can be commercialized and how to protect users' privacy.

Du Hu, the co-founder of Baihe Finance, the subsidiary of matchmaking website Baihe Network Co Ltd, said the company has accumulated a huge amount of information since it started operations 11 years ago, but the bulk of it is lying idle in the company's computers.

"The regulation will accelerate the application of our data. It says clearly that local governments should encourage enterprises to sell and buy data through legal channels," Du said, adding the company will take strict measures to protect users' private information while engaging in big data deals.





_Photo taken on Sept 16, 2015 shows paddy fields on the Yueliang Mountain in Guizhou province. [Photo/Xinhua]_

The provincial regulation comes as Guizhou is aggressively tapping into the big data industry to boost economic growth. Currently, it is home to more than 1,200 big data companies. China's big three telecom operators are spending 15 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) for constructing three Internet data centers in Guizhou, which are expected to house 2 million servers.

Li Yao, director of the finance office in the Guizhou provincial government, said many firms have developed models for big data applications but they just do not have enough data to put them into use.

"The regulation urges governments to open more public data to enterprises, which will help solve the problem given the vast volumes of information governments have collected. But the difficulty lies in how to implement such rules. Relevant parties need to come up with detailed methods."

Tian Jinghai, a big data expert at the Emerging Industrial Centers of China Investment Association, agreed. "I am glad to see that the regulation says the government will set up a grading system for public data, detailing what types of information can be shared with enterprises. This is the prerequisite for large-scale application of big data."

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## ahojunk

*Guangxi becomes China's largest timber-producing region*
Feb 03,2016

NANNING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has become the country's largest timber-producing region, according to the local forestry bureau on Wednesday.

Guangxi reported an annual timber production of 25.5 million cubic meters during the last five years, accounting for one third of the total timber production in China.

Forest coverage in Guangxi reached 62 percent by the end of 2015, with 220 million mu (about 14.7 million hectares) of forest land.

"The total output for the forest industry hit 430 billion yuan (about 65.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the last five years," said Huang Xianyang, director of the local forestry bureau.

China launched its first national forest reserve pilot project in Guangxi. So far, the region has 2.3 million mu of forest reserves and is planning to build the country's largest timber reserve, according to Huang.

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## ahojunk

_Truffles are very expensive in France, but these truffles are less desired, hence they are cheaper. 
Even so, this is still another welcome source of additional income for the rural farmers.
_
--------
*How truffles went from pig food to treasure in Yunnan, China*
Sophie Pither
Sunday 7 February 2016 21.00 AEDT





_Rich pickings … the tubers fetch around £100 a kilo. Photograph: Edmond Ho_

Perhaps the most unusual food experience I had in China recently – as well as deep-fried scorpion and sliced yak’s penis – was sliced black truffle in a village near Kunming city, Yunnan province, south-west China. The Chinese middle-class is hungry for European luxury foods, and the country is meeting that demand with a burgeoning home-grown supply. In addition to truffles there’s a thriving caviar trade and some decent Chinese wines.

Farmer Mao Xin Ping subsidises his income by truffle hunting. He and his wife go out between November and March, using only instinct and experience, not dogs as is common in Europe. I met him unearthing black truffles with a long-handled hoe in the woods above his farm.

I ask whether he likes truffles. “We don’t eat them,” the translator relays. “We used to feed them to pigs, but now they are treasure.” The couple fills two ice-cream tubs with truffles in the hour and a half we’re out.

These are the naturally occurring black tuber indicum truffles, less pungent and costly than the French tuber melanosporum. They fetch about £100 a kilo (the French Perigord variety go for more than £1,000).





_Many Chinese farmers use instinct and experience to find truffles, rather than dogs. Photograph: MCT via Getty Images_

Buyers are mostly hotels and city restaurants. Executive chef Terrence Crandall, of Shanghai’s Peninsula Hotel, says: “I’ve had good Chinese truffles, but sometimes they’re picked too young. We could get to a point where forests are rented out, as in Europe, and truffles can ripen for longer.”

At Mao Xin Ping’s house, we slice a truffle. It has a mild taste and no aroma. Mao will keep hunting, getting better and riper truffles as the weather turns colder here in the Yunnan hills.

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## ahojunk

_Neat! The approach distance and height are reduced, increase throughput and enhance the safety at the same time. This leads to a better ROI._

---------------
*Airbus ProSky, Sichuan Airlines Design RNP-AR Procedures*
by Bill Carey
February 12, 2016, 12:30 PM






Airbus ProSky, the air traffic management subsidiary of the Airbus Group (Stand J23, Chalet CD19), joined with Sichuan Airlines and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to design required navigation performance-authorization required (RNP-AR) procedures at Gannan Xiahe Airport, the parties have announced. The remote airport is located in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, northwest China.

Using the new arrival and departure procedures, Sichuan Airlines can improve payload by two tons on one of the airport’s runways and four tons on another runway, Airbus ProSky said. Approach minimums were reduced from 1,810 feet to 600 feet and from 820 feet to 290 feet, respectively. The RNP-AR procedures have also produced track-mile savings of up to 18.6 nm for one of the approaches.

Sichuan Airlines, a regional carrier based in Chengdu in southwest China, first demonstrated the new procedures with an Airbus A319 narrowbody airliner on November 30.

“We are pleased to partner with Airbus ProSky on RNP-AR procedures at Xiahe. The stabilized approach and track-mile savings will not only enhance safety, but also operational efficiency,” said Wang Xinghua, Sichuan Airlines general manager of operational standards.


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## ahojunk

New City to be Established in China's Tibet
2016-02-16 14:32:05 | Xinhua | Web Editor: Guan Chao






_File photo of Shannan, or Lhoka Prefecture, Tibet Region. [Photo: baidu.com]_

China's State Council, or the cabinet, has approved the application of Shannan in Tibet Autonomous Region to become the fifth prefecture-level city in the region, local authorities announced on Tuesday.

As part of the status upgrade, a city committee of the Communist Party of China, government, the people's congress standing committee, and the city's political advisory body will be established.

Located in southeastern Tibet with an average altitude of 3,700 meters, Shannan is the fifth prefecture-level city in Tibet after the regional capital Lhasa, Qamdo, Xigaze and Nyingchi.

Shannan, which borders Indian and Bhutan, is the birthplace of the ancient Tibetan civilization with the region's first King, first palace, first piece of farmland, first temple and first religious script.

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## ahojunk

*Russia to export wheat to China’s Inner Mongolia*
January 19, 2016 INTERFAX, RBTH
China to accept Russian wheat in the dry port of Manzhouli.





_An import of Russian wheat. Source: RIA Novosti_​
A month after Beijing lifted a near two-decade ban on Russian wheat, Russia will export the commodity to China’s Inner Mongolia region.

The dry port of Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia will be used as a point of transshipment for wheat imported from Russia, the head of the Heilongjiang province's Association of Applied Economics, Zhang Chunjiao, told Interfax.

In December 2015, China lifted a ban on the import of Russian wheat, which was imposed in 1997. The lifting of the ban was a part of a protocol on phytosanitary regulations for imports of Russian agricultural products to China.

In 2016 Russia plans to export up to 350,000 tons of wheat to China, according to Vedomosti.

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## JSCh

*China’s poverty relief ‘grading scheme’ will rate top officials based on how much they improve life for the poor*
_The move is the country’s latest effort to lift its people out of poverty by 2020_

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 17 February, 2016, 10:10pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 17 February, 2016, 10:10pm
Zhuang Pinghui





An elderly beggar sleeps on the street in Shenzhen. Some 71 million people live in poverty in China. Photo: SCMP Pictures​
Senior officials will be judged on a new set of criteria to assess progress on poverty relief efforts.

The move – the country’s latest effort to lift people out of poverty by 2020 – comes months after President Xi Jinping described eliminating rural poverty as the toughest part of building a “moderately prosperous society”.

Despite three decades of stellar economic growth, some 71 million people still live in poverty on the mainland, earning less than 2,300 yuan (HK$2,750) a year. Most of them live in the central and western parts of China.

The criteria, released by the general offices of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, will evaluate provinces’ efforts to identify, help and reduce their impoverished population. It will also check if poverty relief funds are being put to good use.

It will apply to 22 provinces in central and western China, and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development will conduct the assessments annually until 2020.

An independent party, scientific research agency or NGO will conduct inspections, surveys and studies in accordance with the criteria, according to a statement from the offices.






Young girls gather to work on their homework in a village in Guizhou, one of China’s most impoverished provinces. Photo: Xinhua​
Officials who meet the poverty alleviation target will be rewarded, but those who fail to deliver satisfactory results risk punishment. The evaluation will serve as a major reference for assessing government officials’ performances, the statement said.

Shandong University professor Wang Zhongwu said the criteria were a warning for local governments not to neglect their duty of helping the poor, Xinhua reported.

For years, China’s “poverty counties” have enjoyed favourable policies, and officials have been unwilling to rid their counties of the status.

There have also been cases of poverty relief funds being misused or embezzled.

This month, Fujian province announced eight cases of irregularities in the use of such funds.

Last year, 20 Guizhou counties were found to have pocketed or embezzled the funds.

In 2014, 200 million yuan of poverty relief funds in Hainan province were found to have been misused.

China’s poverty relief ‘grading scheme’ will rate top officials based on how much they improve life for the poor | South China Morning Post

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## JSCh

*House reconstruction completed after 2014 Yunnan quake*
Source: Xinhua 2016-02-18 14:51:44

KUNMING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Yunnan Province has finished rebuilding tens of thousands of homes damaged in the deadly Aug. 3, 2014 earthquake, the authority said on Thursday.

That includes 48,606 houses in Ludian County, the epicenter, with an investment of 2.3 billion yuan (352 million U.S. dollars), according to the post-quake reconstruction headquarters.

All the tents for temporary shelter have been dismantled, it said.

House reconstruction in the adjacent Qiaojia and Huize counties and Zhaoyang District of Zhaotong City has also been completed.

China unveiled a three-year plan in November 2014 to rebuild houses, public utilities, infrastructure and industry. Both central and provincial governments provided financial support.

The 6.5-magnitude quake on Aug. 3, 2014 killed more than 600 people and destroyed about 80,000 homes.

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## ahojunk

*Thousands to be relocated in China to make way for world's largest radio telescope*
*The Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope or FAST is designed to detect signs of extraterrestrial life.*





_The 500-metre Aperture Spherical radio Telescope under construction in Pingtang county in Guizhou province _​
By Jennifer Pak, Shenzhen
1:10PM GMT 17 Feb 2016

More than 9,000 people in China will be forced to leave their homes to make way for the world's largest radio telescope as part of the country’s ambitious hunt for aliens. Authorities in south-western Guizhou province will relocate the families to make way for the launch of the world's largest radio telescope.

The 1.2 billion yuan (£128 million) project is designed to detect signs of extraterrestrial life.

To do that effectively, state-run Xinhua news agency reported that officials will “evacuate” all homes within three miles (5km) of the radio telescope. Li Yuecheng, Guizhou’s senior Communist Party official, said this would help "create a sound electromagnetic wave environment".




Xinhua reported that 2,029 families, a total of 9,110 people from Pingtang County and Luodian County will be affected. It added that officials would compensate each resident 12,000 yuan and ethnic minorities with “housing difficulties” get an additional 10,000 yuan.

A comment on the social media platform Weibo showed surprise at the scale of this relocation. “There are so many people, how can you move them all? Just because you say so? You guys are amazing,” wrote Xia Zhongde in a comment directed at officials.

Guizhou is one of the poorest provinces in China.





_The 500-metre Aperture Spherical radio Telescope under construction in Pingtang county in Guizhou province_​
Forced relocation to make way for infrastructure projects is common in China and affected residents often complain about the eviction and inadequate compensation. However, coverage of this project in the state-controlled press has been focused on China’s technological advances.

Construction on the 500m Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope or FAST began in 2011. Once it is completed in September, the telescope will measure 500m in diameter, which dwarfs the 300m-diametre Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

In November, Chinese scientists said they successfully tested a key component on their telescope. According to the China Daily, the telescope is unique because of its 4,500 panels, mostly triangular shaped that create a parabolic shape.The panels can move and alter the shape of the antenna, which picks up signals from far off corners in the universe.

"With a larger signal receiving area and more flexibility, FAST will be able to scan two times more sky area than Arecibo, with three to five times higher sensitivity," Li Di, chief scientist with the National Astronomical Observatories told China Daily.

"Ultimately, exploring the unknown is the nature of mankind, which is as visceral as feeding and clothing ourselves. It drives us to a greater future," he said.

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## ahojunk

*Sino-Myanmar Railway bridge with longest span in the world starts construction *
By Huang Jin (People's Daily Online) 13:26, January 25, 2016





The pier and cable crane tower of the Nu River Bridge. (Photo/Xinhua)





The pier and cable crane tower of the Nu River Bridge. (Photo/Xinhua)​
Construction begins on the Nu River Bridge, a project along the Sino-Myanmar Railway, on Jan. 24. It will be the steel truss railroad bridge with the longest span in the world. 

Located at the junction of the Shidian county and Longling county in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the Nu River Bridge will have a total length of 1,024 meters. The height of the bridge above the river will be 211 meters. The bridge will mainly use steel truss arch beams with a span of 490 meters.

Yan Shuxin, a director from the constructors, China Railway 18 Bureau Group, said that due to restrictions arising from the special topography of the Nu River and Gaoligong mountains, the railway station will be built upon a deck. The width of the deck will reach 24.9 meters, which will be the widest among the same type of railway bridges in China. The construction of the Nu River Bridge will use over 46,000 tons of steel. It will require rare precision in the manufacturing of the steel trusses, and pose high risks in terms of assembling steel trusses at high-altitude.

The Sino-Myanmar Railway linking China's Kunming and Myanmar's Yangon covers a total length of 1,920 kilometers, among which, a 690-km-long section is in the territory of China. A 350-km-long railway from Kunming to Dali in China has been built. With the Nu River Railway Bridge, the 340-km-long railway linking Dali and Ruili will help to reduce the current travel time of 7 hours to about 2 hours by train.

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## JSCh

*Karakoram Highway: Path to riches for China, Pakistan*
By Yang Ziman (China Daily) Updated: 2016-02-22 10:12






China Communications Construction Company Ltd workers prepare tunnel-supporting steel frame at a construction site along the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan.CHINA DAILY​
*Karakoram Highway project to transform Pakistan and generate handsome returns on Chinese investment*

The improvement of the Karakoram Highway of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has greatly boosted transportation of farm produce and tourism in the north of Pakistan, said top executives of China Communications Construction Company Ltd or CCCC that has aided the renovation.

The highway, which used to be open for only four months every year, runs through the year now.

"The improved road has enhanced the economic ties between China and Pakistan. It is a road leading to abundant wealth and prosperity for the Pakistani people," said Sun Ziyu, vice-president of CCCC, a major Chinese State-owned enterprise principally engaged in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure.

"A smooth road plays an important role in China's investment in agriculture, infrastructure and energy in Pakistan. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a key hub along the Belt and Road Initiative since it connects the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road," said Sun.

The Karakoram Highway is the northern section of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $46-billion project that connects Gwadar Port in southwestern Pakistan to China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region via a vast network of highways and railways.

The 1,224-kilometer Karakoram Highway is one of the highest paved international roads in the world. It connects Xinjiang of China and Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range at a height of 4,693 metres from the sea level.

The construction of the highway started in 1960s with China's aid, and finished in 1979. It is the only land way to connect the north of Pakistan with the capital Islamabad and the southern coastal regions. It is also the only route on the land between China and Pakistan.






A bird's-eye view of Karakoram Highway of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.CHINA DAILY​
CCCC took over the project to improve Karakoram Highway in 2006. The section to be improved, which measures 335 kilometers, was completed and reopened for use in September 2013.

"The highway goes through an extremely complicated and dangerous region nicknamed the disaster museum," said Wang Jingchun, the overseas affairs manager of CCCC. "Unpredictable catastrophes such as avalanches, landslides, rockfalls, earthquakes, cave-in incidents occur from time to time. When the construction first started in 1960s, more than 700 workers lost their lives in the process."

In 2010, a large landslide hit the midsection of the Karakoram Highway, which formed a giant barrier lake of about 300 million cubic meters, cutting the road in half as it flooded 20 kilometers of the road.

"Since the dam is on the upper stream of the river, it will flood all the villages in the downstream section if it breaks," said Chen Haipeng, deputy manager of China Road and Bridge Corp, which was responsible for the landslide dam solution.

"We invited a lot of top Chinese engineers to the site to find a solution to the problem of the landslide dam," said Pang Ming, manager of the improvement project. "Eventually we had to realign the route by constructing five tunnels with a total length of 7 kilometers through the mountains, which have been named the 'China-Pakistan Friendship Tunnels'."

The improvement project has created more than 10,000 jobs for the Pakistani people, who have been trained in the process to serve as talents for future infrastructure construction in the region. It has linked more than 15 million people in the region with faster access to the outside world.

Despite the technical challenges, the Chinese constructors have also helped the villages along the highway in building roads and bridges, maintaining power plants, diverting river routes, and building schools and orphanages. They have actively participated in the rescue and reconstruction work in times of natural disasters.

"As the only 'all weather' strategic partner of China, Pakistan is China's important gateway to South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia as well as the Islamic world," said Li Xiguang, deputy director of the Tsinghua School of Communication and Journalism.

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## JSCh

*Tibet to build China's highest resort*
By Palden Nyima and Da Qiong in Lhasa ( China Daily ) Updated: 2016-02-24 08:04:33




Tibetan skiers practice at Wanlong Ski Resort in Chongli, Hebei province, on Feb 17 during the Sohu Cup national ski mountaineering event.[Photo provided to China Daily]​
China's highest ski resort has been earmarked for Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, as part of its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).

Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and glaciers, Tibet has many natural advantages for developing a skiing and mountaineering industry.

It has five mountains higher than 8,000 meters, more than 70 mountains higher than 7,000 meters, and no fewer than 1,000 mountains higher than 6,000 meters.

"With an average altitude of 4,500 meters above sea level, Tibet is rich in unique natural resources for ice and snow sports," said Nyima Tsering, deputy director of the region's sports bureau.

Born in Tibet's eastern Qamdo prefecture, 47-year-old Nyima has spent the past 15 years honing local mountaineering expertise, turning the region into a center of Himalayan mountaineering culture and promoting it as a paradise for outdoor sports.

He also serves as the head of the Tibet Mountaineering Guide School and has climbed to the top of Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, three times.

It is important to have a ski resort in the region's capital, Nyima said, because it will provide a stage for younger generations to learn the basics of winter sports before attempting the many natural snow-capped mountains in the area.

"Just as China is new to the winter sports game, Tibet also has a long way to go," said Nyima, adding that he hoped "to see the faces of Tibetan skiers" at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

A contract has been signed between the sports bureaus of Tibet and China's Heilongjiang province to aid in the training of Tibetan talent.

Azha, a coach with the team, said he believed there was a lot of potential for Tibetans to do well in winter sports.

He gave the example of Dorje, one of four Tibetan skiers who participated in the recent 2016 Sohu Cup national ski mountaineering event and came eighth in the men's event.

"These four Tibetan skiers were only trained for 90 days, and they did a good job. We can make it in the future," he added.

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## ahojunk

*Surprise boom town sprouts in rural Western China*
Editor: Li Kun 丨CCTV.com
02-23-2016 16:08 BJT

_By Tom McGregor, CNTV Commentator_

Much of Western China remains rustic and sparsely-populated. Rural farm villages dot the landscape, where a modern-day world seems far away. A traveler may feel transported to a different era, where they have landed into an ancient China dominated by an agricultural society.




Beijing has implemented a "Go West" national economic policy more than a decade ago to encourage manufacturing businesses to shift operations from the prosperous east, south and north regions of the country and re-open them in the West.

Progress has been slow and steady, since the western region still needs more infrastructure, such as bigger highways, railways and transport hubs to keep deliveries of goods running smoothly.

Meanwhile, farmers are beginning to witness some growing prosperity, as they utilize new science & technology methods with enhanced agro-machinery to boost crop production and that has led to rising incomes.

*Fufeng village emerges into big city*

The town of Fufeng in Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province, northwest China is located 120 kilometers west of Xi'an. For an outsider visiting, the surrounding region appears to be an isolated outpost.

You find beautiful scenery with rolling hills in the distance, but this is a land where farmers labor and toil. Nevertheless, Fufeng town has transformed from a non-descript farm village into a boom town in just a few short years.

Even as recently as 2012, CNTV's Panview visited Fufeng and only saw a small grocery store, hospital, PC room and motel in operation. But, Fufeng has gotten much bigger, where one can see rows and rows of high-rise apartment complexes, roads with traffic jams during rush hour, as well as crowded pedestrian streets and shops.

*The ghost town that wasn't*

Meanwhile, the global media has spotlighted numerous stories of alleged "ghost towns" in China, cities where large apartment complexes were built but nobody is living there. And yes, some property developers have made bad investments, but other cities are blooming.

Fufeng is one such town. On paper, building a city there does not seem brilliant. Nearly all residents in the surrounding area have low incomes, either as farmers or shopkeepers. However, they are outstanding savers with close-knit families.

It's their strong family values that make Fufeng so prosperous. Farmers are hardworking and they aspire to enjoying better lives too.

Hence, when major property developers announced a few years ago that they would construct new apartment high-rises, real estate agents had easily signed up many buyers, willing to pay 100,000+RMB just for a down payment.

*Family love means family wealth*

Chinese farmers may struggle to earn high incomes even during good years, but they save as much as they can. They instill dreams in their children and encourage them to get a proper education and find better jobs.

Accordingly, Children are expected to grow up and would likely migrate to cities for better opportunities, and then send back some hard-earned money to their parents.

Then when they get married, families from both sides of the bride and groom are expected to help the newlywed couple buy a home and furniture. Young families can now move into those newly-built apartment complexes in Fufeng Town.

Additionally, city officials made a smart move by building wider roads, permit architects to design stylish buildings and urban planners have blended ancient Chinese architecture with a trendy modern European look. You can find a number of parks where children can play freely.

*Shoppers find plenty of imports*

Visitors to Fufeng may uncover an added surprise. Many small shops focus on selling imported goods, particularly imported food from Europe, which are popular for local residents. There's a number of bakeries and shops that sell food imported from Europe.

A few other clothing stores sell clothes designed by European brands. Efforts to encourage import buying can entice even more direct investments from foreign-based retailers and companies. Perhaps, later on, foreigners may consider living in Fufeng Town if they wish to escape the hustle and bustle of China's major metropolitan areas.

*Looking west for China's future*

China's eastern and southern coast regions are already developed. Nevertheless, the western zone has a long way to go to urbanize, but Fufeng Town is setting an example as a "Can Do" city and that should inspire many other farmers living elsewhere to move ahead on progress and modernization.

Fufeng is a town rising in prominence and more deserving of greater recognition.

Tmcgregorchina@yahoo.com

WeChat ID: +86 13439758718

_( The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )_





_Panview offers an alternative angle on China and the rest of the world through the analyses and opinions of experts. We also welcome outside submissions, so feel free to send in your own editorials to "globalopinion@vip.cntv.cn" for consideration._

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## JSCh

* Tibet to invest 75-mln-USD on sky burial sites protection*
Source: Xinhua 2016-03-09 15:28:18

LHASA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's plateau region of Tibet will spend 490 million yuan (75 million U.S. dollars) over the next five years on the repair and protection of sky burial sites, a traditional Tibetan funeral practice, local authorities said Wednesday.

Sky burial is a Tibetan and Mongolian tradition, whereby the dead are fed to predatory birds, in place of cremation, so that their souls may ascend to heaven.

In total 156 sky burial sites will receive funding. The regional government will invest 165 million yuan this year on 47 sky burial sites, mostly close to a lamasery. Each site will be assigned 3 to 5 million yuan to finance repair and protection work, according to the regional civil affairs department.

Wild dogs, burial waste, bumpy roads and a lack of facilities for mourners are affecting the practice, said Xu Jiali, deputy head of the regional civil affairs department who has visited 60 sky burial sites during the preliminary investigation.

The funding will cover the construction of roads, fences, reception rooms, mortuaries and furnaces to burn waste, said Xu.

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## JSCh

*Across China: Free education benefits Kirgiz children*
Source: Xinhua 2016-03-11 19:28:13




URUMQI, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Pazla Simayel, the only teacher at a remote village school since 1989, has seen his students leave the school over the past three years. However, he said he was happy to see that.

Pazla Simayel, 46, used to teach Kirgiz language and maths to students from grade one to grade six at Sogat school in Akto County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. He now looks after preschoolers.

The school, little more than a tent with a worn-out blackboard, was combined with another 62 primary schools scattered across the mountainous areas into two new schools in the county seat.

Akto County, a heartland for the Kirgiz ethic minority, provides free tuition, buses and accommodation for students.

Elberdi,the school bus driver, said it usually takes about 20 days to pick up more than 5,000 primary and middle school students from the mountains and take them to their schools when each semester begins or send them back home for holiday.

At first Pazla Simayel was depressed to see his children leaving him, but was relieved to see them studying in classrooms with decent facilities and heated dormitories.

"With poor education, most of my students were trapped in poverty, now they have opportunities and have high hopes," he said. He used to take several days to bring textbooks to the school himself, either on a donkey or a horse.

Xiaobaiyang Bilingual Primary School is one of the schools to receive the Kirgiz children. The number of students has increased from 380 in 2013 to 2,484 now, most of whom come from the mountainous pasturing area, said Yan Xubo, Party secretary of the school.

Yan said he was sad when he discovered how many children never had the chance to eat vegetables or eggs and could not even write their names in mandarin Chinese.

Now the Kirgiz children enjoy free eggs and milk, flush toilets and water heaters, as well as learning to read in mandarin Chinese, he said.

Akto invested 865 million yuan on education in 2015 (133 million U.S. dollars), accounting for nearly a third of its total expenditures.

Free education has lifted the enrollment rate of senior high schools to 89 percent from less than 40 percent five years ago, said Li Xiangdong, head of the county education bureau.

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## JSCh

*With multiple mega projects completed, China plans more in its west *
Source: Xinhua | 2016-03-11 17:07:52 | Editor: huaxia




_A combined picture shows some of the key projects in China's west. (Xinhua)_​
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -A series of major infrastructures projects were highlighted in China' s draft outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) presented to its top legislature's ongoing annual session.

Many of the projects, including a new railway linking Sichuan and Tibet, were located in the country' s vast western areas, where development is relatively backward compared with their coastal peers.

To curb the imbalance, China has invested trillions of yuan in developing the west for decades, building many remarkable projects, such as high-speed railways, highways, airports and electricity facilities.

The projects contributed a lot to improving the daily life of local residents, boosting tourism and enhancing the country' s exchange with its neighbors in central and south Asia.

The following is a collection of such major projects completed during the previous five-year plans. First is the 1,776-km high-speed railway line linking Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, and Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It was completed in 2014.




Among the maga projects completed is the Guozigou Bridge in Xinjiang's Huocheng County, looked as follows.




And more projects are now operational, like Lizigou Grand Bridge in Weining County of southwest China's Guizhou Province. The bridge, which measures 1,032 meters long with three main spans, is one of two massive structures on the Neijiang-Kunming railway line.




Or the Lhasa-Gonggar Airport highway in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.




Or the largest hydropower station in Tibet to harness the rich water resources of the Yarlung Zangbo River and empower the development of the electricity-strapped region.




Or more as follows, which do you like?



QINGHAI, March 17, 2014 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on March 16, 2014 shows a view of the 10-megawatts solar power station in Delingha of northwest China's Qinghai province. The solar project, connected to the grid in July 2013, is the first phase of a tower-type solar-thermal power plant with the total capacity of 50 megawatts in the Qaidam Basin of Qinghai. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang)



LHASA, Dec. 9, 2011 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Nov. 8, 2011 shows electric pylons in Amdo County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Qinghai-Tibet electricity network project was completed and put into use then, by which the power grid of the Tibetan plateau is connected with power lines in other parts of China. (Xinhua/Wen Tao)

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## JSCh

ALTAY, Aug. 16, 2011 (Xinhua) -- Several wind powered generators are seen at a wind field in Altay in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China, Aug. 13, 2011. The wind energy supplies clean energy along with the protection of local environment. (Xinhua/Zhang Wencheng)



YUSHU, May 13, 2013 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on May 10, 2013 shows electric transmission towers in Yushu, northwest China's Qinghai Province. A power grid construction was just finished to ease local electricity shortage. Yushu had its isolated grid severely damaged in the magnitude 7.1 earthquake in April 2010, claiming 2,698 lives and injuring over 12,000. (Xinhua/Wang Bo)




NANNING, July 11, 2014 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Dec 31, 2013 shows the bird' s eye view of Heichi airport in southeast China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Hechi airport came into service in 2014. (Xinhua/Gao Dongfeng)

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## Kiss_of_the_Dragon

To develop Tibet's town and village, we need more powerful dams along the Yarlung Zangbo River.

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## JSCh

* Cloud platform donated to digitalize Tibet's basic education*
Source: Xinhua 2016-04-12 18:56:20




BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A cloud platform designed to digitalize education was donated to 200 primary, secondary schools and kindergartens in Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday.

The platform, worth 60 million yuan (9.28 million U.S. dollars), was donated by Beijing-based technology company "Yunxiao," or cloud school, through the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) and the Tibet Development Fund during a ceremony in Beijing.

The cloud platform is expected to improve campus administration using technology while providing a digital teaching and learning platform.

Jing Dunquan, vice chairperson of the CSCLF, said educational IT development should be used to close the digital divide among different regions, cities and rural areas while giving more children access to quality educational resources so that they can change their fate through education.

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## JSCh

* Relocation a success in Gansu poverty alleviation*
Source: Xinhua 2016-04-13 15:21:37

LANZHOU, April 13 (Xinhua) -- With China promising to have wiped out poverty by 2020, many provincial-level regions are proposing to relocate residents from barren, physically disadvantaged areas to start new lives elsewhere.

One province that has already had success with such a strategy is Gansu, which has just finished hosting an executive of the United Nations branch that helped it organize and fund a pioneering relocation scheme.

Stanlake Samkange of the World Food Programme (WFP) was there to see a remarkable change of fortunes for people in Jingtai County since it was besieged by the Tengger Desert in the late 1980s. Jingtai was divided into two parts: inaccessible, arid mountains and sparsely vegetated wasteland.

China and the WFP came up with a plan to resettle more than 400,000 people from the mountains and turn the wasteland into farmland.

The government built new homes and facilities pumping in irrigation water from the Yellow River.

Kou Zongjun was one of 115,500 mountain dwellers who then labored to get 24,700 hectares of land ready to farm under a WFP scheme that gave them food aid in return for their toil.

Kou said he was given three kilograms of grain per day of work. "That was my whole family's output in the mountains."

The settlers have become better off on thriving water-saving agriculture and animal husbandry. In 2015, they generated economic benefits worth 16.3 billion yuan (about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars), nearly 20 times the money spent on the irrigation project, according to official figures.

The per capita net income of the WFP program beneficiaries was 7,626 yuan last year, 120 times the sum before the program was carried out.

Gansu's Gulang County is now looking to follow suit, with a similar relocation of another 40,000 mountain residents.

Stanlake Samkange said the WFP will continue to support China's fight to eliminate poverty.

The country still has a rural population of about 55 million living below the poverty line of 2,300 yuan in annual income.

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## JSCh

* China Focus: Quake-battered town's ambition to be richer, greener*
Source: Xinhua 2016-04-14 20:08:41

XINING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Just over half a decade ago, Yushu Tibet Astomous Prefecture was hit by a catastrophic earthquake that left nearly 3,000 people dead or missing, and completely flattened the prefecture's capital of Gyegu.

Thanks to a successful reconstruction project in Yushu, northwest China's Qinghai Province, it's priorities have shifted and its sights are now set on breathing new life into the local economy.

As a new life unfolds, however, the scars left by the quake are still fresh.

During a poetry reading to commemorate the April 14, 2010 earthquake on Wednesday, Tseji Khadro, 13, struggled to control her emotions when she heard the piece, "My mother, you're the flower in my heart."

Tseji Khadro lost her mother in the quake. "But I wouldn't cry in front of my dad. He has done so much for our family without mum to support him."

The whole of Yushu had to rebuild their lives after the quake left their prefecture in tatters.

Amid the rubble and debris, however, there was a glimmer of hope; tourism. The prefecture realized that it could not only help its residents rebuild their lives, but it could rebuild its economy, too.

The tourism bureau quickly realized that the highland's rivers and pastures could be promoted as the perfect location for tourists in search of respite.

The bureau arranged promotional events in 12 Chinese cities and Nepal last year and with WiFi set to cover the whole of the prefecture by the end of this year, Yushu is open for business.

At 4,000 meters above sea level, Yushu is home to two state-level nature reserves, Sanjiangyuan, the cradle of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers; and Hol Xil Nature Reserve, home to several species of endangered wildlife, including Tibetan antelopes.

The tourism bureau has plans for trips circling the Tongtian and Lancang rivers; excursions along the National Highway 109 that runs along the edge of Hol Xil; and tours of the route travelled by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty on her way to meet her Tibetan husband some 1,400 years ago.

The hunger for commercial benefits, however, has not been at the expense of the fragile eco-system of "Asia's water tower," Sanjiangyuan.

The Sanjiangyuan Area will be made into a 123,100 square-kilometer national park in five years, which will help to protect and manage its natural resources and wildlife. Many tourism and educational projects will be limited to the edges of the park, to minimize any impact from human activity.

Bicycles, too, are being promoted in this green future of Yushu. The prefecture is keen to avoid the traffic woes infecting so many of China's big cities.

"We hope to encourage locals and tourists alike to choose this more preferred mode of transportation," said Cai Chengyong, Party chief of Yushu.

*
YUSHU, April 14, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on April 11, 2016 shows part of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Qinghai Province. Yushu has shown a new look after it completed the reconstruction work after the magnitude-7.1 earthquake six years ago on April 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Wu Gang)
*




















​

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## JSCh

*Budget train service launched in southern Xinjiang*
(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-04-17 16:13

URUMQI - A low-cost train service linking Kashgar and Hotan, two cities in the south of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, will begin in May.

According to the regional railway authority, a journey between the two cities will cost 28 yuan ($4.3), and a ticket for the cheapest section will be just one yuan.

The line will link a total of nine cities and counties in the underdeveloped region and a complete journey will take about eight hours.

Si Shenmin, an official with the Urumqi railway bureau, told Xinhua that the low prices will not come at the cost of speed or service.

Southern Xinjiang has many poverty-stricken counties. The income of locals are below the national average.

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## TaiShang

*Largest Airport in West China Given Go Ahead*
2016-04-21 07:12:17 CRI






The file photo shows the blueprint of the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. [Photo: ifeng.com]

It's being reported that construction of the largest aiport in West China is going to start after getting approval from the National Development and Reform Commission.

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport has a total investment of some 71.8 billion yuan or around 11 billion U.S. dollars.

Located in Jianyang city in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the new airport will be just over 50 kilometers away from the provincial capital Chengdu.

Once completed, the airport will have six runways and a terminal building covering 1.26 million square meters, which is more than twice the size of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

The new airport is expected to accommodate 90 million passengers each year.

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## ahojunk

China approves new economic pilot zone in Ningxia
English.news.cn | 2012-09-18 10:38:39





BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhuanet) – The Chinese government has recently approved the establishment of a new economic inland pilot zone in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and a comprehensive bonded area in Yinchuan, according to Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday.

The pilot zone and bonded area aim to stimulate the country's domestic demand and to broaden the opening-up of China's western inland area, Li said in his speech.

"While further opening coastal regions to the east, China will also boost its opening to the west at the same time, and special economic zones, pilot zones and key border ports are being established to serve as vanguard," he said.

Their establishment also demonstrates China's policies of developing the west and opening the west, and will help expand the country's opening-up range to developed countries as well as developing countries, according to Li.

"China continues to expand market scale and improve its industrial system to provide more cooperation opportunities for China and other countries as well as opportunities for the world's development," the vice premier said.

The five-day China (Ningxia) International Investment and Trade Fair and the 3rd China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum are intended to boost economic and cultural cooperation between China and Arabic countries.

(Source:china.org.cn)

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## JSCh

*Cleaner highway in store for Tibet*
By By Palden Nyima and Daqiong in Lhasa, Tibet (China Daily) Updated: 2016-04-22 02:17

A 420-kilometer section of highway that passes through the ecological lifeline of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will get eight recycling centers this year in an effort to cut down on the trash and other waste that tourists leave behind on their journeys.

The service stations along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway will offer waste recycling, toilets, hot water, Wi-Fi access and power outlets. An investment of 3.6 million yuan ($556,000) has been made for infrastructure construction and basic operations.

"Waste along the highway has become a hidden danger for pollution of some water resources, and it damages the pasture landscape," said Yang Xin, head of the Sichuan Greenriver Environmental Protection Promotion Association, the NGO that is setting up the stations. "Moreover, animals such as sheep and yaks could die if they eat the plastic bags."

Starting in Xining in Northwest China's Qinghai province, the Qinghai-Tibet Highway is about 2,000 km long and for decades has been an important transportation channel for Tibet.

A 2013 trash survey by Greenriver and the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve found about 160,000 items along the highway between Kunlun and Thanglha mountains, and most of the refuse was non-biodegradable plastic packages tossed out by drivers and tourists. The stations will be built along a 420-kilometer section of the highway from the city of Ge'ermu to Mount Thanglha.

"We chose this section because the highway here cuts through the ecological lifeline of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and it is where the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve and the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve are located," Yang said.

The toilets will be especially appreciated, Yang said, since tourists have often complained about a lack of them.

The stations will be operated by volunteers who will provide visitors with "various cute souvenirs as rewards" for recycling and proper waste disposal, Yang said.

"It's such a smart way to raise awareness of ecological conservation," Yang said.

Volunteers at the stations will gather, classify, compact and package trash for transportation to Ge'ermu for recycling and disposal.

The Ge'ermu government and Qinghai Development and Reform Commission have offered significant support to the project, including the startup costs, Yang said.

An official with Ge'ermu's Environmental Administrative and Health Office, surnamed Hou, said, "This project is an important one, because it will not only collect the waste of the roadside residents, but also provide long-distance drivers a place for temporary rest, and a place to leave their trash."

The annual operating budget of the stations is 910,000 yuan, of which 400,000 yuan will come from the government and 510,000 yuan from Greenriver.

Yang said he is confident the stations are a sustainable project.

"I have rich experience in finding volunteers, and in the next five years, we will make sure every station has at least three to five volunteers," he said.

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## JSCh

* Gov't plans Tibet water project funding*
Source: Xinhua 2016-04-27 19:58:55

LHASA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The central government plans to invest about 40 billion yuan (6.16 billion U. S. dollars) in water conservancy projects in Tibet Autonomous Region in the next five years.

According to the regional water conservancy department, this investment will help the region improve the water quality of its rivers and lakes and expand access to tap water in the countryside.

As more than 70 percent of Tibetans are herders and farmers, water sources for grassland and farmland are very important.

"We will accelerate construction of small farmland water projects, improve the efficiency of irrigation water use and boost the production capacity of farmland," said Dawa Zhaxi, director of the department.

Tibet will also develop forage grass bases and ensure water supply to grassland and woods, he added.

The investment is also expected to help ease floods and droughts in Tibet.

The central government spent 22.3 billion yuan on water conservancy infrastructure in Tibet in the past five years, benefiting some 1.8 million farmers and nomads.

From 2011 to 2015, Tibet saw its water supply capacity increase by 700 million cubic meters. About 1.5 million mu (100,000 hectares) of irrigation areas were created or improved.

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## JSCh

*China Builds Hydropower Station on Upper Yangtze*
(CRI Online) 08:43, April 29, 2016






Local authorities say the construction of a large hydropower station has begun on the Jinsha River, the upper section of the Yangtze River. [Photo:bjx.com.cn]​
The construction of a large hydropower station has begun on the Jinsha River, the upper section of the Yangtze River.

The Suwalong project, undertaken by China Huadian Corp., is at the junction of Mangkam County, Tibet Autonomous Region, and Batang County, Sichuan Province, in southwest China.

It has a designed capacity of 1.2 million kilowatts and will be able to generate about 5.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year. It will cost nearly 18 billion yuan, about 2.77 billion U.S. dollars.

A 112-meter-high dam will be built to form a reservoir that can store about 674 million cubic meters of water.

The first of its four generating units is expected to start operation in 2021.

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## ahojunk

*China starts construction of Tibet’s biggest hydropower plant on upper reaches of Yangtze River*
Power plant expected to provide electricity to developed eastern provinces
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 30 April, 2016, 4:01am
UPDATED : Saturday, 30 April, 2016, 3:55pm
Li Jing






China has started construction of the first hydropower station on the Jinsha River – part of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River – that will supply electricity to the economically well-off regions in the country’s east, official media reported.

The Suwalong hydro power project at the junction of Mangkam county in Tibet and Batang county in Sichuan (四川) province has a design capacity of 1.2 gigawatts and will be able to generate about 5,400 gigawatt hours of electricity a year when completed in 2021, Xinhua reported.

The design capacity is more than double that of the Zangmu hydropower plant, Tibet’s largest existing hydro project, which was completed in October on the Yarlung Zongbo river.

It is hoped that the 18 billion yuan (HK$21.5 billion) Suwalong dam, could pave the way for other projects in the headwaters of the adjacent Nu (Salween) and Lancang (Mekong) rivers to “fuel development” of hydro power in Tibet, the official website Tibet.cn reported.






The Suwalong project will also boost local social and economic development in Tibet, according to the website.

Construction of the 112-metre-high dam is expected to start next year.

Developed by China Huadian Corp, the Suwalong dam is being built at a time when the weak grid infrastructure and falling demand for electricity has left many hydropower stations lying idle in the mountainous southwest region.

More that 20,000 GWh of hydro electricity were not used in Sichuan and Yunnan (雲南) provinces, which neighbour Tibet, in 2014. Energy experts estimated that enough water to generate 40,000 GWh was simply allowed to run through turbines in the region last year.

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## JSCh

*Central, western areas to get elite universities*
By SU ZHOU (China Daily) Updated: 2016-05-02 06:59





Students attend the spring athletic meeting on Friday at the Lhasa No 1 Primary School in Lhasa, the Tibet autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]​
Elite universities are to be established by the Ministry of Education in 14 central and western provinces that have never had a university directly under the ministry before, as part of the central government's pledge to bridge the widening education gap.

The 14 provinces include the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Chen Shun, assistant education minister, announced the decision at a news briefing on Friday.

There are only 79 universities that are directly administered by the ministry. In Beijing alone, there are 24, including Peking University, Tsinghua University and Renmin University.

Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, said that establishing more universities in central and western areas under the ministry's administration means increased access to educational resources and opportunities.

The authorities are pressing ahead with a plan to ensure more students from poverty-stricken areas and those from ethnic groups have equal opportunities to enroll at prestigious universities.

In a document issued on Wednesday, the government promised to take more measures to improve education in less-developed central and western areas.

It aims to improve school facilities, education quality and to cultivate more talent to support local economic development, narrowing the gap with developed eastern areas by 2020.

Chen said these efforts will start in areas worst-hit by poverty, and attempt to ensure that every child has access to education.

In recent years, China has been striving to promote educational equality by giving more support to rural areas and ethnic groups. These efforts include projects being launched at prestigious universities to help students from rural areas to get enrolled, or for fees to be waived. However, it is still too early to say if the task has been completed.

"Problems and difficulties still exist, especially in border areas, ethnic group areas and poverty-stricken areas," Chen said.

Xiong Bingqi, vice-president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said these polices will help rural students to be enrolled at prestigious universities.

"However, there are still less than 10 percent of rural students enrolled at first-class universities.

"More students from rural areas can only be enrolled at mediocre universities. I suggest removing the different classes of university and to continue investing in public ones."

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## JSCh

*Heavenly road lifts Tibetan life into new height *
Source: Xinhua | 2016-05-06 18:09:34 | Editor: huaxia




URUMQI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- National Highway 219, also known as the heavenly road, connects Xinjiang and Tibet in west China at an average altitude of over 4,500 meters and is the world's highest road suitable for ordinary vehicles.
*
HARDSHIP OVERCOME*

The old and deserted road could still be seen along with the new modern highway winding through the mountains. According to local people, the old road was so narrow that it is impossible for two vehicles to travel from opposite directions. So one vehicle had to give another the right of way. In the past, experienced drivers had to blow the horn from the distance.








Since the highway was built along with the mountains, sometimes the falling stones would disrupt the traffic so transport police officers have to closely watch the road condition and move quickly to solve all the problems. Usually, they would open a makeshift road for passing vehicles. Then two operators would use the loader and grab excavator to clean the road. More importantly, two officers have to stand by any time and monitor the situation very carefully to protect the operators.




Not far away from the barracks of transport police officers, a martyrs' cemetery lies in the Gobi Desert where hundreds of people had sacrificed their lives in protecting the borders and building national defense facilities on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Wine, fruits and cigarettes were served by passing officers for their condolence.

*TRAVEL TIME CUT*

Originally covered by gravel in 1950s, the 2,340-kilometer highway was almost fully paved by 2013, slashing the travel time between Yecheng County in southern Xinjiang and Ngari Prefecture in Tibet from 15 days to just one day, with another day to reach Lhasa. Numbers of accidents and fatalities also fell dramatically.

Transport police officer Luo Bing has been working on the highway for over 15 years. There were hardly any asphalted roads at all when he first came to Ritu and now the town has two wide streets filled with restaurants and shops.

*PEOPLE'S LIFESTYLE CHANGED*

About 700 kilometers down the highway from Ritu, dramatic changes in life has come to local people after the completion of the new road. Back in 2003 when Song Shibing, chief of a transport police troop, tried to buy an axe from a herdsman for 100 yuan, the herdsman turned down the banknote though Song's offer was several times higher than the price of an axe in an ordinary shop. Instead, the herdsman brandished an empty 5-liter bottle instead. He wanted to barter the axe for diesel.

"Money meant almost nothing on the plateau as there were few things for sale," Song said. "Local people usually kept their money in a wooden box under the bed and sometimes dried their moldy old notes in the sun."

*SAFER MODERN HIGHWAY*




As the capacity of the road increased and it became much safer to drive, vegetables, fruit and necessities have arrive on the plateau almost every day. As a result, many herders have taken their money from under their beds and deposited it in a bank.

Tuo Jide, a retired armed transport police driver, has run a restaurant at Xihexiu village next to the highway for 17 years. Business has blossomed since the road was improved.

"Decades ago, the potholes in the road were deep enough for a yak to hide in," Tuo said. "Drivers did not dare to hit the road without plenty of food and gas in their cars. Vehicles crashed and broke down all the time along the way."

With a safer and much more modern highway, transportation costs from Yecheng to Ngari have fallen by 55 percent, leading to cuts of about 40 percent in the price of commodities sold in the Tibetan town. Better yet, the number of tourists in Ngari has surged five fold.

"The highway today looks to me like an airport runway -- wide, flat and smooth," Tuo said.

"A heavenly road, indeed," he added.

*NATURAL SCENES*

As the highway was built at an average altitude of over 4,500 meters, a lot of rare animals can be seen when travelling.





A tibetan antelope.





A yak.





A flock of sheep along the Bangong Lake.​

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## SBUS-CXK

-blitzkrieg- said:


> @TaiShang What about East Turkestan (Xingiang), do they see any relief upon the lifting of one-child policy?


East Turkestan don't see any aid, without any preferential policies, no human rights. If so, we must force the communist party to cancel. To sum up, we never when people look at them. We exploit them, enslave them, contempt for them... If the communist party don't stop, we definitely kill them all. They have three options. 1. To leave China, we don't stop. 2. Riot, we suppressed. 3. Give up extreme religious ideology, stop killing han. Accept a normal life. Work, entertainment, travel... In conclusion, han Chinese patience is the bottom line. Otherwise, we wouldn't mind to a similar to Gujarat massacre...

Do you know “Gujarat massacre“？Oh, how countries with human rights.

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## JSCh

* Across China: Restaurant tokens just the ticket in charity campaign*
Source: Xinhua 2016-05-12 18:57:35





Customers put the notes of charity upon the wall during the activity “Meals on the Wall” in Beijing, capital of China, on February 14, 2016. (Source: China.com.cn)​
URUMQI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese restaurants are feeding the needy with a scheme that lets customers buy meal tokens for the disadvantaged.

The "Meals on the Wall" charity drive, which is especially concentrated in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, sees restauranteurs establish a bank of pre-paid tokens near their businesses. They can be picked up by whoever feels in need of them and cashed in for a meal in the restaurants.

Meals on the Wall has been pushed in Xinjiang by Yalkhun Osman, a retiree in regional capital Urumqi.

"More than 100 restaurants in Xinjiang have joined our scheme, and nationwide, the number has topped 200," said Osman. He believes about 45,000 coupons have been exchanged for meals across the country.

The project was inspired by "Coffee on the Wall," the coffee house equivalent which has got a lot of attention from Chinese netizens since being spotted in other countries.

Osman explained that the restaurants dip into their own pockets for some of the coupons, while charity groups and customers have also been paying for them.

"This is an easy type of charity that anyone can join in with," he said.

Bayinhanggai is a restaurant serving Mongolian food in Urumqi. In the past few months, it has served meals on the wall worth 6,000 yuan (921 U.S. dollars).

Located near three hospitals, the eatery gets a lot of customers who are facing expensive medical bills.

"I asked doctors and nurses to spread the news about Meals on the Wall at my restaurant, and gradually more people came," said Bayinhanggai owner Wang Qiyuan.

"Many people who took up the offer had been eating only baked flat bread for days. The scheme helped them to a better diet," Wang said.

Claimants of meal vouchers also include migrant workers and young vagrant musicians, he added.

However, there are concerns that stigma around accepting charity is keeping away some people that warrant it.

"Only one customer has accepted a free meal in the past month," said a member of staff with the Xinmingdong rice cake restaurant in Urumqi.

For Osman, the project is not just about feeding the needy though. "It's not about how much you spend or claim, but rather about encouraging more generosity in society," he said.

At Urumqi restaurant Xiahezhati, several migrant workers who used the vouchers came back to buy meals for others after they received their pay.

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## TaiShang

JSCh said:


> Meals on the Wall has been pushed in Xinjiang by Yalkhun Osman, a retiree in regional capital Urumqi.
> 
> "More than 100 restaurants in Xinjiang have joined our scheme, and nationwide, the number has topped 200," said Osman. He believes about 45,000 coupons have been exchanged for meals across the country.



A beautiful social initiative.


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## ahojunk

*Premier encourages foreign investment in central, western China*
2016-05-25 08:13 Xinhua _Editor: Mo Hong'e_





_Chinese Premier Li Keqiang talks with business leaders on the sidelines of the China Big Data Industry Summit & China E-commerce Innovation and Development Summit in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, May 24, 2016. _​
Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday that he welcomed foreign investment in China, particularly in central and western regions.

Li was talking with business leaders on the sidelines of the China Big Data Industry Summit & China E-commerce Innovation and Development Summit in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Li told them that there is a development disparity between eastern and inland regions, where there is great growth potential and plenty of investment opportunities.

"China attaches great importance to the protection of intellectual property rights and trade secrets. The country will step up cybersecurity and work to create an equal business environment for domestic and foreign-funded firms, " said the premier.

Rapid development of big data, cloud computing and the sharing economy is conducive to new economic drivers, Li said.

China will integrate big data and the Internet with manufacturing to upgrade traditional industries, said Li.

He also said the country will continue to push ahead with mass innovation and entrepreneurship and create a level playing field for growth companies.

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## ahojunk

*Xinjiang to recruit more than 11,000 teachers*
Xinhua, May 26, 2016

Authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plan to recruit more than 11,000 teachers from around the country to ease its teacher shortage.

A total of 4,589 teachers will be recruited for primary and middle schools, 3,635 for high schools, 3,551 for kindergartens and 78 for special education schools in 2016, according to the regional education department.

Of those, 60 percent will work in four prefectures in the southern part of Xinjiang, where a dearth of bilingual teachers pose a challenge for education. The recruits in these areas should be able to speak Chinese and a language of the local minorities.

Xinjiang has hired 72,600 teachers in the past five years, with about 62,400 of them bilingual.

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## Tiqiu

Do people have news about the planned Sichuan to Tibet high way or rail project? I think it will be another engineering marvel when completed.

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## ahojunk

_This railway will help in the transport and development of southern Xinjiang. It is definitely welcome by the locals._

--------------------
*Low-cost train service links Kashgar, Hotan*
Xinhua, May 27, 2016
A low-cost train service linking Kashgar and Hotan, two cities in the south of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, began on May 15. The line linked a total of nine cities and counties in the underdeveloped region and a complete journey took about eight hours. It has carried more than 8,000 passenger-trips since May 15. 






Passengers queue to board on the train No. 7559 in Shache, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 23, 2016. 
(Xinhua/Zhao Ge)





Passengers on the train No. 7559 from Kashgar to Hotan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 23, 2016. 
(Xinhua/Zhao Ge)





A man and his grandson on the train No. 7559 from Kashgar to Hotan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 23, 2016. 
(Xinhua/Zhao Ge)





A railway worker helps an elderly passenger at a railway station in Xinjiang, May 23, 2016. 
(Xinhua/Zhao Ge)





A woman carrying a cross-stitch artwork walks to board on a train at the railway station in Hotan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 24, 2016. 
(Xinhua/Zhao Ge)





Drivers in the train cab, traveling between Kashgar and Hotan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 23, 2016. 
(Xinhua/Zhao Ge)





Three college students on the train No. 7559 from Kashgar to Hotan, May 23, 2016. 
They are beautiful! Some of China's minorities are good looking.
(Xinhua/Zhao Ge)

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## ahojunk

*Kazakhstan, China pledge to boost practical cooperation*
2016-05-06 09:43 | Xinhua | _Editor: Gu Liping_





_Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (R) meets with Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov in Beijing, capital of China, April 29, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)_

Kazakhstan and China have agreed to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields and further promote bilateral exchanges.

China is ready to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan in such areas as trade and economy, investment, agriculture, tourism and culture, Zhang Chunxian, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Tuesday.

Thanks to the efforts of the leaders of the two countries, the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt dovetails with Kazakhstan's new economic policy, called the Bright Road, Zhang said while meeting with Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Masimov.

Capacity cooperation between the two sides has achieved notable progress, and the development of Kazakhstan-China relations has shown strong momentum, added Zhang, who is also the secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee.

Masimov, for his part, said that China is Kazakhstan's friendly neighbor and strategic partner, and thanks to the joint efforts of the leaders of the two sides, the two countries have maintained a high level of cooperation and exchanges.

Kazakhstan is now making active efforts to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries in a bid to promote practical bilateral cooperation in various areas, Masimov said.

---------------------------
*China & Kazakhstan sign $2 billion in deals*

China and Kazakhstan signed $2 billion in deals during a trip to the Central Asian country by the Communist Party boss of Xinjiang, as China promotes its new Silk Road initiative.

Xinjiang, strategically located on the borders of Central Asia, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, is a key part of Beijing's "one belt, one road" strategy to develop trade and transport links across Eurasia.

Visiting Kazakh capital Astana and commercial hub Almaty from May 1-4, Xinjiang's party chief and top official, Zhang Chunxian, said Xinjiang and Kazakhstan would both benefit from the new Silk Road.

China is keen to get more Xinjiang companies invest in Kazakhstan and was pleased with the warm reception the ones already in Kazakhstan had received, Zhang said. He also visited the company which oversees the pumping of Central Asian gas into Xinjiang via Kazakhstan. Zhang then oversaw the signing of five energy, agriculture and industrial projects worth more than $2 billion, the report said.

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## ahojunk

*11th Panchen Lama to Hold Religious Activities in Tibet*
2016-05-28 14:57:33 Xinhua Web Editor: Li Chenxi





The 11th Panchen Lama (C, front), Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, waves to monks greeting him at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Tibet, May 27, 2016. The Panchen Lama would hold a series of religious activities in Xigaze. [Photo: Xinhua]






Monks wait to greet the 11th Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Tibet, May 27, 2016. The Panchen Lama would hold a series of religious activities in Xigaze. [Photo: Xinhua]






The 11th Panchen Lama (1st L, front), Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, sprinkles Qiema offered by monks to wish for bumper grain harvest at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, Tibet, May 27, 2016. The Panchen Lama would hold a series of religious activities in Xigaze. [Photo: Xinhua]

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## ahojunk

*Inauguration ceremony of Shannan City in Tibet*

China's State Council, or the cabinet, has approved the application of Shannan in Tibet Autonomous Region to be upgraded from a prefecture to a prefecture-level city in January. It is located in southeastern Tibet with an average altitude of 3,700 meters, and borders Indian and Bhutan.

Shannan is the birthplace of the ancient Tibetan civilization with the region's first King, first palace, first piece of farmland, first temple and first religious script.

Shannan is the fifth prefecture-level city in Tibet after the regional capital Lhasa, Qamdo, Xigaze and Nyingchi. 





The inauguration ceremony of Shannan Prefecture City on May 27, 2016. (Xinhua)






May 21, 2016. Zedang Town is the largest town in Shannan Prefecture City. It has lots of building and quite modern looking too.






May 21, 2016. Another view of Zedang Town which is the largest town in Shannan Prefecture City. It looks quite neat and well organized.






May 21, 2016. Zedang Town which is the largest town in Shannan Prefecture City. It's main roads are modern and wide.






May 21, 2016. A night view of a bridge in Zedang Town which is the largest town in Shannan Prefecture City. The bridge looks very pretty at night.

----------
My comment: I was expecting an old ancient run down town and I was pleasantly surprised that there is a modern town in this corner of Tibet. Tibet has come a very, very long way!

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> *Inauguration ceremony of Shannan City in Tibet*
> 
> China's State Council, or the cabinet, has approved the application of Shannan in Tibet Autonomous Region to be upgraded from a prefecture to a prefecture-level city in January. It is located in southeastern Tibet with an average altitude of 3,700 meters, and borders Indian and Bhutan.
> 
> Shannan is the birthplace of the ancient Tibetan civilization with the region's first King, first palace, first piece of farmland, first temple and first religious script.
> 
> Shannan is the fifth prefecture-level city in Tibet after the regional capital Lhasa, Qamdo, Xigaze and Nyingchi.
> 
> View attachment 307619
> 
> The inauguration ceremony of Shannan Prefecture City on May 27, 2016. (Xinhua)
> 
> 
> View attachment 307620
> 
> May 21, 2016. Zedang Town is the largest town in Shannan Prefecture City. It has lots of building and quite modern looking too.
> 
> 
> View attachment 307621
> 
> May 21, 2016. Another view of Zedang Town which is the largest town in Shannan Prefecture City. It looks quite neat and well organized.
> 
> 
> View attachment 307622
> 
> May 21, 2016. Zedang Town which is the largest town in Shannan Prefecture City. It's main roads are modern and wide.
> 
> 
> View attachment 307623
> 
> May 21, 2016. A night view of a bridge in Zedang Town which is the largest town in Shannan Prefecture City. The bridge looks very pretty at night.
> 
> ----------
> My comment: I was expecting an old ancient run down town and I was pleasantly surprised that there is a modern town in this corner of Tibet. Tibet has come a very, very long way!


Shannan is financially aided by Hubei and Hunan.
We are not rich provinces, but GDP nearly 1 trillion dollars of Hunan and Hubei combined also proves we have more and less capability to support our brothers and sisters in Tibet.

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## JSCh

* Trial coffee crop growing in Tibet*
Source: Xinhua 2016-06-03 15:53:22

LHASA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- We will soon know if coffee crops can thrive on the roof of the world, as Tibet has begun experimenting with coffee plantation.

Experts supervised locals to plant 500 grams of coffee seeds from Yunnan Province in a seven-square-meter field in Zayu County, Dawa Toinzhub, deputy head of the county's agriculture and animal husbandry bureau said on Thursday.

The seedlings have grown well since planting a month ago, the official said, and if the experiment is successful, coffee crops will be grown elsewhere in Tibet.

Zayu, located in the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has an average elevation of 2,300 meters. It boasts a mild climate featuring abundant rainfall and sunshine, which makes it suitable for coffee plants.

The trial plantation is being supervised by members of Tibet's academy of agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as their counterparts from Hainan and Yunnan -- two coffee-producing provinces.

Technicians will cover the seedlings with thermal film to help them sustain the winter, according to Dawa Toinzhub.

"We hope a coffee industry can take shape here and 'made-in-Tibet coffee' becomes a known brand," he said.

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## JSCh

* GAC Motor building production base in Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua 2016-06-09 13:17:49

URUMQI, June 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor (GAC Motor) is planning to build a production base this year in Xinjiang to produce sedans and electric vehicles under its Trumpchi brand.

The company will aim for an initial annual production of 50,000 cars at the 1.6-billion-yuan (244 million U.S. dollars) production base, located in the Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone, according to a statement on the zone's website. It will eventually seek to make 200,000 Trumpchi cars a year at the base when it is fully operational.

It will be the first to produce electric vehicles in Xinjiang, which also has a plant built by Volkswagen's joint venture with SAIC Motor.

Wu Song, general manager of GAC Motor, said building a presence in Xinjiang will allow the automaker to tap demand in the region.

Wu said GAC will consider producing sport utility vehicles and high-end sedans at the base, depending on local demand.

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## ahojunk

*Some picture of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou in South West China*

Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou Province, which is one of the poorest province in China.
But what the heck, Guiyang is more pretty looking than many cities in the developed world!
Guiyang is investing heavily in big data technology.





June 2, 2016. Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.





June 2, 2016. Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.





June 2, 2016. Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.





June 2, 2016. Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> *Some picture of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou in South West China*
> 
> Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou Province, which is one of the poorest province in China.
> But what the heck, Guiyang is more pretty looking than many cities in the developed world!
> Guiyang is investing heavily in big data technology.
> 
> View attachment 309889
> 
> June 2, 2016. Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.
> 
> View attachment 309890
> 
> June 2, 2016. Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.
> 
> View attachment 309891
> 
> June 2, 2016. Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.
> 
> View attachment 309892
> 
> June 2, 2016. Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.


I was there last year.
I was totally shocked.
I had expected a 1980s style city of immense poverty and horrible infra.
What I saw was a regional centre in the fastest transformation.









HSR Station
Not an airport

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## ahojunk

_Some info on the big data industry in Guiyang._

--------
*As 'China's Data Valley', Guiyang Set to Lead the Way in the International Big Data Industry*
May 27, 2016, 09:00 ET from Huanqiu.com

GUIYANG, China, May 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2016 Guiyang International Big Data Expo officially opened at Guiyang International Eco-Conference Center on May 25. The Expo is jointly organized by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the People's Government of Guizhou Province, with Huanqiu.com acting as the event's official overseas PR partner. 

Premier Li Keqiang, officers from relevant government departments and other guests, adding up to more than 3,000 people, participated in the opening ceremony, with official statistics counting 17,244 visitors to the expo that afternoon. The expo forms part of the 2016 Guiyang Big Data Industry Summit and China's E-commerce and Innovation Development Summit.





_People queueing up to enter the Big Data pavilion_

According to Premier Li, big data and other new internet technologies have already changed the world profoundly, which has lead to all countries standing on the same starting line of scientific and technical revolution. "We should develop a sharing economy," said Li, "so as to let more people have equal opportunities to work and start their own business, and let people better enjoy the harvest of reform and development."

While Silicon Valley in the U.S. has been the pioneer of Hi-Tech innovation in the IT era, Guiyang is regarded as 'China's Digital Valley' and is expected to be the pioneer of big data in the DT era.

The city has established the first key laboratory for big data strategy and launched the first all-domain public free WiFi in China. It has cultivated the big data development theory with block data and is an enthusiastic promoter for establishing China's first big data public platform based on block data aggregation.

Guiyang is also dedicated to creating China's first model city for opening government data. The city has opened China's first big data exchange center and is now focusing on constructing China's first big data industry development cluster.

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> _Some info on the big data industry in Guiyang._
> 
> --------
> *As 'China's Data Valley', Guiyang Set to Lead the Way in the International Big Data Industry*
> May 27, 2016, 09:00 ET from Huanqiu.com
> 
> GUIYANG, China, May 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2016 Guiyang International Big Data Expo officially opened at Guiyang International Eco-Conference Center on May 25. The Expo is jointly organized by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the People's Government of Guizhou Province, with Huanqiu.com acting as the event's official overseas PR partner.
> 
> Premier Li Keqiang, officers from relevant government departments and other guests, adding up to more than 3,000 people, participated in the opening ceremony, with official statistics counting 17,244 visitors to the expo that afternoon. The expo forms part of the 2016 Guiyang Big Data Industry Summit and China's E-commerce and Innovation Development Summit.
> 
> View attachment 309902
> 
> _People queueing up to enter the Big Data pavilion_
> 
> According to Premier Li, big data and other new internet technologies have already changed the world profoundly, which has lead to all countries standing on the same starting line of scientific and technical revolution. "We should develop a sharing economy," said Li, "so as to let more people have equal opportunities to work and start their own business, and let people better enjoy the harvest of reform and development."
> 
> While Silicon Valley in the U.S. has been the pioneer of Hi-Tech innovation in the IT era, Guiyang is regarded as 'China's Digital Valley' and is expected to be the pioneer of big data in the DT era.
> 
> The city has established the first key laboratory for big data strategy and launched the first all-domain public free WiFi in China. It has cultivated the big data development theory with block data and is an enthusiastic promoter for establishing China's first big data public platform based on block data aggregation.
> 
> Guiyang is also dedicated to creating China's first model city for opening government data. The city has opened China's first big data exchange center and is now focusing on constructing China's first big data industry development cluster.


wow, this place rocks!

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## ahojunk

_More info on the big data expo, but it's about 2 weeks old._

--------
*Big Data Expo 2016 opens in Guiyang*
(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-05-26 10:06

Some of the world's biggest e-commerce and technology companies are expected to attend the big data and e-commerce summit which begins on Thursday in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province.

The 2016 China Big Data Industry Summit & China E-Commerce Innovation and Development Summit (Big Data Expo 2016), the only exhibition based on big data in the world, has now been upgraded to a state-level event held by the China's National Development and Reform Commission and the People's Government of Guizhou Province.

Events at the exhibition can be described as "two summits, one exhibition, two contests and a series of activities", including 2016 China Big Data Industry Summit, China E-Commerce Innovation and Development Summit, Exhibition, Pain-point seeker contest and Maker contest.

More than 300 enterprises will take part in the event, including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Intel Corp, and Foxconn Technology Group, and industry leading enterprises such as DidiKuaidi, JD.com Inc and Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology Co Ltd. And the number of attendees is expected to exceed 20,000, according to a report of Guiyang Daily.

The event will showcase big data's applications like artificial intelligence, robots, virtual reality, smart transportation, smart city, finance, Internet of Things, health and medical care, and e-commerce.

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## ahojunk

ahojunk said:


> _This railway will help in the transport and development of southern Xinjiang. It is definitely welcome by the locals._
> 
> --------------------
> *Low-cost train service links Kashgar, Hotan*
> Xinhua, May 27, 2016
> A low-cost train service linking Kashgar and Hotan, two cities in the south of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, began on May 15. The line linked a total of nine cities and counties in the underdeveloped region and a complete journey took about eight hours. It has carried more than 8,000 passenger-trips since May 15.
> 
> View attachment 307325
> 
> Passengers queue to board on the train No. 7559 in Shache, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 23, 2016.
> (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)
> 
> View attachment 307328
> 
> Passengers on the train No. 7559 from Kashgar to Hotan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 23, 2016.
> (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)
> 
> View attachment 307330
> 
> A man and his grandson on the train No. 7559 from Kashgar to Hotan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 23, 2016.
> (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)
> 
> View attachment 307333
> 
> A railway worker helps an elderly passenger at a railway station in Xinjiang, May 23, 2016.
> (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)
> 
> View attachment 307334
> 
> A woman carrying a cross-stitch artwork walks to board on a train at the railway station in Hotan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 24, 2016.
> (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)
> 
> View attachment 307335
> 
> Drivers in the train cab, traveling between Kashgar and Hotan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, May 23, 2016.
> (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)
> 
> View attachment 307336
> 
> Three college students on the train No. 7559 from Kashgar to Hotan, May 23, 2016.
> They are beautiful! Some of China's minorities are good looking.
> (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)


.
_This is China's cheapest train ride. Totally appropriate as this area is also one of the poorest. It will definitely benefit the local Uighur folks living there. Good to see that China is taking care of its minorities now that it has lots of money._

--------
*A ride on China's cheapest train*
Updated: 2016-06-12 11:29 (Xinhua)





_Three good looking local students on the train. They look Uighur or they could be Tajik or Kazakh._

URUMQI - On the southwestern edge of the vast Taklimakan Desert, Train No 7559 takes 10 carriages with hundreds of passengers daily from China's westernmost Kashgar prefecture east to southern Xinjiang's hinterland Hotan prefecture.

*Known as the cheapest train ride in China, the eight-hour journey along 485 kilometers of the southern branch of the historic Silk Road costs just 28 yuan (about $4.25) per person*.

Setting off at 10: 35 am, the train stops in 7 counties - Akto, Yengisar, Shache, Zepu, Yecheng, Pishan and Moyu - which are all populated mainly by Uygurs.

The service began on May 15. Hairuiguli Osman took the first No 7559 train from Kashgar back to her home in Hotan together with 22 relatives after attending a family wedding. She was surprised to find that the train ticket was only one third of the bus fare.

Kashgar resident Ablikim was taking his grandchild, Abudureheman, to see a doctor in a Hotan hospital.

At Hotan station, a female passenger carrying a cross-stitch artwork said she was going to visit her relatives.





_A view from the train window_

Wang Weishuai, a driver on the No 7559, said the journey from Kashgar to Yecheng offers pleasant oasis views, but sandstorms frequently blight the section from Yecheng to Pishan, which makes his job more challenging.

Hotan is connected to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and the rest of China's rail network through the Kashgar-Hotan Railway, which began passenger services in 2011. Two passenger trains run on the line, but the other train is much more expensive.

Before 2011, only planes and buses connected Hotan to the rest of the country.

The budget train service has been welcomed by people living in poverty-stricken southern Xinjiang. More than 8,000 passengers have taken it in the first 10 days.


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## JSCh

*Online food ordering a hit in Urumqi during Ramadan *
Source: Xinhua | 2016-06-14 15:48:07 | Editor: huaxia







A delivery driver on his way to a customer's address in Urumqi. (Xinhua photo/Du Gang)​
URUMQI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Online-food ordering (OFO) services in the northwestern city of Urumqi have reported a surge in orders as Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan.

"Ordering food for 'iftar' [the breaking of the fast] is an attractive option after a day of fasting," Aliyar told Xinhua as he ordered food from a halal OFO service on the instant messenger service WeChat.






Shewkret, founder of Aykire, an online-food ordering service in Urumqi. (Xinhua photo/Du Gang)​
According to its founder Shewkret, his service has received up to 70 orders every day since Ramadan began.

"I've built a kitchen exclusively for the OFO service so that I could have more control over food quality and work flexible business hours," he said.






Cooks prepare food in Aykire's kitchen in Urumqi. (Xinhua photo/Du Gang)​
Ma Hongguang, an ethnic Hui Muslim who owns a restaurant that specializes in mutton pilaf, has over 100 online orders every day from his "invisible customers."






A customer receives her food after she orders online. (Xinhua photo/Du Gang)​
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is home to more than 13 million Muslims who fast between sunrise and dusk during Ramadan, which ends on July 6 this year.

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## JSCh

* China to accelerate Tibet's clean energy development*
Source: Xinhua 2016-06-17 16:37:10

LHASA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China will speed up the development of clean energy in Tibet Autonomous Region from 2016 to 2020, under the principle of "putting the environment first," according to an energy official.

The initiative will boost the local economy and increase strategic reserves of clean energy, Nur Bekri, head of the National Energy Administration, said on Thursday at a conference on Tibet's energy development held in the regional capital of Lhasa.

The government will construct new hydropower projects to meet local demand, the official said.

In addition, the government encouraged the utilization of solar power, including photovoltaic generation, and called on companies to explore the abundant geothermal sources in Tibet.

Research will be carried into the feasibility of a pipeline to transport petroleum and natural gas from Golmud City in Qinghai to Lhasa.

By the end of last year, installed power capacity and power generation in Tibet increased by 136 percent and 75 percent, respectively from the 2010 levels, and the number of people having access to the main electric grid rose by around 33 percent from the same period.

Also, the share of clean energy in the region's total energy consumption climbed to 43.3 percent by the end of 2015 from 31.9 percent in 2010.

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## ahojunk

_Patriotic indeed! These herdmen help to protect the border from infiltration by undesirable elements._

--------
Around China: Taking livestock to summer pasture in Xinjiang
Source: Xinhua 2016-06-16 21:24:36

URUMQI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- In China's remote western Pamirs, wealth is measured not in money or houses, but in sheep and cattle.

Every year, the herdsmen move their livestock between summer and winter pastures to "maintain and increase the value of assets."

Kirgiz herdsman Sulayman, 26, lives in Atjiayili Village, the closest Chinese village to the border with Afghanistan, in the Wakhan Corridor, an area with an average altitude over 4,000 meters.

He is going to move 200 sheep to a summer pasture in a valley 25 kilometers away with his family.

The transfer is divided into two groups. One is led by Sulayman, who drives a jeep carrying his mother Aterhan and aunt Gulqal. They will arrive ahead of the livestock so they can set up yurt, prepare food and build the sheepfold.

Sulayman says they must also put up a smaller sheepfold for the lambs. "The lambs have to be separated with their mothers in the evening or they won't have enough milk in the daytime."

The long distance and the high altitude make the transfer of livestock arduous, but the young, weak and old animals are well cared for. Three lambs less than two months old are also taken in the jeep.

In the past, horses were the main form of transport for the herdsmen and their belongings, but the jeeps make the journey easier and quicker, says Sulayman.

On arrival, Sulayman and the two women set up beds and stoves, and then Aterhan makes lunch - yak meat with potatoes, and naan, a staple food of Xinjiang, and a nutritious brick tea.

The other group - uncle Qurbaneli and sister Huryet - is leading 200 sheep. Huryet is taking part in the transfer for the first time. She insists on walking.

At 5:30 p.m., nine hours after they set off, the sheep come into view of the encampment. Sulayman greets his uncle and sister, and counts the sheep - all are present. Sulayman smiles on seeing the sheep in the sheepfold.

From now till October, Sulayman and his family will graze sheep on the pasture and help protect the border. Although they are not professional border guards, they can observe movements there.

May and June are the busiest time in the Wakhan Corridor as herdsmen in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region take their livestock to summer pasture at higher altitudes.

Nomadic herdsmen spend their lives following the water and pasture. The transfer provides cattle and sheep abundant food and enables the grassland to renew itself.

It is near dusk when Sulayman finishes work. He estimates his earnings for the year. "I get a subsidy for help protecting the border. Taking the subsidies and sales of sheep into account, I could earn more than 20,000 yuan (3,036 U.S. dollars) for the year," he says.

"As long as the border area is stable, our life is settled."

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## TaiShang

*Hydro-power resumed in Tibet, 1 year after Nepal quake*
Xinhua, June 19, 2016

Two hydro-power generators are turning again in the border county of Gyirong, southwest China's Tibet, one year after they were damaged in the 7.5-magnitude quake that struck Nepal.

*The two generators provide electricity enough for household use for 10,000 people in 25 villages.*

*Two other generators in the power plant are expected to be repaired this year, said Ta Qing, a county official.*

The devastating quake on April 25, last year, which claimed heavy casualties in Nepal, also left 26 dead in Tibet. The *tremors triggered landslides on both sides of the border cutting off electricity, road transport and telecommunications.*

The Gyirong Power Station, installed with a capacity of 4,000 kilowatt, was built in 2013 to satisfy the power use in the county and the customs. The plant was built to end local residents' dependence on wood for fuel.

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## ahojunk

_The following is taken from a Malaysian newspaper. The reporter was on a trip sponsored by the Chinese government. He is one lucky dude..._

--------
*A New Road for Xinjiang*
BY THEAN LEE CHENG
Sunday, 19 June 2016





_Vibrant and colourful: Xinjiang hopes the world will start to see the region differently with the new developments and economic initiatives. There is so much more to the region than ethnic clashes, like this Tartar dance at a house party for visitors in a Uyghur village there._


*With its new economic zones and startup aspirations, the revived region wants to show its diverse face to the world.*

SINCE 2009, Xinjiang has been portrayed as a place of unrest and tension by the Western media, with Muslim Uyghurs struggling for more autonomy. But Xinjiang is more than Uyghurs. Although it is known as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, there are several autonomous prefectures and counties within its border where other minority groups converge.

With a population of 23 million, China’s largest administrative division has about 50 minority groups – 13 main ones with Muslim Uyghurs and the Kazaks being the two largest.

During a recent 12-day visit to its capital Urumqi and other towns and cities, what was more evident were the developments currently taking place, from the village level right up to the new economic and technological zones and high speed train system.

Xinjiang’s days begin early and end late. Daylight stirs at 4.30am and the sun slips away only at about 10.30pm on most nights we were there. Working hours can be long, especially in villages where money is scarce and there are mouths to feed. Construction workers, whether building a retaining wall, a village road or bridge, continue to work even pass 8.30pm, as long as a pair sunglasses is still needed.

“They want to take advantage of daylight,” says interpreter Zhang Jienian.

The visit, sponsored by the Chinese government, was both revealing and educational, due to Xinjiang’s varied tapestry of ethnicities, cultures, economic developments and natural landscapes.





_Futuristic-looking Silk Road Tourist Centres and high speed train station in the Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone._


*One Belt, One Road*

In the last several years, much has been written about China’s boom-bust property market due to it being the world’s second largest economy. There is overbuilding and over-investment in different parts of China.

So it is relevant at this juncture to give a glimpse of this sector in Xinjiang itself, against the backdrop of Beijing’s “One Belt, One Road” economic initiative.

Unveiled in 2013, its objective is to raise the economic standards of the Chinese, irrespective of creed and religion. China is a secular state.

Because of Xinjiang’s location in the furthermost northwest – it borders Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Russia and Mongolia – and despite the slowdown in the Chinese economy, it is getting special attention from Beijing.

It is seen as a window to Central Asia. This explains the multi-level developments in what is known as the “New Frontiers”.

“*See the real Xinjiang for yourself, not what you read in the Western media*,” says a government official.

Indeed, from the building of new villages for minority groups, upgrading of tourist destinations and the installation of a high speed rail system, the spectrum of new projects is astonishing.

The construction of Urumqi’s transport system is expected to impact the capital and the province most. Urumqi’s metro rail, to be completed in 2018, will link different parts of the city. The high speed train system about 15km outside the city will link it with other Chinese cities and Central Asia.

As the dry desert wind makes its presence felt in a press briefing held under the scorching sun at the site of high speed train station, High Speed Rail Development Investment Co director Zheng Wei Min outlines the project to reporters from 23 countries its significance against the backdrop of China’s One Belt, One Road economic initiative.

“It parallels the ancient Silk Road,” says Zheng.

While that ancient trading route saw the exchange of silk, spices, livestock and slaves, the new Belt Road route will be a precursor of much more, he says.

“It will link China, countries in Central Asia and China’s immediate neighbours and Europe,” says Zheng. It will open up the transportation of both goods and services and travelling along that route. Just as the Silk Road opened up oases of activities and societies of different milieu along the way, its adaptation will mean much more in today’s digital age.

A network of rail and road systems beginning from China’s coastal cities in the east will replace camels as the normal transport mode. There will also be a sea route which passes by Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Africa, up the Suez Canal and on to Athens. The train station involves an investment of 22 billion renmimbi while the rest of the commercial area around it will cost some 127 billion renmimbi, Zheng says. The station will be the focal point of the development while Silk Road Tourist Centres, resembling little round space ships, will front the station. Other commercial developments will be within walking distance of it.

The train station is expected to have 115,000 passengers daily, excluding those passing through by 2020. By 2030, this is expected to rise to 155,000, he says.

Industrial and software parks are located in the periphery. Despite the overall slowdown in the Chinese economy, Zheng and other government officials agree that Beijing-based central government will not let up on its development in Xinjiang. “This underscores its seriousness in getting the Belt Road initiative off the ground,” says Zheng.





_With a population of 23 million, Xinjiang has about 50 minority groups including the Kazaks, the second largest ethnic community - which businesswoman Jengisgul Nuordanaken is part of. - Photos by THEAN LEE CHENG_


*Incubating startups*

At the Xinjiang Software Park Co Ltd, also located at the Urumqi economic zone, its chairman Bi Zhong Hua says companies will be able to leverage on the transport links.

“We will be able to help companies enter Central Asia and beyond as our software park will also be modelled on a multi-language platform. The big cities in eastern China tend to focus on English and Mandarin. We will be focussing on multiple languages. Research and development is the other focus,” he says, adding, “Xinjiang’s diverse groups will offer our neighbours a free flow of expertise. It will be two-way, win-win situation for China and our neighbours.”

Bi says overall development of the software park is to promote everything related to the Internet of Things (IOT). The incubator-concept of the project was conceived in 2010 and the building housing the startups was completed last year.

“Our aim is to attract 200 startups. There should be sufficient synergy. Hopefully, some will become big corporate names later,” he says. Bi says the government-initiated project will accord quite a number of privileges to those who set up their base there.

With a slow volatile global economy and China’s slowing growth – off its double digit peaks of the 1990s/2000s – China is seeking other sources of growth. The Belt Road initiative will help to jump start the different sectors of its economy and its geographically vast landscape.

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## ahojunk

Foreign Investment Booms in Chongqing
2016-06-26 19:04:31 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Meng Xue





_A bird view of the Liangjiang Special Economic Zone in Chongqing. [Photo: kaiwind.com]_

The creation of a Special Economic Zone in the southwestern Chinese municipality of Chongqing is being credited with creating a major influx of foreign investment through new funding streams, tax breaks and favorable policies, which are designed to try to speed up economic development.

On the 33rd floor of a modern skyscraper in the heart of Chongqing's financial district you'll find the offices of ENGIE – a Sino-French venture which develops electricity, cooling and heating services for industrial companies.

Doctor Zhang Jinbai is the company's Chongqing representative.

"Chongqing is really the hot topic in China and a lot of foreign investors, and not only foreign investors, domestic investors entering the Chongqing market – how we can find a balance to allowing the foreign investors to invest and in the meantime to balance the interests of the different parties."

Zhang says the potential for growth, as well as the flexibility within the municipality areas of policies and finance, has been key to the company's development in China.

"Chongqing is the most dynamic city in China and also the Chongqing government has just signed the Sino Singapore initiative demonstration program here and located in Chongqing so we think there are a lot of opportunities, airport, IT, financial activities, and as an energy player we think we can bring our exercise and our capability of investment."

Financial service is one of four priority areas of the China-Singapore initiative which focuses on connectivity and modern services.

There are currently 246 Singaporean companies doing business in Chongqing, making the city-state the biggest investor in the Chongqing among all foreign investors.

Wu Shicun is with the Singaporean Business Association in Chongqing.

"There are several advantages in Chongqing. First, this is a very big municipality with a big population and land base. More importantly, the government has given a lot of encouragement to us in doing investment projects here. Also with the operation of Yuxinou railway, there has been great improvement in the field of logistics, international finance and trade."

That government encouragement is channeled through the Liangjiang Special Economic Zone – one of only three in China – behind only Shanghai's Pudong New Area and Tianjin's Binhai.

It was set up in June 2010, and is located in the main urban districts of Chongqing, north of the Yangtze River and east of the Jialing.

The zone itself covers 12-hundred square kilometers.

Automobile production, electronic information and equipment manufacturing have been the three major industries driving economic growth in the zone.

But in the next five years, another 10 new industries are expected to rise in Liangjiang.

They include intelligent vehicle manufacturing, smart devices, cloud computing, and bio-medicine.

Tang Zongwei, deputy director of the management committee of the Liangjiang New Area, says they have a lot of ambitions moving forward.

"In terms of adjusting the industrial structure, our goal for the Liangjiang New Area is that by the year 2020, the output value of the three traditional industries will reach 600 billion yuan, while the output value of the other new, emerging industries will reach 450 billion yuan. Within the new industries, we want to achieve 80 billion yuan in new energy vehicle manufacturing."

The figures speak for themselves…

The GDP of the area was put at 320-billion yuan in 2015.

By 2020, officials expect the Liangjiang New Area's GDP to hit 650-billion yuan, with industrial gross output coming in at 1 trillion yuan.

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## TaiShang

ahojunk said:


> _A bird view of the Liangjiang Special Economic Zone in Chongqing. [Photo: kaiwind.com]_



Is this Manhattan in the making？

***

* Largest water amusement park in NW China*

​

Workers are checking up on the delivery of the Fangzhou Water Amusement Park in an industrial area in Minle County, Gansu Province. It is expected to open to the public in early July of this year. [Photo by Wang Jiang/China.com.cn]

​

Workers are checking up on the delivery of the Fangzhou Water Amusement Park in an industrial area in Minle County, Gansu Province. It is expected to open to the public in early July of this year. [Photo by Wang Jiang/China.com.cn]

​

Workers are checking up on the delivery of the Fangzhou Water Amusement Park in an industrial area in Minle County, Gansu Province. It is expected to open to the public in early July of this year. [Photo by Wang Jiang/China.com.cn]

​

Workers are checking up on the delivery of the Fangzhou Water Amusement Park in an industrial area in Minle County, Gansu Province. It is expected to open to the public in early July of this year. [Photo by Wang Jiang/China.com.cn]


​

Workers are checking up on the delivery of the Fangzhou Water Amusement Park in an industrial area in Minle County, Gansu Province. It is expected to open to the public in early July of this year. [Photo by Wang Jiang/China.com.cn]


​

Workers are checking up on the delivery of the Fangzhou Water Amusement Park in an industrial area in Minle County, Gansu Province. It is expected to open to the public in early July of this year. [Photo by Wang Jiang/China.com.cn]


​

Workers are checking up on the delivery of the Fangzhou Water Amusement Park in an industrial area in Minle County, Gansu Province. It is expected to open to the public in early July of this year. [Photo by Wang Jiang/China.com.cn]

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## TaiShang

*Xinjiang loans for impoverished families*
Source: Xinhua | June 30, 2016, Thursday | 


Xinjiang will offer a maximum of 50,000 yuan (US$7,521) for every impoverished household, free of mortgage or guarantee, Wang Yanlou, deputy director of the regional Finance Department, said yesterday.

Applicants can obtain the loans a week after they apply, and can reapply after three years again, he said. The regional government has ordered lower governments to establish a special fund to support the new credit policy, he said.

About 2.61 million people in Xinjiang — less than 10 percent of the region’s population — live in poverty. A shortage of funds is a major obstacle, Wang said.

“Banks usually demand guarantees or mortgageable assets, thus barring a great number of people from getting the money they need,” he said.

Most households have nothing to mortgage and cannot find anyone to vouch for them.

“We want to use the loans to encourage people to start their own businesses and find proper means for living,” he said.

Amatgang Sidiq, a 38-year-old sheep farmer in Akto county, said the loan can help him raise more livestock. He suffered losses during a steep fall in sheep prices in 2014.

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## TaiShang

*Qinghai-Tibet Railway Benefits People in Tibet in Multiple Ways



*
2016-06-30 08:20:31 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Zhang Zhang

Ever since the operation of the world's highest and longest plateau railroad a decade ago, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in southwestern China has brought a sea change to the lives of people living in Tibet.

Known as "the Roof of the World,"the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau used to be "inaccessible to the outside world."

However, that was before the opening of the Railway.

Now, an increasing number of people, especially holiday makers, can explore this holy land.

Statistics released by the Tibetan government show that the autonomous region received more than 20-million visitors in 2015, 11 times more than before the railway started service.

Chen Youti, who works in the Education Bureau of Bange County, says the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has greatly shortened his travel time from inland China to Tibet and lowered the costs of his travels.

"You can't imagine how troublesome it was for me to come in and out of Tibet. It used to take me four days on the way from my hometown in Yunnan. After the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, I only have to make one transfer at Chengdu, which has shortened the travel time from nearly 90 hours to 60. "

The biggest beneficiaries of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway's opening have been local Tibetans.

60-year-old Tashi Tsering, travellng by train from Shigatse to Lhasa to fetch his paycheck, says the convenience the railway brings to his life is incredible.

"The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has brought us much convenience. Tibetans have benefited a lot from it, which was really out of my expectation. The train is safe, fast and cheap. I've traveled more than ten times from Shigatse to Lhasa since the rail line opened."

In addition, living expenses for people Tibet have also been lowered. Nagqu Logistics Centre head Jing Zhanjie attributes all this to the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, which he says has lowered the costs of transporting goods into Tibet.

"The completion and opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway makes the transportation of goods into Tibet much more convenient, which lowers the costs of people's living expenses, including rice, oil, flour and other foodstuffs. "

Jing also added that compared with highway transport, rail freight transport can help reduce the price of building materials, including steel, cement and timber, noting that there are many new towns along the railway in Nagqu.

Figures released by the Tibetan government show that its GDP surged from 25 billion yuan, about 3.8 billion US dollars, in 2005 to over 100 billion yuan in 2015, with an annual growth rate of over 10-percent.

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua reporting from Lhasa.

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## JSCh

*Riding along 'route to heaven': 10th anniversary of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway*
(People's Daily Online) 15:14, June 30, 2016
 




Great changes have taken place in Golmud since the Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened to traffic 10 years ago. (People's Daily Online/Photo) ​
July 1 marks the 10th anniversary of the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Over the past 3,600 days, there have been about 30 trains every day, which have transported more than 100 million passengers, 500 million tons of goods and helped to boost Tibet's GDP which now exceeds 100 billion yuan.

At a total length of 1,956 kilometers, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway connects Xining, the capital city of northwestern China's Qinghai province in the east and Lhasa, the capital city of China's Tibet Autonomous Region in the south.

The first phase of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway between Xining and Golmud began to be constructed in 1958 and the 814-km-long line was put into service in 1984. The second phase linking Golmud to Lhasa is 1,142 kilometers long and opened to traffic on July 1, 2006 after five years of construction.

Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the world's most amazing railway and is called "the route to heaven". The railway boasts the world's highest railway tunnel the Fenghuoshan Tunnel, which stands 4,910 meters above sea level, the world's highest railway station the Tanggula Station, 5,608 meters above sea level, the 11.7-km-long Qingshui River Bridge, at an altitude of 4,500 meters in the Hoh Xil unpopulated area, the 690-meter-long Sancha River Bridge, which is 54 meters above the valley floor.

In May 2016, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway opening to the traffic, reporters rode the train along "the route to heaven" again to bring our readers the latest report on geographical landscape, historical and cultural relics, local customs, economic development, tourist attractions, ecological environment and wildlife the along the railroad.

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## JSCh

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway turns 10 on July 1, 2016. The 1,956-kilometer-long railway, which began service in July 2006, is the world's highest and longest plateau railroad and also the first railway connecting the Tibet Autonomous Region with other parts of China. Ecological protection measures taken during and after the construction of the railway have ensured it was built as "a green railway". Noting that environmental pollution has been brought under effective control, it said the alpine vegetation ecosystem has been effectively protected, the permafrost environment has been stable for years, the eco-function regions have been doing well and the plateau landscape remains intact. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)






BEIJING, June 30, 2016 (Xinhua) -- File photo taken on July 1, 2006 shows the train coded "Zang (Tibet) 2" running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway across the Lhasa River after leaving the Railway Station of Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.




BEIJING, June 30, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 21, 2016 shows a train running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway through the Northern Tibet Grassland, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. 




BEIJING, June 30, 2016 (Xinhua) -- File hoto taken on Sept. 28, 2014 shows a train running on the Nagqu section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.




BEIJING, June 30, 2016 (Xinhua) -- File photo taken on July 9, 2013 shows a freight train running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway past the Kunlun Mountain in northwest China's Qinghai Province.




BEIJING, June 30, 2016 (Xinhua) -- File hoto taken on July 20, 2006 shows a train running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway near Lake Cona in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.




BEIJING, June 30, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 26, 2016 shows a train running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway through a wetland of Northern Tibet, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.





BEIJING, June 30, 2016 (Xinhua) -- File photo taken on July 1, 2006 shows the passenger train coded "Qing 1" passing the Tanggula Mountain Pass with an altitude of 5,072 meters above sea level, the highest of world's railway, in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.




World's highest railway station the Tanggula Station.(People's Daily Online/Photo)​

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## ahojunk

_Good to see development in Xinjiang and hopefully this will also benefit the Central Asia via the Belt and Road Initiative._

--------
*Xinjiang goes on fast track*
(Global Times) 07:45, July 05, 2016





(File Photo)​
*Region stable, prosperous 7 years after Urumqi riots*

The Belt and Road initiative has made Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region more open and prosperous, as the region strives to stamp out the influence of extremism and terrorism, analysts said.

Tuesday marks the seventh anniversary of the July 5 riots in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, that killed 197 people.

"After years of an intense crackdown on the three evil forces - terrorism, extremism and separatism - Xinjiang has become more stable which has greatly contributed to economic development," Xu Jianying, a research fellow at the Research Center for Chinese Borderland History and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

Xinjiang has not only seen more economic, business and personnel exchanges with inland provinces but has also opened up to the outside world under the Belt and Road initiative, said Xu.

In March 2015, Xinjiang was named as the "core zone" of the Silk RoadEconomic Belt in the framework jointly published by the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce.

The framework states that Xinjiang could serve as a bridgehead in China's westward opening-up, deepen ties with countries in Central Asia and transform itself into a transportation hub, and a center of trade and logistics, culture and technology.

Xinjiang will also host the 5th China-Eurasia Expo from September 20 to 25, where a record number of attendees, including political leaders from Asia and Europe and heads of international organizations, are expected.

"The initiative boosts cross-border infrastructure development, including roads and pipelines in the region, laying the foundation for economic as well as personnel exchanges," said Xu, adding that aside from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Xinjiang has developed more channels with bordering countries.

Xinjiang also announced in April the launch of three routes, including the China-Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan route, the China-Tajikistan route, and the China-Russia-Kazakhstan-Mongolia route in an effort to drive cultural and non-governmental exchanges between China and Central Asia, Xinhua reported.

According to data the Global Times obtained from Xinjiang's Department of Commerce, trade in the region from January to May was valued at $6.13 billion. Its growth was China's second-highest.

Xinjiang has also seen a growth in tourism and personnel exchanges in recent years.
According to Xinjiang's Statistic Bureau, the region welcomed 60.97 million tourists in 2015, contributing 102.2 billion yuan to the economy.

Pan Zhiping, a research fellow at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that the local government has taken steps to maintain social stability in recent years, since it serves as the foundation of the region's openness and prosperity.

"Xinjiang is more stable after officials spent years removing the negative influence of religious extremism in villages and communities, taking measures against activities involving extremism, separatism, and terrorism, and implementing poverty alleviation programs," said Pan, adding that an increase in international exchanges and opening-up have raised new challenges to safeguard stability.

He said the local government has also relaxed its visa policy to make personnel exchanges more convenient.

In 2014, Shanghai police arrested nine Uyghurs from Xinjiang, including a wanted alleged terrorist in November when they attempted to sneak out of China with altered Turkish passports. They were held for being suspected of organizing, leading and participating in terrorist organizations.

"The Xinjiang government should also be aware of the influence of the mounting activities of overseas terrorism organizations, especially the Islamic State, because they are using the Internet, including social media, to gain influence in China," said Pan.

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## JSCh

* China Focus: China sees environmental progress in Tibet*
Source: Xinhua 2016-07-05 21:38:15

LHASA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- By the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, about 1000 residents are busy planting trees.

"It was very dusty and windy here a decade ago," said 61-year-old Tseten, sweat on his forehead. "Neither people nor animals came out here."

There are fewer bad days now, perhaps thanks to the trees, he said.

"You can see foxes and rabbits here now," he added.

In Tibet, more trees are being planted, wild animals are better protected and polluting industries have been closed down. The environment is top of the agenda at the ongoing Forum on the Development of Tibet 2016.

In Tseten's hometown, Xigaze, once where sandstorms frequently struck, herdsmen have planted about 1,200 hectares of forest in the past two years, with about 550 ha more to be completed this year, according to Tsering Dondrup of the local forestry bureau.

Environmental campaigns near Tibet's six major rivers have seen pastures returned to forests and desertification stopped in its tracks .

In the Shannan section of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, for instance, forests are increasing at an annual speed of 5.25 cubic meters per ha.

According to a 2014 national survey, Tibet ranked first in terms of forest area and forest stock.

Wildlife protection is also much improved. At Changtang National Nature Reserve in northern Tibet, hundreds of thousands of Tibetan antelope wander.

"Tibetan antelopes are usually very shy. They run away at the sight of human beings," said Tsewang Norbu, a ranger at the reserve. "But instead of running away, they now stop and stare at me each time I approach them on my motorcycle."

In Tibet, 125 species have state protection, about one third of the national total. Tibetan antelope, wild ***, wild yak, and even snow leopard are increasingly sighted in Tibet.

In the past 20 years, the number of Tibetan antelopes has risen from about 40,000 to almost 200,000, while the wild *** population has risen almost three-fold in the same period.

More wildlife brings trouble for some residents. In February, a Xigaze resident claimed to have been "robbed" by 10 northern plains gray langur.

"They know that we will not hurt them, so they often come to steal food in our village, particularly during Winters and Spring," said Gyezang."This year they stole my potatoes and carrots, though government subsidies helped cover my losses."

Authorities planning to spend 15.5 billion yuan (2.3 billion U.S. dollars) to guarantee "blue skies and clean water."

"Environmental protection is our bottom line when it comes to economic development," said Losang Gyaltsen, the regional Party chairman.

Tibet has also banned expansions of industries like steel, chemicals and paper, with existing companies shut down or told to transform, according to Zhuang Hongxiang, deputy head of the regional environmental protection department.

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## TaiShang

I want these here in Taipei 

**

*Farmers harvest Hami melons in Xinjiang *
2016-07-05 18:01:26 Xinhua Web Editor: Huang Yue





Traders select Hami melons, a popular cantaloupe, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Region, July 4, 2016. Farmers reaped a bumper harvest of more than 100 varieties of Hami melons in Nanhu Township of Xinjiang recently. [Photo: Xinhua/Polat]




Farmers load Hami melons, a popular cantaloupe, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Region, July 4, 2016. Farmers reaped a bumper harvest of more than 100 varieties of Hami melons in Nanhu Township of Xinjiang recently. [Photo: Xinhua/Polat]




Farmers pick Hami melons, a popular cantaloupe, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Region, July 4, 2016. Farmers reaped a bumper harvest of more than 100 varieties of Hami melons in Nanhu Township of Xinjiang recently. [Photo: Xinhua/Polat]

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## ahojunk

TaiShang said:


> I want these here in Taipei
> 
> **
> 
> *Farmers harvest Hami melons in Xinjiang *
> 2016-07-05 18:01:26 Xinhua Web Editor: Huang Yue
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Traders select Hami melons, a popular cantaloupe, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Region, July 4, 2016. Farmers reaped a bumper harvest of more than 100 varieties of Hami melons in Nanhu Township of Xinjiang recently. [Photo: Xinhua/Polat]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Farmers load Hami melons, a popular cantaloupe, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Region, July 4, 2016. Farmers reaped a bumper harvest of more than 100 varieties of Hami melons in Nanhu Township of Xinjiang recently. [Photo: Xinhua/Polat]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Farmers pick Hami melons, a popular cantaloupe, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Region, July 4, 2016. Farmers reaped a bumper harvest of more than 100 varieties of Hami melons in Nanhu Township of Xinjiang recently. [Photo: Xinhua/Polat]


.
@AndrewJin @TaiShang 

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

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## 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."

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## TaiShang

ahojunk said:


> .
> @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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## ahojunk

_More news on the forum in Tibet._

--------
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.

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## ahojunk

--------
*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.

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## 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.

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## 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]

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## grey boy 2

ahojunk said:


> *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

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## ahojunk

_This dark sky reserve is good for astronomy and tourism._

-------
*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]_

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## 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.

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## 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]

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## ahojunk

_More news on the Tibet Development Forum._

--------
Tibet through the eyes of a western scholar
2016-07-09 20:27:20 Xinhua Web Editor: Min Rui






_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.[Photo: Xinhua]_


"It was astonishing to see the modern part of Lhasa, and I am very glad to have seen the development," said Albert Ettinger, a Luxembourger in Tibet for the first time, attending the Forum on the Development of Tibet.

Ettinger is the author of two books on Tibet, "Free Tibet" and "The Fight for Tibet," both about Tibet's traditions and history, published in German and Italian.

Ettinger said one of the reasons he wrote the books was, as a teacher of German language and literature, he found a German textbook about the Dalai Lama and Tibet to be biased. He was upset because the purpose of school is to teach students to think critically and decided to write a book himself.

Having researched Tibet through books, publications and the Internet, Ettinger said he was still amazed by the changes.

"It is developing very fast," he said, "Lhasa is now a fantastic city; for example, the university with all those beautiful new buildings. The city is very clean too."

"The government can be proud of what it has achieved," Ettinger said suggesting inviting more people to see the real Tibet.

"There are some people who want to see the old Tibet, like an old woman with her prayer wheel, but still they can see the development, at least they can see that the Tibetan language is living, Tibetan people are better off than before, and their religion is protected," he said.

Lhasa and Tibet are more open to foreigners than before, and it could be more open, he said, to let people see with their own eyes.

"And let some of the Dalai Lama's friends come. Maybe they can also learn something," Ettinger said.

The two-day Forum on the Development of Tibet closed on Friday in the regional capital Lhasa.

More than 130 guests from over 30 countries and regions participated in field visits and meetings in Lhasa and Shannan.

This was the second Forum on the Development of Tibet, with the first held in 2014.

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## ahojunk

_Xinjiang has the potential and I hope the provincial government manages it properly._

--------
*Boom to place Xinjiang as Central Asia’s economic hub*
Source:Global Times Published: 2016-7-4 20:53:00





_He Yiming, director and Party chief of the Department of Commerce of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is interviewed in Xinjiang on Wednesday. Photo: Cui Meng/GT_


*Editor's note: *

As Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region establishes itself as a center for China's Silk Road Economic Belt, the region's government plans to let trade lead its economic and social development. Global Times (GT) reporter Bai Tiantian speaks with He Yiming, director and Party chief of the Department of Commerce of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

_GT: Can you give us an introduction of Xinjiang's trade this year?_

He: From January to May, the total trade volume in Xinjiang was $6.13 billion, up 6.8 percent from last year. Xinjiang was ranked 22nd among all provincial-level regions in China in terms of trade volume from January to May, but our growth was second in the nation. 

Border trade constitutes the most important part, accounting for 56.8 percent of the total trade in Xinjiang and 27.5 percent of small trade imports and exports in China. Our trade also relies very heavily on the private sector, which constitutes 85.3 percent of our total volume. Textiles, electronics and mechanical products saw double-digit growth this year. 

However, we still face some difficulties. For starters, the sluggish global economy, falling international commodity prices and downward pressure in the domestic economy are all factors of concern this year. Currency devaluation in Russia and Central Asian countries, which leads to a decline in purchasing power, also casts a shadow on our trade prospects. 

The Eurasian Economic Union, which aims to remove internal tariff barriers while imposing a common external tariff, has had a profound influence on Xinjiang's trade. After joining the Eurasian Economic Union, the average tariff for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia actually increased, leading to a decline in exports to some Central Asian nations.

Xinjiang wishes to achieve an annual trade volume of $20.8 billion this year. We have geographical advantages, backed by a strong industrial system in China. We would like to let trade lead the way so that when trade volume reaches a certain level, industries will naturally relocate to Xinjiang. 

Another thing we are working on is diversifying our trade structure. Currently our trade focuses on textiles, electronics and mechanical products, bags and luggage and agricultural products. We are looking to open up new markets, for example Southeast Asia. Fruits grown in Xinjiang are not found in Southeast Asia and vice versa. The regions complement each other.

_GT: Which countries are Xinjiang's largest trade partners and how does Xinjiang cooperate with these countries?_

He: The largest trade partners of Xinjiang are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, in that order. Trade with these four countries constitutes more than 75 percent of Xinjiang's total trade with foreign countries. Kazakhstan alone took up about 40 percent last year. It used to take up more. Russia has recently caught up and become third. 

As for trade structure, these countries displayed similar characteristics. Textiles and electronics are the top two exports. These countries are interested in importing light industrial products from China.

_GT: We understand that Xinjiang is establishing itself as a core area for the Silk Road Economic Belt. One of Xinjiang's goals is to make itself a commercial and logistics center. Can you talk about how Xinjiang, and especially your department, wish to achieve that goal?_

He: A key focus of our work is building a land port in Urumqi. The project consists of online and offline parts. For the offline part, the idea is to make use of the highway, railroad and aviation networks, as well as free trade zones, container terminal stations and other resources in Urumqi, to offer freight consolidation services with the supervision of customs. The online part involves building a multi-language platform connecting different logistics nodes both along the Silk Road route and with other provinces in China. We want to build a platform where logistics supply and demand information can flow freely, and information of freight shipping with highways, railroads and aviation can be combined and connected. 

Our goal is to build a highly-efficient two-way logistic channel connecting Europe and Asia. Take our freight rail route to Central Asia and Europe as an example. There has been a problem where the return trip doesn't bring back enough merchandise. The land port project in Urumqi is designed to solve this issue. Domestic goods, when shipped to Urumqi, will be regrouped and consolidated in a more efficient way before shipping out. Our goal is to cut 25 percent of the cost of a one-way trip to attract more customers. The same idea also applies to international goods coming into China.

_GT: Part of your job is to oversee the management work of the Sino-Kazakh Cooperation Center in Khorgas along the China-Kazakhstan border. Can you tell us more about this center?_

He: The center was designed to enjoy a high degree of freedom in terms of trade and commerce. Chinese visitors are allowed to buy up to 8,000-yuan worth of duty-free products. The center can be used for other functions such as storage, exhibitions and finance. Trade fairs will be held here. It is designed to serve as a window where business people from both sides can be exposed to new opportunities. 

A good example is the Chung Ying Street, a street on the border of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. In the past, people used to go there and buy products such as socks, radios and CD players. As business boomed, industry followed suit. Today Shenzhen has become a high-tech and manufacturing hub in southern China, and border trade on Chung Ying Street helped cultivate that. This is an example we look up to.

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## ahojunk

*Sub-anchor: Economic development in Tibet*
CCTV.com
07-07-2016 16:52 BJT






The economy in Tibet is outpacing the rest of China. Tibet's GDP reached 23.9 billion yuan in the first quarter, up 10.7 percent year on year, and 4 percentage points higher than the national average. 

Fixed assets investment in Tibet stood at 8.1 billion yuan in the first quarter. That was 22.3 percent higher year on year again, the growth was higher than the average level across the country.

Some major projects such as the construction of Sichuan-Tibet railway, hydropower plants along the Yarlung Zangbo and Jinsha rivers, and a highway connecting Lhasa and Nyingchi are all progressing. Tourism has also developed well as an economic driver. Tourism revenue in Tibet reached 670 million yuan in the first quarter, up 29.7 percent year on year.

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## ahojunk

_The new generation of children are able to speak Putonghua. China should have started this 30 years ago.
It is better late than never._

--------
*Bilingual education makes a difference for Tibetan children*
Source:Xinhua Published: 2016-7-11 18:58:00

Tseri Yangzom, 7, is the pride of her family. The daughter of a Tibetan inn-keeper and farmer, she has an important role in her family unit as an interpreter.

Tseri's father runs a hotel in Deqen county, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Growing up, Tseri loved the Tibetan tale King Gesar, as well as the Journey to the West, a Chinese classic. At school, she excels at languages and speaks Tibetan and Putonghua well and a little English.

Bilingual education in Tibetan and Chinese is available free to Tibetan-speaking children in Tibet and the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai.

"I want to be a pianist when I grow up. I want to travel and play music," she said.

Tseri's family do not have to pay tuition fees for her, thanks to State funding, meaning she is much better educated than her older relatives.

"Children of Tseri's generation are multilingual. She is the pride of our family," said her uncle Ashi, 48.

About 100 kilometers away from Tseri's school, in Benzilan township, another school is attended by more than 1,000 children.

Yeshe Lhamo, a third-grader, hopes to attend one of the top universities in Beijing.

"I want to go to the best medical school in China. There are huge differences between Tibetan, Western and traditional Chinese medicine, I want to explore this," Yeshe said.

"My teacher said I should work hard and learn Tibetan, Chinese and English if I want to be a doctor," she said.

Tenzin Norbu, 33, has worked at Yeshe's school for nine years. He was the first college graduate from his village. Now Duotong village's around 60 households have produced nearly 10 college students.

"People now understand the importance of education, and dropouts are rare," he said.

Xinhua

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## TaiShang

*Jobs growing, but applicants are lagging*
China Daily, July 25, 2016





Job seekers attend a job fair in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. [Photo/Xinhua]


Job opportunities grew during the second quarter in the central and western part of China and in third-tier cities, thanks to e-commerce and the sharing economy.


Chinese job recruitment website Zhaopin and the China Institute for Employment Research jointly released their second quarter employment report recently. The report showed that first-tier cities, as well as the country's eastern region generally, continued to generate the majority of new job opportunities. Eastern China generated 73 percent of them.

*Yet the employment situation in the less-developed middle and western regions of China had improved, compared with the same period last year. New jobs in Central China grew at the fastest rate, reaching 29 percent of the total. Western China was next, with 23 percent.*

*Third-tier cities and other less-developed areas, despite having relatively low numbers, saw 27 percent growth in new job openings compared with same period last year.*

Zeng Xiangquan, director of the China Institute for Employment Research, said the overall employment situation in the second quarter had improved from the first quarter. The index－the proportion of job vacancies for each job seeker－increased from 1.71 to 1.93.

"In the second half of the year, we could still see a drop in the index. The competition in job market could become fiercer," said Zeng. "However, the overall picture is stabilizing."

Guo Sheng, CEO of Zhaopin, said the biggest problem underlying the job pressure in China is the mismatch between employers and job seekers.

"The reasons behind the mismatch are complicated," Guo said. "We see job opportunities cluster in regions that are not provinces with large populations. Labor mobility is not enough to meet this demand. Besides, many job seekers continue to look for opportunities in traditional industries that are cutting positions."

For example, in the internet industry about 11 job vacancies had only one applicant, while in the mining industry, about 100 job seekers competed for 24 jobs.

One solution to the structural unbalance is the sharing economy and e-commerce, Guo said.

According to Didi Dache, the car-hailing platform, it has provided 3.89 million job opportunities in 17 provinces that are cutting industrial overcapacity and jobs.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said an estimated 1.8 million employees in the iron and coal industry will be laid off in the process of reducing excess industrial capacity in China.

@AndrewJin

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## AndrewJin

TaiShang said:


> *Jobs growing, but applicants are lagging*
> China Daily, July 25, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Job seekers attend a job fair in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. [Photo/Xinhua]
> 
> 
> Job opportunities grew during the second quarter in the central and western part of China and in third-tier cities, thanks to e-commerce and the sharing economy.
> 
> 
> Chinese job recruitment website Zhaopin and the China Institute for Employment Research jointly released their second quarter employment report recently. The report showed that first-tier cities, as well as the country's eastern region generally, continued to generate the majority of new job opportunities. Eastern China generated 73 percent of them.
> 
> *Yet the employment situation in the less-developed middle and western regions of China had improved, compared with the same period last year. New jobs in Central China grew at the fastest rate, reaching 29 percent of the total. Western China was next, with 23 percent.*
> 
> *Third-tier cities and other less-developed areas, despite having relatively low numbers, saw 27 percent growth in new job openings compared with same period last year.*
> 
> Zeng Xiangquan, director of the China Institute for Employment Research, said the overall employment situation in the second quarter had improved from the first quarter. The index－the proportion of job vacancies for each job seeker－increased from 1.71 to 1.93.
> 
> "In the second half of the year, we could still see a drop in the index. The competition in job market could become fiercer," said Zeng. "However, the overall picture is stabilizing."
> 
> Guo Sheng, CEO of Zhaopin, said the biggest problem underlying the job pressure in China is the mismatch between employers and job seekers.
> 
> "The reasons behind the mismatch are complicated," Guo said. "We see job opportunities cluster in regions that are not provinces with large populations. Labor mobility is not enough to meet this demand. Besides, many job seekers continue to look for opportunities in traditional industries that are cutting positions."
> 
> For example, in the internet industry about 11 job vacancies had only one applicant, while in the mining industry, about 100 job seekers competed for 24 jobs.
> 
> One solution to the structural unbalance is the sharing economy and e-commerce, Guo said.
> 
> According to Didi Dache, the car-hailing platform, it has provided 3.89 million job opportunities in 17 provinces that are cutting industrial overcapacity and jobs.
> 
> The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said an estimated 1.8 million employees in the iron and coal industry will be laid off in the process of reducing excess industrial capacity in China.
> 
> @AndrewJin


Plenty of jobs here, just prove u got what it needs!

Xining City, Qinghai Province, Northwest China
GDP growth of the first season 2016, 9.5%!

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## Jlaw

TaiShang said:


> *Jobs growing, but applicants are lagging*
> China Daily, July 25, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Job seekers attend a job fair in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. [Photo/Xinhua]
> 
> 
> Job opportunities grew during the second quarter in the central and western part of China and in third-tier cities, thanks to e-commerce and the sharing economy.
> 
> 
> Chinese job recruitment website Zhaopin and the China Institute for Employment Research jointly released their second quarter employment report recently. The report showed that first-tier cities, as well as the country's eastern region generally, continued to generate the majority of new job opportunities. Eastern China generated 73 percent of them.
> 
> *Yet the employment situation in the less-developed middle and western regions of China had improved, compared with the same period last year. New jobs in Central China grew at the fastest rate, reaching 29 percent of the total. Western China was next, with 23 percent.*
> 
> *Third-tier cities and other less-developed areas, despite having relatively low numbers, saw 27 percent growth in new job openings compared with same period last year.*
> 
> Zeng Xiangquan, director of the China Institute for Employment Research, said the overall employment situation in the second quarter had improved from the first quarter. The index－the proportion of job vacancies for each job seeker－increased from 1.71 to 1.93.
> 
> "In the second half of the year, we could still see a drop in the index. The competition in job market could become fiercer," said Zeng. "However, the overall picture is stabilizing."
> 
> Guo Sheng, CEO of Zhaopin, said the biggest problem underlying the job pressure in China is the mismatch between employers and job seekers.
> 
> "The reasons behind the mismatch are complicated," Guo said. "We see job opportunities cluster in regions that are not provinces with large populations. Labor mobility is not enough to meet this demand. Besides, many job seekers continue to look for opportunities in traditional industries that are cutting positions."
> 
> For example, in the internet industry about 11 job vacancies had only one applicant, while in the mining industry, about 100 job seekers competed for 24 jobs.
> 
> One solution to the structural unbalance is the sharing economy and e-commerce, Guo said.
> 
> According to Didi Dache, the car-hailing platform, it has provided 3.89 million job opportunities in 17 provinces that are cutting industrial overcapacity and jobs.
> 
> The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said an estimated 1.8 million employees in the iron and coal industry will be laid off in the process of reducing excess industrial capacity in China.
> 
> @AndrewJin



not a bad problem to have if there are many jobs and not enough people to fill them. Politicians would kill to have problems like this in Canada.

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## TaiShang

Jlaw said:


> not a bad problem to have if there are many jobs and not enough people to fill them. Politicians would kill to have problems like this in Canada.



I agree. The alternative is definitely less desirable.

What needs to be done (as it seems to be the case) is to tap into the central and western parts of the country as the next growth areas. 

I even see it as a positive incentive for companies to go inland.

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## Three_Kingdoms

ahojunk said:


> _This dark sky reserve is good for astronomy and tourism._



True. It is an ideal site to construct our second mega-sized telescope in search of aliens!

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## ahojunk

_Very good news for Tibet and Chongqing......
_
--------
*China's Tibet comes on top of regional GDP growth in H1*
(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-07-26 07:52





_A woman in Tibetan costume in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Oct 10, 2014. [Photo/IC]_


LHASA - Tibet came top of 25 Chinese provinces and municipalities that had released their half-year GDP growth figure as of Monday, thanks to investment in infrastructure and local industries.

The economic growth of Tibet Autonomous Region was 10.6 percent during the first half this year, extending a 23-year streak of double digit growth and up 3.9 percent points from the national average in the same period.

Southwest municipality Chongqing also reported economic growth of 10.6 percent in the first half, joining Tibet and a string of hinterland provinces that have defied the economic headwinds holding back growth in the more developed eastern coastal provinces.

Stellar economic growth in the country's western region came as authorities ramp up infrastructure spending to offset a decline in foreign trade and private investment.

Tibet's robust growth is underpinned by strong investment in infrastructure.

The autonomous region also invested in tourism, bottled water and food manufacturing in hopes of making them into pillar industries to drive sustainable growth in the long term.

The poverty alleviation program also helped stimulate growth, with over 2 billion yuan already invested in relocation program.

The regional authorities also eyed double digit growth in fiscal income, household disposable income and fixed assets investment in the five years ending 2020.

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## ahojunk

*Signs of ancient humans found on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau*
Source: Xinhua 2016-07-26 13:47:37

XINING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Archeologists in northwest China's Qinghai Province have confirmed human activity at an altitude of 4,000 meters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, dating back over 10,000 years.

Archeologists with Qinghai Normal University and Qinghai archeological research institute discovered a prehistoric ash layer in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai in 2013. On Monday, Hou Guangliang of Qinghai Normal University, confirmed that the layer is residue of human activity.

Dozens of stone tools were found at the same site, showing that prehistoric humans lived, hunted and made tools in the harsh environment over 10,000 years ago. It is the oldest evidence of human activity found above 4,000 meters on the plateau.

Hou said, the discovery is of great significance to research on how ancient humans coped in extreme environments.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has an average altitude of over 4,000 meters, with low levels of oxygen, low temperatures, strong winds and intense ultraviolet light.

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## TaiShang

*Tibet disaster relief warehouse opens*
Xinhua, July 25, 2016

Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has opened its largest warehouse for disaster relief supplies, local authorities said.

*Costing over 52 million yuan (7.8 million U.S. dollars) and covering 3.7 hectares, the facility contains about 270,000 items, including tents, quilts, coats and other emergency goods, said Soinam Chagba, head of the regional disaster relief supply reserve center, on Sunday.*

Situated beside a freight depot in the region's capital, Lhasa, supplies can be distributed to the surrounding areas via road or railway, officials said.

Tibet has long been vulnerable to natural disasters, including earthquakes, landslides and snowstorms. Accordingly, it is hoped the new facility will ensure speedy aid should disaster strike. The latest natural disaster to hit the region, an avalanche, killed nine people in Ngari Prefecture last Sunday.

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## TaiShang

*Rail line for LNG opens between China and Kazakhstan*
CRI, July 31, 2016




File photo shows the site of an ongoing construction project in an oil and gas treatment plant in Kazakhstan. [Photo: cnpc.com.cn]


The first train carrying liquefied natural gas from Kazakhstan to China has arrived at the border crossing at Xinjiang.

It's arrival is being hailed as the next step in greater energy transport connections between China and central Asian countries.

The new rail link for Liquified Natural Gas is expected to help shore-up LNG resources, which have been coming up short in China due to growing demand and the limited capasity at the sea ports to transfer LNG onshore.

Wang Xinchun, director of the Alashankou Free Trade Zone's economic development bureau in Xinjiang, says their port of entry is going to significantly increase energy transport options for China.

*"There will be one train each week, which will transport 300-thousand tons year. In the future, we expect to be able to increase the annual LNG imports to 800-thouisand tons or more according to market demand and the needs of domestic companies."*

*The border crossing at Alashankou in Xinjiang has seen over 8.7 million tons of goods worth over 3.5-billion US dollars pass through so far this year.*

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## TaiShang

_Good initiative. Squeeze (any) religion out of all public domains by force and conviction. Once religion is expressed heavily in the public space, it gets political. Once religion gets political, it gets oppressive and violent. 

China has finally seen that what matters is to dry the swamp rather than fighting the mosquitos. 

It must also not forget about the international dimension. The US gives political support. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and several others give financial and ideological support. These have to be dealt with, as well.

Fight against extremist religiosity is an important aspect of Xinjiang development._

***

*Xinjiang toughens anti-terror stance*
China Daily, August 3, 2016

The latest anti-terrorism regulation in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will help to prevent terrorists from using religion to lure people into terrorist activities, anti-terrorism experts said on Tuesday.

Under the new regulation, which took effect on Monday, people who expand the concept of halal in Islam - which means adherence to dietary laws - to include other areas of life will face detention and fines.

*In recent years, the region has seen many cases of terrorists and extremists making people believe that bank notes, ID cards and marriage certificates are not halal, so people become isolated from modern society and are easily radicalized.*

The regulation, which is a legal interpretation of China's Anti-Terrorism Law, will also punish those who use the preaching of religious teachings to promote terrorism or extremism.

"The detailed regulation is drafted to deal with the anti-terrorism situations that are unique in Xinjiang, which faces a greater terrorist threat than any other place in China," said Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Xinjiang has always been China's front line against terrorism. The penetration of religious extremism has led to an increasing number of terrorist attacks in recent years.

"Many acts of religious extremism used by terrorists to manipulate others are not clarified in the Anti-Terrorism Law. Including them in the legal interpretation can help Xinjiang prevent people from getting involved in terrorist activities," he said.

The Anti-Terrorism Law, which was implemented on Jan 1, is a general guideline for China's anti-terrorism work, and Xinjiang desperately needs the legal interpretation to make sure the law in the region is practical, Li said.

The regulation was passed by the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang regional People's Congress on Friday. Xinjiang is the first provincial-level region to introduce the legal interpretation of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

"Authorities in Xinjiang have gained rich experiences in combating terrorism in recent years. Such experiences have helped us to make sure the legal interpretation can effectively help Xinjiang fight terrorism in accordance with law," said Lu Ping, a member of the Standing Committee.

The regulation also gives a clear guideline for how to handle terrorist criminals in prison. Leaders of terrorist organizations and terrorist convicts who incite others while serving sentences will receive solitary confinement.

Terror convicts now need to go through risk assessments six months before release, and local courts are required to decide if the convicts can be released.

*Acts of terrorism defined in the latest legal interpretation includes:*

*Funding, carrying out or plotting terrorist activities after receiving instructions from individuals or terrorist organizations from home or abroad.*

*Setting up terrorist organizations and recruiting members to organize, plan or carry out terrorist activities by preaching terrorism and religious extremism to others.*

*Providing facilities or organizing others for physical or tactical training for those who plan to carry out terrorist activities.*

*Providing assistance in transporting those who are involved in terrorist organizations' training and recruitment activities, as well as plotting or carrying out attacks.*

*Crossing borders illegally to receive terrorist training or joining terrorist organizations.*

*Using cellphones, internet, video or audio files or publications to spread terrorism and extremism.*

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## TaiShang

*China's Xinjiang H1 foreign trade grows 10 pct*
Xinhua 2016-08-05 

URUMQI, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The foreign trade volume of northwest China's Xinjiang Region grew more than 10 percent year on year in the first half of 2016, local authorities said on Friday.

Statistics released by Urumqi Customs showed that Xinjiang's trade value reached 47.6 billion yuan (about 7.3 billion U.S. dollars) from January to June, up 10.1 percent year on year.

Exported goods, mainly textile products, shoes and mechanical parts, reached 41.2 billion yuan, up 11.6 percent from last year.

Imported goods, including mechanical equipment and farm produce, stood at 6.38 billion yuan, up 1.3 percent year on year.

The trade surplus amount was 13.5 percent more than the amount last year.

*Kazakhstan remains Xinjiang Province's top trade partner.*

In 2013, Xinjiang's H1 trade exceeded 10 billion dollars. However, due in part to low international energy prices, depreciation of Central Asian currencies and slower economic growth in Xinjiang, trade has slipped in the last three years.

The Central Government and Xinjiang regional government have boosted trade through expanding trade channels between Xinjiang and its trading partners, improving transportation and investing in trade information systems.

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## ahojunk

State Council nods new opening-up pilot zone in southwest China
2016-08-13 07:48 | Xinhua | _Editor: Mo Hong'e_

China's State Council has approved Pingxiang, a city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the border with Vietnam, to be a new opening-up pilot zone, a statement said on Friday.

The plan for the new zone will be published by the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, according to the cabinet website.

Pingxiang is Guangxi's second "key pilot zone for development and opening-up" after Dongxing, approved in August 2012.

Southwestern Yunnan Province's Mengla bordering Laos, and Ruili, a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, as well as northern Inner Mongolia's Manzhouli city and northeastern Heilongjiang Province's Suifenhe-Dongning zone in the neighborhood of Russia, are also on the pilot zone list.

The pilot zones were expected to play a positive role in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, boosting opening-up and facilitating the mutually beneficial cooperation with neighboring countries.

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## TaiShang

*Chinese youths beating poverty through hard work *
Xinhua Published: 2016/8/14 18:48:39







Chen Ze'en, 26, keeps bees in a small village in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region for around a year. Photo: Xinhua


The career that Chen Ze'en, 26, had chosen to pursue not only changed his own life but also those residents of a remote village in one of the poorest parts of China. 

Chen has been keeping bees in a small village in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region for around a year. 

*This summer, the size of his swarm has increased to about 200 hives. He expects to harvest two tons of honey and sell it for 300,000 yuan ($45,000). *

The village is home to a local species of bee that produces sweet, pure honey. But without proper technology and investment, the business was barely viable. Chen brought new beekeeping techniques and a modern business model to the area that villagers found "a bit strange but smart." 

"The village has a very good natural environment, free of any industrial pollution. I am trying to highlight the clean and organic nature of our product," Chen said. He is now registering a company and brand name. 

"I am also thinking of developing new honey products, for instance, honey wine," he said. 

Chen's apiary has inspired villagers and he does not hesitate to share his knowledge. About 100 people now profit from the beekeeping business. 

Having set the goal of raising the annual incomes of about 55 million of the country's poorest people to over 2,800 yuan by 2020, China values young people like Chen and has high expectations for what they can bring to remote villages. 

For around a decade, college graduates have been hired to work as village officials on a large scale. These young officials are now a force to mobilize rural people themselves in the fight against poverty. 

In Southwest China's Sichuan Province, a government program supports young officials' startup projects, including growing local specialties and selling farm produce online. 

South China's Guangdong Province has focused on encouraging young people to stay at home. Agricultural technicians are invited to teach them the latest farming skills and financial assistance is given to new businesses. 

*Down to the countryside
*


A more traditional way for young people to help their less well-off fellow citizens is for college students to volunteer to teach in rural schools for a few years. 

Li Xingjian attended Beijing's Renmin University of China and taught at a rural middle school in Sichuan in 2014 when he was a graduate student. 

Many of Li's charges were "left-behind children," living with relatives, often their grandparents, while their parents work in cities. Among several hundred students, only a dozen or so went to institution each year and usually to small colleges with inadequate teaching resources. 

"Compared with what I taught them, simply my being there was more helpful. I felt like a window through which they got a glimpse of an unknown outside world," he said. 

Li's students found someone they could look up to. "One of my students wrote me an 18-page letter, telling me that I was the first person to praise him and give him a present in his 17 years of life. He said I gave him hope," Li said. 

Although these programs aim to help needy people in rural areas, those who offer help benefit as well. Many volunteers were inspired by their experiences when choosing their careers. 

Since 2012, Renmin University has sent about 1,000 students to villages for a short program every summer. Lu Xiaotong, from Central China's Hunan Province, took part twice. 

"Before visiting the village in my home province, I thought that I knew rural China quite well," she said. Instead, the grinding poverty shocked her and she witnessed how one simple project, such as building a paved road, could change the lives of everyone. 

"The experience gave me a sense of responsibility and motivation. I found myself pondering what I could do to actually help," Lu said.

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## TaiShang

*Online shopping growth in rural China outpaces urban areas*
Xinhua, August 18, 2016

Growth in online retail purchases by China's rural residents outpaced that of urban dwellers in the second quarter, official data showed on Wednesday.

*In the first six months, online retail sales to rural residents exceeded 310 billion yuan (46.9 billion U.S. dollars), Shen Danyang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), said at a press briefing.*

Rural online retail sales remarkably outstripped urban sales, he added.

MOC data showed that, in the second quarter, rural online sales grew by 13.48 percent from the first quarter. The growth rate was at least 4 percentage points higher than the growth in sales to urban residents.

In the first six months, purchases by rural residents accounted for 14.14 percent of the country's total online sales.

*Shen noted the growth rate in rural areas in underdeveloped central and western regions stood at 24.57 percent, at least 10 percentage points higher than the growth registered in better-off rural areas.*

Rural residents spent most of their money on clothing, shoes, home improvement and digital gadgets.

For online sales of services in rural areas, online travel booking contributed 44.54 billion yuan.

A report by the China Internet Network Information Center showed that, of China's 688 million Internet users as of the end of 2015, 195 million, or 28.4 percent, were rural residents.

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## TaiShang

*Survey: Flocks of young people return home from big cities*
By Wu Jin
China.org.cn, August 18, 2016




A recent survey shows that an increasing number of young migrant workers are heading home from big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. [File photo]


Zhang Yuanyuan, a 28-year-old woman, just put an end to her nine-year long migrant living in Shanghai, where she worked as a shop assistant selling children's clothing.

*Expecting her second child in a few days, she packed up and headed to her hometown in Zibo, Shandong Province. Unlike her last experience of being forced to leave her daughter behind because she needed to secure her job in Shanghai, this time, she will have plenty of time to spend with her children after she submitted her resignation and returned home to open her own store.*

Although there are a constellation of local stores that sell children's clothes, Zhang said, she is confident in her experience in Shanghai which enables her to sort out prettier clothes for children at competitive prices.

The story of Zhang is no exception.

*According to a survey conducted recently by China Youth Daily, 52.8 percent of 2,000 respondents noted that there are increasing numbers of young people leaving metropolises to return to their less developed hometowns.*

*The survey also found that about 60.9 percent of respondents who have returned home are expected to start their own businesses, while 52.5 percent are desperate to run their own start-ups.*

Zhang said, almost all her friends at her age in her hometown have settled down. Some inherit their parents' businesses, while some work for privately-owned enterprises and a few hold jobs as local administrative officials or teachers.

Cai Zhidong (a pseudo name), a local county governmental official from Shanxi Province revealed that young people are reluctant to accept a job as a local official in counties and townships. Most of them have joined in the legion of start-ups and only a few who expect stable jobs work in local governments.

However, to flee from the overcrowded cities to idyllic hometowns is not all that satisfactory as the young people who return home soon find that to start a business from scratch is very difficult in the towns and villages where the business opportunities are rare.

Lu Jia has tried several start-ups since heading home in Inner Mongolia after spending six years working in Beijing.

"I started running online shops, cosmetics agencies and even engaged in vendor selling," Lu recalled. "But I have not found a lucrative business and all my efforts in the last few years were spent in vain."

For most returnees, rare business and job opportunities become the major problem hindering the development of their careers in their hometowns. About 54.8 percent of respondents complained about insufficient job opportunities, while 44.4 percent blamed the unfavorable working environment and 27.1 percent reportedly experienced sophisticated interpersonal relationships.

Despite these temporary difficulties, Cai believes the working and living environments in the second-and-third-tier cities, towns or villages have been improved greatly since the anti-corruption campaign initiated a few years ago.

"The young people will be more likely to enjoy fair opportunities and streamlined administrative procedures when the efforts of the anti-corruption campaign and the relegation of powers are paid off," Cai said. "I believe towns and villages will have a bright future to attract more young people to settle down."

**
_
China's west will likely become a haven for SMEs._

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## ahojunk

_This inland port is getting bigger. It will also play an important role in OBOR._

--------
Xinjiang's Horgos opens new customs office
2016-08-19 16:55:13 Xinhua Web Editor: Guan Chao





_A file photo shows the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center, in northwest China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region. [Photo: Chinanews.com]_​
The Horgos International Border Cooperation Center on the China-Kazakhstan border, in northwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, officially opened its customs office on Thursday. The office has been in preparation since 2007.

The customs office, which is under the administration of Urumqi Customs, mainly provides services for the Chinese side of a cross-border free trade zone.

After opening, the customs office hopes to offer strong support for the center, for it to become a key engine in China's westward trade, said Zhao Ge, director of Urumqi Customs.

In September 2004, China and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to create the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center, a free trade zone. The center opened in 2012.

Customs procedures have now been streamlined at the center, which covers 3.43 square km on the Chinese side and 1.85 square km on the Kazakh side.

The center has seen rising flow of people and goods. As of July, it has recorded 9.46 million visitors and a trade volume of 878 million U.S. dollars since opening.

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## TaiShang

*Li: Infrastructure boost planned to aid rural Jiangxi*
China Daily, August 23, 2016

Premier Li Keqiang vowed on Monday to further improve infrastructure such as highways and internet connections in impoverished regions of southern Jiangxi province, where the Long March started nearly 82 years ago.



Premier Li Keqiang goes to a villager's house during a visit to Ruijin city in East China's Jiangxi province, Aug 22, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

*The premier said the government will invest more in highways, power grids and irrigation facilities for the region, during a visit to the Aobeigang Production Base for navel oranges in the city of Ruijin in Ganzhou, Jiangxi.*

The Communist Party of China established its first national government in Ruijin in 1931 and started the Long March in 1934 to establish new revolutionary bases in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Li's visit to the city follows the State Council's development plan for the region, released in 2012, which aimed to cultivate industries suitable for local conditions and improve rural infrastructure and farmers' living conditions by 2015.

*Ganzhou produces 1.28 million metric tons of navel oranges each year, China's largest yield of the crop and accounting for 13.4 percent of the global production. Local official Chen Baofu said the production base was opened in 1994 and now covers over 1,000 hectares that have helped lift about 3,300 locals from poverty.*

Li was pleased to hear that each hectare of these oranges can produce 120,000 yuan in income ($18,000) per year. Farmer Deng Zhuping earns more than 120,000 yuan net income annually with oranges from 1.2 hectares of rented land.

"The price of navel oranges has increased by more than 10 percent over the past few years," Deng said.

Some farmers said they have started to sell the fruit online, and the premier said more investments will be made to install faster internet connections in villages to support the farmers' commerce.

*"I hope the internet will help you (farmers) sell oranges, and you should adopt delicacy management processes to produce high-quality goods that lead market demand and in turn create more profits," Li said.*

The plan also encompasses providing safe drinking water, new houses, new schools and upgraded power grids in rural areas.

*Li visited the village of Huawu, where 102 families moved into new homes built next to their shabby old houses with subsidies from the central government in 2014. Now farmers rent rooms to visiting tourists in their new homes.*

"The area's economy lags behind that of the neighboring provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, due to disadvantages in transportation, talent and way of thinking. But it has great growth potential if the infrastructure improves," said Li Minghui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

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## ahojunk

_This is good news for Xinjiang. Hopefully more companies will open new facilities in Urumqi economic and technological development zone. _

--------
*Guangzhou Auto starts building 240-mln-USD Xinjiang plant*
Source:Xinhua Published: 2016/8/25 0:18:37

Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd on Wednesday started construction of its assembly plant in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 

With an investment of 1.6 billion yuan (240 million US dollars), the plant has a designed annual production capacity of 100,000 cars and will create 1,500 jobs. 

Located in the Urumqi economic and technological development zone, the plant is scheduled to begin production of gasoline and electric cars as early as the end of 2017, said Zeng Qinghong, general manager of Guangzhou Automobile Group. 

Zeng said the plant will supply western Chinese regions and central Asian countries. 

Zhou Yawei, a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the investment answers the central government's call to help Xinjiang's development and push forward the Belt and Road Initiative.


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## TaiShang

*Free books enlighten Xinjiang minds*
China Daily, August 26, 2016

Sixteen bookstores in the China's Xinjiang region are donating books to the poor as part of an ongoing charity drive.



Letao Bookstore owner Li Duan (right) introduces the idea of donating books to a customer in Urumqi. [Photo/China Daily]

Inspired by a popular charity activity in Western countries where cafe customers buy an extra cup of coffee for a person unable to pay, the book-donating activity－called "Book On The Wall"－invites customers to buy extra books and then post the titles and prices on the wall instead of taking them home. The books are offered free of charge to people who don't have the means to pay.

Yalkun Osman, one of the founders of the activity, said, "We hope to help poverty-stricken people who like to read but have no money for books."

Of the 16 bookstores participating in the activity, two are in Urumqi, the regional capital－Nawayi Bookstore and Letao Bookstore. They took part in July.

Li Duan, 60, owner of Letao Bookstore, said she decided to join the effort after she learned about it from Yalkun Osman and found that there were many poor people who needed books.

"Before the activity, I used to see some poor children who liked very much to read books but they had no money to buy any," Li said. "I often let them read books in my store. That experience made me want to participate," said Li, who is from Henan province but has lived in Urumqi for more than 10 years.

On the wall of Nawayi Bookstore, more than 20 titles donated by customers waited to be claimed.

Guzalnur, the owner, said she finds the charity activity inspiring－so much so that she has provided other free books that were not listed on the wall but were needed to teach reading.

To support the activity, the two bookstores gave 15 to 60 percent discounts to the book donors.

"This bookstore was opened by my son when he was a college student to earn money for his tuition, and he got help from others when he ran the store. Now he had graduated, and I took part in the charity to help others in return," Li said.

*Mahmutjan, who recently picked up a Uygur-Han bilingual children's book free for his 10-year-old son, said he was grateful for the activity, which gives people like him a chance to get books for their knowledge-thirsty children.*

According to Yalkun Osman, some people didn't notice the activity, possibly because they didn't fully understand the idea, or because of the fast development of the internet, which has changed reading habits.

"But the most important factor is that curiosity and desire for knowledge has decreased, so some people were not willing to spend money for books. They were more willing to buy luxury goods. They pay no attention to their minds or to the training of their children," Yalkun Osman said, adding that the Book On The Wall project was not only a charity activity but also a kind of cultural outreach that could help realize a small dream for poor people who yearn to read.

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## ahojunk

China, Kazakhstan to jointly build fertilizer production hub
(Xinhua) 14:44, August 29, 2016

CHONGQING, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese firm and a Kazakhstan firm have agreed to form a joint venture to develop a *major fertilizer production and distribution hub in southwest China's Chongqing municipality*.

Under the deal between Kazakhstan Potash Corporation (KPC) and Chongqing Agricultural Production Material Group, the two sides will jointly build a major potash fertilizer distribution center and the largest compound fertilizer producer in western China, with an annual turnover of around 3 million tonnes.

The fertilizer products will be sold in southwest China and exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries, said Wan Zhongcheng, chairman of Chongqing Agricultural Production Material Group.

The cooperation is seen as a practical move aligning with China's Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, along ancient trade routes.

As part of the deal, *potash from Kazakhstan will enter Chongqing through the Chongqing-Europe railway system, passing through northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which will greatly cut transport costs*, Wan said.

The two firms will also set up a joint venture and develop a comprehensive logistics base that integrates road, waterway and rail transport in Jiangjin District, Chongqing, a city on the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway.

The joint venture aims to realize an annual revenue of more than 20 billion yuan (about 3 billion U.S. dollars) in three to five years, with a profit of 200 million yuan. The venture plans to list on an overseas stock market.

KPC, listed in Australia, is a mineral exploration company which owns the rights to three large potash deposits in Kazakhstan. The Chongqing agricultural firm is one of the largest of its kind and a key fertilizer supplier in China.

China needs about 14 million tonnes of potassium chloride per year, about half of which is imported.

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## TaiShang

China's first high-capacity solar thermal power plant put into operation

August 30, 2016, http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0830/c90000-9107732.html






China's first solar thermal power plant with high-capacity energy storage successfully began operation in Delingha, Qinghai province on Aug. 29. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

On Aug. 29, Delingha SUPCON 10 MW Power Plant in Delingha, Qinghai province began operation. *SUPCON is China's first solar thermal power plant with high-capacity energy storage, and just the third such power plant anywhere in the world. The other two are located in the U.S. and Spain.*

The core technology is based on *SUPCON's independent research and development.* The plant boasts advanced systems for solar collection, heat absorption, energy storage and electricity generation. *Molten salt is used as the heat-exchange fluid, despite the fact that storage of molten salt energy is considered to be extremely difficult. Fortunately, after six years of hard work, SUPCON has overcome that difficulty.*






China's first solar thermal power plant with high-capacity energy storage successfully began operation in Delingha, Qinghai province on Aug. 29. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

Molten salt has a wide temperature range in its liquid state. Thus, using the substance as the heat-exchange fluid means that the system's generating efficiency will be improved, the heat-exchange process will be simplified and energy loss will be minimized. In this way, high-capacity thermal storage and large-scale generation are both made possible.

Solar thermal power generates stable, continuous and high-quality power that can be produced on a schedule. It is widely considered to be a clean energy most likely to replace coal. The International Energy Agency predicts that solar thermal power is capable of meeting 11.3 percent of global electricity demand in 2050.

**

_Innovated in China. Made by China. _

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## JSCh

* Scientists reveal sources of glacier melting accelerator in Tibetan Plateau*
Source: Xinhua 2016-08-30 18:56:19

LHASA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Fossil fuel and biomass are sources of black carbon, the substance that has accelerated glacier melting across the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, research has revealed.

The paper, published by "Nature Communications" on Aug. 23, found varying contributions from fossil fuel and biomass combustion to black carbon in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.

In the remote, northern plateau, black carbon is predominantly derived from the burning of fossil fuel, while fossil fuel contributions to black carbon in the snow pits of the inner plateau region are lower, implying contributions from internal sources, such as yak dung combustion, according to the paper.

The study revealed an approximately equal influence of biomass combustion sources within the southern Tibetan Plateau/Himalayas that mainly stem from emissions from the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

The research was conducted by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Stockholm University.

The study provided data for the further analysis of air transported black carbon, and information that can be used by policymakers addressing glacier melting and emissions, said Kang Shichang, one of the authors of the report and a researcher with the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources under the CAS.

It indicated pollution from burning yak dung for cooking or heating among herdsmen and farmers in some areas of the plateau might be higher than first imagined, said Kang.

In Tibet,about 74 percent of the autonomous region's population live in rural area, many of whom use yak or sheep dung as a heat source.

The region aims to replace traditional energy sources with electricity to reduce pollution.

The wider use of electricity will save 177,000 tonnes of coal and cut emissions of carbon dioxide by 400,000 tonnes in the next five years, according to the regional energy substitution plan for 2016-2020.

The plan, which is backed by 2.2 billion yuan (329 million U.S. dollars), will focus on on construction, transportation and domestic life, including improving accessibility to electric cookers, boilers, heaters and vehicles.

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## TaiShang

Yueriguli, a 28-year-old Uyghur official in a village in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, agreed to model for photos taken of the local melon harvest in order to help boost sales. Tangnuer Village, where she works, sits at the intersection of Taklamakan Desert and the Tarim Basin. With a fragile ecology plagued by strong winds, sandstorms and drought, local villagers rely heavily on the melon harvest.

After graduating from Xinjiang University in 2012, Yueriguli has been working with the Bachu county-level bureau on agricultural equipment management. She offered to work in Tangnuer Village in 2016, as her father used to work in the poorest village in Bachu County.

“The melons have been harvested. They have been hard to sell recently due to transportation issues. I hope that by modeling with the melons, I can help them to sell better,” the young woman said. (Photo/Courtesy of Photographer Zhang Yi)



























http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0830/c90000-9107492-11.html

**

Missed the Mainland's hami melons. Here, it is so expensive this year. Fruit, in general, has become expensive here.

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## JSCh

* Tourism in Xinjiang hits record high in H1*
Source: Xinhua 2016-08-30 22:32:35

URUMQI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tourism in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region hit a record high in the first half of 2016, the regional tourism bureau said Tuesday.

In the first six months, more than 26 million domestic tourists visited Xinjiang, up 15.5 percent year on year, said Li Jidong, Communist Party secretary of the regional tourism bureau.

Tourist spending reached 34.5 billion yuan (about 5.2 billion U.S. dollars), up 16.8 percent from the same period last year. The region has attracted almost 730,000 foreign tourists, up 9 percent. Foreign tourists spent 216 million U.S. dollars there, up 17.4 percent, Li said.

The rise was mainly attributed to the National Winter Games in January.

Nineteen provinces and cities which support Xinjiang's social and economic development have organized tour groups to the region.

Xinjiang has also improved tourism infrastructure, Li said.

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## JSCh

*National nutrition plan benefits 33.6 million rural students*
(People's Daily Online) 16:41, August 31, 2016




Due to strained economic conditions, many primary school students in Liancai Township used to go to school each day without having breakfast. This was the case, at least, until 2011, when China launched a nutrition improvement program for students in rural regions, which has since been implemented in the most impoverished and remote regions in China.

On a common school day at Yanhe Primary School in Hubei, fourth-grade students Lele and Niuniu carry a basket full of milk cartons into their classroom during recess. According to the school's principal, since the program’s launch, the students at Yanhe Primary School have always received a snack of milk and eggs or milk and cakes during their class break.

Since 2011, the central government has set aside 159 billion yuan for the program. The World Bank and United Nations Food Program have both spoken highly of the program, and in the five years after its launch, the program has been implemented in 137,000 schools in 29 provinces, benefiting a total of 33.6 million students. Virtually no rural students must begin school now without first enjoying a nutritious breakfast.

According to the Chinese Center For Disease Control And Prevention, a number of tangible and positive changes have occurred since the program began. Data shows that both the average height and weight of students have increased, and the rate of anemia incidence has decreased.

By the current standard, the country gives each student a daily subsidy of about 4 yuan, which covers the cost of meals at school and reduces the burden on families. This year, China will further expand the coverage of its program, ensuring that even more students around China are able to enjoy safe, tasty food and make the most of their educations.

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## TaiShang

*Officials and workers sent to aid China Tibet's development, boost unity*
By Zhang Yiqian in Lhasa
Source: Global Times Published: 2016/8/31

* Officials and workers sent to aid region’s development, boost unity *

_In order to develop Tibet and keep it tightly linked with the rest of China, the central government launched a program in the 1980s to send officials and workers to the region. Locals benefited from the knowledge these outsiders brought, but some argued that the officials' terms are too short for them to have a great impact and that they sometimes provide things which locals do not need._





A Tibetan woman carrying her child. Photo: IC

When official Li Xiaonan told the residents of a Tibetan village about his plans to install running water, they were vehemently opposed.

"The water might overflow and flood my home while I'm out herding sheep," one villager told him. Instead of gambling on change, they would rather fetch water the traditional way, by filling containers at the river around a mile from their homes.

However, in addition to the inconvenience, the river's water contained bugs and was tainted with traces of cattle feces.

It took Li a great deal of talking to convince villagers that the water from the faucets he wanted to install would be safer. He had to go from door to door, trying to convince every single resident to accept the project. But once some households made the leap and installed faucets, others began to see that it was a good idea - especially during the region's harsh winters - and followed suit.

Li's experience is fairly typical among the people sent to work in China's Tibet Autonomous Region from other parts of the country over the years. Since the 1980s, the government has sent officials and ordinary workers to the region, to aid economic development and maintain unity.






An aid worker from Heilongjiang Province is offered tea by a Tibetan farmer. Photo: IC

*Serve the people*

Li works at the State Assets Administration Committee of the State Council. He has been in Tibet for three years, and was initially assigned to the post to help State-owned companies in the region to modernize their structure and operations.

But during his stay in Lhasa, he had the idea of going to the countryside to see how rural Tibetans live their lives, so he asked to be reassigned to a village for six months.

The system of sending officials to Tibet began in 1984 after the second meeting of the central government to discuss work related to Tibet.

During that meeting, the central government reviewed Tibet's general situation and decided that workers from the country's richer eastern regions should be sent there to lead fishery, electrification and construction projects.

In 1995 the system expanded to include officials who would be sent to Tibet for a few years.

*After more than 20 years of this system in operation, a total of 17 provinces, 60 central government departments and 17 State-owned enterprises have sent more than 6,000 officials to Tibet and parts of adjacent Sichuan Province with significant ethnic Tibetan populations. *

The seventh group of assigned workers just finished their terms in June and the eighth were sent in August.

The goal of this system is to enhance both Tibet's economic and cultural connections with the rest of the country, in order to develop the region. The officials chosen for this role have to act as the face of the government, emphasizing the benefits of development it can offer.

In reality, during their terms, most officials struggle to fulfill any ambitious plans they may have made in the face of the low general skill level in their assignment area and difficulties beyond their imagination.

When Beijing middle school teacher Zhang Dali came to Lhasa in 2014, he found himself dealing with teachers who hadn't received much training and a school whose students hadn't chosen to be there, but had ended up there after not making it into other, better institutions.

In Tibet, many locals' first choice for their children's education is sending them to special classes for Tibetans in other provinces' schools. If a child passes the entrance test and makes it into one of these classes, the family will feel honored and proud.

Their second choice would be one of Tibet's more prestigious schools. Lhasa No.2 Middle School, where Zhang was assigned, is not regarded as a prestigious school.

On top of that, Zhang found that compared with Beijing, Lhasa lags behind in both teaching methods and resources. 

"In this region, teachers can apply to retire early because of health issues. It's easy to develop illnesses due to the high altitude. So some teachers retire as early as 50, which is the age they have the most experience. In Beijing, we consider that the golden age to teach," Zhang said. 

While at the school, Zhang tried to spread his knowledge of advanced teaching methods. He boosted teachers' training, hired experts to help them and organized seminars for teachers to discuss their work.

"We are happy to see some changes in Tibet at least. In the old days, it used to be the teachers going around hunting down students from their homes to come to school, but now the parents are consciously making their children get a good education, that's encouraging," he said. He said helping the children to obtain an education is the first step to turning them away from separatist propaganda.

*During his term, Li took 12 villagers to Beijing and Tianjin to see China's richest regions. 

"Many of them had never even been outside the village in their entire lives, they had never taken an elevator, ridden an airplane or stayed in a hotel before," he said.*

So he took them to see Tianjin harbor, the Great Wall and the Bird's Nest stadium, hoping that the trip would expand their minds and encourage them to be more ambitious about their children's future.






A worker surnamed Wang assigned to Lhasa works in his office while wearing an oxygen mask. Photo: Li Hao/GT

*Awards and repercussion*

Many taking part in the program found it difficult to adapt to life high on the Tibetan plateau.

One major problem is the scarcity of oxygen in Tibet due to its high altitude. In order to cope with this problem, many have developed creative solutions.

Li said he developed a new way of breathing, in which he took deep breaths to increase his blood oxygen level. He also installed oxygen masks in his car and used them whenever he would take a drive. 

The village he was stationed in is situated 600 kilometers from Lhasa and it takes an entire day on the road to get there from the regional capital. To get there, one must take the bus, then switch to motorcycles or carts. The remote village doesn't have modern conveniences, such as electricity or running water, due to it sitting at an altitude of over 4,000 meters and often experiencing extreme weather. Locals use a generator for a few hours of power a day and only do laundry once every couple of weeks.

When Li was stationed there, he had to put up with stinky clothes. He didn't throw away any food, even when it grew moldy, because fresh supplies couldn't be carried to the village. His nails became black with dirt and his skin toughened because of the gales that blow through the village. But he felt that he had experienced the "real" Tibet, and that his work in the villages had real meaning.

A worker from Beijing assigned to Lhasa who gave his surname as Wang said he has been in Tibet for only a year, but he has felt its influence on him. He works in the office which coordinates officials sent to Tibet.

"The first few months when I was here, I couldn't even sleep well," he said.

When he works at home, he relies heavily on an oxygen generator. He even made changes to the machine, attaching a longer tube so he could wear the mask in bed and keep inhaling pure oxygen even as he sleeps. 

After a few months, Wang found he had developed health problems, with issues in his lungs and livers. He said he has also talked with others, and most have some kind of problem after being posted there. Some even worry that their organs would get larger due to the scarcity of oxygen.








*Aid drawbacks*

Some have criticized the system. First of all, some of the projects are not well-suited to locals' needs, especially farmers and herdsmen, who live in poverty-stricken areas that require the most aid. 

In 1995-2007, Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province aided Linzhou township in Lhasa and helped it build schools, hospitals, training centers and markets. But the project also included building squares and statues in some villages. To Tibetan herdsmen and farmers, squares are of little use.

Another problem is workers and officials are only sent to Tibet for a few years at a time.

*A local Tibetan official told media, "It really affects the job here. They need to get used to the weather in their first year, they can do something solid in their second year, but they'll be gone the next year."

Because of this system, some Tibet-aiding officials are called "migrating birds."*

Therefore, locals need to be involved in these projects.

A successful example is a water pipe installed in a town in Xigaze. The decisions about where the pipe should go and what materials should be used were made collectively by the village, rather than solely by officials. Some villagers were given maintenance training and the pipe is still in use six years later.

This is in stark comparison to another water pipe in a different town. It was paid for by the central government and a team from another province came to set it up. But in the winter, it cracked due to the cold weather and none of the locals knew how to fix it. 

"Aiding Tibet shouldn't be all about just using up the designated funds given by the government and finishing what one is 'required' to do in each term," Xiao Huaxin, Party chief of Longyan, Fujian Province, who was also an aid official to Tibet, told the China Youth Daily.

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## 艹艹艹

*Nyingchi Airport promotes Tibet's development in 10 years*









2016-09-02 11:26:56 | From:China Tibet Online





As one of the most challenging airports to lift off from and land at in the world, Nyingchi Airport has been in operation since 2006. Planes have taken off and landed inside the twists and turns of the Yarlung Tsangpo River valley for 10 years, creating a legend in the former “no flight zone” of the plateau.

Nyingchi Airport is the third airport in the Tibet Autonomous Region, located 50 km away from theBayi District inNyingchi, it has an altitude of 2,949 meters.

Yang Chiwei, the vice mayor of Nyingchi, said that 10 years ago, residents depended on the highway to enter and leave Tibet. Because Nyingchi is 1,688 km away from Chengdu, capital city of SW China's Sichuan Province, a bus ride took at least three days and nights, and with difficult road conditions, there are many hidden dangers.

In order to improve the travel conditions for people traveling to and from Nyingchi, the regional government of Tibet invested 780 million yuan to build the airport in 2003.Gong Jiechang, manager of the operations department at Nyingchi Airport, said that at the narrowest point of the flight path at Nyingchi Airport, the plane has less than four km from the walls of the valley.

Given the plateau’s geography and severe, temperamental weather conditions, the Nyingchi Airport has the most complex flight environment, climate conditions, flight navigation planning, flight procedure set-up, as well as the most difficult take-offs/landings, and guarantee of on-time flights among all Chinese airports, it is also one of the most challenging airports in the world.

In the past 10 years, the airport had 20,589 safe flights, a passenger volume of 1,953,717 persons, and a freight volume of 7,333.5 tons. After the airport began operation, the number of tourists continued to rise every year. At the end of 2015, Nyingchi has had a total of 3.52 million visitors and a tourist income of 3.28billion yuan.Nyingchi Airport began renovations and expansions in 2014. It is estimated that by the end of October 2016, the entire construction project will be completed.

By 2020, Nyingchi Airport’s annual passenger volume will be able to reach 750 thousand persons and the annual freight volume to reach3,000 tons. Manager at Nyingchi Airport said that Tibet aims to build the airport into the second major transportation channel for access to Tibet next to the Lhasa Gonggar Airport.






In addition, highways and railway construction is also being expedited in Tibet. By the end of 2015, there are 78 thousand km of highways in operation, 300 km of which are Level 1 highways. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, launched in July 2006, is also greatly contributing to the expansion of Tibet’s economic and trading partnership with South Asian countries, deepen cultural exchanges, and making Tibet the key avenue in opening China toward South Asia.

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## ahojunk

contribution from @long_

*Sichuan-Tibet power network benefits Tibetan people*
2016-08-16 10:06:54 | From:China Tibet Online

The Tibet Chamdo Power Grid has transmitted 72.69million kilowatts of power per hour from the Sichuan-Tibet network towards the North China Power Grid, the largest transmission reaching 65,000 kilowatts.

The Sichuan-Tibet Network project was established and began operation in November 2014 with a total investment of 6.63 billion yuan, and includes a 1,521 kilometer and 500 kilovolt circuit and four transformer substations from the east in Xiangcheng County, Sichuan, through Bathang to Chamdo, Tibet. It not only solves Chamdo city’s seasonal power shortages and low network coverage for the area’s population, but also greatly improves the living conditions of the Tibetan people. It also opens up a surplus of power in the channel during high water level periods, as well as makes Chamdo an important base for continual transmission of energy resources from west to east.



*Tibet implements alternative energy projects*
2016-08-08 08:53:06 | From:China Tibet Online






Recently, Tibet’s first alternative energy project was put in operation, making substantial progress as a combined effort from both the government and private businesses. Tibet has achieved a breakthrough in alternative energy, become a new move in building a firm national ecological security barrier.

By the end of July, Tibet had already completed a total of 51.24 million kilowatts per hour in alternative energy, promoting 31 central heating electric boiler units, a power transformation capacity of 273,500 kilo-volt-amperes. According to the “Tibet’s "13th Five-Year Plan’ Alternative Energy Plan” appraised by the relevant departments and specialists, at the end of the “13th Five-Year Plan”, Tibet is expected to achieve 1 billion kilowatts per hour, which is equivalent to saving approximately 177,100 tons of standard coal, according to information provided by the National Grid Tibet Power Co., Ltd.

Industry experts say that now that Tibet is promoting alternative energy projects, it will be able to reduce pollution emissions, protecting the blue sky and clear waters of the plateau from the source, and ensuring a good ecological environment.

Liu Xiaoming, chairman of the board at the National Grid Tibet Power Co., Ltd. said, “An investment of 2.196 billion yuan into Tibet’s alternative energy projects is expected the ‘13th Five-Year Plan’, covering the main areas of construction, transportation, household, and other areas, including electric cookware, electric boilers, electric transportation, and other key projects. The next 10 years will be the fastest growing demand for energy resources in Tibet, and we should vigorously develop green energy sources (hydropower, solar power) to lead alternative energy technologies, establishing a system that utilizes smart energy grids and clean energy sources.

"During the construction of the Nyingchi Lulang International Tourism Town, we promoted the use of electric boilers, heat pumps, and heaters to create a model alternative energy town and model electrification village. In the future, Tibet will implement the national energy resources consumption revolution strategy, and in conditional nomad areas, promote the construction of hydropower and solar cell electric power system grid transmissions, improving the power grid coverage," Liu

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## TaiShang

*China's Xinjiang upgrades over 5,000 km of rural roads this year*
Xinhua, September 4, 2016

China's Xinjiang has spent 3.68 billion yuan to build and resurface 5,284 kilometers of rural roads so far this year.

*China's Xinjiang Region, in northwestern China, spent 21.8 billion yuan (3.264 billion U.S. dollars) on 38,029 kilometers of country road in the last five years, benefiting 5.59 million residents, the regional transportation authority said.*

Xinjiang will continue to increase investment in rural road construction, as a number of villages -- 60, at the end of last year -- were not connected to the road network, and 989 villages have poor roads.

Xinjiang is about the size of Alaska. Road construction is difficult and expensive in the region's mountainous southern part.

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## ahojunk

contribution from @long_


*Numbers tell story: 10 Year Anniversary of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway*
2016-07-04 09:47:59 | From:China Tibet Online






This July 1st is the 10 year anniversary of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The plateau railway, built at the world’s highest altitude, with the world’s longest distance, has achieved a record in railway construction. The people of Qinghai and Tibet call the railway “The Road to Paradise.”

For the anniversary, the reporter gathered data from the railway in 10 areas: economy, per capita income, ecology, tourism, and more, to showcase how the railway is not simply an economic corridor, a happiness corridor, but an ecological corridor.

As of the end of May,after ten years of operation, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has delivered a total of 115 million passengers and 448 million tons of freight. The passenger and freight transport volume each grew 15.3% and 6.6%, transporting a total of 18 million passengers in and out of Tibet; and moving 31.9 million tons of goods.

After the railway went into operation, the GDP in Tibet grew from 24.8 billion yuan to 102.6 billion yuan, maintaining an annual growth rate of 10%, whereas the GDP of Qinghai Province grew from 64.1 billion yuan to 241.7 billion yuan.

In 2015, Tibet welcomed a total of 20.1 million domestic and international tourists, with tourism revenue reaching 28.2 billion yuan, which is 11 times and 15 times more than before the railway. Also in 2015, Qinghai Province welcomed 23.1 million tourists from within China and abroad, earning 24.8 billion yuan in tourism revenue, which are 3.6 and 7.3 times more than before the railway.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has accelerated the prosperity of the Tibet people. As of the end of 2015, the per capita disposable income reached 8244 yuan for farmers and shepherds, 4 times more than before the railway; while the per capita disposable income for Tibet residents living in towns and cities increased to 25457 yuan, a three-fold increase.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has added 33 ecological channels for wild life. Since 2011, the wild animals have used the channels at a 100% rate, up from the initial usage rate of 56.6% in 2004, ensuring thriving wild life in Tibet.

Fifteen waste water treatment stations were added along the Lhasa portion of the railway, focusing on waste water treatment for Lhasa, Nagqu, Amdo, Tuotuo River, and other regions, producing water at a level-two drinking standard.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has set up 52 wind-monitoring stations along its route, transmitting information about strong winds in real-time to control stations via the internet. At Mt.Tanggulaand 32 other stations, there are automatic snow-melting equipment installed along track turnouts, ensuring the smooth operation of trains during severe weather. Control of transportation on the entire railway has achieved remote-access, information-based access, and smart access.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway uses multiple methods to prevent and control sand; currently, vegetation is planted on 708 km of the railway, creating a green miracle on the plateau.

The railway’s total length of 1142 km makes it the highest altitude and longest railway in the world built on a frozen plateau. There are 550 km of the railway at 4000 meters altitude, which was constructed through soil that was frozen solid for decades. The train travels as fast as 100 km/hr, achieving many world and industry records.

There are 72 contingency plans and 12 medical stations for operation on the railway. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company has created 75 emergency action plans for potential train accidents, natural disasters, traffic safety issues, public health issues, etc. There are medical stations available in 12 cars along the Golmud-Lhasa portion of the railway, as well as two medical professionals onboard every train entering Tibet.

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## ahojunk

*Tibet (Xizang) pushes geothermal to solve power shortage*






August 19, 2016

There’s a big push for green energy in the tiny autonomous region of Tibet.

The region is rich in resources, but it has a bigger power shortage problem than other parts of China.

CCTV’s Cheng Lei reports.






Tibet’s capital city, Lhasa is called the city of sun, because Tibet’s annual solar resources can power China for 100 years. And in hydropower and geothermal power resources, Tibet also ranks no.1 in China.

Renewables make up 43 percent of Tibet’s energy mix. That’s three times more clean energy than the rest of the country. In addition, the electricity generated by the Yangbajing geothermal plant is enough to power 50,000 Tibetan households.

Bian Dun, has seen 24 years of development, at China’s first and biggest geothermal plant. Geothermal diversifies Tibet’s energy mix. Tibet mainly has hydro power, so there’s a power shortage in winter. Geothermal is more stable, there’s no seasonal impact.

Tibet’s power challenges are manifold. The high altitude and difficult climate take a toll on power equipment and the people that run them.

Unlike in the rest of the country, Tibet’s residential power usage is a much bigger portion of the total than industrial usage, that means less tariff revenue for power plants.

Difficulties aside, the potential for geothermal power is enormous — China has 100 megawatts of installed capacity, that’s less than one sixth of Iceland’s capacity.

Because china is going big on geothermal power, private firms want to invest.

Developing energy has been welcomed by locals, because they’re the first to benefit.

The Tibetan government plans to double investments in generating capacity and grid construction over the next five years. More power without clouding, Tibet’s incredibly blue skies. The answer may be in the ground.

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## ahojunk

*Economy in Tibet (Xizang) ploughs ahead thanks to farming, medicine*






September 5, 2015

Eye on Tibet takes you to the “Roof of the World” to explore how life has changed in the region over the last couple of years. Among the biggest changes in Tibet has been its economy, which has become one of the fastest growing in China *with a 12 percent increase last year*. Reporter Martina Fuchs traveled to the Himalayan region, and discovered that much of credit is due to Tibet’s unique agriculture and traditional medicines.






More details:

The Tibetan economy has traditionally been based on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, construction materials, and Tibetan medicine.
Today, about 80 percent of Tibetans are still farmers or herders.
The per capital disposable income of urban residents in the region was 22,026 yuan in 2014, up 8 percent year to year.

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## ahojunk

*Tibet wages war against plateau parasite*
Source: Xinhua 2016-08-23 18:46:51 


LHASA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Medical workers from across China will carry out a survey in Tibet in an effort to control echinococcosis, also known as hydatid disease, a fatal parasitic tapeworm disease affecting China's herding communities.

A total of 920 doctors and medical workers, including 624 from Tibet and 296 from the rest of the country, will be sent to 364 villages in 70 counties and districts of Tibet by the end of this month, according to Li Bin, deputy director of the regional disease control and prevention center.

Some 72,800 people will be covered by the scheme. The field investigation will be finished within a month, and the investigators will spend two to three months creating an investigation report and treatment plan. "Hopefully the treatment can begin by the end of this year," Li said.

Hydatid disease mainly affects herding areas in China's Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet and Xinjiang. As of 2012, about 50 million lived in areas where the disease is prevalent. The government aims to control the disease by 2020.

Tibet started fighting the disease in 2007. From 2011 to 2015, more than 700 poor patients in the region received surgery.

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## ahojunk

*Ordos welcomes wholesale businesses relocating from Beijing*
2016-09-02 13:51 | Ecns.cn | _Editor: Mo Hong'e_ 

(ECNS) -- Ordos City in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has become another destination for wholesale businesses that plan to relocate from the capital, Beijing Times reported.

Beijing has been transforming its development priorities, including relocating wholesale markets near the Beijing Zoo and building a new administration center for the municipal government in the eastern suburb, in order to focus on the city's position as capital.

The authority in Xicheng District signed a cooperation agreement with Dongsheng District of Ordos on Thursday morning, allowing the latter to join the ranks of Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Langfang, Yongqing and Baigou.

Under the agreement, the Dongsheng District government offers a series of preferential policies to businesses relocating from Beijing, including a five-year rent exemption for those who settle here before January 1, 2017; free rent on public apartments, local urban medical care and child education for both employers and employees; logistics subsidies as well as preferential tax policies and rebates for businesses.

Dongsheng District has favorable logistics conditions, with developed road and railway transport networks, while Ordos Airport operates routes to big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as South Korea and Hong Kong, officials said.

Officials from Xicheng District visited five shopping malls and local logistics parks in the district before the deal was reached.

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## Jlaw

TaiShang said:


> *Chinese youths beating poverty through hard work *
> Xinhua Published: 2016/8/14 18:48:39
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Chen Ze'en, 26, keeps bees in a small village in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region for around a year. Photo: Xinhua
> 
> 
> The career that Chen Ze'en, 26, had chosen to pursue not only changed his own life but also those residents of a remote village in one of the poorest parts of China.
> 
> Chen has been keeping bees in a small village in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region for around a year.
> 
> *This summer, the size of his swarm has increased to about 200 hives. He expects to harvest two tons of honey and sell it for 300,000 yuan ($45,000). *
> 
> The village is home to a local species of bee that produces sweet, pure honey. But without proper technology and investment, the business was barely viable. Chen brought new beekeeping techniques and a modern business model to the area that villagers found "a bit strange but smart."
> 
> "The village has a very good natural environment, free of any industrial pollution. I am trying to highlight the clean and organic nature of our product," Chen said. He is now registering a company and brand name.
> 
> "I am also thinking of developing new honey products, for instance, honey wine," he said.
> 
> Chen's apiary has inspired villagers and he does not hesitate to share his knowledge. About 100 people now profit from the beekeeping business.
> 
> Having set the goal of raising the annual incomes of about 55 million of the country's poorest people to over 2,800 yuan by 2020, China values young people like Chen and has high expectations for what they can bring to remote villages.
> 
> For around a decade, college graduates have been hired to work as village officials on a large scale. These young officials are now a force to mobilize rural people themselves in the fight against poverty.
> 
> In Southwest China's Sichuan Province, a government program supports young officials' startup projects, including growing local specialties and selling farm produce online.
> 
> South China's Guangdong Province has focused on encouraging young people to stay at home. Agricultural technicians are invited to teach them the latest farming skills and financial assistance is given to new businesses.
> 
> *Down to the countryside
> *
> 
> 
> A more traditional way for young people to help their less well-off fellow citizens is for college students to volunteer to teach in rural schools for a few years.
> 
> Li Xingjian attended Beijing's Renmin University of China and taught at a rural middle school in Sichuan in 2014 when he was a graduate student.
> 
> Many of Li's charges were "left-behind children," living with relatives, often their grandparents, while their parents work in cities. Among several hundred students, only a dozen or so went to institution each year and usually to small colleges with inadequate teaching resources.
> 
> "Compared with what I taught them, simply my being there was more helpful. I felt like a window through which they got a glimpse of an unknown outside world," he said.
> 
> Li's students found someone they could look up to. "One of my students wrote me an 18-page letter, telling me that I was the first person to praise him and give him a present in his 17 years of life. He said I gave him hope," Li said.
> 
> Although these programs aim to help needy people in rural areas, those who offer help benefit as well. Many volunteers were inspired by their experiences when choosing their careers.
> 
> Since 2012, Renmin University has sent about 1,000 students to villages for a short program every summer. Lu Xiaotong, from Central China's Hunan Province, took part twice.
> 
> "Before visiting the village in my home province, I thought that I knew rural China quite well," she said. Instead, the grinding poverty shocked her and she witnessed how one simple project, such as building a paved road, could change the lives of everyone.
> 
> "The experience gave me a sense of responsibility and motivation. I found myself pondering what I could do to actually help," Lu said.



that's the Chinese way. Hard work, dedication will reap benefits in the medium to long term.

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## ahojunk

Jlaw said:


> that's the Chinese way. Hard work, dedication will reap benefits in the medium to long term.



Can I say it's not limited to the Chinese, it's more the Confucian way.

Countries that follow or heavily influenced by Confucian tradition are also in this category, i.e. Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Singapore.

I am sorry, but China don't have a monopoly on this one.

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## TaiShang

ahojunk said:


> Can I say it's not limited to the Chinese, it's more the Confucian way.
> 
> Countries that follow or heavily influenced by Confucian tradition are also in this category, i.e. Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Singapore.
> 
> I am sorry, but China don't have a monopoly on this one.



I agree. China is the generator of the common culture. Over the course of history, the culture has spread in what is today called the Sino-sphere.

China has learned a lot from its Sino-sphere neighbors, as well (except, perhaps, Vietnam).

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## ahojunk

*Tibetans' life opens foreign reporters' eyes*
2016-09-02 08:51 | Xinhua | _Editor: Mo Hong'e_ 

A group of foreign reporters, who just concluded a week-long tour of a Tibetan-inhabited area in southwest China, have said they were amazed by the experience.

The reporters from Germany, Japan, the United States and Singapore, visited monasteries, schools and homes in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, from Aug. 22 to 28.

Deeply impressed by the daily lives of Tibetans and the local infrastructure, Yohei Tada with Japan's "Chemical Daily," said the visit completely changed his opinion of the area.

He had imagined a remote, inaccessible area with neither power or Internet.

"All the people we spoke to said they hoped their children would go to a good university one day. Not necessary leave and live in a bigger city, but learn something that would enrich their own community," said Lea Simone Deuber, a reporter with a German magazine.

"I was impressed to see how much the Tibetans preserve their own culture and at the same time are open to new developments," she said.

"In addition, I was impressed about how much people value education and how hard they work to ensure their children have access to opportunities," she added.

According to a teacher-turned-official of Hongyuan County, local Tibetans value education much more than before.

In the past, herdsmen underestimated the change that education could bring and so schooling was not important, said the official.

Now, however, all families send their children to school and many better-off families will send their offspring to schools in cities like Chengdu, the provincial capital, Mianyang or Dujiangyan, he said.

The foreigners were also impressed by tourism development. Many villagers have increased their income by opening their Tibetan-style houses to tourists as homestays.

"I think that developing tourism can help raise the living standards of herders while promoting their culture at the same time," said Koh Ji Min, a reporter with Singapore's Channel NewsAsia.

Sebastian Hesse, with German broadcaster ARD, said he would consider taking his family to visit Hongyuan, saying he thought it was an excellent place for a holiday.

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## JSCh

*Xinhua Insight: Modern e-commerce shapes up in ancient city of Kashgar*
Xinhua Finance in URUMQI
2016-09-07 08:24




Saphola Anayat's father used to make a living peddling vegetables off the back of a donkey cart in Kashgar.

Donkey carts are now a rare sight in the city in southern Xinjiang, they have been replaced by something a bit more 21st century -- computers.

"My father used to hawk vegetables from village to village. When business was good, he came back all smiles, laden with snacks and treats for the family, but more often than not, after trekking for miles and miles to sell his crops, he was too tired to talk when he came back," Saphola said.

Luckily for Saphola, 26, and his generation, commerce in the autonomous region is much easier nowadays. Following his graduation from college, Saphola attended a six month e-commerce course and scored a job at an e-commerce office in his hometown. He tracks the village harvest and coordinates with farmers to get their products from the field to the doorsteps of online-buyers.

He also helps his fellow villages, who are mostly computer illiterate, with other online errands, such as booking appointments with doctors.

"My father's generation hardly knew there was a market beyond the next village, but now, thanks to e-commerce, customers from all over China are on our doorstep," said Saphola.

Doing business across the vast region is no easy task, especially as it is naturally divided by large stretches of desert. The office where Saphola works helps farmers overcome these geographical barriers.

Saphola works for Kashgar Minsheng E-commerce Company, which has 43 offices across southern Xinjiang. The firm accepts orders from wholesalers and private buyers and then coordinates with the farmers to fulfil these orders, said Liu Chao, company owner.

Established in 2012, Minsheng is the biggest firm of its kind in the region and cooperates with 5,000 farmers in 18 counties and cities in southern Xinjiang.

Minsheng was not alone in identifying the gap in the market when online commerce first boomed, and the competition is fierce. Liu staked his success on cooperation -- identifying off-line resources, sharing wholesalers' storage space and logistics resources. It runs several websites, such as xjms365.com and Xianbaza, which are both open to wholesalers and buyers. Last year, it sold 37 million yuan (about 5.69 million U.S. dollars) of farm produce.

*OLD, YOUNG FARMERS *

Even before dawn brings another beautiful summer day to Kashgar, the city's biggest farmers' market, Kuklan, is filled to the rafters, and hundreds of anxious farmers vie to sell their fruit and vegetables.

Abdulaen, 57, gets up at 2 a.m. everyday to load his van with tomatoes and join the long queue to Kuklan market. He needs to sell all of these ripe, plump tomatoes before they turn bad in the summer heat.

"If I can't find a wholesaler, I have to dump them, so getting here early is very important," he said.

In the hustle and bustle of the market, some of the younger farmers seem more relaxed. Alimamat, 30, sells most of his cabbages and tomatoes to e-commerce companies. He owns six vegetable sheds and packs up the vegetables according to online orders. On a busy day, he can sell over 400 kilograms of tomatoes and 280 cabbages.

"The orders are reassuring, there are no big price fluctuations, and hardly any of my vegetables rot in the field," he said.

Alimamat makes at least 100,000 yuan (about 15,300 U.S. dollars) a year. E-commerce also employs a lot of women in southern Xinjiang, where, up until recently, it was the norm for girls to marry early and be housewives. Rutsangul started working with Saphola last year.

"I get 2,500 yuan a month, this is a good income for my family. The office is near my home so I can still care for my 5-year-old son," she said. "I have taught many women in my village to use a computer," she said.

*FIGHTING POVERTY *

Located south of the Taklimakan Desert, most counties in southern Xinjiang are underdeveloped, weighed down by poor infrastructure and low education level. In early 2016, Xinjiang had 2.61 million people in poverty, 83 percent of whom lived in southern Xinjiang. Xinjiang government made this area one of its top priorities in the anti-poverty battle before 2020. This year, the regional government will channel money into huge projects, including irrigation facilities and roads all across southern Xinjiang.

"Online commerce is not only reshaping the way people shop, but is also having a positive effect on modern agriculture and lives for people in southern Xinjiang," said Meng Yongsheng, deputy director of Economics College in Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics.

The government and the companies need to work together to support the industry and help the area to merge into the national endeavor to building a new Silk Road, he said.

In the next five years, Minsheng's Liu Chao wants to double the number of offices in southern Xinjiang.

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## ahojunk

Tourism helps alleviate poverty in Tibet
China Daily, September 13, 2016




_*
Tibetan artists perform during the Third China Tibet International Tourism and Culture Expo in Lhasa on Sunday.
[Tibet Daily]*_​

Residents of the Tibet autonomous region have benefited over the past few years from tourism, which has enhanced the economy, an official with the local tourism authority said.

Thanks to efforts to stimulate tourism in Tibet, the region's economy has seen a rapid boom in recent years, said Shi Yuhui, deputy director of the region's tourism development commission, during the Third China Tibet International Tourism and Culture Expo, which kicked off on Saturday.

According to the region's 2016 government work report, the region received a record *20 million tourists from home and abroad in 2015, contributing 28 billion yuan ($3.72 billion) to the tourism industry－27.5 percent of the region's GDP*.

In the past five years, 67 million tourists have visited Tibet, generating 87.5 billion yuan in revenue, according to the report.

The region's tourism industry experienced *23.4 percent average annual growth in visitors*, it said.

"We largely improved our tourism infrastructure to face the rising number of tourists, and the boom also encouraged a large number of residents to participate in the tourism industry and benefit from it," Shi said.

Despite the achievements, he said, the quality of tourist services and management must be further improved.

Developing tourism will continue to speed up during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, the report said.

Shi applauded the growth in Tibet's tourism and said residents are becoming engaged in the tourism industry, because "they found that tourism can help them out of poverty".

Now, the poverty alleviation teams have crisscrossed Tibet, and the regional financial department has also funded poverty alleviation projects connected with tourism, he said.

In the meantime, *tourism training has been extended to the region's counties and townships*, aiming to meet the tourism industry's need for human resources, he said.

"*Tourists can now enjoy better services and a wider variety of activities, including horseback riding, cultural entertainment and Tibetan family inns*," he said.

For example, visitors will know more about Tibetan culture after they watch the live action operas of Prince Wencheng and Gyaltse Traces, he said, which also narrows the gap between tourists and Tibetans.

In addition, ethnic performances, cultural feasts and delicacies are good choices for people who travel to Tibet.

"Of course, they can shop for local specialties at the same time," he said.

The regional government has invested heavily in city construction, hoping to turn the region's capital, Lhasa, into a global tourism destination, and to turn Nyingchi into an ecological tourism city, he said.

Wei Hongtao, deputy director of the China National Tourism Administration, gave a keynote speech during a forum at the expo, suggesting that the regional government should provide its own tourism specialties to promote the local economy.

He called on the government to build more roads and parking lots, and to pay close attention to environmental and cultural protection.

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## Nilgiri

TaiShang said:


> *Tourism helps alleviate poverty in Tibet*
> China Daily, September 13, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tibetan artists perform during the Third China Tibet International Tourism and Culture Expo in Lhasa on Sunday. [Tibet Daily]
> 
> 
> Residents of the China's Tibet autonomous region have benefited over the past few years from tourism, which has enhanced the economy, an official with the local tourism authority said.
> 
> Thanks to efforts to stimulate tourism in Tibet, the region's economy has seen a rapid boom in recent years, said Shi Yuhui, deputy director of the region's tourism development commission, during the Third China Tibet International Tourism and Culture Expo, which kicked off on Saturday.
> 
> *According to the region's 2016 government work report, the region received a record 20 million tourists from home and abroad in 2015, contributing 28 billion yuan ($3.72 billion) to the tourism industry－27.5 percent of the region's GDP.*
> 
> In the past five years, 67 million tourists have visited Tibet, generating 87.5 billion yuan in revenue, according to the report.
> 
> The region's tourism industry experienced 23.4 percent average annual growth in visitors, it said.
> 
> *"We largely improved our tourism infrastructure to face the rising number of tourists, and the boom also encouraged a large number of residents to participate in the tourism industry and benefit from it," Shi said.*
> 
> Despite the achievements, he said, the quality of tourist services and management must be further improved.
> 
> *Developing tourism will continue to speed up during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, the report said.*
> 
> Shi applauded the growth in Tibet's tourism and said residents are becoming engaged in the tourism industry, because "they found that tourism can help them out of poverty".
> 
> Now, the poverty alleviation teams have crisscrossed Tibet, and the regional financial department has also funded poverty alleviation projects connected with tourism, he said.
> 
> In the meantime, tourism training has been extended to the region's counties and townships, aiming to meet the tourism industry's need for human resources, he said.
> 
> "Tourists can now enjoy better services and a wider variety of activities, including horseback riding, cultural entertainment and Tibetan family inns," he said.
> 
> For example, visitors will know more about Tibetan culture after they watch the live action operas of Prince Wencheng and Gyaltse Traces, he said, which also narrows the gap between tourists and Tibetans.
> 
> In addition, ethnic performances, cultural feasts and delicacies are good choices for people who travel to Tibet.
> 
> "Of course, they can shop for local specialties at the same time," he said.
> 
> *The regional government has invested heavily in city construction, hoping to turn the region's capital, Lhasa, into a global tourism destination, and to turn Nyingchi into an ecological tourism city, he said.*
> 
> Wei Hongtao, deputy director of the China National Tourism Administration, gave a keynote speech during a forum at the expo, suggesting that the regional government should provide its own tourism specialties to promote the local economy.
> 
> *He called on the government to build more roads and parking lots, and to pay close attention to environmental and cultural protection.*
> 
> **
> _
> This would not have been achieved without China's current modest infrastructure development.
> _
> @Jlaw , @AndrewJin , @+4vsgorillas-Apebane , @Nilgiri , @Dungeness , _et al._



Would love to visit Tibet one day. Have any of our Chinese members in this forum been there?


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## AndrewJin

TaiShang said:


> According to the region's 2016 government work report, the region received a record 20 million tourists from home and abroad in 2015, contributing 28 billion yuan ($3.72 billion) to the tourism industry－27.5 percent of the region's GDP.


Great progress!
Next time, I will go to Ali Prefecture or Linzhi Prefecture.

Linzhi

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## ahojunk

_This is very good news for the folks in the rural and remote areas.
Turning a disadvantage into an advantage!
It's more than just building folk hotels and preserving the pristine environment. 
Also needed is a tourist friendly culture, a safe tourist environment. 
Very important is the infrastructure (transportation, utilities, sewage facilities, etc).
All these and more to support the tourism in rural areas._

-------------
*Reinventing a rural lifestyle*
2016-09-15 11:48 | China Daily _Editor: Xu Shanshan_







_*The view of Xianrendong from a local inn. (Photos by Yang Feiyue / China Daily)*_​

Xianrendong village, which drew 3 million visitors last year, once faced a shortage of food.

Twenty years ago, Xianrendong was a village which was short of food. There were basically no industries, including tourism. Local villages mostly could only rely on meager incomes from growing crops on their own small patch of land.

But now, as we took a boat to the village early August, we could see yellow-brick houses of two or three stories at the foot of green mountains as we traveled along a shimmering river to get there.

Besides, lush grass laid siege to the houses.

The villagers wore big smiles and gave us a warm welcome as we stepped ashore.

The village, which sits in Qiubei county in the Wenshan prefecture of southwestern China's Yunnan province, is home to 196 households and comprises the Sani people belonging to the Yi ethnic group.

"Most of us earned only 300 yuan ($45.1) each in 1993," says Fan Chengyuan, a local villager.

"But now our annual income can be as much as 30,000 yuan."

Fan was one of the first in the village to escape the poverty trap.

The 36-year-old worked as a tuner at a hotel in Qiubei for six years from the age of 19, and during this period he studied catering and hotel services.

He opened a restaurant in his village after he left the hotel becoming one of the few locals who had their own business.

Later, in 2005, as he sensed that local tourism was set to grow, he built farmhouses with his 1-million-yuan savings.

His bet paid off as the number of visitors began to surge in the following years.

Soon, there weren't enough rooms.

But problems followed too.

Soon, everything descended into chaos.

There was no proper sewage system in place.

And, many villagers blindly took down their houses and tried to build tall modern-looking buildings, which were not consistent with the surrounding scenery.

Fan was elected head of the village in 2012 and tried to make things right.

He guided the locals to build folk hotels.

Soon, private folk hotels sprung up across the village, and became a well-known tourism attraction in the county.

"High-rise buildings shouldn't have been built in a village, where only folk dwellings fit" says Fan.

Fan's own hotel Chachaya covers an area of 700 square meters and offers 11 rooms.

Business has been brisk and Fan's bank mortgage of 2.6-million-yuan has basically been paid up.

Now, the village is showing signs of prosperity.

There is no foul smell of sewage, and parking lots have been built.

On a typical morning, villagers wake up early and prepare breakfast for their guests.

The morning market is something one should not miss.

It was filled with people, and local specialties and fresh vegetables are displayed for sale.

The crowds begin to thin out at around 11.

Meanwhile, the Puzhehei scenic spot where Xianrendong is located now attracts a lot of attention.

It came into prominence after it was featured in the hit reality show Dad, Where Are We Going? in 2013.

Liu Zhao from Chengdu the capital of Sichuan province, says: "It's a great place for a family trip, and has made my visit worthwhile."

Liu brought his wife and six-year-old daughter to the area for the summer vacation.

He got to know of the place through the reality show.

The area is very family friendly

While children can play at a playground at the end of the village, adults can hang out at local inn, savoring red wine, or cycle along the river and admire the pristine natural environment featuring karst landform, willow trees and a profusion of lotus.

Some visitors splash water on each other, while others join dances initiated by locals.

The increasing fame of the area is now also drawing visitors from abroad, who come mostly to savor the natural beauty, a tour guide says.

Tim Roger from the UK says: "Everything is beautiful here, and I like the scenery and the people."

The area received 1.4 million visitors in the first six months of this year, generating 810 million yuan in income.

In 2015, 3 million visitors came, contributing 1.7 billion yuan in income.

Tourism has undoubtedly greatly benefited Xianrendong.

As Fan says: "*Earlier most of villagers relied on agriculture for a living, but now the farmhouse business is doing well and many young people have returned home to start businesses*.

One of them is Fan Haixiang, 23, who has returned from Shanghai, and is currently managing her family inn.

The inn is filled almost on a daily basis, she says, adding that daily income can sometimes hit 10,000 yuan.

But she is not an exception and many like her are flocking back and devoting themselves to the local tourism business.

Earlier, girls from the village used to typically get married at 20, but now many are delaying getting hitched as they are very busy with work.

Looking at the future, Fan hopes that the villagers will return to a traditional way of life and visitors will come and envy their unique lifestyle.

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## ahojunk

*Behold the stunning beauty of northwest China's Dunhuang*
(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-09-18 13:33

Dunhuang, home to China's renowned World Heritage site –the Mogao Caves, will host this year's Silk Road International Culture Expo from September 20 to October 10.

The Northwestern Chinese city, located in Gansu province, was an important stop along the ancient Silk Road connecting China with Central Asia and Europe.






Mingsha Mountain's rolling hills in Dunhuang city, northwest China's Gansu province, Sept 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]






A road runs through the Yadan landscape in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu province, Sept 8, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]






A bird's eye-view of the Crescent Spring (_Yue Ya Quan_) on Mingsha Mountain, in northwest China's Gansu province, Sept 9, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> *Behold the stunning beauty of northwest China's Dunhuang*
> (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-09-18 13:33
> 
> Dunhuang, home to China's renowned World Heritage site –the Mogao Caves, will host this year's Silk Road International Culture Expo from September 20 to October 10.
> 
> The Northwestern Chinese city, located in Gansu province, was an important stop along the ancient Silk Road connecting China with Central Asia and Europe.
> 
> 
> View attachment 335570
> 
> Mingsha Mountain's rolling hills in Dunhuang city, northwest China's Gansu province, Sept 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
> 
> 
> View attachment 335571
> 
> A road runs through the Yadan landscape in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu province, Sept 8, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
> 
> 
> View attachment 335572
> 
> A bird's eye-view of the Crescent Spring (_Yue Ya Quan_) on Mingsha Mountain, in northwest China's Gansu province, Sept 9, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua


Dunhuang to Golmud expressway and railway are nearly finished!

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## ahojunk

*Dunhuang ready for the upcoming Silk Road International Culture Expo*
(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-09-19 13:26

The first Silk Road International Culture Expo will open in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu province, on Tuesday, Sept 20 and run until Sept 21.

Over 8,500 rare items from over 60 countries will be displayed at the expo, including masterpieces by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, French painter Eugene Delacroix and influential Chinese painter Qi Baishi, among many others.

As an important stop along the ancient Silk Road connecting China and the outside world, Dunhuang is widely known for the Moga Caves - a World Heritage Site.

Now the city has been spruced up and rejuvenated by the local government to welcome visitors worldwide.

*




The ancient gate tower of Dunhuang is seen en route to the city on Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]






The Dunhuang Silk Road International Convention and Expo Center. Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]*​
*




The 32-kilometer-long avenue along Mingsha Mountain, in Dunhuang, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]






A riverside scene in Dunhuang, Gansu province, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]*​
*




Viewing the famed Dunhuang frescoes in 3-D animations, in Dunhuang, Gansu, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]*​

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## AndrewJin

D


ahojunk said:


> *Dunhuang ready for the upcoming Silk Road International Culture Expo*
> (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-09-19 13:26
> 
> The first Silk Road International Culture Expo will open in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu province, on Tuesday, Sept 20 and run until Sept 21.
> 
> Over 8,500 rare items from over 60 countries will be displayed at the expo, including masterpieces by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, French painter Eugene Delacroix and influential Chinese painter Qi Baishi, among many others.
> 
> As an important stop along the ancient Silk Road connecting China and the outside world, Dunhuang is widely known for the Moga Caves - a World Heritage Site.
> 
> Now the city has been spruced up and rejuvenated by the local government to welcome visitors worldwide.
> 
> *
> View attachment 336048
> 
> The ancient gate tower of Dunhuang is seen en route to the city on Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]
> 
> 
> View attachment 336049
> 
> The Dunhuang Silk Road International Convention and Expo Center. Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]*​
> *
> View attachment 336051
> 
> The 32-kilometer-long avenue along Mingsha Mountain, in Dunhuang, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]
> 
> 
> View attachment 336052
> 
> A riverside scene in Dunhuang, Gansu province, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]*​
> *
> View attachment 336053
> 
> Viewing the famed Dunhuang frescoes in 3-D animations, in Dunhuang, Gansu, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]*​


holy crap....
3 years after my trip to the Silk Road....so many changes......
Last time, the road to Mingsha Mountain (singing sand mountain) was OK, but no so much green!!!
I had to cover myself from sand!
Damn it!

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## ahojunk

China-Eurasia Expo opens in NW China
(Xinhua) 18:56, September 20, 2016

The fifth China-Eurasia Expo opened in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Tuesday.

The expo held in the regional capital of Urumqi drew participants from more than 2,000 domestic and foreign companies.

Delegates from 57 countries and regions, and six global organizations were present at this year's event, alongside 3,500 professional purchasers, according to organizers.

A total of 15 ministerial forums and activities will be held, with about 200 domestic and foreign ministerial-level guests set to attend the six-day international fair.

Xinjiang hopes to use the expo to help boost local economic growth, said Chen Quanguo, secretary of the regional Party committee.

The fourth expo saw more than 6 billion U.S. dollars worth of foreign trade contracts signed with Chinese companies.

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## TaiShang

*Tibet: airline passengers reach 1.55 mln in 6 months*

2015-07-10, China.org.cn

Tibet Airlines launched ten regular flights including Nyingchi-Guangzhou, Lhasa-Nanchong-Hangzhou, Lhasa-Kangding-Chengdu and other seven ones on the first half year of 2015. At the same time, the number of Chengdu-Lhasa-Katmandu, Lhasa-Zhengzhou, Lhasa-Beijing flights is increased. Until now, there are 9 airline companies running in Tibet, and 58 flight routes linking 38 cities of other provinces of China with southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Airline Bureau of T.A.R. has put through 1.55 million passengers on the first half year, which is 17.2% higher over the same period of the last year. 16,549 flights were ensured safely landing and the volume of goods reached 11909.2 tons, an increase of 19.3% and 3.8% separately.

***

*"One-on-one"medical aid to be provided to Tibet's hospitals this year*
Tibet Online 2015-07-13

A new model of "one-on-one" medical aid targeted to Tibet's prefecture-level hospitals from top hospitals of the provinces and cities concerned was introduced on July 3 this year, Xinhua reported.

According to the Medical Personnel’s Research Assessment Work Forum, the new model refers to the practice in which China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission and hospitals of the relevant provinces and cities, organized teams of medical experts to help improve management and train medical personnels in the targeted Tibetan hospitals.

*This type of aid will be provided for three years, with each batch’s rotation lasting generally not less than a year, according to an official.*

Medical assistance required will come from the earmarked funding which takes up one per thousandth of the total GDP of each province and city.

In August of this year, the first batch of medical team from each province and city will be dispatched to Tibet as a pilot.

By August 2016, the medical personnel will be sent together with the eighth batch of aid-Tibet cadres.

Since 1994, after the establishment of a targeted aid policy in Tibet, the Central Government along with various provinces and cities have selected and sent seven batches of medical personnel to seven cities in Tibet, constituting 414 cadres.

At present, the seventh batch consists of 165 people distributed throughout Tibet –68 of whom are placed in medical and health institutions at county level.

In addition, more than half of 212 short-term medical personnel, who has given strong support to the development of medical and health services in Tibet.

Zeng Wanming, minister of the Organisation Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee, said that the new model of medical aid is expected to improve the level of health care services of the recipient hospitals and benefits people of all ethnic groups, an innovative move to promote the development of medical and health services in Tibet.

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## ahojunk

_The OBOR is doing wonders to Xinjiang's economy._

========
*Direct yuan trading benefits Xinjiang businesses*
CCTV.com

09-21-2016 16:34 BJT






The Chinese government is building Xinjiang as a financial center on the silk road economic belt. CCTV's reporter Yang Chengxi is in Xinjiang to observe some of the progress on the front.

This is Kashgar. Located on the western border of Xinjiang. It's home to a host of companies with cross-boarder operations. Local banks have launched direct trading of the yuan with neighboring countries. Bank of China for example, has rolled out yuan trading with Kazakstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. 

Head of Bank of China's Xinjiang branch, Dou Bo, said, "This year we launched direct trading with Turkey's Lira. Yuan forex trading with countries along the belt and road region will help the internationalization of the RMB, and help Chinese businesses go global."

Cross-border yuan loans are making business more convenient. China Construction Bank launched a service last December that allowed companies in Kashgar to borrow yuan in neighboring countries. Kashgar's businesses say they are feeling the benefits.

Deputy general manager of Xinjiang Huadian Kashgar, Wang Lei, said, "This February we borrowed 100 million yuan. In July we borrowed 100 million more. The bank charges about 10 percent lower interest. That helps us save costs. The procedure is also simple." 

Chinese and international bankers said at a financial forum in Urumqi that Xinjiang is moving towards becoming a financial center that supports the development of the Silk Road economic belt.

Head of econ.unit of Asian Development Bank, Jurgen Conrad, said, "Even with slowing economic growth nationwide, Xinjiang's financial sector has expanded by some 17.3 billion yuan. That's solid 10-percent growth that makes finance a bright spot in this frontier region."

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## ahojunk

* Xinjiang firms eye Asia, Europe *
By Li Xuanmin in Urumqi Source:Global Times Published: 2016/9/22 23:18:39

 Textile, apparel companies find new opportunities 

Textile and apparel enterprises in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are actively seeking cooperation opportunities in neighboring countries in Asia and Europe at the ongoing 5th China-EuroAsia Expo, which is being held in the region's capital Urumqi.

About 121 Xinjiang enterprises participated this year's expo, a new high. Various textile and fabric products that are produced in Xinjiang, such as Idili silk, Hotan carpets and camel's hair textiles, are being presented during the five-day expo. 

Zhu Xinlan, sales director of Xinjiang Yutai Camel Hair Textiles Co, told the Global Times on Thursday that during the expo, 12 foreign enterprises, including some from Russia, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, have shown strong interest in cooperation. 

As the company continues to grow, Yutai is "carving out opportunities to expand into Asia and European countries," Zhu said, noting that as of Wednesday, the company had signed cooperation agreements worth around 20 million yuan ($3.15 million) with foreign companies. 

Zhu also noted that her company has cooperated with designers in France and Italy to target European high-end consumers and increase brand awareness in that market. 

An employee of an Idili silk merchant, who declined to be identified, agreed. He noted that Idili products are being transformed to appeal to modern fashion tastes and enter foreign markets. A company in India has consulted with his employer about reselling the products. 

Some business representatives from companies in neighboring countries are participating in the expo especially because of the garments and carpets produced in Xinjiang. 

"My company has long admired Xinjiang's textiles, especially the handicrafts that are not only exquisitely made, but also warm and light," Bijan Saadi, an employee from Persian Nippon Co in Pakistan, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

An Iranian businessmen named Saleem said that he is in talks with a Xinjiang gourmet manufacturer about importing raw materials.

The increase in opportunities to do business with Asian and European countries is fueled by Xinjiang's geographic location along "the Belt and Road" initiative and preferential government policies, industry players said.

"The time and cost of deliveries have shrunk a lot thanks to cross-border basic infrastructure building," Sun Xiuqin, vice president of the Xinjiang Clothes Association, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

In line with "the Belt and Road" initiative, the Xinjiang government has rolled out a series of measures, including credit support and electricity subsidies, in a bid to prompt industry development, Sun said. 

The *textile industry in Xinjiang has seen rapid growth* in the last two years. *In 2015, its total fixed-assets value stood at 31.79 billion yuan, up 231 percent year-on-year*, the People's Daily reported in March. 

The "labor-intensive" textile industry has provided many job opportunities in Xinjiang, Sun said. 

For example, *382 new textile firms emerged in 2015, creating a total of 97,000 jobs*, said the report.

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## TaiShang

*World's highest delivery service station established in China's Tibet *
*(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-09-24 *








Chinese courier and station chief Yang Tao poses at the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics in Tashi Dzom township, Tingri county, Shigatse, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]


*Alibaba's logistics arm, Cainiao Network, set up the world's highest delivery service station in Southwest China's Tibet to expand businesses and services to far remote areas.*

Located in Tashi Dzom in Tingri county with the altitude of 4,119 meters at the foot of Qomolangma, the station is managed by young Chinese man Yang Tao and his father who ran a vegetable store in the town.

Yang, born in 1990s, has to drive his pickup for hours to the county seat of Tingri and back periodically to fetch parcels from online shopping, mainly from Alibaba's shopping sites Taobao and Tmall, as delivery of packages stops in Tingri after being sent by air to Shigatse. And then parcel recipients come to his station to pick up their packages.

The service station brings much convenience and more products to the small town with a population of about 7,400.





Chinese courier and station chief Yang Tao carries parcels from online shopping into the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]





A car travels on the road from the county seat of Tingri to Tashi Dzom township in Shigatse, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]






Yang Tao, left, learns using logistics softwares on his laptop computer at the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]






Yang Tao puts parcels from online shopping on the shelf at the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]






Yang Tao drives his pickup from the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics to fetch parcels in Tashi Dzom township, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]






A view of a crooked mountain road in Tingri county, Shigatse, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]

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## Jlaw

TaiShang said:


> *World's highest delivery service station established in China's Tibet *
> *(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-09-24 *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Chinese courier and station chief Yang Tao poses at the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics in Tashi Dzom township, Tingri county, Shigatse, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]
> 
> 
> *Alibaba's logistics arm, Cainiao Network, set up the world's highest delivery service station in Southwest China's Tibet to expand businesses and services to far remote areas.*
> 
> Located in Tashi Dzom in Tingri county with the altitude of 4,119 meters at the foot of Qomolangma, the station is managed by young Chinese man Yang Tao and his father who ran a vegetable store in the town.
> 
> Yang, born in 1990s, has to drive his pickup for hours to the county seat of Tingri and back periodically to fetch parcels from online shopping, mainly from Alibaba's shopping sites Taobao and Tmall, as delivery of packages stops in Tingri after being sent by air to Shigatse. And then parcel recipients come to his station to pick up their packages.
> 
> The service station brings much convenience and more products to the small town with a population of about 7,400.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Chinese courier and station chief Yang Tao carries parcels from online shopping into the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A car travels on the road from the county seat of Tingri to Tashi Dzom township in Shigatse, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yang Tao, left, learns using logistics softwares on his laptop computer at the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yang Tao puts parcels from online shopping on the shelf at the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yang Tao drives his pickup from the Qomolangma delivery service station of Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics to fetch parcels in Tashi Dzom township, Sept 20, 2016. [Photo/IC]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A view of a crooked mountain road in Tingri county, Shigatse, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, Sept 18, 2016. [Photo/IC]



Do you think Mr. Yang practice much drifting? Look at these curves on the road....

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## Shotgunner51

*http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/25/asia/xinjiang-china-travel/index.html*




The Karakoram Highway - stunning grasslands along the the Karakoram Highway, with the Tian Shan Range behind





The Karakal Lake – A yurt houses a Tajik family along the Karakal Lake.





The Karakul Lake – Otherworldly sand dunes behind Karakul Lake.





Kashgar – Traditional Uyghur instruments on sale at the Kashgar Bazaar.





Kashgar Livestock Market – Kashgar's famously fat-bottomed lambs at the Livestock Market.





Kashgar livestock market – Cattle are chained to a fence, ready to be sold in the Kashgar livestock market.





Kashgar – An Uyghur band perform at one of Xinjiang's many Byzantine-style restaurants.





Karakoram Highway – A collection of yurts along the Karakoram Highway.

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## Shotgunner51

*China to build outposts for Tajik guards on Tajikistan-Afghanistan border*

26 September 2016





_A view of a bridge to Afghanistan across Panj river in Panji Poyon border outpost in southern Tajikistan Thomson Reuters _

DUSHANBE (Reuters) - China plans to finance and build several outposts and other facilities to beef up Tajikistan's defense capabilities along its border with Afghanistan, the Tajik government said on Monday.

The Central Asian nation's 1,345-km border with its southern neighbor is leaky and Dushanbe routinely reports clashes between border guards and armed drug smugglers there.

The increased activity of Afghan Taliban in the northern Kunduz province is another source of concern.

A large part of the main highway connecting Tajikistan's most populous regions to China lies along the same border and armed trespassers this year kidnapped several Tajiks doing maintenance works on that road.

In a decree published on Monday, the government instructed the State National Security Committee to sign an agreement with the Chinese side which provides for the construction of eleven outposts of different sizes and a training center for border guards.






China, which according to official statistics sells goods worth $2.5 billion a year to Tajikistan has already built one outpost on the Tajik-Afghan border, its first one, earlier this year.

Russia used to station its own border guards on the frontier until 2005, and after that kept a regiment in the Tajik city of Kulyab, 42 km (25 miles) from the Afghan border. But Moscow pulled the regiment out in December last year and moved it to the capital, Dushanbe, about 200 km further away.

(Reporting by Nazarali Pirnazarov; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2016.






http://www.businessinsider.com/r-ch...uards-on-tajikistan-afghanistan-border-2016-9

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## AndrewJin

Shotgunner51 said:


> *http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/25/asia/xinjiang-china-travel/index.html*
> 
> View attachment 338302
> The Karakoram Highway - stunning grasslands along the the Karakoram Highway, with the Tian Shan Range behind
> 
> View attachment 338307
> 
> The Karakal Lake – A yurt houses a Tajik family along the Karakal Lake.
> 
> View attachment 338314
> 
> The Karakul Lake – Otherworldly sand dunes behind Karakul Lake.
> 
> View attachment 338305
> 
> Kashgar – Traditional Uyghur instruments on sale at the Kashgar Bazaar.
> 
> View attachment 338311
> 
> Kashgar Livestock Market – Kashgar's famously fat-bottomed lambs at the Livestock Market.
> 
> View attachment 338313
> 
> Kashgar livestock market – Cattle are chained to a fence, ready to be sold in the Kashgar livestock market.
> 
> View attachment 338306
> 
> Kashgar – An Uyghur band perform at one of Xinjiang's many Byzantine-style restaurants.
> 
> View attachment 338308
> 
> Karakoram Highway – A collection of yurts along the Karakoram Highway.


Must upgrade it to expressway one day!


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## cirr

The outposts will be partially manned by Chinese security personnels/border guards.

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## ahojunk

*China-Eurasia Expo closes, 18 bln USD contracts signed*
2016-09-26 13:12 | Xinhua | _Editor: Xu Shanshan_

A total of 18 billion U. S. dollars worth of contracts were signed during the fifth China-Eurasia Expo in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

During the expo, held from September 20 to 25, contracts were signed covering areas such as science, agriculture, mineral resources, energy, manufacturing and finance. A total of 16 corporate finance cooperation projects were signed.

Delegates from 57 countries and regions and six international organizations attended the expo, along with 3,500 professional purchasers. A total of 2,192 companies, including 418 overseas firms, took part in the expo.

The previous expo saw 6 billion U.S. dollars worth of foreign trade contracts signed with Chinese companies.

Li Jingyuan, head of the expo's secretariat, said the expo further strengthened Xinjiang's overseas cooperation, and played an increasingly important role in promoting the Silk Road Economic Belt construction.

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## JSCh

*First Tibetan 'test tube baby' born*
(People's Daily Online) 14:37, September 29, 2016




The first "test tube baby" of Tibet Autonomous Region is born on Sept.24. (Photo/vtibet.com)

At 3 p.m. on Sept. 24, the first "test tube baby" of Tibet Autonomous Region was born in Fukang Women's and Children's Hospital in Lhasa. The milestone signifies a major breakthrough for assisted reproductive technology in high-altitude environments, China News Service reported.

On July 25, 1978, the world's first test tube baby was born in the UK. Thirty-eight years later, Tibet has realized that accomplishment for itself. According to the hospital, the baby is male, weighing 2.69 kilograms. Both the baby and mother are doing well.

Wu Dong, an expert from Chengdu who provides technical support to the hospital, explained that due to factors such as decreased oxygen and lower air pressure, it has always been a challenge to apply the assisted reproduction techniques successful in other areas to women in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Wang Bin, founder of Fukang Women's and Children's Hospital, said that three years ago, the PLA Tibet Command General Hospital carried out excellent research on the application of assisted reproductive technology in high-altitude environments, which built a foundation for this most recent success. Fukang Women's and Children's Hospital is now the only hospital in Tibet with an assisted reproductive technology center. 　　

"Many couples in Tibet want to have children through assisted reproductive technology. In the past, they had to travel a long distance to inland cities, facing economic and cultural pressure," Wang said. "Now that we have seen the first successful birth of a test tube baby in Tibet, Tibetan couples will have more choices in the future."

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## ahojunk

_I love news where the rural & mostly poor folks are helped. Most of them are located in the western regions._

========
*Targeted measures in poverty alleviation launched in China's Qinghai*
(Xinhua) 19:13, September 30, 2016

"Our life will get better and better", the 50-year-old Zhao Xuewen said while looking at his sheep on the hillside in Gezidong. 

His situation was not so good only a few years ago. In 2012, Zhao suffered a fracture to his leg as he repaired his house. Unfortunately, his wife had three operations in the same year. The successive misfortunes subjected the man of the Hui ethnic group a heavy blow. 

To help him to cope with the difficulty, local village committee listed Zhao as a low-income family. And the new rural cooperative medical care system provided 85 percent coverage for his medical expenses. 

In 2015, as one targeted measure in poverty alleviation campaigns, local government invested one million yuan (about 150,000 U.S. dollars) to build a livestock-breeding center and buy cattle and sheep. On the recommendation of villagers, Zhao Xuewen became one of the two contractors of the livestock-breeding cooperative in Gezidong. 

Thanks to his hard work, the annual income of Zhao's family exceeded 50,000 yuan (about 7,500 U.S. dollars). And the livestock-breeding cooperative also distributed dividends to other poverty-stricken families in the village. This year, Zhao enlarged his farming scale and expected a better income. 

Targeted measures in poverty alleviation, including characteristic industry development and ecological environment protection, have been launched in Qinghai. According to the provincial bureau for poverty alleviation and development, about 110,000 people in Qinghai will be lifted out of poverty in 2016. 

_*




Zhao Xuewen feeds the cattle at a livestock-breeding cooperative in Gezidong Village of Zhamashi Township, Qilian County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sept. 28, 2016.*_





_*Zhao Xuewen tends sheep on the grassland in Gezidong Village of Zhamashi Township, Qilian County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sept. 27, 2016.*_ 





_*Zhao Fugui, son of Zhao Xuewen, feeds medicine to a sheep to control parasite at a livestock-breeding cooperative in Gezidong Village of Zhamashi Township, Qilian County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sept. 28, 2016. *_





_*Zhao Xuewen distributes feedstuff at a livestock-breeding cooperative in Gezidong Village of Zhamashi Township, Qilian County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sept. 28, 2016.*_ 





_*Zhao Xuewen feeds the cattle at a livestock-breeding cooperative in Gezidong Village of Zhamashi Township, Qilian County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sept. 28, 2016.*_ 

_*




Zhao Xuewen handles feedstuff at a livestock-breeding cooperative in Gezidong Village of Zhamashi Township, Qilian County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sept. 28, 2016.*_





_*Zhao Xuewen welds a food trough at a livestock-breeding cooperative in Gezidong Village of Zhamashi Township, Qilian County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sept. 28, 2016. *_

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## ahojunk

_Kunming is a good place to visit. The climate and weather is also tourist friendly._

========
*Tourists enjoy gigantic flower cake in Kunming*
(People's Daily Online) 13:24, September 30, 2016

A flower cake weighing 400 kilograms and measuring 2.28 meters in diameter debuts in Kunming on Sept. 29.

The cake was later shared by a group of tourists.

Flower cake is a specialty of Yunnan province. Its filling is made with edible roses.







Nice picture of the flower cake that weighs 400 kilograms and measures 2.28 meters in diameter in Kunming on Sept. 29. Flower cake is a specialty of Yunnan province. Its filling is made with edible roses. (Photo/CNS)

I like the colorful costumes of the Yunnan ethnic minorities. 






_*Cutting the cake*_​

_*




Sharing the cake with tourists.*_​





_*Enjoying the cake.
*_​

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## AndrewJin

ahojunk said:


> _Kunming is a good place to visit. The climate and weather is also tourist friendly._
> 
> ========
> *Tourists enjoy gigantic flower cake in Kunming*
> (People's Daily Online) 13:24, September 30, 2016
> 
> A flower cake weighing 400 kilograms and measuring 2.28 meters in diameter debuts in Kunming on Sept. 29.
> 
> The cake was later shared by a group of tourists.
> 
> Flower cake is a specialty of Yunnan province. Its filling is made with edible roses.
> 
> 
> View attachment 339409
> 
> 
> Nice picture of the flower cake that weighs 400 kilograms and measures 2.28 meters in diameter in Kunming on Sept. 29. Flower cake is a specialty of Yunnan province. Its filling is made with edible roses. (Photo/CNS)
> 
> 
> View attachment 339410
> 
> _*Cutting the cake*_​
> 
> _*
> View attachment 339412
> 
> Sharing the cake with tourists.*_​
> 
> View attachment 339415
> 
> _*Enjoying the cake.
> *_​


Freshly baked flower cake is very delicious.
I really enjoyed it when i traveled in Yunnan.

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## ahojunk

*Tibet dams river for its costliest hydro project*
2016-10-01 10:04 | Xinhua | _Editor: Li Yan_

Tibet on Friday blocked a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River as part of its most expensive hydro project.

The Lalho project on the Xiabuqu River in Xigaze, involves an investment of 4.95 billion yuan (740 million U.S. dollars), said Zhang Yunbao, head of the project's administration bureau.

The project was scheduled to be completed in 2019. Construction began in June 2014.

The project serves multiple purposes, including irrigation, flood control and power generation, said Zhang.

Its reservoir was designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland.

The farming area, which usually suffers from severe drought, is a major crop production base in Xigaze.

The project will have two power stations with a combined generation capacity of 42 megawatts. They are designed to generate 85 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.

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## JSCh

*Women doctors defy male dominance in Tibetan medicines *
Source: Xinhua | 2016-09-30 16:33:26 | Editor: huaxia



Lhaphun (middle) talks to a patient at Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Sept. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

LHASA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tibetan women, considered unsuitable to study and practice medicine for more than 3,000 years, are now playing an equal role to men in Tibetan medicine.

Lhaphun, a gynecologist with the Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa, said she was astonished to be admitted to the Tibet College of Tibetan Medicine (TCTM) 26 years ago as she was sure she would have to study Western medicine.

"In my mind, scripture halls were where Tibetan doctors were taught," recalled the 45-year-old doctor.



Lhaphun works on a newborn at Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa, Sept. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

*MODERN EDUCATION BRINGS WOMEN DOCTORS*
For thousands of years, knowledge and treatment of Tibetan medicine had been passed down in monasteries and the best doctors were often monks. Women rarely had the chance to learn medicine, and their roles were restricted to household chores and raising children.

In 1963, fifteen Tibetan women entered Lhasa's Men-Tsee-Khang -- a traditional Tibetan hospital founded in 1916 -- to begin formal medical study.

Women now make up half of the 800 physicians at the Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa. Of new students enrolled by the nearby Tibet College of Tibetan Medicine each year, almost a half are female.

Recalling her college life, Lhaphun said unlike traditional Dratsang (monastery schools) where lessons were given in dimly lit scripture halls, their classrooms were in modern buildings.

The routine monastic practice of chanting mantras was skipped, but classical works by ancient medical masters were memorized to obtain the basic theories and knowledge of Tibetan medicine.

Lhaphun and her classmates familiarized themselves with herbalism, grasping diagnosis and various therapies. In summer, they followed their instructors to learn about herbs in the mountains.

The most impressive course for Lhaphun was ethics. Thirty-one sections of Volume II of the Four Medical Tantras, an encyclopedia of Tibetan medicine dating back to the eighth century, are devoted to medical ethics.

"The best doctors should take all patients as their children and treat them equally. That makes the job noble," said Lhaphun.



Lhaphun and her colleagues discuss the condition of a patient at Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa, Sept. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

Tenzin Yangjen, 22, graduate of the West China School of Pharmacy at Sichuan University, joined the Tibetan Medicine Development and Research Institute at the Lhasa Hospital last year.

"It's no longer rare for women to study medicine in Tibet. Women doctors work in all departments of our hospital," she said.

*PIONEERS OF MODERNITY OF TIBETAN MEDICINE*
Describing her job as finding "secret" prescriptions in classical medical tantras and revitalizing them through modern technology, Tenzin Yangjen said her goal was to standardize Tibetan medicine as much as possible.

"For our generation, the mission is to bring Tibetan medicine to the world, and the key is standardization," she said.



Lhaphun talks to a patient at Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa, Sept. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

To reach that goal, Tenzin Yangjen and her colleagues have been working to standardize herbal products using modern extractive technology to turn traditional decoctions and pills to granules that are more popular in today's market.

Lhaphun has worked at the Lhasa hospital for 21 years. A primary task has been to find and rescue endangered therapies and explore ways to integrate them with modern medical science. For instance, her team uses modern equipment to conduct data analysis and correlate their findings with traditional urine and pulse diagnosis.



Lhaphun checks a patient at Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa, Sept. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

"Without standardization in diagnosis, testing methods and treatment, it will be difficult to popularize Tibetan medicine beyond the plateau," she said.

Her team is also looking to revitalize traditional therapies such as blood-letting, moxibustion, cupping and others. Even diarrhoea can be used as a treatment to help patients eliminate toxins, said Lhaphun. A retired expert from a hospital in Nagqu has been invited to explain the diarrhoea therapy to the 30-strong staff in Lhaphun's department.

Classical medical tantras record the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric and women's conditions and put them into 40 categories. So far, only one-fifth of those therapies have been put to clinical use in her department. Of the tens of thousands of prescriptions mentioned, the number in use is roughly 200.

"The potential of Tibetan medicine is huge. There is so much we need to learn," she said.

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## JSCh

*Tibet dams river for its costliest hydro project *
Source: Xinhua | 2016-10-01 01:05:13 | Editor: huaxia

LHASA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tibet on Friday blocked a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River as part of its most expensive hydro project.

The Lalho project on the Xiabuqu River in Xigaze, involves an investment of 4.95 billion yuan (740 million U.S. dollars), said Zhang Yunbao, head of the project's administration bureau.

The project was scheduled to be completed in 2019. Construction began in June 2014.

The project serves multiple purposes, including irrigation, flood control and power generation, said Zhang.

Its reservoir was designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland.

The farming area, which usually suffers from severe drought, is a major crop production base in Xigaze.

The project will have two power stations with a combined generation capacity of 42 megawatts. They are designed to generate 85 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.

*



*
拉洛水利枢纽工程成功截流




仪式现场




截流现场




截流成功​

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## 艹艹艹

JSCh said:


> *Tibet dams river for its costliest hydro project *
> Source: Xinhua | 2016-10-01 01:05:13 | Editor: huaxia
> 
> LHASA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tibet on Friday blocked a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River as part of its most expensive hydro project.
> 
> The Lalho project on the Xiabuqu River in Xigaze, involves an investment of 4.95 billion yuan (740 million U.S. dollars), said Zhang Yunbao, head of the project's administration bureau.
> 
> The project was scheduled to be completed in 2019. Construction began in June 2014.
> 
> The project serves multiple purposes, including irrigation, flood control and power generation, said Zhang.
> 
> Its reservoir was designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland.
> 
> The farming area, which usually suffers from severe drought, is a major crop production base in Xigaze.
> 
> The project will have two power stations with a combined generation capacity of 42 megawatts. They are designed to generate 85 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.
> 
> *
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 拉洛水利枢纽工程成功截流
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 仪式现场
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 截流现场
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 截流成功​


We must vigorously develop the Yarlung Tsangpo River, cannot be affected by the interference of other countries.


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## ahojunk

*Kazakh herdsmen in Altay move to winter pastures*
2016-10-01 11:21 | People's Daily Online | Editor:Li Yan

In the Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang, herdsmen of the Kazakh ethnic group have begun to leave pastures in the deep mountains and move toward winter pastures. (Photo/people.cn)





In the Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang, herdsmen of the Kazakh ethnic group have begun to leave pastures in the deep mountains and move toward winter pastures. (Photo/people.cn)






In the Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang, herdsmen of the Kazakh ethnic group have begun to leave pastures in the deep mountains and move toward winter pastures. (Photo/people.cn)






In the Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang, herdsmen of the Kazakh ethnic group have begun to leave pastures in the deep mountains and move toward winter pastures. (Photo/people.cn) 






In the Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang, herdsmen of the Kazakh ethnic group have begun to leave pastures in the deep mountains and move toward winter pastures. (Photo/people.cn)






In the Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang, herdsmen of the Kazakh ethnic group have begun to leave pastures in the deep mountains and move toward winter pastures. (Photo/people.cn)






In the Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang, herdsmen of the Kazakh ethnic group have begun to leave pastures in the deep mountains and move toward winter pastures. (Photo/people.cn)

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## ahojunk

The color of autumn in southwest China
2016-09-29 15:20:58 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Fei Fei

What is the color of autumn? It might be difficult to define after seeing the shades of green, yellow and red that Heishui County presents. Heishui is located in southwest China's Sichuan province. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

*




Autumn colors in Heishui County in Sichuan*






_*Autumn colors in Heishui County in Sichuan*_
_*





Autumn colors in Heishui County in Sichuan






Autumn colors in Heishui County in Sichuan






Autumn colors in Heishui County in Sichuan






Autumn colors in Heishui County in Sichuan*_​

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## ahojunk

Covered bridge in China's Chongqing
2016-09-30 17:37:21 Chinanews.cn Web Editor: Shi

Photos taken on Sept. 29, 2016 shows a covered bridge across the Apeng River in southwest China's Chongqing. Those previous wooden buildings covering the bridge were destroyed by fire in 2013, and the bridge reopened one year later after reconstruction. [Photo: Xinhua]





Aerial photo taken on Sept. 29, 2016 shows a covered bridge across the Apeng River in southwest China's Chongqing. Those previous wooden buildings covering the bridge were destroyed by fire in 2013, and the bridge reopened one year later after reconstruction. [Photo: Xinhua]






Aerial photo taken on Sept. 29, 2016 shows a covered bridge across the Apeng River in southwest China's Chongqing. Those previous wooden buildings covering the bridge were destroyed by fire in 2013, and the bridge reopened one year later after reconstruction. [Photo: Xinhua]






Aerial photo taken on Sept. 29, 2016 shows a covered bridge across the Apeng River in southwest China's Chongqing. Those previous wooden buildings covering the bridge were destroyed by fire in 2013, and the bridge reopened one year later after reconstruction. [Photo: Xinhua]






Aerial photo taken on Sept. 29, 2016 shows a covered bridge across the Apeng River in southwest China's Chongqing. Those previous wooden buildings covering the bridge were destroyed by fire in 2013, and the bridge reopened one year later after reconstruction. [Photo: Xinhua]


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## Daniel808

*Xian City Satellite Map in Western China.
With so many Skycrapers under development in that city.*














Simply amazing ! 
Cannot wait to see almost 200+ new skycrapers in Xian City Completed in the future

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## ahojunk

*Sea of clouds around Jinding Hill, Emei Mountain*

Photos show the magnificent sea of clouds surrounding the Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan province. 





*Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province.*






*Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province.*






*Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province.*






*Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province.*






*Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province.*






*Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province.*






*Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province.*






_*Jinding Hill of Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province.*_​


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## JSCh

*Couples shield Xinjiang desert highway from shifting dunes*
Source: Xinhua | October 3, 2016, Monday





THE desert is still quiet at 8 am, but Xiao Hong and his wife, Huang Zhongtao, have already started the water pump to irrigate this dry stretch of earth.

Deep in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Taklamakan Desert is known as the "sea of death" across China. In the Uygur language, its name means "go in and you won't come out."

Xiao and Huang, maintenance workers at Well House No. 1, are among nearly 100 couples who tend to plants year-round along the Taklamakan Desert Highway to prevent the shifting sand from burying the key cross-desert artery.

SHIFTING SAND AND SURVIVAL

When construction on the highway was completed in 1995, reed grids and fences were installed along uninhabited stretches of the highway to hold the sand in place. However, as the years passed, most of the grids and fences started to fail, exposing the highway to dangerous shifting dunes.

Starting in 2003, 109 wells were dug along the highway every 4 km to pump water for bushes and other vegetation to block the wind and keep the sand in place.

The well houses became the key to survival for the 3,000-hectare "green corridor."

By the time Huang and Xiao finished inspecting the pipes and plants, it was already past 10 a.m. Xiao wrote down notes about irrigation and water volume in a logbook, while Huang prepared breakfast.

The couple lives in a 10-square-meter bungalow adjacent to the noisy generator and pump room.

According to Xiao's logbook, sandstorms and rain have been more frequent this year than before. That means more mosquitos.

"Desert mosquitos are much fiercer," said Huang, pointing at the empty cans of insecticide that fill the windowsill. "Even house flies here can bite the skin until it bleeds."

TOUGH JOURNEYS

Mosquitos have never been a primary concern for Zheng Xinxue and Li Juying at Well House No. 30. Their thoughts are with their grandchildren in central Henan Province, some 3,000 km away.

Zheng and Li, both in their sixties, glance at a cellphone displaying the smiling faces of their grandson and granddaughter whenever they miss the children.

Li said they will ask for leave next month, when irrigation stops due to the cold. Their trip home will take several days. Li recalled a previous trip, when her feet were swollen after sitting on a train for days.

"I definitely still want to go back," she said.

Zeng Dezhang and Wang Huirong at Well House No. 8 are experts in tough journeys. The couple from the southwestern province of Sichuan has been stationed here since 2006. The last time their son came to visit was four years ago.

Last year before Spring Festival, they hitchhiked to the nearest town, several hundred kilometers away, before they could catch a bus to a train station in the southern Xinjiang city of Korla. From there they took a train to northwest Shaanxi Province and transferred to another train headed south to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan.

But it was not over. They still had to take a bus to their hometown in Weiyuan County. Four days of their precious holiday had been spent on the road, and another four days would be needed for the return trip.

"We miss home, but the trip has scared us off almost every year," said Li, 52, as a dog followed her like a shadow.

TOGETHERNESS AND SOLITUDE

Of all the couples, Huang Xiaobing and Zhou Sixiu at Well House No. 35 have endured the desert's sandstorms and isolation the longest. The two have hardly bickered since they arrived over a decade ago. Huang, the husband, has worked diligently while Zhou has run the home with love and patience.

Stepping into their clean and green home, no one would believe it was in the center of a remote desert.

"Our feelings toward each other deepen with no one else around," said Huang. "Growing old with each other is the most romantic thing I can think of."

Aside from a supply truck that comes to their doorsteps every 10 days, the well houses are like solitary planets, most with only two inhabitants.

In Well House No. 35-1, Bai Qianli is all alone.

She followed her husband to the desert in 2011, but the man left to work elsewhere. She has stayed for another three years.

"Sometimes I couldn't find anyone to talk to for almost a week, and I would run deep into the desert and scream," Bai said. "This job cultivates one's mind and spirit, and my temperament has gotten better."

She said this year's sacsaoul, a bush that anchors the sand with its roots, has thrived. "Look at this one. It has grown at least 30 cm since spring. It's now taller than I am."

As the sun dropped behind the horizon, she shut off the generator and the pump. The whole place suddenly fell dark.

Night crept over the desert. Bai said she is not afraid, because she knows the sacsaoul has been cared for and will continue to grow as she sleeps.

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## ahojunk

Lamas perform cham dance in China's Tibet
2016-10-03 01:52:58 Xinhua Web Editor: Guo Jing





A lama performs cham dance at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 2, 2016. The dance, called "cham" in the Tibetan language, is believed to ward off disaster and ghost and bring luck and happiness. The dancers, usually lamas, wear masks of various animals and mythical figures as they perform to the accompaniment of religious music. [Photo: Xinhua]






A lama performs cham dance at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 2, 2016. The dance, called "cham" in the Tibetan language, is believed to ward off disaster and ghost and bring luck and happiness. The dancers, usually lamas, wear masks of various animals and mythical figures as they perform to the accompaniment of religious music. [Photo: Xinhua] 






A lama performs cham dance at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 2, 2016. The dance, called "cham" in the Tibetan language, is believed to ward off disaster and ghost and bring luck and happiness. The dancers, usually lamas, wear masks of various animals and mythical figures as they perform to the accompaniment of religious music. [Photo: Xinhua] 






Lamas blow religious horns during the performance of cham dance at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 2, 2016. The dance, called "cham" in the Tibetan language, is believed to ward off disaster and ghost and bring luck and happiness. The dancers, usually lamas, wear masks of various animals and mythical figures as they perform to the accompaniment of religious music. [Photo: Xinhua]


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## ahojunk

_I hope these walking trails are preserved, they are useful for tourism._

========
*Chongqing walking trail meanders along old scenic sites*
2016-10-04 11:18 | China Daily | _Editor: Xu Shanshan_


_*




Walking trails in Chongqing have been preserved and turned into sightseeing routes.
(Photo by Tan Yingzi/China Daily)*_​

In Chongqing, the city of mountains in Southwest China, walking used to be the major means of transportation for most residents. Since old times, numerous walking trails were developed round the mountains.

Nowadays some of them have been preserved and turned into sightseeing routes to let visitors experience the landscape, life and history of the city.

Mountain City No 3 Walking Trail in the Yuzhong Peninsular is the best example.

The 3.9 kilometer long trail starts at Zhongxing Road by the Shibanpo Yangtze River Bridge, stretches up along the ancient city walls, and ends at Tongyuan Gate, one of the remaining two city gates from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and the only gate still in use.

Entrance is free and visitors can access the trails from several entrances amid the old alleys.

Along the road, you can overlook the Yangtze River, visit several historical sites and pass by the houses of local residents. When weather permits, people play mahjong or poker by the trail, or sit down and chat with neighbors.

French Benevolence Hall is perhaps the oldest western structure in Chongqing. It used to be a charity hospital, established by the French in 1902. But in 1944 it was turned into a wartime Chinese traditional medicine hospital. The beautifully-designed building, however, is now almost in ruins and at the remote splendor of its original site visitors are left to ponder happier, grander times.

There are several historical buildings from the World War II era. At Kang Jian Hall, built in 1941, a lot of modern dramas were put on to inspire local people facing imminent invasion by the Japanese. As government officials, warlords and landlords moved to Chongqing during wartime, they built homes in the city and most of them copied western-style houses. Like Hou Lu, a house that used to belong to a warlord.






*A tiny traditional hotpot restaurant. (Photo by Tan Yingzi/China Daily)*​There is a tiny traditional hotpot place along the trail which only opens at evenings. The kitchen is indoors and two tables are placed just on the road. You can enjoy the stunning night view of the city while eating your hotpot.

Or you can just sit idly in the pavilions, taking in the sunset on the Yangtze River. That exquisite choice is yours.


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## ahojunk

_That's nice, a natural science museum in Lhasa._

========
*Natural Science Museum in Lhasa*
2016-10-04 08:07 | Xinhua | Editor:Yao Lan





Photo taken on Oct. 3, 2016 shows the specimens at the Natural Science Museum in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The museum was opened to the public free of charge on Oct. 1. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





A boy views specimens at the Natural Science Museum in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, oct. 3, 2016. The museum was opened to the public free of charge on Oct. 1. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





Photo taken on Oct. 3, 2016 shows the butterfly specimens at the Natural Science Museum in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The museum was opened to the public free of charge on Oct. 1. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





A boy views specimens at the Natural Science Museum in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, oct. 3, 2016. The museum was opened to the public free of charge on Oct. 1. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





Visitors view the exhibits at the Natural Science Museum in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 3, 2016. The museum was opened to the public free of charge on Oct. 1. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





Visitors view the exhibits at the Natural Science Museum in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 3, 2016. The museum was opened to the public free of charge on Oct. 1. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

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## JSCh

* China approves two railway projects*
Source: Xinhua 2016-10-11 18:44:11

BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner announced Tuesday it has approved feasibility reports for two railway projects with total investment of 79.47 billion yuan (11.84 billion U.S. dollars).

The two projects would be located in the country's underdeveloped western regions, including Guizhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to statements on the website of the National Development and Reform Commission.

China has a vast and efficient railway network, but construction has lagged behind in the less developed western regions.

The approval came as the government looks to boost infrastructure investment in needy areas to support faltering economic growth.

The efforts have already taken effect to some extent, with fixed-asset investment growing 8.2 percent year on year in August, up by 4.3 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed.

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## ahojunk

*Scenery in Yadong County, Tibet*
2016-10-17 09:22 | Xinhua | Editor:Li Yan





Photo taken on Oct. 13, 2016 shows a view in Yadong County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo/Xinhua)

What a gorgeous village secluded in the mountains!






Photo taken on Oct. 13, 2016 shows a white pagoda and Mount Chomolhari in Yadong County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo/Xinhua)






Photo taken on Oct. 13, 2016 shows Mount Chomolhari in Yadong County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo/Xinhua)

The mountain is just beautiful!






Photo taken on Oct. 12, 2016 shows the Doqen Co in Yadong County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo/Xinhua)

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## ahojunk

*Tibet receives 21 mln tourists in past 9 months*
Source: Xinhua 2016-10-18 17:30:42

LHASA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- About 21 million Chinese and foreign tourists visited southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in the first three quarters of 2016, up 20.4 percent year on year, authorities said Tuesday.

Tourism revenue during the past nine months increased by 25.9 percent year on year to 28.7 billion yuan (4.25 billion U.S. dollars), according to the regional tourism development commission.

During the annual Shoton (Yogurt) Festival held from September 1-7, the regional capital of Lhasa received over 2 million tourists, an increase of 17.4 percent year on year.

Citing booming revenue from various festivals, including the Tibetan New Year, the Peach Blossom Festival in Nyingchi Prefecture, the Mount Qomolangma Cultural Festival and the Tibet Tourism and Culture Expo, the commission said festival tourism has become a major boost for the development of the tourism industry in the region.

According to the region's 13th five-year-plan (2016-2020), the regional government aims to receive over 30 million tourists in 2020, with an annual tourism revenue of over 55 billion yuan.

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## ahojunk

*Village on cliff builds steel ladder to connect with valley 1km below*
2016-10-24 15:44 | Ecns.cn | Editor:Yao Lan





A mountain village on a cliff in southwestern China has been building a huge steel ladder to connect it to the outside world more securely, using more than 1,500 steel pipes. The village started to construct the ladder in August with investment of 1 million yuan ($147,928) from local authorities and four-fifths of the job had been completed. Situated at the top of a mountain in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, the isolated village of Atuleer is perched nearly 1,000 meters above the valley floor and villagers need to climb 17 rattan ladders to reach their homes, the report said. The construction would require more than 1,500 steel tubes with a diameter of 5cm as guardrails and steps, a village official was quoted as saying. (Photo/CFP)






A mountain village on a cliff in southwestern China has been building a huge steel ladder to connect it to the outside world more securely, using more than 1,500 steel pipes. The village started to construct the ladder in August with investment of 1 million yuan ($147,928) from local authorities and four-fifths of the job had been completed. Situated at the top of a mountain in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, the isolated village of Atuleer is perched nearly 1,000 meters above the valley floor and villagers need to climb 17 rattan ladders to reach their homes, the report said. The construction would require more than 1,500 steel tubes with a diameter of 5cm as guardrails and steps, a village official was quoted as saying. (Photo/CFP)






A mountain village on a cliff in southwestern China has been building a huge steel ladder to connect it to the outside world more securely, using more than 1,500 steel pipes. The village started to construct the ladder in August with investment of 1 million yuan ($147,928) from local authorities and four-fifths of the job had been completed. Situated at the top of a mountain in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, the isolated village of Atuleer is perched nearly 1,000 meters above the valley floor and villagers need to climb 17 rattan ladders to reach their homes, the report said. The construction would require more than 1,500 steel tubes with a diameter of 5cm as guardrails and steps, a village official was quoted as saying. (Photo/CFP)


********

_It is one hell of a fantastic workout climbing these stairs._
.

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## ahojunk

*Children get safer way to traverse 800m cliff*
2016-10-25 09:21 | China Daily | _Editor: Feng Shuang_

_*




Mose Xiongti, 21, of Atuleer village, carries materials used in constructing a steel ladder
that villagers soon will use to more safely traverse an 800-meter cliff to their homes. 
The village is in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province.*_​

A steel ladder will soon replace a rickety rattan structure used by children and other residents of a remote mountaintop village in Southwest China to traverse an 800-meter cliff to reach the outside world.

Work on the new ladder connecting Atuleer with the rest of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture is expected to be complete early in November.

"Children who attend the boarding school at the foot of the mountain will be able to more safely return home to celebrate the Yi lunar new year," said Er Dijiang, the village chief.

The prefecture, one of the least-developed areas of Sichuan province, has the largest population of Yi ethnic people in China. According to the ethnic group's lunar calendar, new year celebrations will run from Nov 20 to 27.

The steel ladder, complete with handrails, is being built at a cost of 1 million yuan ($148,000), with the prefecture government and Zhaojue county each chipping in half the cost.

The rattan structure, made up of a chain of 17 smaller ladders tied together without rails or other safety features, has been used by the village for years, but not without risk. A middle-aged villager was killed in a fall from a rattan ladder this year.

Fifteen children, ages 6 to 15, from 72 households in Atuleer have used the rattan ladders on their way to and from their boarding school every two weeks. Villagers also have had to use the ladders to reach the nearest market several kilometers away once a week to buy necessities and sell their farm produce, including peppers and walnuts.

Song Ming, an information officer for the Liangshan Yi government, said there are many rattan structures in the prefecture but the one to Atuleer village is the most dangerous.

"I have scaled rattan ladders before. But when I scaled the one in Atuleer in August, I was terrified because it is so steep," he said.

Photos of the students creeping up on the cliff on the rattan ladders along with a story, run in May by a Beijing newspaper, caused an uproar online. Liangshan officials decided to remedy the situation.

But it was impossible to relocate the villagers, who say they do not want to leave their lofty homeplace. So Lin Shucheng, Party chief of the prefecture, promised to build a steel ladder to replace the rattan ladders to ensure the safety of the villagers.


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## TaiShang

*Xinhua Insight: Industrial development helps the poor in China's west*
Xinhua, October 25, 2016

Everyday when their shift ends, workers in Kashgar of Xinjiang line up to take a seat in one of over a dozen coaches waiting to take them home.8 In the latest poverty-relief drive across Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, thousands of former farmers, mostly of Uygur ethnicity, have found more-secure, better-paid jobs in factories.

Shenzhen Industrial Park, located in Jiashi County, Kashgar, is a booming complex with dozens of companies spanning diverse sectors including electronics, garments, textiles and handicrafts. Industrial infrastructure in southern Xinjiang, one of the poorer parts of the region, is underdeveloped, and many companies are from other provinces.

One of the industrial park's largest companies is privately-owned Guangdong Sike Electronics, which first opened a factory in Xinjiang two years ago. It now employs over 2,000 people at seven factories in Kashgar.

Sike produces and exports smart phone charging devices and other electronic accessories.

"Companies like Sike are the sort of firms that many officials fight for. They create many jobs and are not big polluters," said Zhang Ke, deputy chief of the Communist Party of China committee of Jiashi.

"Companies, such as these, come to Xinjiang with big orders to fill and plenty of money to play with. The job opportunities created by these firms offer a much more efficient approach to poverty-relief work than asking farmers to find ways to raise their income themselves," said Zhang.

Workers at Sike are paid 2,000 to 3,000 yuan a month, and a single job is enough to lift a family out of poverty, said Zhang. Jiashi has 125,000 people living below the national poverty line of 2,800 yuan (418 U.S. dollars) per year.

Miyasil Tulson, 16, is employed at a Sike factory near her home. For this entry-level job, she earns 1,200 to 1,500 yuan (about 180 U.S. dollars) a month, but she is the main breadwinner for her family and she pays her siblings' school fees.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

China aims to lift 30 million people out of poverty through industrial development before 2020.

Industry plays a fundamental role in the central government's poverty alleviation efforts, Vice Agricultural Minister Yu Xinrong said at a forum on poverty reduction last week.

In many of western provinces, companies and business associations have taken an active role in helping improve the lives of people who live in poor villages through industrial development.

In the southwestern province of Guizhou, over 1,700 companies are now engaged in an initiative to help raise the income of the residents of over 2,000 villages. One of the big sponsors, Chinese entertainment conglomerate Wanda has promised 60 billion yuan to help develop cultural tourism in the province.

"Jobs are like keys -- they unlock the problem of poverty and are a way to create sustainable wealth for locals," said Ma Xiangyu, a Party member working in Xinjiang.

China must carefully weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of each town to attract suitable industries who will create fitting jobs for the people, said Ma.

JOBS FOR GROWTH

About 2.61 million people in Xinjiang -- less than 10 percent of the region's population -- live in poverty.

Zinat, a single mother of two, has struggled for years to find a job in her hometown, Yining County.

Her new job at Yijia Ethnic Garments Co. has not only helped her financially but also boosted her confidence. The company, based in the eastern province of Jiangsu, produces hats, carpets and robes for the export market.

"The robes I sew will be sold to Morocco, a country I had never even heard of before working here!" Zinat said.

More than 200 of Zinat's colleagues come from poor backgrounds.

A total of 36 companies from the provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong will open businesses in southern Yining, creating 5,000 jobs in the next few years.

"As the industrial infrastructure and business climate develop in Xinjiang, more jobs will be created," said Ma.


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## beijingwalker



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## beijingwalker

*AMAZING SUMMER CHINA *
the Gobi Desert, the Chaka Salt Lake and the Miao Ancient Town. Amazing scenery and natural beauty all captured through the lenses of our cameras
*



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## beijingwalker

Chinese central government allocated 465 million Yuan and Xinjiang local government 100 million Yuan to had all kids living in poor underdeveloped far western regions in Xinjiang covered by nutrition meals program ( balanced nutrition meals must include meat, milk, eggs, vegetables etc) . The kids in those regions have already long enjoyed free education to high school and all other cost such as books , accomodation are also paid by the government.

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## beijingwalker

China's central Asia, a couple of years ago some heart wrenching stories emerged on Chinese TV and social media about the poor kids in China's far west. since then billions of money being poured in from everywhere in China trying to help those kids, Now those kids have brand now school buildings, dormitory buildings, gymnasiums ,road, books and clothing. Taking care of your poor should always be a country's top priority .

Free school bus rides for Xinjiang students

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## saiyan0321

Kids in Xinjiang get nutrition meals and pakistan gets mentioned by desperately obsessive Indians. Seriously the obsession is mind boggling. 

On topic. Good step by the Chinese govt. Kudos.

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## WAJsal

Xinjiang is probably a province in China which needs the most attention, probably the most underdeveloped. One of the key reasons could be the remotely populated people or areas. My father has been to Kashghar, he is a real fan of the historic city and the people. And it's capital which is Urumqi is supposed to be a model of development the region will see through CPEC. 
With this investment, the Xinjiang region will see a lot of changes. 
Some of the changes have been mentioned here: 
https://defence.pk/threads/cpec-and-its-benefits-to-gb.447817/#post-8655369
Same changes are expected to be seen in Xinjiang. Am hoping to see the region really developed in coming years.
regards

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## Mitro

This kids don't look malnourished compare to Indian kids they look like sumo lol.
Very generous Chinese government they are taking care of poor subject hope one day Indian government can do the same .
India should stop buying those expensive weapons and start spending on kids and poor people.


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## AndrewJin

*Bullet train attendant team
Lanzhou-Xinjiang High-speed Railway
Urumqi Railway Bureau *




























@Two @grey boy 2 @Lure @Kaptaan @AViet

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## AndrewJin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=34&v=1Gaiu7_ds1E

*New Urumqi Railway Station opens
























*

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## TaiShang

*Mountaineering center to boost Tibet's economy *
China Daily, October 31, 2016




The photo of Qomolangma is taken in Tibet Province on Oct 29, 2016. The 8,844.43-meter-high Qomolangma, located on the border of China and Nepal, is the world's tallest peak. [Photo/Xinhua]


Climbers hoping to scale some of the world's highest peaks have welcomed plans for a massive international mountaineering center in southwestern China.

The project will be built in Gangkar township, near the northern slope of Qomolangma, or Mount Everest, in the Tibet Province and is aimed at growing the mountaineering industry and local economy.

According to the regional sports bureau, the center will cater to mountaineers, skiers, paragliders and tour guides, and will feature medical services, travel agencies and a helicopter rescue base.

"There will also be a mountaineering museum; rental and repair centers for cars, motorbikes and bicycles; and restaurants and accommodation," said Nyima Tsering, the bureau's deputy director.

The center will cost more than 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) and cover an area of about 84,320 square meters. Construction is scheduled to start next year and should be completed in 2019.

"I'm very excited," said Zhang Hong, who plans to become the first blind Chinese alpinist to reach the summit of Qomolangma, the world's tallest mountain. "The center could be helpful for me to fulfill my dreams."

The 41-year-old has already conquered two peaks of over 5,800 meters in the past two years and next year will attempt Cho Oyu, also in Tibet, which stands at 7,028 meters.

Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and glaciers, the Tibetan plateau is one of the world's finest destinations for climbers seeking challenging peaks and rare vistas, with five mountains over 8,000 meters, more than 70 over 7,000 meters and at least 1,000 over 6,000 meters.

Gangkar is one of the five frontier townships in Dingri county and borders Nepal in the south.

"The township is the best place to see the peaks of Qomolangma, Cho Oyu, Shishapangma, Lhotse and Makalu," said Nyima Tsering.

He said the new center will also cooperate with the Nepalese authorities, which govern the southern slope of Qomolangma, to facilitate helicopter rescue services.

Lodre, 53, a mountaineering coach with the Tibet Mountaineering Guide School, said the center will boost high-mountain medical assistance capabilities. "Tibet only has ground rescue services, but air rescue is essential for climbing in the Qomolangma area," he said.

Tsering Ngodrup, a 29-year-old alpinist, said as the region has developed, more climbers have arrived.

"Building a mountaineering center is a smart move. Many climbers are not confident in planning expeditions in the mountains (in Tibet) because there is a lack of basic services," he said, adding that guaranteeing such services would be a major lift for the region's mountaineering and outdoor sports industry.

Ngakwang Dradul, who has 17 years of climbing experience, said the center will also help to boost the economy by helping local farmers and nomads to find jobs and generating tourism incomes.

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## TaiShang

*Xinjiang Province allocates over 600 million RMB for poverty relief in border areas*
(People's Daily Online) November 07, 2016

Thanks to increasing support in border areas, living conditions in Xinjiang border villages have gradually improved, with more and more residents shaking off poverty.

According to the Xinjiang Province Poverty Alleviation Office, the region has allocated over 600 million RMB to boost the quality of life of border residents. Xinjiang has also increased its efforts in ecological and environmental protection. For example, in recent years, 20,000 biogas digesters have been built for poor families; 30,000 households have had their toilets upgraded, and 24,000 have seen their kitchens renovated. A total of 87,000 mu of artificial grassland has been installed, greatly enhancing the region’s ecological capacity.

In China, Xinjiang is the province with the longest land border and largest number of neighboring countries. Seventeen of the region's 34 border counties are impoverished. By the end of 2015, there were still 726 impoverished villages in Xinjiang, 289 of which are located along the border.

Living in a fragile ecological environment and an extremely impoverished state, residents in alpine border areas face the hurdles of poor education, insufficient medical care and sub-par transportation and housing. Thus, there is a clear and urgent need to further improve living standards along the border.

In March 2007, Aheqi County was selected to pilot a poverty alleviation program, marking the beginning of border poverty alleviation work in Xinjiang. In September 2010, China further expanded the pilot program by 17 counties. *From 2014 to 2015, 186 villages in 34 border counties, encompassing 65,000 households and 265,000 people, rose out of poverty.*

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## JSCh

* The heat is on for Tibet's remote prefecture*
Source: Xinhua 2016-11-11 19:21:27

LHASA, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Central heating was switched on for the first time in history in Tibet's Ngari prefecture Thursday.

The sparsely-populated plateau region is known for having among the roughest winter weather on earth. At 4,500 meters above sea level, Ngari typically has more than 200 days a year with temperatures below zero. The lowest temperature on record was minus 36.7 degrees Celsius.

Water heating pipes are now installed in homes and offices in Shiquanhe town where most of the population resides. Central heating is expected to warm up an area of 1.5 million square meters, according to local officials.

The facilities, with a maximum 12 megawatts capacity, cost 1.77 billion yuan (262 million U.S. dollars) to build, the officials said.

Traditionally, residents at this remote corner of the world burn yak dung, dried wood, or coal in defense of the freezing weather. In recent years, the smoking chimneys from hundreds of coal-fired boilers in Shiquanhe have raised environmental concerns.

The central heating service will replace at least 150 small boilers and save 32,000 tons of coal annually. The emission of 103 tons of dust, nine tons of carbon dioxide, and 2,000 tons of coal residue will be avoided each year, said Yuan Fuguo, a senior prefecture official.

Many local people are simply happy to stay warm indoors with the central heating on.

"In class, we won't shiver in our big quilts any more," said Yexe Zhoima, a primary school student. "The winter becomes warm with the heating."

A nurse said that medics in local hospitals are now able to tend to patients without wearing clumsy overcoats. "It is also a blessing to patients who had to bring portable heaters with them in the past," she said.

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## TaiShang

*Xinjiang province launches daily cargo train service to Central Asia *
Xinhua, December 1, 2016

A freight train loaded with commodities, *jars of ketchup and Christmas trees* left the West Railway Station in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Province, on Wednesday morning, heading for Alma-Ata, the largest city in Kazakhstan.

*This marks the 100th train journey since the freight service started in late May, said Niu Quan, spokesman for the Urumqi Railway Bureau.*

Urumqi has been designated as a hub on China-Europe train routes by the National Development and Reform Commission.

The freight service from Urumqi to Alma-Ata operated for once a week since opening in May, but since November the train travels from Urumqi daily, Niu said.

International freight trains from Xinjiang mainly bound for Central Asian countries and some European countries developed rapidly in 2016. Since Xinjiang opened its first westward international train in 2014, a total of 328 such trains have been launched.

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## TaiShang

*NW China province renovates 15,000 unsafe homes in temples*
(Xinhua) December 08, 2016

XINING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Qinghai will *complete renovation of 15,000 residences in temples* across the province by the end of 2017, the provincial ethnic and religious affairs committee said Thursday.

So far, *10,000 have been renovated since a campaign to improve basic temple facilities in Qinghai began in 2015.*

Drakpa, an official with the committee, said subsidies are available for renovation, typically 12,500 yuan (1,800 U.S. dollars) for each home.

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## JSCh

*Tibetan herb researcher's efforts blossom*
Source: Xinhua | 2016-12-09 18:02:11 | Editor: huaxia






Tashi Tsering has done something many considered impossible: He has successfully cultivated blue poppy, a rare and endangered herb that grows above the snow line of the Himalayas, in lab with his team. The herb is believed to be effective for treating liver diseases in traditional Tibetan medicine.






Tashi, deputy director of Tibetan Medicine Research Center of the Tibetan Medicine Hospital in Lhasa, began this research in 2009, a mission thought impossible by many, including foreign researchers, as the herb can only survive in the alpine region--currently at an altitude above 5,000 meters as a result of shrinking snow line due to global warming in recent years.






The 41-year-old researcher has worked on Tibetan medicine for nearly two decades since he graduated from a prestigious medical university in Liaoning Province, northeast China.






Tashi and his team have been to many places in Tibet and its neighboring provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. "However, our first trial yielded nothing," says Tashi. Despite their hard efforts of an entire year in 2011, the team's experimental field failed to see one single seedling of blue poppy. But they never gave up.

Thanks to almost seven years of efforts, the team finally succeeded in 2005. According to Tashi, the germination rate this year has reached 87%. "But there is still a long way to go for commercial plantation," said Tashi.






In recent years, both the central and regional governments have enhanced their support for the artificial planting of endangered herbs for Tibetan medicine use. A new research center has been set up with the governmental funding in Tashi's test base. Over the past 10 years, Tashi and his team have successfully grown 27 endangered herbs for traditional medicine.

Tashi said that the demand for Tibetan medicine is expected to increase with improving technology. "Artificial planting will make a difference."


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## JSCh

* China Focus: New cargo service links Tibet, Nepal to boost trade*
Source: Xinhua 2016-12-10 01:59:08

LHASA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of trucks carrying 19 million yuan (2.8 million U.S. dollars) worth of goods left the border port of Gyirong in Tibet after customs clearance on Friday, continuing the journey to their destination in Nepal.

The new rail and road cargo service, linking Guangdong, Tibet and Nepal, aims to boost trade with the South Asian neighbor as China pushes forward its Belt and Road Initiative.

A train carrying eight carriages and 14 boxcars full of products, including shoes, clothes, hats, furniture, appliances, electronics and building materials, covered the 5,200-km distance between Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, and Xigaze in Tibet.

The trucks are responsible for the remaining 870 km of the journey, carrying goods to Gyirong and then to the final stop in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital.

"The trip between Guangzhou and Gyirong takes about five to six days, much shorter than the 20 days for sea transport," said Yao Yanfeng, general manager of the freight carrier Tibet Tianzhi Import and Export Co. Ltd. "The time could be cut further to 3.7 days in the future."

Yao said his company is providing relatively quick delivery service and, despite higher costs, it can meet demand for time-sensitive clients.

"In the slower winter season, the train and trucks will make a round trip every one or two weeks," said Yao. "In the busy season next year, there will be two to three per week and, eventually, we're aiming for four to five trips per week."

"Nepal needs Chinese goods," said Liu Denghui of Adam Refrigeration Equipment Co. Ltd. in Shenzhen upon hearing about the new trade route.

*NEW TRADE PASSAGE*

In May, China opened a rail and road cargo service between Lanzhou in northwest China and Kathmandu. The new service starting from Guangzhou serves as an important trade passage between the two neighboring countries.

Guangdong and neighboring regions, known as China's manufacturing hubs, are a major source of imports for South Asia, including Nepal.

The trade passage, in line with market demand in the medium and long term, could help boost economic cooperation between Guangdong, Tibet and South Asia, officials said.

Luomei, assistant chairwoman of Tibet autonomous regional government, said with efficient trade transportation, the freight service could help relocate more businesses along the passage, bringing growth momentum and industrial transformation to the plateau region.

Gobinda Bahadur Karki, consul general of Nepal in Lhasa, said the freight service will help boost Nepal's economic growth as well as bilateral trade.

*MORE INFRASTRUCTURE*

To further facilitate trade, China is planning to build a railway between Xigaze and Gyirong to shorten the trip.

Yang Guoliang, an official with the Tibet Autonomous Regional Department of Commerce, said Tibet will build and reopen more border ports to expand the trade passage to South Asia.

The trade passage is a national strategy linking China's economic heartland with South Asia, said Yang.

Apart from ports and trade passages, China will build border economic zones with South Asia, said Wang Yanqing of the transport research institute under the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency.

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## JSCh

*89.6% of houses for villagers reconstructed in quake-hit Tibet*
2016-12-10 10:19 Xinhua

Over 16,000 people were affected by the quake which hit the county on April 25, 2015. More than 3,000 residential buildings were badly damaged. The local government has reconstructed 89.6% of houses for villagers so far. The rest will be finished by the end of the year. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun).






Villagers pose for photo in front of their new house in Gyirong County of Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2016. 




Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2016 shows a snow mountain in Gyirong County of Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.




Women make traditional food after they moved to new house in Gyirong County of Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Dec. 8, 2016.




Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2016 shows an aerial view of Zhacun Village under Gyirong County of Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.​

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## TaiShang

*NW China to build 5.3-bln-yuan aviation project*
Xinhua, December 13, 2016

An aviation project worth about 5.3 billion yuan (768 million U.S. dollars) will be built in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a local company confirmed Tuesday.

The project invested by Shaanxi Aviation Industry Development Group Co., Ltd. (SAIDC) will be located in the Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base.

*Under the agreement signed by SAIDC and the base on Friday, the project will involve the construction of an assembly line of Bell 407GXP helicopters, centers for helicopter training, emergency response and rescue, as well as the research and development related to drones.*

Wang Yongan, chairman of SAIDC, told Xinhua that SAIDC would work with the U.S. aircraft producer Bell Helicopter in developing the assembly line.

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## JSCh

* Chinese county makes strides in battle against plateau parasite*
Source: Xinhua 2016-12-14 21:08:18

CHENGDU, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A campaign to control a fatal parasitic disease in a Tibetan-inhabited county in southwest China's Sichuan Province has seen remarkable progress, with over 90 percent of local residents screened, according to local health authorities.

Echinococcosis, a type of tapeworm infection, mainly affects herding areas in Sichuan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang. In 2012, about 50 million people were under threat from the disease. The government aims to control the disease by 2020.

Humans can be infected with the disease through contact with infected animals and contaminated food, water and sand.

Shiqu County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze is among the hardest-hit regions. It has waged a war against the disease since November 2015 by regulating pet dogs, providing clean drinking water and raising awareness among residents.

Screening has covered 82,300 people, over 92 percent of the county's population, and more than 6,000 have been found to be infected. Free medication has been offered to patients.

Health authorities have employed 169 workers to send drugs to the homes of dog owners and properly dispose of dog feces every month to prevent an outbreak among Tibetan mastiffs, the favorite pet among locals.

Villager Dalo, whose wife underwent two surgeries due to the parasite, said he backs the government's efforts to control the disease. He feeds his mastiff the drug mixed in with its food.

"If our dog doesn't get the disease, we'll be safe," he said.

In addition, the local government dug 142 deep wells to provide safe drinking water to 11,400 villagers and has worked to eliminate rats on 243,500 mu (16,233 hectares) of grassland.

A survey conducted by Garze investigators from the National Bureau of Statistics showed awareness of echinococcosis among Shiqu residents has increased from 53 percent at the end of 2015 to 75 percent currently.

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## JSCh

* More Tibetan children get preschool education*
Source: Xinhua 2016-12-15 23:38:56

LHASA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Over 66 percent of children in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have received preschool education, more than double that six years ago, according to the latest figures from the local education department.

The gross kindergarten enrollment ratio, which refers to the ratio of the number of preschool students regardless of their age, has risen to 66.24 percent in 2016 from only 24.5 percent in 2010.

A total of 96,777 children are studying at 1,028 kindergartens in Tibet.

All children in Tibet's agricultural and pastoral areas and low-income urban families are entitled to free tuition and accommodation fees and a 3,240 yuan (467 U.S. dollars) pre-school education subsidy each year, according to Xu Chengcang, head of the regional education department.

The educational authorities are also promoting preschool classes in both Mandarin and Tibetan for Tibetan children.

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## ahojunk

*Xinjiang sees robust textile, garment exports*
2016-12-18 10:22 | Xinhua | _Editor: Mo Hong'e_

Textile and garment exports in northwest China's Xinjiang saw robust growth in the first 10 months this year, boosted by the Belt and Road Initiative, local customs authorities have said.

Exports of textiles and garments from Xinjiang reached 43 billion yuan (6.2 billion U.S. dollars) during the Jan.-Oct. period, up 49 percent from the same period last year, according to the customs of Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are two major markets for Xinjiang's textile products, and exports to Russia also saw rapid growth.

Xinjiang, as a major cotton producer, accounted for more than 60 percent of the country's total cotton output last year. The region has made it a priority to develop the industry with preferential policies. It has attracted investment from eastern coastal regions to set up factories in Xinjiang.

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## ahojunk

*Remote Xinjiang county reached by regular flight*
2016-12-20 16:57 | Xinhua | _Editor: Mo Hong'e_

A flight connecting Qiemo, a far-flung corner of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Urumqi, the regional capital, was launched Monday.

The round-trip flight, operated by China Southern Airlines, departs Urumqi every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and stops in Korla City, before arriving at Qiemo.

The CAAC Xinjiang Regional Administration said it was the first civilian airline since the the last passenger plane service at the old Qiemo airport expired five years ago.

Qiemo is over 1,100 kilometers from Urumqi, and 720 km from Korla. The flight will cut travel time between Qiemo and Urumqi to 2.5 hours, from 15 hours by road.

The new airport has 120,000 passengers a year, and a cargo handling capacity of 480 tonnes per year. The operating flight will receive state subsidies of about 7 million yuan (about 1 million U.S. dollars) every year.


********

_This will help with connectivity within Xinjiang.
Qiemo is an isolated place, south of the Taklamakan Desert._
.


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## ahojunk

*Flight connects Qiemo and Urumqi launched*
2016-12-20 08:39 | Xinhua | Editor:Xu Shanshan

The flight connecting Qiemo, a far-flung corner of Xinjiang Region, and Urumqi, the regional capital, was launched on Monday. 

Qiemo is over 1,100 kilometers from Urumqi, and 720 km from Korla. The flight will cut travel time between Qiemo and Urumqi to 2.5 hours, from 15 hours by road. 

The new airport at Qiemo has a capacity 120,000 passengers a year, and a cargo handling capacity of 480 tonnes per year. The operating flight will receive state subsidies of about 7 million yuan (about 1 million U.S. dollars) every year. 







Dec. 19, 2016 on a plane flying from Urumqi to Qiemo shows the Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)





Stewardesses demonstrates safety instruction on a plane flying from Urumqi to Qiemo in Xinjiang Region, Dec. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)






Dec. 19, 2016 on a plane flying from Urumqi to Qiemo shows the Qarqan River in Xinjiang Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)






A flight arrives at the Yudu Airport in Qiemo County, Xinjiang Region, Dec. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)






A flight arrives at the Yudu Airport in Qiemo County, Xinjiang Region, Dec. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)






Dec. 19, 2016 on a plane flying from Urumqi to Qiemo shows the Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

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## ahojunk

*Xinjiang becomes playground for 30 million winter visitors*
By MAO WEIHUA/ZHAO XINYING (China Daily)
Updated: 2016-12-19 07:30:09


_




Children play on a sled at a scenic spot in Kanas, Altay prefecture. ZHAO GE/XINHUA_​

_




Musicians play an ancient Uygur instrument in Kashgar prefecture. JIN WEI/CHINA DAILY_​

More than 30 million tourists are expected in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region this winter, between November and April, officials predict.

The winter visitors, drawn to the region's snow-capped scenery and diverse cultural attractions, are expected to spend about 18 billion yuan ($2.6 billion).

Winter is becoming a popular time to visit Xinjiang, which borders Russia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and other countries. The season can last for five months or more, according to Gul Ablim, deputy director of the region's tourism administration.

"*The length of the season supports a lot of ski resorts in the valleys of the Tianshan Mountains' northern slopes*.

"In addition, *winter in Xinjiang is milder than that in Northeast China*, which means it's suited to a wider range of ages and different physical conditions," she said.

Chen Hongjin, general manager of the domestic trip department at leading Chinese online travel agency lvmama.com, recommended winter tourists visit resorts like *Tianchi Lake near the Tianshan Mountains and Kanas Lake in northern Xinjiang's Altay prefecture*.

In addition to Xinjiang's geographic and climatic advantages, Chen said its deserts, ancient Silk Road relics and the mix of ethnic groups such as Uygur, Hui and Kazak add to its attractions.

_




A foreign tourist chats with a resident of an ancient town in Kashgar. DENG JIAPING/CHINA DAILY_​

"Many people know that traveling to Xinjiang in summer is wonderful, while ignoring the fact that the region is equally worth visiting in winter," he said.

"Whether skiing or admiring the spectacular snow-covered landscapes, whatever activities tourists take part in, I bet they will be fascinated by the amazing scenery and cultural events－the likes of which they'll have never seen before."

To make full use of the region's resources, Gul Ablim said her office has been working to promote winter tourism over the past decade. A winter tourism industry exposition was launched in the region in 2006, becoming a national exhibition and fair in 2012.

Hosting China's 13th National Winter Games, which were held in Xinjiang from Jan 20 to 30, provided a further boost with the surge in tourists around the time of the event.

As of late March, Xinjiang had welcomed 100,000 more tourists visiting in groups than it did the previous winter, representing a year-on-year increase of 123 percent.

January alone saw more than 92,000 tourists from overseas visiting Xinjiang, while 77,000 came in February and 105,000 in March.

Nevenka Girvan, a retired businesswoman from Australia who has traveled to Xinjiang in both summer and winter, said she enjoyed the colder months for the clean air, beautiful scenery and the interesting mix of winter activities such as riding in a horse-drawn sleigh, sledding and horse racing on ice.

The 65-year-old said she has found Xinjiang's winters to be quite mild, with plenty to keep her occupied.

To better exploit Xinjiang's potential as a major destination for winter trips and attract more tourists from both China and abroad, Gul Ablim said the autonomous region is working to draft preferential policies and speed up construction of travel facilities.

"Places suitable for winter trips in northern Xinjiang－such as in Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture, Altay prefecture and Changji Hui autonomous prefecture－are building ski resorts," she said.

_




Winter scene in Altay. HE ZHONG/CHINA DAILY_​
Contact the writers at zhaoxinying@chinadaily.com.cn

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## TaiShang

JSCh said:


> *89.6% of houses for villagers reconstructed in quake-hit Tibet*
> 2016-12-10 10:19 Xinhua
> 
> Over 16,000 people were affected by the quake which hit the county on April 25, 2015. More than 3,000 residential buildings were badly damaged. The local government has reconstructed 89.6% of houses for villagers so far. The rest will be finished by the end of the year. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Villagers pose for photo in front of their new house in Gyirong County of Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2016. ​



Good government/governance, happy citizens.

***

*Kazak people hold goat grabbing event in NW China's Xinjiang*

Source: Xinhua | 2016-12-25






People of the Kazak ethnic group participate in Buzkashi match during a local ice and snow festival in Hami prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Region, Dec. 24, 2016. Buzkashi, a traditional sports event meaning "goat grabbing", was listed as a state intangible cultural heritage in 2008. (Xinhua/Li Hanchi)























***

Quiz: Which agricultural product is Hami famous for? Tell me.

@ahojunk , @long_ , @AndrewJin , @oprih

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## ahojunk

TaiShang said:


> Quiz: Which agricultural product is Hami famous for? Tell me.
> 
> @ahojunk , @long_ , @AndrewJin , @oprih


Hami melon.

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## TaiShang

ahojunk said:


> Hami melon.





My favorite fruit in summer. Much cheaper in Mainland China than in Taiwan.

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## ahojunk

TaiShang said:


> My favorite fruit in summer. Much cheaper in Mainland China than in Taiwan.
> 
> View attachment 363425


We call it rockmelon in Aussieland.


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## TaiShang

*Urumqi airport sees record number of travelers *
Xinhua, December 29, 2016

In 2016, *20 million people traveled through the airport in Urumqi*, capital of China's Xinjiang Region, according to local airport authorities.

The Urumqi Diwobao International airport saw 10 million tourists in 2011, and has been growing by two million each year since, the airport said in a statement.

Currently, 33 Chinese and foreign airlines have operations at the Urumqi airport, which is connected to 100 cities in China and overseas.

Urumqi will become an international hub, connecting East Asia with Central Asia, Western Asia and Europe, the statement said.

By the end of 2020, *the number of tourists will reach 30 million*, it said.

***

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## TaiShang

*Tibet goes cashless *
Xinhua, December 29, 2016

While Tibet evokes images of ancient traditions for many tourists, out-of-towners are discovering they don't have to give up modern conveniences when they travel in the far western region.

A tourist from southeast China's Fujian Province was pleasantly surprised to be able to pay through Alipay at a fast food chain in downtown Lhasa.

*"I never thought I could enjoy the same convenience as in [eastern] cities," he said.*

The restaurant opened in March, and within a month, customers no longer had to pay in cash.

"Mobile payments have not only improved efficiency, but also save tourists a lot of time withdrawing money from the ATM," said the store's manager.

Li, a 44 year-old taxi driver, worked at a construction site in Lhasa before a friend suggested he register on ride-hailing platforms to earn some extra money.

"I tried it and found the market really promising," he said. "I can earn 120 yuan (about 17 U.S. dollars) a day, and my income can triple or even quadruple during peak seasons."

*Going cashless has become the new normal for Tibetans Chinese.*

Restaurants, souvenir shops, and movie theaters all provide online payment services. QR codes have become common on vendor booths selling Tibetan jewelry.

Figures from the Tibet communication administration bureau indicate the number of Internet users in Tibet had reached 1.639 million as of March.

An account statement from Alipay also showed that 83.3 percent of payments in Tibet were conducted via mobile phones in 2015, topping the country for four years in a row.

"This year's online transactions rose significantly compared to previous years," said Norbu, an employee at a People's Bank of China branch in Lhasa.

"Partly because more stores accept online payments, but more importantly, it shows a change in consumption and payment habits among the public in Tibet," he said.

As Jigme, a young Tibetan man, noted, "Paying online has become part of our lives."

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## TaiShang

*Gigantic Uygur meat pancake served in Xinjiang *
2016-12-23 






Cooks bake a giant nang of 3.65 meters in diameter during an cultural event in Qiemo county, Xinjiang Region on December 19, 2016. The Uygur traditional crusty pancake was made with 300 kilograms of flour, 200 kilograms of mutton and 60 kilograms of onions. (Photo: China News Service/Wang Xiaojun)






Cooks bake a giant nang of 3.65 meters in diameter during an cultural event in Qiemo county, Xinjiang Region on December 19, 2016. The Uygur traditional crusty pancake was made with 300 kilograms of flour, 200 kilograms of mutton and 60 kilograms of onions. (Photo: China News Service/Wang Xiaojun)

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## ahojunk

*Key state lab to research "Tibet's bread & butter"*
Source:Xinhua Published: 2016/12/31 10:31:56

Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has set up its first key state lab, bringing talent and funding to research barley and yaks on the plateau. 

The lab was co-constructed by the local Tibetan government along with the Ministry of Science and Technology, said Trinley Wangyel, director of the regional department of science and technology. 

Plateau barley and yaks are essential for Tibetan farmers and herders, he said.

*The lab will focus on exploring the genetics of barley and yaks, to create better seeds, improve husbandry, and increase grain and meat output*, he said. 

"A key state lab brings top level funding and policy favors. Accordingly, the regional government has to put in at least five million yuan (about 720,770 US dollars) every year to fund research," he said. 

Lab director Nigma Tashi, who also heads Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, said the lab will safeguard Tibet's grain. 

There are more than 70 researchers at the lab, and it is aiming to become a top lab in China for plateau barley and yaks in the next five years, Nigma added.

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## ahojunk

*Urbanization to unleash China's growth potential*
2017-01-03 10:14 | Xinhua | _Editor: Gu Liping_

China's urbanization drive will boost domestic consumption and investment in the future, analysts have said.

The country aims to add 100 million urban residents during 2016 to 2020, while enabling *100 million rural residents to live in towns and cities in central and western regions*.

Population concentration together with improvement in livelihoods will expand demands in consumer services, said Chi Fulin, director of the China Institute for Reform and Development.

It is estimated that if migrant workers spend as much as urban residents, the country's consumption will swell by over 1 trillion yuan.

Besides, every percentage of urbanization is predicted to translate into 3.7 percent investment growth. When 400 million people bid adieu to villages in the next 10 to 20 years, they will directly stimulate investment demands of 40 trillion yuan.

In 2015, permanent urban residents account for 56.1 percent of the country's population, a rate expected to be hit 60 percent by 2020.

Such urbanization promises opportunities for China's development, said Li Yang, academician with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

China's vast rural areas are huge markets for living environment improvement, garbage disposal and infrastructure upgrading, Li said.

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## ahojunk

*Night view of cherry blossoms after rain in SW China's Kunming*
(Xinhua) 13:18, January 07, 2017





People view cherry flowers at night on a street in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 6, 2017. Hundreds of blooming cherry trees became a beautiful night scenery after a light rain Friday. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou)






Cherry flowers are seen at night on a street in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 6, 2017. Hundreds of blooming cherry trees became a beautiful night scenery after a light rain Friday. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou)






Cherry flowers are seen at night on a street in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 6, 2017. Hundreds of blooming cherry trees became a beautiful night scenery after a light rain Friday. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou)


********

_I think the Cherry blossoms look more pretty during the day.
Kunming is a lovely city, now more accessible with the Shanghai-Kunming HSR._

.

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## ahojunk

_I managed to stumble on photos of Kunming cherry blossoms in the daytime._

========
*Scenery of winter cherry blossoms in China's Kunming*
(Xinhua) 17:57, January 09, 2017

While people in north China are celebrating a world of ice and snow, citizens in Kunming embrace sunshine and flowers.






People walk under winter cherry blossoms in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)






Photo taken on Jan. 9, 2017 shows winter cherry blossoms in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)






Cars run past winter cherry blossoms in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 9, 2017. While people in north China are celebrating a world of ice and snow, citizens in Kunming embrace sunshine and flowers. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)






People walk under winter cherry blossoms in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Lin Yiguang)

While people in north China are celebrating a world of ice and snow, citizens in Kunming embrace sunshine and flowers.

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## JSCh

* Xinjiang aims for 100,000 new textile jobs in 2017*
Source: Xinhua 2017-01-10 13:56:47

URUMQI, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a major cotton production base in northwest China, is aiming to create more than 100,000 new textile jobs in 2017, through intensive processing projects such as garment manufacturing.

Yin Xiaodong, an official in the region's textile industry, said Monday that the number would account for two-thirds of planned new jobs in the region's industrial sector in 2017, or a quarter of all new jobs.

A total of 112,300 workers were newly recruited in the textile sector in the region in 2016, which accounted for over 50 percent of new industrial employment in the region, Yin said.

According to figures released at the regional conference on economy and information technology last week, total investment in the textile sector reached nearly 65 billion yuan (9.39 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016. Annual cotton spinning capacity was 15 million spindles, up 150 percent year on year.

Yin estimated investment in the industry in the past three years exceeded 90 billion yuan, equivalent to the total from 1978 to 2013.

Xinjiang produces about 60 percent of China's raw cotton.

The State Council issued a guideline in June 2015, which supported the textile and garment industry in Xinjiang and hoped to increase local employment and boost exports.

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## JSCh

*Fridge is no novelty in Tibet, but how it is delivered is*
Source: Xinhua | 2017-01-13 14:30:01 | Editor: huaxia





Delivery men arrive at Medog. (Photo provided to Xinhua)​
For days, neighbors and friends have been visiting Lhagye's home -- just to have a look at his new refrigerator.

It is not the machine itself that draws the visitors, but how Lhagye has got it. The fridge was delivered to Lhagye's home in Medog, Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China from Chengdu, almost 4,000 km away in neighboring Sichuan Province.

Nobody in Medog had ever purchased a major appliance this way before.





Lhagye's brother shows the order of the fridge on his cellphone. (Photo provided to Xinhua)​
Early in December, *online shopper Lhagye was surprised to discover that Medog, China's last county to have a highway link, had been classified as "reachable" in e-commerce giant JD.com's logistics system.*

So he ordered a fridge for 699 yuan (101 U.S. dollars). Eleven days later, it arrived at his door.





Lhagye's brother receives the fridge. (Photo provided to Xinhua)​
"It's not like we've never seen a fridge before. It's just no one had ever sent anything this size to Medog, no matter how big the company," says Lhagye, who still finds it hard to believe.





Road that leads to Medog. (Photo provided to Xinhua)​
Medog is surrounded by high mountain ranges and did not have a permanent road access until 2013.

From Chengdu to Lhasa then to Medog, the fridge has traversed some of the world's most rugged terrains, including mountains higher than 5,000 meters above sea level and the most dangerous sections of the Sichuan-Tibet highway.





Delivery truck on its way to Medog. (Photo provided to Xinhua)​It took five drivers 11 days to complete the delivery.





Delivery truck on its way to Medog. (Photo provided to Xinhua)​
The county has three home appliance stores, but they have a limited range of supply and have no big brands. In addition, "the prices are almost 50 percent higher than those of the online stores," says Lhagye, an ethnic Moinba. "With JD's delivery, people in Medog are very excited. Many have asked me to help buy appliances online." Lhagye is a school teacher.

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## JSCh

Cont ->

Online shopping has become more popular in Tibet, thanks to the rapid development of the Internet and logistics.





Photo taken on Dec. 28, 2016 shows a delivery truck near Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak. (Xinhua/Wu Haoyi)​
"People are now buying clothes, accessories and other things online. It may take a while, but no longer than around 10 days," says Yang Li, owner of a hotel in Medog.

Promotions by e-commerce providers can also spark shopping frenzies in Tibet as elsewhere in China.





The Potala Palace in Lhasa (Xinhua/Wu Haoyi)​
"During the largest annual promotion this year, about 400 to 500 packages piled up in our outlet daily," says Zhang Qingjie, a JD delivery man who works for the Jokhang Temple area in Lhasa.

Tibet's booming delivery business has attracted other major service providers such as EMS. And now too, Tibetan products are carried to other parts of China and the world.

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## TaiShang

*China eyes stronger economy for western regions *
Xinhua, January 16, 2017

China has mapped out a plan to improve the economy, standard of living and environmental conditions to a "new level" in its western regions by 2020, the country's top economic planner said Monday.

The State Council has released the plan setting goals for the country's "go west" strategy for 2016-2020, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The government should complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in China's west by 2020, the NDRC cited the plan as saying.

Specific targets include sustained and healthy economic development, stronger innovation, more progress in industrial upgrading and infrastructure construction, as well as better environment and public services.

Major projects will be implemented to strengthen environmental protection, conserve energy and resources and improve disaster prevention and relief, according to the plan.

Efforts will also be made to reduce poverty and promote the opening up of regions along the Belt and Road.

The less-developed west presents difficulties for China's goals to eliminate poverty and achieve all-round moderate prosperity, but it also boasts huge potential for development, according to the NDRC.

China launched its "go west" strategy in 2000 to boost the economic development of 12 western provincial-level regions -- Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Guangxi and Qinghai.

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

From 2011 to 2015, China invested 2.7 trillion yuan (392 billion U.S. dollars) in 127 key projects in the west, according to the NDRC.

Altogether 12,000 km of railways and 215,000 km of highways were built in that period, while rural residents' access to safe drinking water and electricity was expanded.

During the period, the per capita disposable income of urban residents in western regions rose 10.5 percent annually on average, while the net income of rural residents grew 11.2 percent annually, outpacing the national growth by 0.2 percentage points and 1 percentage point respectively, according to the NDRC.

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## TaiShang

*Xinjiang to build 9 new airports in 2017*
Xinhua, January 17, 2017

Construction of nine new airports will start or be completed in 2017 in northwest China's Xinjiang Region, according to authorities Monday.

*"Two new airports in counties of Shache and Ruoqiang will be completed and put into operation, while the airports of Korla City and Hotan City will enter operation after expansion," said Zhang Chunlin, director of the region's reform and development commission.*

Zhang said that expansion or construction of the other five airports in the region would also begin in the year.

Preparatory work on a further seven new airports is also ongoing.

Xinjiang currently has 18 airports, the most of any province in China.

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## JSCh

*Western regions see highest GDP growth, Tibet leads with 11.5 percent*
By Li Yan (People's Daily Online) 17:16, January 20, 2017

An economic growth rate list of 26 provincial-level regions in China has been released. According to the list, Tibet Autonomous Region, Chongqing Municipality and Guizhou province, all in the western regions of the country, are the three best performers with 11.5, 10.7 and 10.5 percent growth rates respectively. The three regions also set GDP growth rate goals for 2017 of no less than 10 percent.

The list shows that the GDP growth rates in 23 provinces are higher than 6.7 percent, while Beijing and Shanghai stand right at 6.7 percent. Provinces in western regions are seeing relatively high growth rates and maintaining momentum as they catch up to their eastern counterparts. Yunnan province is also among the top 10.

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Sichuan province slightly raised their goals for GDP growth rate based on the 2016 figures, with Ningxia increasing from 7.5 to 8 percent and Sichuan from 7 to 7.5 percent; most provinces are either maintaining or lowering economic goals for 2017.

Economic data for Shandong, Hainan and Jiangsu provinces will not be announced until February.

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## ahojunk

*China to improve geological disaster prevention in Xinjiang*
(Xinhua) 14:20, January 28, 2017

China will invest 50 million yuan (7.3 million U.S. dollars) over the next three years to improve geological disaster prevention in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

This year, the region, in northwest China, will be the subject of a comprehensive geological survey in five counties including Yecheng, Uqar and Shache in its south and west, said Wei Wenhui, head of the regional geological environment monitoring institute.

Geological disaster prevention networks will be built in the five counties to avoid casualties and property losses, said Wei.

About 60 percent of the region's total land is prone to disasters. Last year, the region suffered 65 geological disasters, causing direct economic losses of 290 million yuan.

On July 6, 2016, a landslide in a village in Yecheng killed 35 people. The residents have since been relocated.


*******

_Good strategy to spend some money to protect its citizens._

.

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## ahojunk

*Tibetans prepare for festival at market in Xigaze*
2017-01-27 11:44 Xinhua Editor: Li Yan





A market vendor in Xigaze, Tibet, Jan. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun)





Jan. 25, 2017. Combo photo of snacks sold at a market in Xigaze, Tibet. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun)





Customers of copper ware at a market in Xigaze, Tibet, Jan. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun)





"Sheep head" used for sacrifice at a market in Xigaze, Tibet, Jan. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun)





Buying dishware at a market in Xigaze, Tibet, Jan. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun)

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## TaiShang

*Western regions see highest GDP growth, Tibet leads with 11.5 percent*

By Li Yan (People's Daily Online) 17:16, January 20, 2017

An economic growth rate list of 26 provincial-level regions in China has been released. *According to the list, Tibet Region, Chongqing Municipality and Guizhou province, all in the western regions of the country, are the three best performers with 11.5, 10.7 and 10.5 percent growth rates respectively.* The three regions also set GDP growth rate goals for 2017 of no less than 10 percent.

The list shows that the GDP growth rates in 23 provinces are higher than 6.7 percent, while Beijing and Shanghai stand right at 6.7 percent. Provinces in western regions are seeing relatively high growth rates and maintaining momentum as they catch up to their eastern counterparts. Yunnan province is also among the top 10.

Ningxia Region and Sichuan province slightly raised their goals for GDP growth rate based on the 2016 figures, with Ningxia increasing from 7.5 to 8 percent and Sichuan from 7 to 7.5 percent; most provinces are either maintaining or lowering economic goals for 2017.

Economic data for Shandong, Hainan and Jiangsu provinces will not be announced until February.

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## Cyberian

Quite impressive. How fast is Xinjiang growing, the province that borders Pakistan? Would love to see a lot more economic activity between Sino-Pak than the paltry trade that's happening currently.

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## ahojunk

*Beautiful scenery in Tibet*
(People's Daily Online) 10:22, February 24, 2017

Photos show the beautiful scenery of Tibet, including a rainbow in Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet Region, Namtso Lake and the starry sky of Ngari.





A beautiful scenery of Tibet, including a rainbow in Nyingchi Prefecture.





The starry sky of Ngari.





Namtso Lake





Namtso Lake

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## JSCh

*Lhasa grants ‘rare to have’ permanent residence cards to 118 foreigners*
(Global Times) 09:52, February 25, 2017



A foreigner shows his permanent residence card in Lhasa, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Feb.23, 2017. [Photo: chinatibetnews.com]

Over 100 foreign residents in Lhasa, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region were granted Chinese permanent residence, the world's hardest-to-get "green card."

According to Luo Jie, head of the division of exit-entry administration of Lhasa public security bureau, 118 foreigners who live in Lhasa obtained the permanent residence permits, the China News Service (CNS) reported on Wednesday.

A majority of foreign residents who live in Lhasa were born and raised here, but inherited their parents' nationality and live as relatives of local residents, Luo said.

These foreign residents face difficulties in entering and exiting China, renewing their papers, enjoying medical care, purchasing property, finding jobs and educating their children, the CNS said. The permanent residence permits will solve their problems.

Dawa, a Nepal national living in Lhasa, said that he was most concerned about medical insurance as he had to pay all the medical expenses himself, but now with the permanent residence permit, 80 percent of the expenses can be reimbursed.

Deng Jun, deputy head of the Lhasa public security bureau, said that a permanent residence permit shows our recognition of their identity, which has enhanced the relationship between China and other countries, said the report.

China's permanent residence permit is famous for being difficult to obtain and rare to have. The card, which has a validity of 10 years, can be used as a form of identification by foreigners in lieu of their passport for purposes such as buying a train ticket or booking a hotel room.

To qualify for a green card, a candidate has to either be a "high-level foreign expert helping with China's economic, scientific and technological development or social progress," make an outstanding contribution to the country, invest over $500,000 in China or have direct relatives who are Chinese nationals.

China began to allow permanent residence in 2004, but from 2008 to 2014, only 7,356 foreigners were granted permanent residence cards, based on recommendations from ministries or provincial governments. However, 1,576 foreigners gained Chinese permanent residence in 2016, an increase of 163 percent from the previous year.

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## ahojunk

*Spectacular views of Tibet's Pangong Lake*
(People's Daily Online) 17:11, February 24, 2017





Photo shows a stunning view of Pangong Lake in the Himalayas in Tibet. Two helicopters were sent to patrol the area in order to strengthen control of the border region, as many roads have been covered in snow all winter, Xinhuanet.com reported on Feb. 24. 





Photo shows a stunning view of Pangong Lake in the Himalayas in Tibet. Two helicopters were sent to patrol the area in order to strengthen control of the border region, as many roads have been covered in snow all winter, Xinhuanet.com reported on Feb. 24. 





Photo shows a stunning view of Pangong Lake in the Himalayas in Tibet. Two helicopters were sent to patrol the area in order to strengthen control of the border region, as many roads have been covered in snow all winter, Xinhuanet.com reported on Feb. 24. 





Photo shows a stunning view of Pangong Lake in the Himalayas in Tibet. Two helicopters were sent to patrol the area in order to strengthen control of the border region, as many roads have been covered in snow all winter, Xinhuanet.com reported on Feb. 24. 





Photo shows a stunning view of Pangong Lake in the Himalayas in Tibet. Two helicopters were sent to patrol the area in order to strengthen control of the border region, as many roads have been covered in snow all winter, Xinhuanet.com reported on Feb. 24. 





Photo shows a stunning view of Pangong Lake in the Himalayas in Tibet. Two helicopters were sent to patrol the area in order to strengthen control of the border region, as many roads have been covered in snow all winter, Xinhuanet.com reported on Feb. 24.

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## JSCh

* Tibet to build 42,000 affordable houses in 2017*
Source: Xinhua 2017-03-06 17:41:25

LHASA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- China's Tibet Autonomous Region will build 42,000 affordable houses this year to improve housing conditions of more than 100,000 people, local authorities said Monday.

Tibet will speed up reconstruction of urban shanty towns this year and expand renewal areas into key towns, border ports and old residential communities, said officials with the Housing and Urban and Rural Construction Department of Tibet.

Tibet has been rolling out affordable housing schemes since 2006 in an effort to provide homes to people unable to buy them at market prices.

The region completed construction of 210,000 such state-subsidized or public housing projects between 2011 and 2015.

Tibet has also invested a total of 28 billion yuan (about 4 billion U.S. dollars) in affordable housing projects for 2.3 million farmers and herdsmen since 2006.

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## AndrewJin

SUPARCO said:


> Quite impressive. How fast is Xinjiang growing, the province that borders Pakistan? Would love to see a lot more economic activity between Sino-Pak than the paltry trade that's happening currently.


Western China as a whole is a 2 trillion dollar (non-PPP GDP) economy growing at >7% annually. 

Xinjiang Autonomous Region achieved a growth rate of 7.6% in 2016.
Social consuming retail sales grew 8.4%.
Salary growth 8.3%
Tourists: 81 million (number*day), 24.3%
Total tourist spending: 140 billion yuan, 24.6%

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## TaiShang

*Tibet to open world's highest super-long tunnel*
By Palden Nyima and Daqiong in Lhasa | China Daily | Updated: 2017-03-07


The Mila Mount Tunnel on the Lhasa-Nyingchi Highway is expected to be opened in September, when it will become the world's highest super-long tunnel.

*The tunnel is located at the junction of Lhasa and Nyingchi in the Tibet autonomous region at an average altitude of 4,740 meters above sea level*, according to the Mila Mount Tunnel Project Headquarters.

As a key section of the Lhasa-Nyingchi Highway on the National Highway 318,* the two lanes of the tunnel are 5,727 meters and 5,720 meters long respectively*, according to the project headquarters.






*Construction of the tunnel started in April 2015, and the project is about 70 percent complete to date*, it said, adding that, hampered by the natural environment at high attitude, the construction process has encountered many obstacles.

"With a lack of oxygen and temperature lows of - 30 Celsius in winter, we require highly skilled workers," said Wang Liang, chief engineer of the project headquarters.

Wang said many workers suffered from attitude sickness during the tunnel's construction, and that much time and effort has been spent on recruiting qualified workers.

In order to overcome such difficulties, there are 15 oxygenators, an oxygen tank and five boilers on the project site, he added.

After it opens, traveling time between the cities of Lhasa and Nyingchi will be halved, Wang said.

"Driving from Lhasa to Nyingchi will take just three to four hours instead of about eight, and it will be much safer," Wang said.

"It will also have a positive impact on the social and economic development of these places, and it will make life much more convenient for local ethnic groups."

***
_
China speed._

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## JSCh

* Feature: Harsh life and bright horizons in China's highest township*
Source: Xinhua 2017-03-13 20:51:18

LHASA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- After just three years in Pumaqangtang, China's highest township, Kelzang Chola has already developed signs of aging -- severe memory deterioration, hair and weight loss.

As party secretary in a township where the average life expectancy is less than 50 years, the 35-year-old always feels a sense of crisis.

"I dare not slack off at work. I know if I slow down, someone might never have the chance to enjoy a better life," Kelzang Chola said.

*ROUGH CONDITIONS*

Altitudes above 5,000 meters are considered highly unsuitable for humans, with severe effects on health. Pumaqangtang in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at 5,373 meters above sea level, is one such place.

Residents must contend with strong winds, biting cold and lower oxygen levels. Most people die before getting old.

"Strong wind can knock down telephone poles and even blow away the front door of our police station. On one occasion, we experienced a week-long power blackout," said Chen Kemin, political instructor at a border police station in Pumaqangtang.

With an average temperature of minus seven degrees Celsius, washing machines can only operate if they are warmed up with hot water for more than half an hour. People have to cover up with at least two quilts even on summer nights.

The lack of oxygen is the most challenging thing. People's lips appear blue because the amount of oxygen in the air is around 40 percent of that at sea level.

"Burning consumes the scarce oxygen, so we would rather cover up with more quilts to keep warm at night than burn a stove in the room," said border soldier Zhu Xing.

"I can even get short of breath sitting still," Zhu added.

The highlands can turn any minor illness into a major health threat.

"It is hard to recover from a cough by simply taking pills," said Sonam Norbu, who was on an antibiotic drip at a local clinic. Sonam Norbu married a local woman and moved here from Xigaze, Tibet's second-largest city.

Phurbu Dondrup, 23, is also a newcomer. Last year, he became an accountant in the township government after graduating from Jilin University in northeast China's Jilin Province, around 5,000 kilometers away.

"How can you endure the hardships of such a place? You can find a good job anywhere in China," his friends asked him.

But Phurbu Dondrup has never regretted his choice.

"I think young people should taste bitterness and endure hardships. That way, they will appreciate the better times and feel calm in the face of adversity," he said.

*NEW LIFE AHEAD*

Statistics show that the population of Pumaqangtang increased from 883 in 2000 to 1,031 last year. The average life expectancy, though still low, has risen from 40 years to the current 49.5 years.

"A cadre must have a strong body to work in Pumaqangtang," said Tsering Norbu, party secretary of Nanggarze County.

So must the soldiers protecting the frontier.

A border police station was set up in Pumaqangtang in 2012 to guard the 25-km border with Bhutan. Soldiers have to patrol the glaciers at an altitude of up to 6,300 meters.

"It's like living at Mount Qomolangma base camp," said Chen.

To improve local living conditions, officials have built 37 heat-retaining sheepfolds, seven fodder storage units and 34 shelters for herders over the past three years.

Thanks to the government support, Pumaqangtang was among the first townships in Tibet to eradicate poverty. Its average annual income per capita reached 10,110 yuan (around 1,500 U.S. dollars) in 2016, more than double the figure (4,000 yuan) in 2012.

"Without government support, we would not have the life we have today," said Dawa Butri, a local herder.

Dawa Butri earns 3,000 yuan a year, while her husband, an auxiliary police officer, is paid about 10,000 yuan a year.

Together with annual subsidies of over 10,000 yuan from the local government and 4,000 yuan in extra income from making pulu, a traditional Tibetan wool textile, the family's annual income is nearly 30,000 yuan.

"Subsidies will increase again by 1,000 yuan this year," she said.

Local people like Dawa Butri know better days lie ahead.

The government has set up several plants to process dairy and beef products to help herders increase their income, and low-income families have been given free use of nine vegetable greenhouses to make extra money.

Additionally, all villagers will move from their old houses of mud and stone to reinforced steel and concrete dwellings when the weather warms up in May.

Twelve-year old Dampa Raje already has a vision for his hometown's future. In his painting, "Pumaqangtang in my heart," snowy mountains tower in the background while lazy cattle dot the green hills. Just outside their beautiful houses, winding asphalt leads them on the path to a new life.

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## TaiShang

*Rural tourism helps relieve poverty in China's central, western regions*
Sun Yang China Plus Updated: 2017-03-14 






Hua Quan, a deputy of the 5th annual session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC). [Photo: China Plus/Sun Yang]


Poverty alleviation has been one of the hot topics at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC). 

In China, most of the rural poor are concentrated in the western and central regions inhabited by ethnic minorities. 

But by developing tourism, local farmers in poverty-stricken areas have effectively improved their lives.

Wanggang Village in southwest China is a popular tourist destination in Guizhou Province. More than 70% of the residents are from the Bouyei ethnic group.

The villagers used to live on traditional agriculture by planting corn and rice on their barren fields, and most of the farming households lived below the poverty line.

Since 2007, the village has begun developing rural tourism focusing largely on culture. The landscapes, visual and performing arts and lifestyles of the Bouyei people attract thousands of tourists every year.

*Deputy Hua Quan, secretary of the village branch of the Communist Party of China, said the village's per capita income in 2016 reached 12,000 yuan, or 1,730 U.S. dollars, about 6 times higher than 10 years ago*.

Hua said tourism growth not only helps relieve poverty in the region, but also keeps Bouyei families united.

"Before 2007, half of the young people left the village to look for jobs in big cities like Guangzhou and Shanghai, leaving their children and parents at home. This has resulted in social contradictions. Following the development of rural tourism, young people returned to the village to run farms, businesses and breeding industry. The old problems were solved. It also tightened the bond of love between family members," said Hua.

By developing rural tourism, more money has flowed through these poverty-stricken regions in central and western China, increasing the number of jobs and bringing new ideas for development to those regions.

Statistics show that in 2015, more than 2.6 million people escaped poverty by developing tourism-related incomes. And the government is continuing its efforts to lift another 12 million people out of poverty by 2020 through developing rural tourism.

Li Jinzao, chief of the National Tourism Administration, told media during the NPC annual session that tourism will continue to be a pathway out of poverty for many.

"We are planning to lift 17% of the country's impoverished population out of poverty by developing tourism. The proportion is even higher in the regions with heavy tasks of poverty alleviation...We will step up efforts to reduce poverty through tourism. And to provinces that have been already lifted out of poverty, we will continue developing rural tourism to improve the quality of life for farmers," said Li.

The administration set its 13th Five-Year Plan to work with other agencies to provide support for 22,600 villages, including improving transportation, telecommunications, and sewage and garbage treatment facilities.

In addition, tourism experts will draft a workable design for developing rural tourism, as well as setting up monitoring centers to provide aid flexibly.

Yin Min, a professor of tourism management at Beijing International Studies University, said rural tourism has become a significant channel for reducing poverty. 

He suggested that the villages dig deeply into the rich connotation of rural culture and integrate rural tourism with culture tourism to ensure sustainable development.

"Rural tourism should emphasize agricultural civilization and rural culture, highlighting the characteristics of folk culture. The form of tourism should enable interaction between the tourists and the locals. It is not only for sightseeing. There should be more opportunities for visitors to participate in farm activities for a more enriching tourism experience," said Yin.

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## JSCh

*China to conduct 2nd scientific survey on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau*
(Xinhua) 08:21, March 27, 2017
​ 





Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (file photo)​ 

LHASA, March 26 -- The government of Tibet Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences have agreed to launch a large-scale survey of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, 40 years after the first was conducted.

Scientists will set out in June to investigate changes in resources, ecology and the environment on the plateau. Their findings will be used to provide scientific support for environmental protection and economic and social development in Tibet.

New technologies, including drones and satellites, will be employed to cover the whole area and capture more comprehensive and accurate scientific data.

The first investigation was conducted in the 1970s, involving over 50 subjects such as geology, geophysics, botany, zoology and agriculture.

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## Jlaw

JSCh said:


> *China to conduct 2nd scientific survey on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau*
> (Xinhua) 08:21, March 27, 2017
> ​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (file photo)​
> 
> LHASA, March 26 -- The government of Tibet Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences have agreed to launch a large-scale survey of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, 40 years after the first was conducted.
> 
> Scientists will set out in June to investigate changes in resources, ecology and the environment on the plateau. Their findings will be used to provide scientific support for environmental protection and economic and social development in Tibet.
> 
> New technologies, including drones and satellites, will be employed to cover the whole area and capture more comprehensive and accurate scientific data.
> 
> The first investigation was conducted in the 1970s, involving over 50 subjects such as geology, geophysics, botany, zoology and agriculture.


Maybe China is studying the feasibility of moving monsoon rain from India to China. @Kiss_of_the_Dragon


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## JSCh

* Xinjiang desert produces 1 mln seedlings for sand control*
Source: Xinhua 2017-03-28 21:34:01

URUMQI, March 28 (Xinhua) -- A botanic garden in a Xinjiang desert announced Tuesday that the number of seedlings it fostered for sand control has exceeded 1 million.

A new group of 100,000 sacsaoul and 10,000 nitraria plants -- bushes that anchor the sand with their roots -- will be transported to nearby oil fields and other sites.

They were planted in the Tazhong Desert Botanic Garden, which is located deep in the Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The Taklamakan Desert is known as the "sea of death" across China. In the Uygur language, its name means "go in and you won't come out."

In 2003, the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the botanic garden to study and foster desert plants.

"A desert's center is extremely short of water and fertile soil, and is confronted by moving dunes and sandstorms. Plants grown in such an extreme environment are more resistant to drought and alkaline," said Chang Qing, a senior engineer from the institute.

Over the past 14 years, the garden has produced over 1 million seedlings, which can cover 2,000 hectares of land, Chang said.

The garden's experience and techniques have also been shared with many countries including Libya, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mauritania.

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## JSCh

* Tibet develops new highland barley breed*
Source: Xinhua 2017-03-29 19:05:31

LHASA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have developed a new breed of highland barley that will boost the region's grain yield.

The average output of the new breed, "Dongqing No.18," can reach 5,550 kg per hectare, 10 percent higher than that of the common winter highland barley breed, according to the Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences on Wednesday.

The entire growing period for Dongqing No.18 lasts around 270 days.

"During the trial planting period, the breed yielded 8,250 kg per hectare," said Chimed Wangmo, a breeding expert with the academy. "The breed has strong cold-resistant and lodging-resistant capacity, which makes it an advanced new breed."

By the end of 2017, Tibet will grow 13,333 hectares of Dongqing No.18, said Nyima Tashi, head of the academy.

Dongqing No.18 mainly grows at an altitude below 3,700 meters in Lhasa, Qamdo Prefecture and Lhoka Prefecture, and is harvested before the end of July.

Highland barley grows 1,000 meters above sea level on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. People living in the regions of Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu rely heavily on the grain.

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## ahojunk

*Tibet "full of vigor" like never before: gov't chief*
(Xinhua) 08:53, March 28, 2017

_




The Qinghai-Tibet railway. (File photo)_​
LHASA, March 27 (Xinhua) -- A top government official of China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Monday said Tibet is "full of vigor" and its people are confident to be at par with others in the nation to achieve a "moderately prosperous society."

"I can proudly say that Tibet is full of vigor like never before. A hundred flowers are in bloom," said Qizhala, chairman of region government, using a Chinese expression to describe a liberal and prosperous time.

In a televised speech on the eve of Tibet's Serfs' Emancipation Day, Qizhala said the people of Tibet are commemorating this day to tell the dark history of the old Tibet and show the fundamental changes that have taken place in the socialist new Tibet.

Serfs' Emancipation Day was formally established on March 28 by the regional legislature in 2009 to mark the start of Tibetan democracy, which *ended the feudal serf system in 1959, freeing 1 million serfs, or 90 percent of the region's population at that time*.

Qizhala said Tibet has achieved new progress since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012. The economy has been growing rapidly with solidarity among ethnic groups, a well-protected environment, improved livelihoods, and society in peace and harmony, he said.

He said Tibet has *redoubled efforts to enhance ethnic solidarity, maintain peace and harmony in Buddhist monasteries and during religious rituals*, and *help more than 130,000 cast off poverty, 77,000 of whom were relocated from inhospitable areas*.

Statistics show Tibet's *economy grew by more than 10 percent and fixed assets investment shot up about 20 percent in 2016*, taking a leading place among provincial-level regions nationwide. Tibet also *topped the list of average disposable income growth* for urban and rural residents.

Qizhala urged all people in Tibet to work even harder to march toward Tibet's lasting peace and security and long-term development.

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## TaiShang

_Transformation, one step at a time._

**

*Tibetan communities embrace new funeral customs*
Xinhua, April 2, 2017

Rinchen, 40, works at a crematorium in a Tibetan community in northwest China.

For Tibetans, sky and water burials have traditionally been the most common funerary customs. Cremation has only been used in the modern age.

The Chabcha town funeral management house, where Rinchen and his wife work, was founded in 1982. It was one of the first crematoriums in Qinghai province, home to over 1.37 million ethnic Tibetan people.

*"It took a very long process of consulting high monks before establishing the crematorium. The site for the cremation house was chosen by the tenth Panchen Lama,"* said Duraga, deputy director of the civil affairs bureau of Gonghe County, which administers Chabcha Town. Chabcha is the seat of the government of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai.

*"In less developed Tibetan communities, such as herding areas, people still favor sky burials. But in the city, more Tibetan people now choose cremation,"* said Duraga.

There are four cremation houses at the crematorium.

"In the 1980s, only a few dozen people were cremated here each year," said Rinchen, whose father-in-law was the first person to run the crematorium.

Last year, 352 people were cremated there, and most of them were Tibetans from Qinghai, Gansu and northwest Sichuan.

Families usually put the ashes in bags made of white cloth and scatter them at sacred mountains and lakes.

"People scatter the ashes at sky burial sites at Qinghai Lake and the Yellow River, which flows through the county," said Rinchen.

"Before each cremation, families of the deceased invite monks from nearby monasteries, such as Khyamru Monastery, to give sermons and preside over the ceremonies," he said.

Rinchen and his wife Tsering make sure the lamps are always lit. Their family now lives at the crematorium.

"When I started living here, I often felt scared. Now I light lamps every day, touching the prayer wheels. It is a job to keep me busy," said Tsering.

"I use my hands to help the deceased finish their last step in the world. I feel it is the natural thing to do," she said.

About a few hundred miles to the southwest, Chindo County, in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, is an area where sky burials are more common. Most of the people in the county are herders.

Tashi, who performs sky burials, often has to get up early to prepare for the rituals.

*In sky burials, bodies are fed to vultures and other predatory birds. Buddhists believe in a cycle of rebirth and advocate kindness and charity. The spirit of the dead is believed to leave the body the moment a person dies and the dead should be fed to hungry vultures as a last token of charity.*

Tashi is a monk at Lab Monastery. He started performing sky burial rituals in 2011. The Serkhang sky burial site, located about 3,800 meters above sea level at the foot of a snow-capped mountain, receives over 30 bodies every year.

"A burial starts at four in the morning and lasts about seven hours. I make sure every detail is right for the ritual," he said.

However, sometimes sky burial rituals do not go so smoothly. Environmental drives to kill rats on grasslands have led to a decline in the number of vultures and eagles.

"Some people may still honor tradition, but others may want the modern methods of burial. The people will choose on their own," said Wang Fayu, director of social affairs office of the Qinghai Provincial Civil Affairs Department.

*A crematorium has been set up in every Tibetan autonomous county in Qinghai to provide diverse choices for the people, said Wang.*

"The living buddhas said in the end, humans return their bodies to nature. No matter which method chosen, it is to show respect to the deceased and give solace to the living," said Rinchen.

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## JSCh

*China to build observation station to protect Pamir Plateau *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-04-07 22:09:42_|_Editor: Tian Shaohui_

URUMQI, April 7 (Xinhua) -- China will build an observation station in Taxkorgan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China, to improve the ecology of Pamir Plateau.

Pamir Plateau was once a busy passage used by traders traveling along the ancient Silk Road.

The station will be used by researchers concerned with water resources, biodiversity, grassland productivity, climate change, and disaster warning and forecasting, said Lei Jiaqiang, director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Field observation could also help the local community improve agriculture and livestock production efficiency and support the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Lei said.

The Pamir Plateau Ecosystem Scientific Observation Station will be the tenth built by the institute in the country and will be run by the institute and the administration bureau of Taxkorgan Nature Reserve.

Situated in the west of the Pamir Plateau and some 300 kilometers from Kashgar City, Taxkorgan borders Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Lei said that the station would also facilitate scientific cooperation between China, its neighbors and international organizations.

The institute has built 15 field observational stations with countries in Central Asia.

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## JSCh

*Highway to heaven, and to China's most isolated county *
Source: Xinhua | 2017-04-17 11:26:33 | Editor: huaxia



An aerial view of the highway to Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

China's last isolated county was connected to the national road network when a highway to Medog County was built in Tibet in 2013.



An aerial view of a highway in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

The road with a total investment of 950 million yuan (about 155 million U.S. dollars) stretches through hidden paths in primeval forests, tunnels under snow-covered mountains and bridges over big rivers.



An aerial view of a highway in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

The road is accessible for eight to nine months per year, bar major natural disasters.



An aerial view of Medog County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Near China's border with India, Medog locates in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River and south of the Himalayas. Its name means the "secret lotus" in Tibetan. And as the name suggests, it is a beautiful place surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It used to be known as China's last and only county without a highway link.



A U-turn of the Yarlung Zangbo River in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

The county is quite different from other areas in Tibet in terms of both scenery and weather. Surrounded by mountains, it is humid and rich in resources.



Medog residents in a banana plantation in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Medog's breath-taking scene had attracted visitors around the world even before the road was built. Its hiking paths through mountains are famous among backpackers.



People have to trek on rugged paths to carry in and out goods in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

But reaching Medog used to be a dangerous journey. People had to climb over Galung La and Doxong La, two snow-capped mountains rising over 4,000 meters above sea level. During the journey, there were frequent accidents such as landslides and collapses.



Vehicles pass a waterfall on the highway to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Rugged mountain paths were once the only travel routes in Medog. Complicated geological conditions and frequent natural disasters had thwarted seven previous attempts to build a highway in the area since the 1960s.



Bridges to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Local people called the rugged way "monkeys' path," as only people who were light and flexible like monkeys could make their way out of the mountains.



People have to trek on rugged paths to carry in and out goods in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

A makeshift road dug along cliffs was built in 1994, but was only accessible between July and September, with frequent fatal traffic accidents.



An aerial view of the highway to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

The building of the new road was approved by the State Council, China's cabinet, in 2008. Work officially began in April 2009.



Medog children in a grocery store in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
​The opening of the Medog road has greatly lowered transportation costs and commodity prices. It has also brought in opportunities for the locals and helped in poverty relief.



A temple in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

In 2016, over 70,000 tourists visited Medog, double the amount before the road went into operation in 2013. Most local residents now go in for tourism and transportation businesses.

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## JSCh

* Xinjiang to invest 14.4 billion yuan on airport construction *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-04-17 16:23:09_|_Editor: Lu Hui_

URUMQI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Xinjiang plans to spend 14.4 billion yuan on the construction or expansion of 17 airports this year to enhance the region's role as a transport terminal linking China with Central Asia.

Fourteen are transport airports located in the cities of Urumqi, Kashgar, Aksu, Yining, Korla and Altay and some counties including Zhaosu, Yutian and Shache. The other three are general airports.

Shache Airport will be the first to be completed this year. It will be the 19th transport airport in Xinjiang.

Urumqi International Airport will add two runways and a new terminal building covering 450,000 square meters, with its passenger and cargo throughput rising to 48 million people and 550,000 tonnes respectively.

Ye Tao, senior engineer and deputy chief of the Planning and Development Department of the Xinjiang Airport Group said the infrastructure construction would facilitate the local economy and make air travel more convenient.

Xinjiang currently has 18 transport airports in use, the highest of China's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. By 2025, the number will rise to 33.

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## JSCh

* Xinjiang's medical industry becomes promising part of Belt and Road Initiative *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-04-21 18:42:04_|_Editor: An_







Patients from Kazakhstan chat with medical staff at a hospital in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2017. Xinjiang's medical industry has become a promising part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a grand trade and infrastructure plan proposed by China in 2013. In 2016, major hospitals in Urumqi treated 8,645 foreign patients, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent. Now five hospitals in Xinjiang opened their international departments, and they plan to add at least 500 beds for foreign patients in the following years. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) 






A nurse interacts with a child and mother from Uzbekistan at a hospital in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2017. The child was born in the hospital. Xinjiang's medical industry has become a promising part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a grand trade and infrastructure plan proposed by China in 2013. In 2016, major hospitals in Urumqi treated 8,645 foreign patients, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent. Now five hospitals in Xinjiang opened their international departments, and they plan to add at least 500 beds for foreign patients in the following years. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) 






A patient from Kazakhstan receives massage after surgery at a hospital in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2017. Xinjiang's medical industry has become a promising part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a grand trade and infrastructure plan proposed by China in 2013. In 2016, major hospitals in Urumqi treated 8,645 foreign patients, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent. Now five hospitals in Xinjiang opened their international departments, and they plan to add at least 500 beds for foreign patients in the following years. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) 






A patient from Turkmenistan sees a doctor at a hospital in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2017. Xinjiang's medical industry has become a promising part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a grand trade and infrastructure plan proposed by China in 2013. In 2016, major hospitals in Urumqi treated 8,645 foreign patients, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent. Now five hospitals in Xinjiang opened their international departments, and they plan to add at least 500 beds for foreign patients in the following years. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) 






A doctor provides remote consultations at a hospital in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 17, 2017. Xinjiang's medical industry has become a promising part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a grand trade and infrastructure plan proposed by China in 2013. In 2016, major hospitals in Urumqi treated 8,645 foreign patients, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent. Now five hospitals in Xinjiang opened their international departments, and they plan to add at least 500 beds for foreign patients in the following years. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

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## Kiss_of_the_Dragon

JSCh said:


> *Highway to heaven, and to China's most isolated county *
> Source: Xinhua | 2017-04-17 11:26:33 | Editor: huaxia
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of the highway to Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> China's last isolated county was connected to the national road network when a highway to Medog County was built in Tibet in 2013.
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of a highway in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> The road with a total investment of 950 million yuan (about 155 million U.S. dollars) stretches through hidden paths in primeval forests, tunnels under snow-covered mountains and bridges over big rivers.
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of a highway in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> The road is accessible for eight to nine months per year, bar major natural disasters.
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of Medog County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> Near China's border with India, Medog locates in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River and south of the Himalayas. Its name means the "secret lotus" in Tibetan. And as the name suggests, it is a beautiful place surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It used to be known as China's last and only county without a highway link.
> 
> 
> 
> A U-turn of the Yarlung Zangbo River in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> The county is quite different from other areas in Tibet in terms of both scenery and weather. Surrounded by mountains, it is humid and rich in resources.
> 
> 
> 
> Medog residents in a banana plantation in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> Medog's breath-taking scene had attracted visitors around the world even before the road was built. Its hiking paths through mountains are famous among backpackers.
> 
> 
> 
> People have to trek on rugged paths to carry in and out goods in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> But reaching Medog used to be a dangerous journey. People had to climb over Galung La and Doxong La, two snow-capped mountains rising over 4,000 meters above sea level. During the journey, there were frequent accidents such as landslides and collapses.
> 
> 
> 
> Vehicles pass a waterfall on the highway to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> Rugged mountain paths were once the only travel routes in Medog. Complicated geological conditions and frequent natural disasters had thwarted seven previous attempts to build a highway in the area since the 1960s.
> 
> 
> 
> Bridges to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> Local people called the rugged way "monkeys' path," as only people who were light and flexible like monkeys could make their way out of the mountains.
> 
> 
> 
> People have to trek on rugged paths to carry in and out goods in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> A makeshift road dug along cliffs was built in 1994, but was only accessible between July and September, with frequent fatal traffic accidents.
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of the highway to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> The building of the new road was approved by the State Council, China's cabinet, in 2008. Work officially began in April 2009.
> 
> 
> 
> Medog children in a grocery store in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> ​The opening of the Medog road has greatly lowered transportation costs and commodity prices. It has also brought in opportunities for the locals and helped in poverty relief.
> 
> 
> 
> A temple in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> In 2016, over 70,000 tourists visited Medog, double the amount before the road went into operation in 2013. Most local residents now go in for tourism and transportation businesses.



I think China should do better for these remote region, let our people to cross artisan bridge and walk across unsafe passage is unacceptable, we claim to have high civil engineering and we do nothing for these people...


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## JSCh

Kiss_of_the_Dragon said:


> I think China should do better for these remote region, let our people to cross artisan bridge and walk across unsafe passage is unacceptable, we claim to have high civil engineering and we do nothing for these people...


FYI, those are photo taken in 2004.

Medog has especially difficult terrain and weather. The article said 

"Complicated geological conditions and frequent natural disasters had thwarted seven previous attempts to build a highway in the area since the 1960s."

"China's last isolated county was connected to the national road network when a highway to Medog County was built in Tibet in 2013."

Actually Medog was mentioned in Chinese media and forum quite often because of its being the last unconnected county for quite some year. You can find details of the attempt and difficulty in engineering involved if you search Chinese media.

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## JSCh

*Boy's determination to buy new football touches hearts*
By Ma Chi | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-05-15 15:02




A photo shows 8-year-old Abdehailk giving a wad of 1 yuan notes to his teacher to buy him a football. [Photo/Weibo.com]

A Xinjiang boy's love for soccer has touched the hearts of many people, the Beijing Youth Daily reports.

Sports teacher Abdenabijan put a post on social network WeChat on May 12 about a young student who presented him with a stack of 1 yuan notes and asked him to buy a new football.

The teacher at Er'cun Primary School in BoxErik township in Yecheng county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the grade two student had saved up for several months.

One of the pictures shows 8-year-old Abdehailk grinning with a wad of wrinkled money in his hand.

"I am so moved. I hope to see more kids who love soccer," the teacher posted on his WeChat account.

The story was shared by many web users and became a hot topic on Weibo, China's Twitter-like service. A post about the boy's efforts, published by China Soccer Report on Weibo received nearly 50,000 likes and about 3,000 comments, with a lot of people expressing their willingness to help the boy.



A stack of small notes saved by the boy over several months. [Photo/Weibo.com]

Abdenabijan said the boy asked him several months ago how much it cost to buy a new football. Not taking it seriously at the time, he told him it cost 30 to 40 yuan and promised to help the boy buy one if he had enough money.

The teacher thought nothing more about the conversation until the boy came back to him recently with 39 yuan.

"When he gave the money to me, he was so happy. It seemed like a dream had come true".

"This has touched me deeply because I realized I have underestimated the kids' enthusiasm for football."

Abdnabijan said he founded a school football team four years ago, but due to his heavy workload running multiple courses including Chinese, science and physical education, the training became less and less frequent and the football team was put aside.

According to Abdnabijan, the school has 480 students and only 23 teachers.



Teacher Abdenabijan with his enthusiastic student Abdehailk. [Photo/Weibo.com]

As the first PE teacher at the school, Abdnabijan said not having a decent football ground and jerseys and boots were major difficulties.

Abdnabijan used some of his salary to buy make-shift jerseys for the students and turned an open space into a pitch. Although the field was bumpy, he said "the kids love playing soccer and they enjoy each PE class so much that they never want to be dismissed."

The boy's story touched many people on the web.

Among them was Dong Lu, a well-known soccer commentator. Dong managed to contact the teacher, promising to buy soccer gear for the students and help set up soccer teams in the other schools in the township. He also proposed to film a documentary about soccer-loving kids in the southern part of Xinjiang.

"I myself have a special affection for soccer. After seeing the wrinkled money the boy handed to his teacher, I decided to help them."

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## beijingwalker

What the hell is this in Tibet!? The huge crowds can easily turn to stampede and people may die from this. Why there are no police present to maintain the order and keep people safe.

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## beijingwalker

I am just curious of what they are doing in this video, why the crowds get so agitated and to some point it's coming to the brink of losing control. Any one knows?


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## Wolfwind

Yes that looked dangerous. It needs to be formalised with barricades, security, and police. The monks should have a designated path leading to their destination, and onlookers / photographers should be behind the barricades. There should be an entry fee as well to reduce the crowds, there was just too many people.


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## +4vsgorillas-Apebane

They had it well in hand. It looked like people were trying to touch the object of the parade.

At 2.30 mark the shot of the bridge was very grand.


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## beijingwalker

This western report is ridiculous, Xinjiang is very safe in recent years, how can a place's tourism be thriving if it was being attacked repeatedly? what a nonsense!


Tourism thrives in Xinjiang despited repeated attacks and ethnic clashes

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## Echo_419

beijingwalker said:


> What the hell is this in Tibet!? The huge crowds can easily turn to stampede and people may die from this. Why there are no police present to maintain the order and keep people safe.



I thought you were gonna bad mouth some country


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## AndrewJin

This is in Gansu Province, Northwest China.

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## Beast

Western loves to fabricate news to make them better becos reality is hard for them to accept as western world is declining.

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## JSCh

* All aboard: Urumqi's first subway line nears completion *
 CGTN
Published on Jun 13, 2017

The first subway line in the capital of China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is nearing completion. Testing on Urumqi's Line 1 is expected to take place before the end of the year. Construction of the subway began in 2014. Once finished, the line will stretch 27 kilometers and serve 21 stations.

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## TaiShang

*Tibet attracts unprecedented investment from central SOEs*
Xinhua, June 14, 2017

Southwest China's Tibet Province is set to see a record influx of investment from central state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as *the region has signed cooperation agreements with 36 central SOEs for 347 projects.*

The agreements, inked Tuesday at a meeting on strategic cooperation in Lhasa, the regional capital,* cover energy, transport and industrial sector*s among others. They will play an active role in developing industries, improving the livelihoods of locals and helping Tibet realize a moderately prosperous society by 2020 together with the whole nation, said the regional government.

The new projects marked unprecedented investment from central SOEs in the region with high-level and broader cooperation between Tibet and central SOEs, it added.

*The participating SOEs include State Grid, China Baowu Steel Group, and China Power Construction Corporation.*

Xiao Yaqing, head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), said the commission and central SOEs will boost green development and contribute to poverty reduction in the region as part of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020).

Central SOEs must put environmental protection first, abide by national and local environmental laws, and strictly control highly polluting facilities, he said at the meeting.

http://www.china.org.cn/business/2017-06/14/content_41027582.htm

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## AndrewJin

JSCh said:


> * All aboard: Urumqi's first subway line nears completion *
> CGTN
> Published on Jun 13, 2017
> 
> The first subway line in the capital of China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is nearing completion. Testing on Urumqi's Line 1 is expected to take place before the end of the year. Construction of the subway began in 2014. Once finished, the line will stretch 27 kilometers and serve 21 stations.


Awesome news!

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## JSCh

* China Focus: Scientists begin major expedition in Tibet in 40 years *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-06-17 22:04:20_|_Editor: MJ_







LHASA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday began its second scientific expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to study changes in climate, biodiversity and environment over the past decades.

The last expedition of similar scale was conducted in the 1970s.

This time, the expedition will last five to 10 years and the first stop will be Serling Tso, a 2,391-square-kilometer lake that was confirmed to have replaced the Buddhist holy lake Namtso as Tibet's largest in 2014.

In the coming month, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) will take more than 100 scientists to the lake area and the origin of the Yangtze, China's longest river. They will be divided into four groups and make a comprehensive survey of the plateau glaciers, climate change, biodiversity and ecological changes, said Yao Tandong, an academician with the CAS.

"Great changes have taken place in the plateau's resources and environment since the first scientific expedition," said Yao, director of the CAS Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Research. "We need further research to find out ways to cope with these changes."

China's first comprehensive scientific expedition to the Tibet plateau began in the 1970s and covered more than 50 disciplines including geologic structure, prehistoric life, geophysics, climate, zoology and botany.

"The scientists reported major discoveries and filled many gaps in plateau research," said Yao.

The new round of research, he said, will focus on changes.

Zhu Liping, a CAS researcher leading the lake observation team, said the surface of Serling Tso Lake, for example, had expanded 40 percent between 1976 and 2009.

Since 1990, water in the plateau's 1,000 lakes has increased by 100 billion cubic meters.

"The volume is equal to three times the water in Three Gorges Dam," Zhu said. Study will measure the impact on the ecology and its potential link to flooding and drought in the low-lying eastern monsoon region.

Zhu said data will be collected by scientists using automatic boats for the first time and a topographic map will be drawn.

"The plateau climate is becoming warmer and more humid," said Xu Baiqing, who leads another team to the glaciers.

The team will drill ice cores at three major plateau glacier groups. Buried in the cold interiors of glaciers, ice cores contain well-preserved and detailed records of climate change in a century.

The impact of climatic changes would be assessed and proposals for conservation and rational development of resources formulated.

On the archaeological front, scientists will look for evidence that can prove an earlier archaeological discovery of a Paleolithic ruins in the Serling Tso suggesting that humans might have been lived on this part of the world since some 30,000 years ago.

Archaeologists will try to answer why humans came to this plateau, where did they come from, and how did they adapt to high altitude living, according to team leader Deng Tao, deputy director of Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, under CAS.

A fourth team will research the biological diversity on the plateau and draw up a habitat map for preservation and tourism purposes.

A national park might be set up in Serling Tso.

The expedition will also take scientists to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and a pass linking to south Asia.

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## JSCh

*Shanghai expertise brings hope to Tibetan city*
By Ke Jiayun | 00:01 UTC+8 June 19, 2017 




SHIGATSE, the second-largest city in Tibet, is a long way from Shanghai, both in distance, wealth and culture. But there is a bond between the two cities that has endured and grown stronger for more than two decades.

Shanghai has been paired with Shigatse as part of a national assistance program, delivering experienced government officials, expertise and humanitarian aid from a rich city to a poorer backwater. Yesterday marked the eighth group’s anniversary.

Fifty-five program participants, including teachers and doctors, will be returning to Shanghai next month, with some new one-year team members taking over. A further 54 staff, mostly administrative, will stay on for two more years.

Most of the Shanghai participants in the program are men aged 25 to 55.

Wu Xing is one of 23 medical team members dispatched to Shigatse People’s Hospital last year. The neurosurgeon from Huashan Hospital will be returning home with 18 other medical staff. He said he had operated on more than 70 patients during his time in Tibet. Forty of the operations were complicated surgeries.

He recalled his first days in Tibet. “We were told to relax in the first week for adjusting to the high altitude,” he said. “However, on the sixth day there, a patient suffered a serious brain hemorrhage was sent to the hospital and I was called in.”

Wu’s first patient was a Tibetan man in 50s, who had a history of high pressure – a common affliction on the high plateau. When Wu arrived, his patient was bleeding in his brain. Emergency surgery was required. The operation was successful. “The longest surgery I ever had in Tibet was about 21 hours,” Wu told Shanghai Daily, referring to a brain tumor case. “It was truly hard work, and sometimes I had to rest awhile for oxygen inhale before continuing.”

In the past, without the help of the outside specialists, Tibetans could expect treatment only for surgeries outside the brain. But now, with the medical expertise and equipment Shanghai specialists took to Shigatse, brain operations and even deep locations are possible.

Since Wu and his team arrived, the death rate of neurosurgical patients at the Shigatse hospital has dropped by nearly a half.

“People used to give up when learning they had serious brain problems,” Wu said. “They had no hope. We have to give them that hope.”

Shanghai’s medical expertise obviously addresses a serious gap in the lives of Shigatse area residents. An equally important contribution is in educational development.

Fu Xin, vice principal of the High School Attached to Shanghai Normal University, has headed up the Shanghai Experimental School in Shigatse. He and a team of 39 members have turned the school into one of the best educational facilities in Tibet. It is the only school in the autonomous region that offers elementary to high school education under one roof.

Fu’s team introduced innovations like online classes, academic evaluation and a comprehensive database.

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## TaiShang

*NW China province pilots 100% green power supply*
By Ma Chi | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-06-19 






Longyangxia Hydropower Station in Gonghe county, Qinghai province. [Photo/VCG]

As part of the country's efforts to develop in a low-carbon manner, Northwest China's Qinghai province has launched *a week-long pilot program in which all electricity would be powered by clean energy.*

Qinghai is located in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Rich in renewable energy resources, the province produces 82.8 percent of its electricity through sustainable sources, said the State Grid Qinghai Electricity Power Co at a news conference on Sunday.

During the pilot project from June 17 to 23, 175 million kWh of electricity will be produced every day across the province, with 78.3 percent of it generated by water power and 21.7 percent by other renewable sources.

Han Ti, deputy general manager of the company, said a similar project was carried out in 2016 in Portugal, a country with a similar power consumption and energy mix as Qinghai.

*Compared with the Portugal project which lasted for 107 hours, the Qinghai pilot program will be of longer duration, and boast a larger share of solar power, he said.*

The pilot project is expected to set an example for the development of clean energy in China, he said.

Statistics show China's CO2 emission per unit of GDP dropped by 26.2 percent from 2011 to 2016. And the country pledged to cut emission intensity down to 60-65 percent lower than 2005 by 2030, according to the Paris Agreement.

It also aims to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy mix from 12 percent in 2015 to 20 percent by 2030.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-06/19/content_29797789.htm


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## JSCh

* Workers Build Super High Voltage Tower on Top of Tibetan Mountain *
CCTV+
Published on Jul 9, 2017

A team of electrical workers are building a super high-voltage tower on a peak of the Dongda Mountains in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

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## JSCh

*A time-lapse video shows how the world’s highest power transmission project rolls out *
People's Daily, China
Published on Jul 10, 2017

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## JSCh

* Geothermal fields found on Pamir Plateau *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-07-24 16:31:53_|_Editor: Liangyu_





URUMQI, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Two geothermal fields have been identified on the Pamir Plateau in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, after an eight-year survey.

One field at Quman village in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, covers eight square kilometers, said Wang Hong, deputy chief engineer of the regional department of land and resources.

"Analysis of geological structure, temperature and pressure show that the Quman field can promise stable yields for more than 100 years," Wang said.

Geothermal resources are generally used for heating water and greenhouses, for generating electricity and in health spas.

Another field covering seven square kilometers of low-temperature geothermal resources was also found in the county, suitable for hot spring therapy and leisure pursuits.

Tashkurgan on the Pamir Plateau endures long, harsh winters. The local government usually imports coal from Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, and Aksu Prefecture at high cost. Winter heating has always been a heavy burden for residents.

In 2010 Xinjiang began to explore geothermal resources in Tashkurgan, spending 48 million yuan (7 million U.S. dollar) on the search.

The department estimates that the Quman field could provide heating for 12,000 residents, reducing heating costs 30 million yuan each year.

Hot springs in the low-temperature field could become a profitable tourist resort, creating jobs for residents and opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang finds new medical approaches*
By China Daily | China Daily | Updated: 2017-07-25 07:18 

*




*​Liu Weihua, an eye doctor from Beijing Tongren Hospital, checks a resident of Hotan, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, earlier this month.[Xu Zhuzhu/For China Daily]
*
Support from outside giving way to better training within the region itself
*
Patients diagnosed in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region with a dangerous type of gallstone once had to travel to the capital, Urumqi, or even to another province, for treatment because of a shortage of specialists.

The costs involved meant that many sufferers simply soldiered on with a condition that, if left untreated, could result in a deadly infection.

Yet that all changed in 2015 when Uygur surgeon Memeturson Barat returned from a yearlong training program in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, which was organized as part of a central government effort to cultivate medical resources in Xinjiang.

"When medical treatment is available on your doorstep, it saves people so much trouble and tons of money," said Barat, 32, who now specializes in digestive medicine at No 1 People's Hospital in the border city of Kashgar.

A number of patients in the northwestern region with serious conditions have seen similar changes in recent years, according to Wang Junhua, deputy director of the training center at Xinjiang Women and Children's Hospital.

"In remote parts of the region, the mortality rate for women during childbirth is higher than in cities because of the lack of medical staff and expertise. Most of the deaths are preventable," she said.

People can get surgeries like esophageal foreign body extraction and EMR (a procedure to remove polyps in the digestive tract) from local doctors in Kashgar after more emphasis was placed on coaching local medical professionals through the Xinjiang health assistance program.

According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, more than 10,000 professionals have received training through the program, which has paired hospitals in the region with those in major cities since 2012.

Over the period, some 3,300 medical trainers from other provinces have been sent to Xinjiang, and around 590 local professionals have studied outside the region.

The medical assistance program for Xinjiang kicked off more than two decades ago. Nearly 50,000 medical experts from around China have been sent to the region, but the lack of capable doctors and medical expertise is still one of the factors holding back Xinjiang's health and medical progress, because when the experts leave conditions slide back to their original levels.

In 2011, the central government brought a new assistance program to Xinjiang. It requires 19 provinces, municipalities and ministries to support Xinjiang's development in different fields. In the health sector, more emphasis has been put on cultivating a medical corps that will stay long-term.

For instance, Jiangsu province paired one of its medical experts with three Xinjiang doctors and incorporated their performance into their annual assessments. Fujian province has sent 100 medical experts to Xinjiang every year, and it receives 100 doctors from the region to study and work in Fujian, according to the Xinjiang Health and Family Planning Commission.

In addition to training opportunities, Xinjiang has also crafted preferential policies to boost the development of local medical professionals, including making it easier for local doctors to earn qualifications and get promotions, and exempting medical students from tuition fees if they serve in certain places in Xinjiang, according to the national health commission.

"We have been innovating the talent training mechanism - changing from getting blood transfusions to forming blood on our own," Yin Yulin, deputy director of the Xinjiang commission, said of the new effort at a work conference on July 13.

Li Xinwei, head of the South Xinjiang workstation of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said: "We have been talking about assistance for Xinjiang for many years, but I prefer the concept of building up Xinjiang. We should put more emphasis on training our own medical professionals and standing on our own."

Li Lei contributed to this story.

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## JSCh

* Hundreds of thousands freed from poverty in Tibet in 2016 *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-08-15 15:59:49_|_Editor: Mengjie_





LHASA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Some 150,000 rural residents in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region escaped poverty last year, according to the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Office.

"The autonomous region has invested 4 billion yuan (around 600 million U.S. dollars) to promote industries with local features in poor areas, and relocated 77,000 poor people last year," said Lu Huadong, deputy director with the office.

Statistics showed that Tibet had around 590,000 rural poor by the end of 2015. It plans to help at least 130,000 rural people cast off poverty and relocate 163,000 residents in 2017.

"This year is a key period for Tibet's war against poverty. We will continue mapping out policies and plans in accordance with varying situations and causes of poverty and increasing funds," said Lu.

In China, there were still 43 million people in rural areas living in poverty at the end of 2016. The country aims to help all of them out of poverty by 2020.

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## TaiShang

*Alibaba to establish regional headquarters in NW China*
Xinhua, August 20, 2017
China's e-commerce giant Alibaba will set up a northwest headquarters in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, to better support the development of western China and the Belt and Road Initiative.

The decision was announced by Ma Yun, Alibaba's chairman, during the World Xi'an Entrepreneurs Convention on Saturday, according to a press release given by Alibaba.

It cited Ma as saying that Xi'an is an important city in northwest China and the starting point of ancient Silk Road. Alibaba looks forward to be involved in the city's development.

Cainiao Network Technology, Alibaba's courier aggregator, will increase its investment in Xi'an to boost economic restructuring and transformation of northwestern areas, the press release said.

Aliyun, Alibaba's cloud computing subsidiary, and Xi'an Jiaotong University will establish a big data college to train talent, it said.

On Thursday, Alibaba said that its net profit jumped 96 percent to more than 14 billion yuan (2.1 billion U.S. dollars) year on year in the first fiscal quarter ending June. The group's revenue was about 50 billion yuan in the quarter, up 56 percent year on year.


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## JSCh

*OBOR attracts capital, logistics enterprises to west China*
Xinhua Finance in BEIJING
2017-08-24 11:36




With the deep implementation of the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, the Chinese western regions have started to attract more capital.

In this backdrop, the first World Xi’an Entrepreneurs Convention was held in Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, from August 19 to August 20. More than a thousand foreign and domestic representatives from 24 different destinations attended the convention. They came from various sectors, including logistics, financial investment, aviation and aerospace, equipment manufacturing and e-commerce.

China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba will set up a northwest headquarters in Xi’an, announced Jack Ma, Alibaba’s chairman, during the convention. Besides, Alibaba will build a Big Data Academy with Xi’an Jiaotong University to cultivate high-end talents for the B&R.

Jack Ma said that Xi’an has witnessed rapid growth in recent years. As the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and one of the key cities of the national strategy of developing China’s western regions, Xi’an boasts great development potential. It is exciting for Alibaba to participate in the city’s development.

The western cities are becoming increasingly attractive for many enterprises. Zeng Zhaoning, a professor from Xi’an Shiyou University, said that the B&R Initiative is propelling the inland cities to adopt a more “aggressive” opening-up stance. “In the past, the western cities of China have been geographically challenged compared with the eastern ones. However, their latent potential has been brought to the fore as they continue to carry out infrastructure construction and make efforts to optimize business environment,” noted Zeng.

Some logistics companies have also discovered the potential of western cities. Guan Mengding, vice president of AWOT Group, said that we have branches across all the coastal cities of China. Through taking part in the convention, I have discovered the great potential of the western cities in international logistics. Our next step is to focus on the western cities like Xi’an and Yinchuan to expand our international logistics business.

At the conference, STO Express, one of the leading logistics enterprises in China, announced an investment of 1.5 billion yuan in building a Northwestern Transfer Center in Xi’an. Chen Dejun, chairman of the STO Express, noted that in terms of regional position, transferring the investment from the southeastern coastal areas to the west is a strategic move. The infrastructure in western regions is improving. At the same time, the investment costs are lower.

Except for infrastructure construction, land, air and maritime logistical capacities of the western cities are greatly improving. In addition, comprehensive bonded zones and free trade areas have been set up, which will facilitate the companies in expanding their international trade businesses in the inland cities.

Foreign enterprises are also interested in the business opportunities in the western cities of China.

Yu Xinqi, president of Thailand’s Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce, said that with the implementation of China’s B&R Initiative, Thai people are enthusiastic about investing in western China. “Every year, I usually organize three to four investment tours to Xi’an, with dozens of companies and investors each time. There are more Thai companies hoping to join the tour and explore investment opportunities in Xi’an,” he said.

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## JSCh

* China Focus: Blue-sky thinking drives Tibet's organic industries *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-08-24 13:28:52_|_Editor: Yang Yi_





LHASA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- "While one kilogram of ordinary peaches only sells for about 30 yuan (4.5 U.S.dollars), the peaches here might make 100 yuan each," village official Sonam Yangkyi tells surprised visitors to Lhasa's Pure Land Industry demonstration zone.

The reason for such a high price for the winter peach is simply that Tibet Autonomous Region's high altitude and clean environment mean the peach is tastier and better than its competitors.

The winter peach is just one of the many varieties of fruit and other Pure Land Industry produce with premium quality and unique properties thanks to the pure water, soil and air there.

Lhasa began the Pure Land project in 2013. It includes maca, a root vegetable native to the South American Andes; snow chrysanthemum, used mainly for tea; grapes, roses, other organic produce, ingredients for Tibetan medicine, organic meat and dairy products.

In less than four years, 89 enterprises have got involved, with their output reaching 3.7 billion yuan.

Growing demand for organic products and Tibetan medicine has led to the Lhasa project being replicated in other areas.

Chamdo, a city in eastern Tibet, came up with the Blue Sky and Purity Industry this year, breeding Tibet chicken, pigs and growing medicinal plants.

Blue skies, pure snow mountain, along with clean air and water are the hallmarks of Tibet and the main engines for Tibet's sustainable growth.

Lhasa's Pure Land and Chamdo's Blue Sky have created jobs and raised the living standards of farmers.

The Pure Land demonstration zone in Quxu County has created 127,500 jobs while increasing per capita income by about 6,000 yuan last year.

The development of green industry has actually improved the environment instead of ruining it. Quxu has banned fertilizers and pesticides to protect the soil and guarantee that products meet organic standards. In Damxung County sustainable animal husbandry protects grassland from over-grazing.

"We are well aware of the importance of environmental protection. There is a price for all products, but a clean environment is priceless," said Sonam Yangkyi.


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## JSCh

* Railway to connect 75 pct Xinjiang counties by 2020 *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-08-25 17:07:23_|_Editor: Yurou_





URUMQI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The administrative centers of all prefectures and 75 percent of county-level regions in China's far western Xinjiang region will be connected by rail by 2020, local authorities said Friday.

The plan was revealed in Xinjiang's transport construction blueprint (2016-2030), as China's largest provincial-level region seeks to build itself into a Eurasian transport hub.

By 2020, highways in Xinjiang are expected to reach 10,000 km in total length, connecting all the counties, according to the blueprint released by the autonomous region's government. All villages are to be connected by concrete roads.

Meanwhile, the number of civil airports in the region will reach more than 28, it said.

By 2020, the region will have three major transport routes connecting the neighboring countries of Kazakhstan and Pakistan.

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## JSCh

* Full speed ahead for Tibet on prosperity highway*
Xinhua, August 28, 2017

"A region has to build roads if it wants to build wealth" the saying goes, and they are certainly sticking to it in the Tibet Autonomous Region, an area of more than 1.2 million square kilometers.

"It was a headache to travel to the Ali district in the past as there were only cobblestone and mud roads. It might take one week from Lhasa to Ali by truck, and you had to take water and food with you as there were no restaurants along the way," said Tsering, a driver in Lhasa.

Today, it takes him under four days as there are several blacktop highways between both places.

Tibet has seen its economy invigorated by improved transport conditions.

The total length of highways in Tibet grew from 65,198 kilometers in 2012 to over 82,000 kilometers today, extending by over 4,200 kilometers a year. High-grade highways, similar to expressways, saw their length increase six-fold from 2012 to 2016, said Chen Chao, deputy head of the region's transport bureau.

In 2013, the Motuo Highway opened to traffic, linking the outside world with the remote region of Motuo in southeastern Tibet. It was the last Chinese county without access to highways.

The rapid development of highways is the result of investment which grew from 10.101 billion yuan (US$1.52 billion) in 2012 to over 40 billion yuan in 2016, increasing by 41.3 percent a year.

Thanks to investment in infrastructure and the effects of improved transport, Tibet posted impressive economic growth in the past five years, recording an annual average GDP growth of 11 percent. The region's economy grew 10.8 percent year on year in the first half of 2017, outperforming every other provincial region.

"Once transport barriers are removed, there will be more commercial activities like logistics and tourism, thus improving local people's livelihoods," Chen said.

And building highways can help protect the environment, Chen said. When there were no highways, drivers would cross a region randomly, destroying the vegetation. Grass and plants are now spared as drivers run on a fixed route.

By 2020, Tibet will have 110,000 kilometers of highways, with all counties having access to blacktop highways and all towns connected by cement roads.

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## JSCh

* Internet Plus transforms lives of Tibetan villagers*
By Zhang Jiaqi
August 29, 2017

"In the past, if we wanted to announce something to our residents in our community, we had to spend lots of money on telephone bills, or we even sometimes had to use a loudspeaker - but the wind always carried the sound away. If we spoke towards the west, the residents in the east missed it, and if we spoke faced to the east, those in the west would hear nothing," said Dunzhu, head of Zhaxi Tuomen community in Shannan Prefecture, China's Tibet Autonomous Region, in his introduction to online alternatives for daily interactions.



​Ciren Gesang, a resident in Zhaxi Tuomen community of Shannan Prefecture, China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, stands in front of the internet television with his son in his hands. [Photo by Zhang Jiaqi / China.org.cn]

Since last year, Dunzhu began to use WeChat groups to make announcements to the 502 residents in the community's 135 households. In a few months, different WeChat groups had been set up for different types of residents to offer targeted and timely services. Now, there are groups for low-income family members, students, coach drivers, migrant workers, community leaders and daily talks, as well as groups for learning various skills or information.

Ciren Gesang is one of the 24 members of the group for low-income families. The 50-year-old man with a four-year-old son found his job as a forest ranger in the group. "There are often some job postings in this WeChat group, and the job I found here earns me 3,000 yuan every year. I can also enjoy the subsidy for low-income families," he said with a smile on his face.

In addition to job-hunting, Ciren Gesang also enjoys chatting online with his brother who works as a migrant worker in Lhasa, but could rarely make video calls due to the high costs. However, things are different with Wi-Fi covering 87 households in the community, including Ciren Gesang's. "With Wi-Fi, it is cheaper now to chat online," Ciren Gesang said. Now, he can make video calls to his brother now and again.

"Every household only needs to pay 330 yuan per year, or 0.9 yuan per day to enjoy 20M/s Wi-Fi, a free fixed-line telephone, and a mobile Set Top Box (STB) for watching internet television free of charge," Dunzhu introduced.

"All this would be impossible without the support of the [Naidong] government, because otherwise, the Wi-Fi service would cost 560 yuan and the mobile STB would cost 240 yuan per year, and there would be no way for us to enjoy the free fixed-line telephone and the free internet television with a TV channel in Tibetan language."

The investment has allowed 87 households to enjoy Wi-Fi so far, and 18 more households will be added to the list later this year. Even the basketball field and tea house have been covered, and the tea house even supports paying the bills by WeChat.

For villagers in this community, the internet has provided other conveniences. "When a photo of an ID card was required, I could send a photo through WeChat without having to go to the village committee," Ciren Gesang recalled.

Dunzhu also gave an example of the convenience brought by the Wi-Fi coverage. "With the internet, our community can hold video conferences. In the past, conferences held by the government were reluctant to include the community because it can be very difficult to gather everyone in the conference room, but now, we can hold a video conference to convey the gist of the conference."

The successful practice of WeChat groups in assisting people's lives and promoting their wellbeing has prompted Dunzhu to go further. In March 2017, he took the initiative to set up a public platform on WeChat under the guidance of the Naidong government to offer timely service to the residents in the community.

Through the platform, Dunzhu shares resources related to agricultural production, preferential policies, advanced technologies, husbandry expertise, among many others. At any time or any place, residents can browse through the public platform to acquire useful information, improve themselves, and enjoy the benefits brought by the internet.

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## JSCh

*China’s largest uninhabited area Hoh Xil goes online *

By Ge Yunfei
2017-08-30 19:01 GMT+8 






The recent installation of a satellite communication system can help Hoh Xil, China’s largest uninhabited area, become a less dangerous place to live.

Hoh Xil, located in the northwestern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, has an average altitude of 4,600 meters which makes the living conditions there severe. The patrollers of Hoh Xil know that each inspection in the wild can possibly end their lives.

The satellite communication system installed on Tuesday is set to help the region get online and bring dangerous outdoor inspections indoors. The system was established in the Sanandaj Natural Protection Station named after the man died protecting antelopes in the region.





A worker is installing the CCTV camera. /CGTN Photo​
“We’re all very happy about this. Back then we had to travel a long way to make a phone call, but now we can surf the Internet and have video chats. It connects us to the rest of the world,” said Lhungdrup Tsagyal, Deputy Director of the protection station.

Liu Baocai, whose company installed the system alongside China Telecom, told CGTN that the satellite communication in Hoh Xil is even faster than normal fiber-optic broadband. It has the potential to completely change how protection work is done in the region. 

For the next step, all protection stations, monitoring points, and patrolling routes in Hoh Xil will be added to the satellite network. The network is set to provide communication services to rescue and patrol teams, and ecosystem and rare animal monitoring. Qi Binghui, the Marketing Manager of China Telecom, said this will ultimately set up a smart network in Hoh Xil.

Liu also envisioned a future of IoT, also known as the Internet of Things, in Hoh Xil when all patrollers would no longer spend weeks in dangerous living conditions instead only have to watch the surveillance cameras monitoring real-time changes in Hoh Xil. 





Engineers are installing the satellite system. /CGTN Photo​
It is not all sunshine and rainbows at the beginning. So far the signal of the system only covers an area with a radius of 1 kilometer, far smaller than Hoh Xil’s 45,000-square-kilometer natural reserve, but the work here is not done.

Hoh Xil Wildlife Conservation Association who participated in the program plans to build a network of satellite communication in 18 months and establish an Internet of Things network in Hoh Xil in the following three to four years. The experience would be utilized in China’s other natural reserves if they succeeded.


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## TaiShang

*Tibet strives for high-speed transport with ecological protection*
By Zhang Jiaqi

​
The ice chunks are used to decrease the temperature in the Sangzhuling Tunnel of Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway in China’s Tibet Province. [Photo by Zhang Jiaqi/China.org.cn]

*Working through the heat: Sangzhuling Tunnel and Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway*

With water dropping from the top of the Sangzhuling Tunnel of the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, the excavator is working through chunks.

Discussing inside the tunnel, Zhu Xuren, project manager of the fifth section of Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway introduced, "This is a project conducted at a super-high altitude environment. The highest temperature of this tunnel since 2015 was 63 degrees Celsius and the highest ever reached was 89 degrees Celsius."

As a major project along the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, the Sangzhuling Tunnel will become the second tunnel along the railway. The tunnel will be over 16 kilometers, and by the end of July, around 14 kilometers will have been tunneled through. In order to combat the heat, ice blocks and water sprays have been utilized, and temporary mobile lounges with air conditioners have been set up.

Such difficulties in construction have not distracted the focus on ecological protection. Instead of being chopped down, the trees along the railway have been relocated to other spots. Moreover, the waste dregs from the construction works have been placed in fixed sites for follow-up treatment.

The Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, as the shared section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, the Yunnan-Tibet Railway and the Gansu-Tibet Railway, will become the first electrified railway in Tibet after completion.

*Picturesque Line: Nyingchi-Lhasa High Grade Highway*

The bridge, the reservoir and the surrounding scenery comprise a beautiful picture for visitors passing by, Song Xiancai from the transportation department of China's Tibet Province.

In front of Song and the extended Duobute Bridge, standing by the roadside of the original 318 national highway (G318), a bird's eye view of part of the bridge can be enjoyed. Amazed by the project and the view, a few cycling visitors also stopped by to take photos.

Built from May 2013 to September 2015, the first-phase of the Nyingchi-Lhasa High Grade Highway runs along the G318 corridor, and therefore, its construction did not disturb the operation of the G318 line. On this basis, the new highway stretches to Liuwu New Area of Lhasa, and connects with the Lhasa-Gongga Airport highway, facilitating the transport to scenic spots for visitors.

In addition, significant inputs have been made to the maintenance of the bridge and the highway and the related monitoring technologies to ensure their readiness to different temperatures. In summer, water sprays absorb the heat. In winter, besides traditional methods like covering cotton quilts or thin films, color steel cabins with boilers have also been set up to maintain a proper temperature for the cement structure. With water vapors suffused, the cabins can guarantee a temperature of over 15 Celsius degrees in winter.

Ecological protection and recovery featured both in the construction and the follow-up work. The straw mattresses covering the ground, once decayed, offer nutrients for the plants.The spray seedling technique helps to afforest the roadbed. Moreover, for the 15 construction sites along the way, soil of 10 to 30 centimeters thick was placed for plants to grow.

The 409.2-kilometer Nyingchi-Lhasa High Grade Highway is set to be finished and opened to the public by April 2018 and will be equipped with a higher load capacity, transport efficiency and safety level.

"It used to take eight hours to drive from Nyingchi to Lhasa. With the Nyingchi-Lhasa High Grade Highway, it will be cut by three hours," Song said.

Since 2012, the total mileage of highways in Tibet has increased by 16,802 kilometers to over 82,000 kilometers currently, including highways to Ngari Prefecture and the remote Medog County. By 2020, this figure is expected to reach 110,000 kilometers, according to the transport department of China's Tibet Province.

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## JSCh

*Quake victims settle into newly built homes*
By Cui Jia | China Daily | Updated: 2017-09-01 08:43
















Local villagers in Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, move into their new houses on Wednesday after the magnitude 5.5 earthquake in May. [Photo by FU CHAO/CHINA DAILY]

People who lost their homes in a May earthquake in Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have started to move into the new earthquake-resistant homes.

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake rocked Tashkurgan, home of people from the Tajik ethnic group on the Pamir Plateau, on May 11. Eight people were killed and 31 injured, according to local officials.

More than 4,750 houses were destroyed. The biggest reconstruction project is in Quzgun, the quake's epicenter, where all the casualties were reported.

On Wednesday, Quzgun villagers began to move into the first 52 new houses from the disaster-relief tents they have been living in for more than four months.

The family of Gulpiya Meli threw a traditional Tajik housewarming party when they moved into their new home on Wednesday. The earthquake had destroyed her family home. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

"I cannot believe that I can sleep in the new house before school summer break is over," the 15-year-old said while offering guests milk porridge as a gesture of welcome.

In June, the Xinjiang government pledged to build earthquake-resistant houses for those who lost their homes before the harshest cold arrives.

More than 480 million yuan ($72.8 million) has been invested in the reconstruction project. So far, 2,609 houses have been completed and 793 are ready for the locals to move in. The construction work continues.

Mao Ermin, project manager at the Quzgun site, said it is not easy to build so many new houses on the plateau in just 83 days. Tashkurgan sits at 3,090 meters above sea level and is close to the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan

"Many workers suffer from altitude sickness when they came to Tashkurgan in June. They carried on working even with headaches so the villagers could move in before winter arrives," he said.

Mao and his team were invited to the housewarming party and watched the locals dance while some played the traditional Tajik eagle flutes in the new houses.

He said he believes the hard work has paid off.

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## TaiShang

JSCh said:


> *Quake victims settle into newly built homes*
> By Cui Jia | China Daily | Updated: 2017-09-01 08:43
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Local villagers in Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, move into their new houses on Wednesday after the magnitude 5.5 earthquake in May. [Photo by FU CHAO/CHINA DAILY]
> 
> People who lost their homes in a May earthquake in Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have started to move into the new earthquake-resistant homes.
> 
> A magnitude 5.5 earthquake rocked Tashkurgan, home of people from the Tajik ethnic group on the Pamir Plateau, on May 11. Eight people were killed and 31 injured, according to local officials.
> 
> More than 4,750 houses were destroyed. The biggest reconstruction project is in Quzgun, the quake's epicenter, where all the casualties were reported.
> 
> On Wednesday, Quzgun villagers began to move into the first 52 new houses from the disaster-relief tents they have been living in for more than four months.
> 
> The family of Gulpiya Meli threw a traditional Tajik housewarming party when they moved into their new home on Wednesday. The earthquake had destroyed her family home. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
> 
> "I cannot believe that I can sleep in the new house before school summer break is over," the 15-year-old said while offering guests milk porridge as a gesture of welcome.
> 
> In June, the Xinjiang government pledged to build earthquake-resistant houses for those who lost their homes before the harshest cold arrives.
> 
> More than 480 million yuan ($72.8 million) has been invested in the reconstruction project. So far, 2,609 houses have been completed and 793 are ready for the locals to move in. The construction work continues.
> 
> Mao Ermin, project manager at the Quzgun site, said it is not easy to build so many new houses on the plateau in just 83 days. Tashkurgan sits at 3,090 meters above sea level and is close to the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan
> 
> "Many workers suffer from altitude sickness when they came to Tashkurgan in June. They carried on working even with headaches so the villagers could move in before winter arrives," he said.
> 
> Mao and his team were invited to the housewarming party and watched the locals dance while some played the traditional Tajik eagle flutes in the new houses.
> 
> He said he believes the hard work has paid off.



Good governance. Speedy recovery. Quite different from a certain quasi-police state.

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## 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."

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## 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.

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## AndrewJin

*Liuzhou!*
Guangxi, Southwest China















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

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## JSCh

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



​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.

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## 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.

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## 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






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## JSCh

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



​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)


​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)


​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)

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## 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

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## 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.

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## 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

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## 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.

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## JSCh

* China's least populated township connected to national grid *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2018-01-02 15:11:44_|_Editor: Lu Hui_





LHASA, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- A sparsely populated township in Tibet Autonomous Region has been connected to the state electricity grid, ending life without electricity for its 32 residents, local authorities said Tuesday.

The 15-km-long 10-kilovolt power line, which took five months to complete, is connected to remote Yulmed Township in Luntse County, Shannan City, via 108 electric poles over a 5,000-meter-high mountain, according to the contractor, a Xining-based electric power company in neighboring Qinghai Province.

Yulmed has an average elevation of 3,650 meters and its population was once reduced to one three-member household. Now it has nine households.

In 2008, the local government built a small hydropower station, but it failed to meet increasing power demands, due to improved living standards of the residents, and power outages were frequent.

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## JSCh

* Chinese, overseas research institutes to jointly monitor ecosystem in central Asia *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2018-01-03 16:02:05_|_Editor: Xiang Bo_





URUMQI, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A memorandum has been signed by the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography and 22 overseas scientific research institutes, launching joint research projects on the ecosystem in central Asia.

Over the next five years, the institutes will focus on the region's glaciers, water resources, flora and fauna, as well as agriculture, in the context of global climate change.

The memorandum is the second phase of a program launched between China and four central Asia countries in 2012 to study climate change in the region.

In the first phase as of 2017, the Xinjiang ecology research institute and several organizations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan carried out cooperation in global climate, bio-diversity and geologic disasters.

In the second phase, research organizations from the United States, Belgium and Austria, as well as China's Hong Kong, will participate in joint research, which will focus on water resources and agricultural and environmental sustainable development in Belt and Road countries.

Bordering central Asia, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region accounts for about 70 percent of international scientific and technological cooperation between China and countries in the region.

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## JSCh

* Western provinces developing fast in e-commerce: Alibaba report *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2018-01-10 22:14:50_|_Editor: Yurou_





HANGZHOU, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- E-commerce sales have grown fast in several western provinces of China, acording to a report on the digital economy published by Alibaba.

In the past year, e-commerce grew fast in western provinces of Gansu and Guizhou, and Tibet Autonomous Region, the report said. Gansu saw sales grow by 114 percent and Guizhou by 76 percent year on year.

Mao Risheng, a researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Internet commerce had restructured production and logisitics in rural areas and also helped farmers raise income, particularly in the country's west.

Breaking down figures by provinces, the report said economic powerhouse provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang still dominated online sales.

From January to November last year, the top five in sales were Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing. Sales by Guangdong province are about 25 percent of the national total, while Zhejiang's sales are about 22 percent of the total.

Online demand for skin-care, as well as digital and health products have been climbing. Cross-border e-commerce also soared. Sales of French wine, fragrance from Thailand and baby formula from the Netherlands have grown by 500 percent year on year.

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## JSCh

* Driverless monorail line launched in NW China *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2018-01-10 21:19:40_|_Editor: Yang Yi_








A manager of China's leading new energy vehicle maker BYD tries the facial recognition for starting a "Yungui" train during the launching of the "Yungui" system, a driverless monorail transit system, in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Jan. 10, 2018. The system "Yungui" was developed by China's leading new energy vehicle maker BYD and telecom giant Huawei. A Yungui train ran on a rail four meters above ground at around 11 a.m. Wednesday in Yinchuan. Yungui trains keep safe distances from others, detect malfunctions, monitor passenger flow and use facial recognition, all automatically. The system is expected to be put into trial commercial operations in the second quarter of this year. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

YINCHUAN, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- A driverless monorail transit system, the first developed in China, was tested on Wednesday in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The system "Yungui" was developed by China's leading new energy vehicle maker BYD and telecom giant Huawei.

A Yungui train ran on a rail four meters above ground at around 11 a.m. in the regional capital of Yinchuan.

Yungui trains keep safe distances from others, detect malfunctions, monitor passenger flow and use facial recognition, all automatically.

The system is expected to be put into trial commercial operations in the second quarter of this year.

Monorail trains run at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour. Compared with subways, overground monorail costs less and is less noisy.

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## JSCh

* Xinjiang receives 2.37 bln USD investment from 19 provincial regions in 2017 *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2018-01-24 16:39:10_|_Editor: Liangyu_





URUMQI, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Nineteen provincial-level regions offered a total of 15.18 billion yuan (2.37 billion U.S. dollars) in aid to northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region last year, supporting anti-poverty work and improving employment rate in the region.

The 19 provinces or major cities, including the prosperous Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangdong Province, provided both financial and technological support to Xinjiang.

"They have introduced textile, electronic and agricultural processing enterprises to the region last year, which have helped promote employment among ethnic people, maintained stability in the region and increased communication between local residents and inland cities," said Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, when he delivered a government work report at the ongoing local parliamentary session.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, the 19 provinces and cities have invested 72.4 billion yuan to the region and offered more than 500,000 job opportunities to local residents, according to statistics.

The central government decided at the first central work meeting on Xinjiang in 2010 to set up a mechanism under which 19 provinces and major cities, including the prosperous Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangdong Province, provide financial and technological support to Xinjiang.

* Tibet reports double-digit growth in 2017 *
_ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2018-01-24 16:59:18_|_Editor: Liangyu_





LHASA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region reported 10-percent GDP growth last year, marking the 25th straight year of double-digit growth, local authorities said Wednesday.

Tibet's GDP reached 131.06 billion yuan (around 20.5 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017, according to statistics announced at the 11th Regional People's Congress.

Last year, the plateau region achieved a 23.9-percent increase in its fixed asset investments, totaling around 205 billion yuan, and raised the per capita disposable income of its urban and rural residents by 10.3 percent and 13.6 percent respectively.

Over the past five years, Tibet has remained one of the fastest growing provincial-level regions in China. Livelihoods, the environment, infrastructure and the region's competitive industries have all improved.

In 2018, Tibet set a target to achieve GDP growth of around 10 percent, with an 18-percent increase in fixed-asset investment as well as increases of more than 10 percent and 13 percent, respectively, for urban and rural per capita disposable incomes.

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## JSCh

*New roads make a more dynamic Tibet*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-07 16:07:11|Editor: Yamei




LHASA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Local transport authorities in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region said a total of 24,306 kilometers of roads had been added to the region over the past five years.

By the end of 2017, the total length of the region's road network reached 89,504 km, according to the regional transport department.

Seven major high-level roads were opened to traffic during the last five years, including those linking Lhasa to Nyingchi, the airport to the downtown of Xigaze, and the Gonggar airport in Lhasa to Tsetang township.

Poor transport has hindered agricultural development and animal husbandry in the region. During the past five years, construction of 3,005 rural road projects were started, with 1,325 now finished. Currently, the rural areas of Tibet have over 60,000 km of roads.

In 2018, the region expects to add another 6,000 km of roads, making the total length reach 96,000 km by the end of the year.

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## JSCh

*Chinese government to fund irrigation system upgrades in Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-31 14:06:33|Editor: Xiang Bo




URUMQI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China's central government plans to spend 1.875 billion yuan (298 million U.S. dollars) on improving irrigation systems in the southern areas of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region this year.

The fund will be used to upgrade irrigation facilities and promote water-saving technology, in order to boost farm output in southern Xinjiang, home to the majority of the region's poor population, according to the regional reform and development commission.

Southern Xinjiang is a major production base for cotton and fruit. However, a lack of water and outdated irrigation systems have long hampered agricultural development in the region.

Four prefectures in southern Xinjiang -- Aksu, Kashgar, Hotan, and Kizilsu -- are among the poorest areas in China. They had more than 1.6 million people living under the poverty line by the end of 2017.

As China aims to eliminate poverty by 2020, Xinjiang is carrying out a three-year poverty-relief plan. Under the plan, 409,000 residents and 94,000 households will be lifted out of poverty this year.


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## JSCh

*Xinjiang builds 80,000 houses for rural poor*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-06 15:03:17|Editor: Yurou




URUMQI, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began building 82,300 houses in impoverished areas in the first three months of the year, authorities said Friday.

The region plans to build 300,000 subsidized houses this year. About 210,000 will be for families in extreme poverty, those receiving the minimum living allowances, and households with disabled members.

The rest will be open to other low-income families on application.

To expedite the rural housing construction, the autonomous region has retrained some 56,600 farmers, craftsmen and engineering managers who have been involved in the construction.

Xinjiang is to build enough new houses for all underprivileged households in rural areas. The regional government built 2.1 million such houses from 2011 to 2017.


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## JSCh

*Opinion: Relocation of Yushu students – What drives the change from disaster to happy ending?*
Guest commentary by Wang Yan
2018-04-15 20:46 GMT+8




On April 14, 2010, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu Tibetan Autonomous County in northwest China's Qinghai Province. The disaster left 2,700 people dead, 270 missing and 12,135 injured. The earthquake had a devastating impact on children, who make up one out of every three people in the earthquake zone. Nearly all schools in Yushu County collapsed or were severely damaged and became too dangerous to use.

Many of the children in the county are from nomadic families from remote, isolated communities. Almost half of the schoolchildren in the Yushu earthquake zone are boarding school students. To these students, school is not only a place to acquire knowledge and skill but also to eat, sleep and socialize with their peers and therefore, offers support for their overall well-being. A discontinuation of learning would have been a huge loss to their education and lives.



A child in the resettlement site plays alone on April 17, 2010, in the Yushu earthquake disaster area in Qinghai. / VCG Photo 

Two years later, in spite of the severe damage to schools, not only has the students’ learning not been disrupted, but their performance has improved, and the quality of school education in Yushu upgraded. How?

Soon after the earthquake, as part of the government's rescue efforts, the Ministry of Education identified seven provinces to receive the students from Yushu. All 5,074 secondary school students in Yushu, including lower secondary and upper secondary students, were placed in selected schools in the seven provinces. Over 100 buses are used to transport the students to the train station for their journey to schools across China.

The relocation is costly. The central government has earmarked funds for additional student expenditure for hosting cities, about 4,500 RMB yuan for each lower secondary school student and 5,500 RMB yuan for each upper secondary school student for two years. The local government also allocated a budget to subsidize the relocation including students’ travel expenses, settlement spending, infrastructure procurement and even diet costs. For example, bilingual teachers were arranged, new facilities equipped, and beef and lamb is specially prepared in local canteens for Tibetan students who don’t eat pork.



A monument to the Yushu earthquake. / VCG Photo 

Special care has been given to students from Yushu to minimize potential shock caused by differences in curriculum, pedagogy, lifestyle and culture. Psychological services are also provided for the children and adolescents with traumatic experiences of the earthquake. In the end, the students not only received a better education and improved their performance, but also enhanced their competencies in health, sport and communication. Moreover, they have learned the culture of other cities and thus obtained a better understanding of the country.

Yushu’s teachers also benefited from the relocation. Together with the students, the teachers are placed in the schools in seven provinces. They still taught their students, yet with strong professional support, such as partner teacher, teaching aids, and facilities and equipment, for them to accommodate the new school environment. This eventually turned out to be a great opportunity for professional development as the teachers learned new knowledge, skills, methods and strategies.



Children from Yushu at the tent of the welfare institute on April 17, 2010. /VCG Photo 

Two years later, the school renovation in Yushu was completed. The students returned to their hometown. It is evident that the overall quality of the schools in Yushu has improved with better-performing students, more capable teachers and new infrastructure and facilities. Some students, missing their second hometown or hosting city, got enrolled in a program for Tibetan students in those schools. The story started with a disaster, yet developed into a happy ending. What are lessons to be distilled? Is it replicable?

The commitments of the government are essentially the cornerstone. On the second day after the earthquake, the Ministry of Education convened a meeting for continuing education delivery in earthquake-stricken areas. The decision to relocate was soon made on the basis of consulting the local governments, mobilizing the resources and studying the feasibility. The relocation is basically a result of collaborative work that joined up efforts of related ministries such as education and finance, as well as government agencies of the various provinces and municipalities. It essentially illustrated how the governance of the nation works in China. 

Is it replicable? For starters, on an operational level, it would need the investment of a huge amount of resources. Also, there is a potential risk of an outbreak of disease due to an abrupt change in climate and environment. But the odds are good as it has been shown that the partnership between developed and developing areas, in particular, through sharing of resources is increasingly becoming a common practice in China. In the same vein, the Ministry of Education has recently started a new initiative to send 10,000 selected teachers to the Tibet Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to work toward overall improvement of education quality in those areas.

(Wang Yan is a senior specialist at the National Institute of Education Sciences. The article reflects the author’s opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.)


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## JSCh

*



*​*Feature: Only by their graves can Company 13 be known*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-15 14:02:34|Editor: Liangyu




URUMQI, April 15 (Xinhua) -- There is no Company 13. Company 13 does not exist. Or does it?

Thousands of graves stretch across the Gobi desert, the final resting place of men and women who worked in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a paramilitary organization established to develop and guard the northwest frontier.

The XPCC was founded in 1954, initially comprising 175,500 demobilized soldiers but soon joined by civilian volunteers from all walks of life and all across the country.

Maintaining a military structure with divisions and regiments, the Corps spearheaded the development of the region for decades, giving birth along the way to many stories of hardship and struggle.

Stories of the phantom company date back about sixty years.

Xing Zhengfa worked on the Red Star No. 2 Farm, which had 12 companies in the 1950s. He died and was buried on the Gobi desert beside the farm.

A friend, not knowing of his death, came to visit him and Xing's comrades didn't have the heart to tell him the truth, so they told him that Xing had been transferred to "Company 13."

Xing's friend left. Soon, a letter was delivered to the farm, addressed "Company 13, Red Star No.2 Farm."

The burial ground of those who considered the farm their second home and had the misfortune to pass away there has been known as Company 13 ever since. Although it's never been officially recognized, Company 13 has become the biggest "company" in the division.




​A low wall separates the graves from the vast farm. All tombstones face southeast, the direction of the supposed hometowns of those interred there. The inscriptions on the stones suggest the deceased came from every part of the country.

Among the tombs is Chen Xiliang's. He went there in 1949 from south China's Guangdong Province, more than 3,000 kilometers away. He has laid alongside his comrades for more than 20 years. A few steps away from his tomb, is the channel that irrigates the land, Chen's lifelong cause.

To turn the Gobi into farmland, Chen and more than 1,000 others took up their shovels to dig a canal that brings water to the farm.

They dug through the snow, living in tents, huddled by stoves. When the work was done, Chen took a job maintaining the canal and didn't retire until his last breath.

"On his deathbed, he asked us to bury him close to the canal," recalled Chen Xiliang's son, Chen Guangming.

Today, more than 4,000 hectares of fertile farmland have been made out of sand on the farm, thanks to the endeavors of people like Chen. As head of water and electricity department of the farm, to some extent Chen Guangming has inherited his father's career.

"I'm deeply influenced by my father," he said. "Devoted to their cause, my father and his colleagues set a good example for us."

Irrigation on the farm is now a more sophisticated matter. With the help of sensors, the workers know which stretch of land is dry and needs water.

Through six decades, the XPCC has reclaimed 1.3 million hectares of farmland and is now modernizing Xinjiang's agriculture.

The corps has turned the country's driest region into the biggest area using water-saving irrigation technologies, producing a sixth of China's cotton.


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## JSCh

*Tibet solar energy park to benefit 2,000 poor families*
By Daqiong in Lhasa and Zhang Yi in Beijing | China Daily | Updated: 2018-05-11 09:45














Construction of China's largest photovoltaic industrial park has begun in Samdrubze district of Shigatse, Tibet autonomous region, with the project expected to house 2,000 families from poverty-stricken areas, local anti-poverty authorities said on Thursday.

The park, with an investment of 28 billion yuan ($4.4 billion), will be centered on a 2,000-megawatt solar power plant, with an annual output of 4 billion kWh, and an output value of over 4 billion yuan, said Galsang Nyoidrub, director of the Samdrubze Development and Reform Commission.

He said developing the solar power sector in Shigatse makes sense on many fronts. It is even nicknamed "the city of sunlight" with average annual sunlight of 3,300 hours.

"We plan to officially start building the solar segment at the end of this year. If everything goes well, the plant will be completed in 2025. Five percent of the annual profit will be used for local poverty alleviation," Galsang Nyoidrub said.

He said the electricity will be sold to South Asian countries, including Nepal and India, as well as to East China after transmission lines go up in the future.

"Located close to an expressway which is under construction, and near the city's airport, the industrial park will also develop ecological agriculture and service industry jobs to generate more employment opportunities," he added.

"The power plant alone will not generate enough job vacancies, so we will also develop agriculture suitable to local conditions. Greenhouses will be built under photovoltaic panels to save space."

Two agricultural companies have already started operations in the park, investing 150 million yuan, Galsang Nyoidrub said.

Opposite the photovoltaic industrial park, a "photovoltaic town" is under construction, with an investment of 4 billion yuan. The community will accommodate 2,000 households from poverty-stricken areas, representing the largest relocation project in the region.

"We have already finished 75 percent of the project. Some 1,008 people from 234 households have already moved in, and most are satisfied with their living conditions and employment arrangements," Galsang Nyoidrub said. "One task is to persuade those poor households to leave their hometowns and help them find proper jobs."

Lhagchog, 28, one of the beneficiaries of the project, moved from Garzang village to the community in downtown Shigatse last December.

"My family has always lived in Garzang, a remote village," she said, "We have relied on seven acres of land to make a living, but it has low yields due to water shortages and the high altitude.

"Since 2016, the government began encouraging us to move, but we were hesitant at first because of fear of an unknown future. The government has patiently introduced policies to us many times, and after countless family discussions, we finally made up our minds," she said.

Lhagchog said she opened a small restaurant which brought in more revenue than expected, and the local government also helped her father find a job as a custodian, with a monthly salary of 4,500 yuan. Penpa, the 54-year-old father, said, "We moved from a shabby mud building to a big and bright house. Our life changed totally from farmers to city residents."

Lhagchog said: "With convenient transportation, it is easy to take my 2-year-old daughter to the hospital. Now I am improving my cooking skills to run my restaurant better. I want to raise my daughter to be a grateful, educated person who is useful to society,"

"The family is satisfied with our life now, and we believe a brighter future is coming. We are lucky to live in the new era," she said.


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## JSCh

*Gesang Degyi: Big dreams in China's most isolated county*
New China TV
Published on May 21, 2018

One elementary school teacher's dream to educate kids in China's most isolated county


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## JSCh

*Tibet to build three more airports*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-09 00:02:44|Editor: yan




LHASA, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Tibet plans to build three new airports to promote tourism and economic growth.

The airports will be in Shannan, Xigaze and Ali, according the regional government and the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Construction of the three airports, all above the altitude of 3,900 meters, should begin in 2019.

Capital Airport Holding Company will be responsible for the construction of the airport in Shannan, Shanghai Airport Authority responsible for the airport in Xigaze and West Airport Group responsible for Ali.

The three companies are scheduled to transfer the airports to local operators after one or two years' operation.

Currently, Tibet has five civil airports in Lhasa, Qamdo, Nyingchi, Ali and Xigaze, with nine airlines operating 86 routes, including an international one.


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## JSCh

*Tibet resettling nomads from harsh, high plateau areas*
By Palden Nyima and Daqiong in Lhasa | China Daily | Updated: 2018-06-13 10:32















Siyo Tsenga and his son Tagyal head to their new house in a settlement in Doilungdechen district in Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region. [Photo by PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY]

Siyo Tsenga was pleased to see that his new home was near a medical clinic, after being relocated to a new settlement in Tibet's Doilungdechen district in Lhasa.

Siyo Tsenga is a Tibetan nomad from the region's Nyima county, where the average altitude is nearly 5,000 meters above sea level, making living there a challenge.

Thanks to the region's ecological relocation policy, which started in 2016, his family was one of 262 households from his hometown to move to Doilungdechen, about 1,200 kilometers from Nyima.

"The altitude at my old home is too high to live. It's always winter there. I am very happy to have a second home near Lhasa where the altitude is relatively low. I want to say thanks to the government," he said.

The 52-year-old said he could not walk well because of severe arthritis in his legs, and he hoped the condition would improve in a more comfortable environment.

With more than 1,000 sheep, 70 yaks and more than 100 goats, Siyo Tsenga's family is not poor. The family earns more than 30,000 yuan ($4,700) a year from selling meat, butter and cashmere from the goats.

Although he moved to the new settlement, he didn't worry about his animals because he was able to hire a shepherd to tend them.

Compared with his traditional mud house in the grassland, the well-decorated new concrete house is both snug and pretty, he added.

The regional government of Tibet plans to complete the relocation of 6,910 households - 27,880 residents - by 2020. The project began in 2016.

A total of 708 households were relocated last year, and 2,293 households are scheduled for this year, according to Tibet's forestry department.

The 281 people who moved on Monday are the first from two villages in Nyima county this year, according to Tsering Rigzin, deputy director of Nagchu Animal Husbandry Bureau.

"These two villages needed to be relocated, because both are at a very high altitude, where the environment is harsh and people's life spans are shorter," he said. "Relocating people from high-altitude environments can improve public services, create broader job opportunities and foster better living conditions. Plus, it reduces human activities that harm fragile natural areas."

He said many people suffer from diseases on the plateau, such as high blood pressure and arthritis.

According to Tsering Rigzin, the evacuated nomads will not stop their herding after evacuation, as the younger and more able-bodied are encouraged to maintain the tradition.

"The first group of evacuees are mostly elderly and children from Nyima county. Stronger residents still have to look after their livestock on the grassland," he said.

Those who do not want to continue the traditional lifestyle can find work near the new settlement, including jobs as janitors and drivers. The local government also offered 33 hectares of land for newcomers to plant vegetables or raise livestock.


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## JSCh

*China Focus: Protecting birds on high-altitude grid project*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-13 15:55:03|Editor: Yamei




XINING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Perched atop a 50-meter-tall electrical tower, two birds fly out of an artificial nest into the open air.

"There are bird eggs in the nest!" shouts Wang Hui, as he checks the tower's power lines.

Wang, who works with the State Grid branch in Qinghai Province in northwest China, has been assigned to check the operating conditions of the power grid connecting Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, and Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. The project, which officially went into operation in 2012, spans 2,530 km and stands at an average altitude of 4,500 meters above sea level.

While the project has guaranteed electricity for local residents, those who conduct safety-checks on the towers have been troubled by one thing: birds.

"The project crosses the Hoh Xil nature reserve, where a lack of tall plants have forced birds to make nests on the electrical towers," Wang said. "Many birds have been killed or injured due to the high voltage, and the circuit frequently breaks because the birds rest on the lines."

"In the beginning, the workers placed sharp objects and mirrors on the towers, but this created more problems," Wang said. "Some birds were injured or even killed by the sharp objects."

To prevent the birds dying, authorities with the State Grid branch came up with an innovative solution: to build artificial nests in the safe areas of the towers.

"We started putting the artificial nests on the towers in 2015," Wang said.

So far, 86 nests have been placed and 50 more will be installed this year.

"We found that all our nests have attracted birds," Wang said. "Some have even hatched their eggs there."

"We had two choices, either we install safer repellent objects and insulate the circuits better so the birds don't get hurt," he said. "Or we just put our own nests up."

The nests measure 80 cm in diameter and are made out of rattan, a flexible type of palm tree. Workers like Wang Hui carry these nests on their backs and climb up the towers, placing the nests on the tower's platforms while suspended in mid-air.

"We usually put a little mattress made of coir, the fibrous material found on coconuts, in each nest," Wang said.

It is very cold at such a high altitude and workers have to cut off chunks of ice on the tower frames while climbing. The entire process can take half an hour.

"By using artificial nests, we not only lowered the possibility of birds getting hurt, but the lines now have a more stable power transmission," Wang said.

According to the State grid, since the measures were taken, the number of power outages has been reduced twice a year on average. Since August 2017, there has been no reports of power outages because of birds. An extra 2.65 million kilowatts-hours of electricity is transmitted on average every day.

"We will continue to improve how we protect the birds, so that humans and birds can co-exist in harmony," said Yuan Zhiyi, with the State Grid branch in Qinghai.


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## JSCh

PUBLIC RELEASE: 13-JUN-2018
*Scientists can make skillful seasonal forecasts of summer temperature in western China*
INSTITUTE OF ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES



​Prediction skill (temporal correlation coefficients) of summer SAT for GloSea5 hindcasts. The yellow contours represent grid-point statistical significance exceeding the 5 percent confidence level. The green boxes indicate the domains of northwestern China (35°-45°N, 80°-105°E) and the Tibetan Plateau (30°-35°N, 85°-105°E). *CREDIT: *Chaofan Li

Surface air temperature (SAT) is a very important hydrological and climatic variable in western China. In contrast to the monsoon regions in eastern China, most regions in western China are arid, semi-arid or subject to snow cover. Thus, variations of SAT in summer in western China are key in connection with heat waves, the hydrological cycle, ecosystems and agriculture. The ability to predict SAT skillfully is an important target for science.

In a recent paper published in _Advances in Atmospheric Sciences_, a group of scientists from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the UK Met Office's Hadley Center reveal useful predictions of SAT in western China, using the GloSea5 operational forecast system from the UK Met Office. The SAT reproduced by the model shows high correlation with observations over most regions of western China, in both northwestern China and the Tibetan Plateau.

"There are two important sources of skill for these predictions in western China: interannual variation of SST in the western Pacific and the SST trend in the tropical Pacific," says Dr. Chaofan Li, the study's lead author. "We found that the tropical SST change in the last two decades, with warming in the western Pacific and cooling in the eastern Pacific, connects with the warming trend in northwestern China, and the interannual variation of SST in the western Pacific gives rise to a reliable prediction of SAT over the Tibetan Plateau."

The predictability and reliability demonstrated in this work is potentially useful for climate services providing early warning of extreme climate events, and could ultimately lead to useful economic benefits.


Scientists can make skillful seasonal forecasts of summer temperature in western China | EurekAlert! Science News

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## JSCh

*China Builds World’s First Central Asia Geology and Mineral Resources Big-data System*
Jun 13, 2018

Collecting and integrating multivariate data of mineral resources in China and seven Central Asian countries, a world’s first and only geology and mineral resources big data system was completed in Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently.

The system integrates data of geology, mineral resources, geochemistry, geophysics, remote sensing, aeromagnetic, and airborne gravity, in China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia and Mongolia.

The Big data system is the fruit of a 20-year-effort supported by the Xinjiang Mineral Resources Research Center of XIEG, starting from the year of 1999.

With about 14TB data, including 16,834 mineral resource maps and large stock of related data, the system will provide key support to mineral resources exploration along the Belt and Road.

A series of technology system were developed on the basis of this big-data base. The Xinjiang Mineral Resources Research Center has developed six software systems along with the building of the geology big-data system, including the Central Asia geology big-data base management and sharing platform, the natural resources network information system, and the remote sensing weak information identification.


China Builds World’s First Central Asia Geology and Mineral Resources Big-data System---Chinese Academy of Sciences

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## JSCh

*Tree planting projects improving environment in Tibet*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 15:21:39|Editor: ZX




LHASA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Ali Prefecture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region will invest over 70 million yuan (around 11 million U.S. dollars) on a tree planting project this year, local authorities said Monday.

The project aims to plant trees on 2,267 hectares in the prefecture, according to the local forestry bureau.

With an average altitude of more than 4,500 meters, Ali Prefecture has a harsh natural environment. Residents have long been troubled by sand, wind and drought.

Tree planting projects were launched in the area in 1970s and 1980s. The environment has improved in recent years with more funding and effective measures undertaken such as introducing cold- and drought-resistant tree varieties.

Between 2012 and 2017, over 100 million yuan was invested to plant over 10 million trees in the prefecture.

The Shiquanhe Basin is a key battlefield against desertification. Statistics show that the average annual precipitation in the basin has increased to 138 millimeters from 73 mm in 1990s.

Nyima Phuntsog, an official with the bureau, said that the survival rates of many tree species, such as rose willow, have exceeded 80 percent thanks to measures including nutrient solution injections and heat preservation cotton wrapping.

"The next step is taking good care of these trees to make them survive longer," Nyima Phuntsog said.


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## JSCh

*Tibet relocates villagers living in high-altitude nature reserve*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 23:48:19|Editor: Liangyu




LHASA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region is carrying out its first relocation program for villagers living in high-altitude nature reserve, with around 1,100 villagers moving in their new homes on Monday.

Residents from two villages located in Qiangtang national nature reserve at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters completed their two-day journey and settled at an area 27 kilometers from the regional capital Lhasa, at an altitude of 3,800 meters.

"In the previous location, there are little oxygen and public facilities, and life expectancy is lower than the region's average," said Dzongga, deputy head of the regional forestry bureau.

The relocation program helps to improve local people's lives and reduce human activities that might harm the fragile environment in the nature reserve, Dzongga said.

The regional government spent 226 million yuan (around 35.1 million U.S. dollars) on the relocation program, building houses, kindergartens and public facilities as well as offering subsidies for villagers.

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## JSCh

*How early education is transforming Tibet*
By Zhou Wenting in Shanghai | China Daily | Updated: 2018-06-08 07:42













_Kindergarten teacher from rural county 180 kilometers from Lhasa has seen many improvements in past 24 years_



Batro and several of his students at their kindergarten in Qonggyai county, Tibet autonomous region.Provided To China Daily

Batro, a 43-year-old kindergarten teacher in the Tibet autonomous region, recently boarded an airplane for the first time and flew to Shanghai.

The trip was possible because he was no longer the kindergarten's only employee. Each preschool in rural Tibet now has two teachers and an intern.

Until last year, Batro worked alone, assuming the duties of principal, teacher, chef and cleaner. "I had a fairly tight schedule in those days," he said. "It was like I taught the class of 5-year-olds for 10 minutes and switched to the next-door class of 6-year-olds for another 10 minutes. I asked a smart girl to look after the class that I was not with."

For his 24 years of perseverance and dedication to the children, Batro was among 50 teachers from across China who received this year's Soong Ching-ling Preschool Education Award on May 19. He flew to Shanghai to receive the award.

"I was very excited about the trip to Shanghai, where I heard about various teaching experiences from outstanding teachers from all over the country and visited kindergartens representative of a dynamic city," said Batro, now head of a kindergarten of 30 children in rural Qonggyai county, in the city of Lhokha, about 180 kilometers from Lhasa.

"I'll certainly share my Shanghai experience with the kids in my kindergarten. The experience will be an inspiration to both me and my pupils."

After graduating from Lhasa Teachers College, a junior college at the time, in 1994, Batro began working as a primary school teacher in a pastoral county in Chamdo. There were no cars and people rode horses and yaks to get around, but Batro had never ridden a horse before. "The locals gave me a horse; the least playful one they said. But no matter how I kept spurring it, it did not run," he said. "So I finally walked to the school, pulling the horse along."

Transport difficulties prevented many children living in the mountains from attending school, he said, because there were no roads they could travel along.

That has changed over the years, and especially in the past decade. "Now most children are sent to school and picked up by parents riding motorcycles or tricycles," Batro said. "It takes most of them around 10 minutes on the road."

There have been other improvements too, with wooden school buildings upgraded to concrete ones since 2012.

"In the past, the children had to tolerate old desks that were often covered with mud falling from the ceilings, and the roofs leaked when it rained," he said.

The variety of objects from everyday life used in teaching and the method of instruction have also improved. He said the children could previously only play with stones and tree branches picked up from their surroundings, but they now have blocks and jigsaw puzzles.

Children can also explore a bigger world because the school has more teachers.

"In the past, if the theme of the education was spring plowing, I could only describe to the kids what it was," Batro said. "But now, since we have more teachers to look after children's safety, they can be taken to the farmland to see what tools the farmers are using and have a clearer idea of what each tool is used for."

Batro said another significant change he had noticed was that parents were placing greater importance on their children's education.

"They are aware that a good education is a path for the children to see a bigger world in the future," he said.

Young children's increasing fluency in Mandarin was one example of the way things were changing.

"Most children now grow up speaking both Mandarin and the Tibetan language, and many of my school kids speak better Mandarin than I do," he said. "I believe the young generation will have far more opportunities to see a wider world than me.

"I'm preparing them for their bright future."

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## JSCh

*Tibet to launch two more tourist trains*
CGTN
2018-07-01 11:12 GMT+8





Two new tourist trains will start operating in the Tibet autonomous region from July 1, the Tibet Tourism Development Commission said.

One of the new trains, Z68112/2, will run between Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, and the start point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and Tibet's second-biggest city, Xigaze. The other one, Z8808/7, will link Lhasa with Tibet's northern Nagqu City.

The region already has two trains targeted at tourists in operation since last July, both linking Lhasa and Xigaze.

Different from regular passenger trains, the tourism trains are decorated Tibetan style and provide unique ethnic catering and services, which let passengers and tourists to learn more about Tibetan culture and its beautiful sceneries, said Wang Songping, director of the region's Tourism Development Commission.

Wang said the trains have greatly promoted the region's tourism market, especially during the peak tourism season.

The 1,956-kilometer-long Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened in 2006, and extended to Xigaze in 2014.

"Tourism is Tibet's pillar industry, the regional government has been attaching great importance on tourism for many years, and the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has greatly propelled the region's overall development," said Dorje Tsedrup, deputy chairman of the regional government.

"The railway has efficiently solved the problem of the difficulties of going in and out of Tibet, and it has played a key role in promoting the region's social and economic development," said Tsedrup.

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## JSCh

*China launches Tibetan language translation software, apps*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-04 20:46:16|Editor: Liangyu




XINING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A series of new Tibetan-Chinese translation apps and software programs were launched in northwest China's Qinghai Province to better promote communication between different ethnic groups and boost economic and cultural development in Tibetan areas.

The twelve apps and software programs, developed by the China Ethnic Languages Translation Bureau, include audio-to-audio translation, audio-to-text translation, audio-to-text typing, online proof-reading software, and an e-dictionary.

"The audio-to-audio translation software will not only make it more convenient for Tibetan people and ethnic Han people to communicate, but also play an important role in promoting the use and protection of the Tibetan language, passing on and spreading the Tibetan culture, as well as pushing forward poverty relief, education, and economic and political development in Tibetan areas," said Kewa, director with Qinghai's ethnic and religious affairs committee.

Audio-to-audio translation software for some other ethnic languages has been used for procuratorial work, poverty relief, and production and life in agricultural and pastoral areas.

The China Ethnic Languages Translation Bureau is a national-level ethnic languages translation institute. So far, it has developed 40 translation apps and programs for seven ethnic languages including the Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur, Kazakh, Korean, Yi, and Zhuang languages.

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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1013970706906824706

*CRRC Times Electric*‏ @CRRC_TEC
China's first tram for the high-altitude Tibet Plateau (3.000 meters above sea level)! Rolling off the production line in #Qingdao, our Low-Floor Tram will be in operation at #Qinghai by end of 2018. How do you like it? #travelgreen #lowfloor #newmobilescene #localeconomy




10:20 AM - 3 Jul 2018

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## JSCh

*Across China: Tech-loaded greenhouses in Gobi boost profit for farmers*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-16 17:52:18|Editor: xuxin




LANZHOU, July 16 (Xinhua)-- Growing crops had never been a profitable business for the farmers of Shahe village, in the waterless and desolated Gobi desert of northwest China's Gansu Province.

"The land was so barren that most villagers had no choice but to leave their hometown to make a living," recalled Fan Lide, a villager of Shahe who has worked as a plumber, mechanic, and taxi-driver in other provinces.

"We expected to transform our hometown from a wasteland to farmland. However, this only seemed to be a daydream without money and proper technology," Fan said.

In 2009, Suzhou District in Jiuquan City, where Shahe village is located, launched a program to build greenhouses in the desert, aiming to enable farmers to grow cash crops such as vegetables, edible fungi, and grapes.

Farming in the Gobi desert has its advantages: the extended amount of sunlight provides adequate energy for crops, a significant temperature difference between day and night helps crops accumulate nutrients, and the Gobi's hot and dry air means fewer pests and crop diseases.

The first group of 50 greenhouses built by the district took up around 800 hectares; Fan rented four to grow tomatoes and chilies.

The greenhouses are loaded with all kinds of technologies, including soilless cultivation, integrated water and fertilization controls, as well as remote phone app controls.

With an app called "Greenhouse Manager," Fan can monitor and control the environment in the greenhouses by adjusting all kinds of sensors installed on his phone.

For example, with a tap on the screen, the insulation layer on the roof of the greenhouse can open automatically to let in more fresh air.

"I can also see the real-time temperature and humidity in the greenhouses or send a command to irrigate and fertilize the crops," Fan said.

The Gobi greenhouses use drip and spray irrigation, which can cut water consumption by almost 50 percent compared to a normal farm, according to Yan Shengjun, an agricultural adviser who serves as a consultant for the local farmers.

The greenhouses are also eco-friendly, as they use substrates for soilless cultivation recycled from rotten leaves, straw, and cow and sheep feces.

More than 70 percent of the straw and around 82% of plastic waste and rotten leaves in Suzhou District are decontaminated and recycled in the greenhouses, according to local statistics.

"Each hectare of the greenhouses can recycle around 600 cubic meters of agricultural waste," Yan said, "The waste serves as organic fertilizer, helping to improve the quality of the vegetables."

With the greenhouses, Fan earns around 70,000 yuan (about 10,500 U.S. dollars) annually.

"Vegetables produced in the greenhouses are harvested twice or three times a year. As organic food gets more popular in the market, our income also increases," Fan added.

Data from Suzhou District show the greenhouse program has helped bring an average revenue of about 72,300 U.S. dollars per hectare to local farmers. Plans to build more agricultural facilities in the Gobi desert are underway, according to officials.

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## JSCh

*Green industry develops steadily on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: white paper*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-18 09:42:05|Editor: ZX




BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- A white paper released Wednesday said that an economic model featuring a circular economy, renewable energy, and distinctive industries, is forming on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, signaling an increasing level of green development.

The white paper, titled Ecological Progress on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, was published by the State Council Information Office.

Green production has begun to take shape on the plateau, said the white paper, noting that provinces and autonomous regions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are committed to an eco-friendly path to economic growth involving low and intensive utilization of resources.

The white paper pointed out that unique strengths of local agriculture and animal husbandry have become increasingly outstanding on the plateau.

According to the white paper, since 2004, the state has invested more than 3 billion yuan (448.3 million U.S. dollars) in Tibet, directed to more than 450 projects in 10 categories related to agriculture and animal husbandry unique to the region, including highland barley, yak-breeding, and traditional Tibetan medicine.

More than 100 leading enterprises have emerged as a result, increasing the incomes of local farmers and herdsmen by 1.18 billion yuan and benefiting 1.75 million people.

Green energy also developed rapidly on the Plateau which is rich in hydro energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, and other green energies, said the white paper.

It also noted that tourism has become an important channel for green growth and higher incomes for farmers and herdsmen.

In 2017, Tibet hosted more than 25.61 million visitors and its revenues totaled 37.94 billion yuan, representing 28.95 percent of the region's GDP; Qinghai received 34.84 million visitors and its revenues totaled 38.15 billion yuan, representing 14.44 percent of the province's GDP, according to the white paper.

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## JSCh

*A taste of summer in Xinjiang's oasis city *


 







 





Source: Xinhua | 2018-07-19 14:05:08 | Editor: huaxia



A little boy reaches eagerly for his second cone from an ice cream vendor in Kashgar on May 20. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)

Nothing says summer quite like the taste of fresh, in-season produce. And a walk through the winding streets of Kashgar's old city is a feast for the senses: the air fragrant with ripe, juicy melons, and fresh tea, and the streets alive with the sound of stall owners hawking their wares.

There has been a settlement on the site of modern-day Kashgar for over 2,000 years. The trading hub was once an outpost on the ancient Silk Road, offering respite for weary travelers as they moved between China, the Middle East and Europe. Its commerce roots run deep and continue to this day. In 2010, the city was made into a Special Economic Zone, the only city in western China with such distinction.

The city is more than a tourist destination, however, and more and more people are moving to Kashgar, drawn to the dynamic, promising business environment.





Alia stands on the street in Kashgar where she has just opened a juice shop. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)




A Uygur man prepares a popular shaved ice dessert in Kashgar on July 11. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)




A Uygur man plays the rewap, a stringed instrument, in an alley at Kantuman Bazaar, Kashgar on July 11. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)




An Australian tourist selects pottery in Tursun Zunun's studio. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)




Local handicrafts on display in downtown Kashgar. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)​


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## JSCh

*CNPC plans 150-bln-yuan investment in Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-26 15:49:56|Editor: ZX




URUMQI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) will invest 150 billion yuan (about 22.3 billion U.S. dollars) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region by 2020 to boost oil and gas industry and help with poverty relief.

The investment will be used in business operations including oil and gas resources exploration, refineries, sales, storage, finance, and logistics. It will also be used to develop industries to help raise incomes for impoverished people in the region, Wang Yilin, CNPC board chairperson, said at a conference in Urumqi.

Wang said the CNPC now has 15 subsidiaries in Xinjiang and the region has become an important oil and gas production base in China.

Over the last five years, CNPC's various companies have invested 224.7 billion yuan in Xinjiang and created more than 6,200 jobs. About 240 million yuan has been spent to assist in poverty alleviation work in six counties.


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## JSCh

*Postal service staff perform delivery task in China's highest township in Tibet*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-29 07:43:44|Editor: Yurou




In Pumaqantang Township, the highest township in China, working as a postal service staff means delivering mails to addresses at altitudes of 5,000 meters and above. Gesang Cering, 29, is a motorbike courier with the local township branch of China Post. Twice a week, Gesang calls on the plateau villages under the township on a 160-km route, coping with extreme oxygen and temperature conditions. Despite its harsh geography, Tibet Autonomous Region has substantially improved the local postal service over the four decades since China's reform and opening up. By the end of 2017, the postal road network had managed to cover all towns and counties within the autonomous region. (Xinhua/Li He)

Motorbike courier Gesang Cering (L) chats with his senior workmate Cering Quba in Pumaqangtang Township of Nagarze County in Shannan, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 27, 2018.


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## JSCh

*All cities, prefectures in Xinjiang connected to expressway*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-01 22:03:44|Editor: ZX




URUMQI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- An expressway leading to Hotan opened Wednesday, connecting the last prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to modern transportation infrastructure.

The expressway linking Karakax County and Hotan stretches 74 km and is a sub-section of the G30 National Expressway, which links Lianyungang in east China with Horgos on the China-Kazakhstan border. Construction began in March 2015.

The expressway is 17 km shorter than the previous highway and slashes the travel time between the two places from two hours to just 40 minutes. It has a designed speed of up to 120 kph.

Hotan is located in southern Xinjiang, which is known for its hostile environment and complex geological conditions. The contractor said extra efforts were taken to overcome construction difficulties and protect the local ecosystem.

Hotan is also one of the poorest regions in China. "The opening of the expressway will improve traffic infrastructure and benefit the economic development of Hotan," said Zou Rong, deputy head of the prefecture's development and reform commission.


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## JSCh

*World's highest! Chinese engineers build highway tunnel in Tibet*
Published on Aug 1, 2018

Chinese engineers have built the world's highest highway tunnel, which is located at an average attitude of 4,750 meters above sea level. The tunnel forms a key part of a highway in Tibet, linking Lhasa to Nyingchi.


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## JSCh

*Ningxia to build China's first Internet Plus Healthcare demo zone*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-02 15:37:28|Editor: ZX




YINCHUAN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region plans to establish the country's first "Internet Plus Healthcare" demonstration zone, the regional government announced Tuesday.

According to the plan approved by the National Health Commission, Ningxia will build a healthcare big data center in the city of Zhongwei and will set up an industrial park in Yinchuan, the regional capital, to attract healthcare enterprises.

Ningxia is committed to integrating Internet Plus with medical care to ensure more comprehensive coverage of high-quality medical resources and improve the efficiency of medical services, according to Huang Yong, deputy director of Health and Family Planning Commission of Ningxia.

Huang said that Ningxia has made significant progress in "Internet Plus Healthcare" over the past few years.

A telemedicine system has been put in place, connecting seven hospitals at the regional level, 22 hospitals at the municipal or county level, and 196 medical care institutions at township level.

China issued a guideline in April to enhance the role of Internet Plus in medical care, calling for the use of Internet technologies to improve the quality of public health services.

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang Sets up Research Center to Better Protect Tarim River Basin*
Aug 06, 2018

A research center dedicated to water resources study and management of the Tarim River was set up in Xinjiang on August 1 to provide better protection to the River Basin.

The center, named “Research Center for Ecological Protection and Water Resources Management of the Tarim River Basin”, will focus on key scientific problems in water resources and ecology protection of the river basin, as well as research on management and optimal allocation of water resources of Tarim River.

The Center was jointly established by the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Tarim River Basin Bureau. Both sides signed a cooperation agreement to work together on research and protection of the river.

"Establishment of the center will help find better solutions to problems such as water ecology, water environment, water pollution, and groundwater overdraft in the Tarim River basin,” said ZHANG Yuanming, vice director of XIEG.

Running over 1,321km across Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the Tarim River is China’s longest inland river. It is the principal river of the Tarim Basin, a desert region of Central Asia between the Tian Shan and Kunlun Mountains.

With a total area of 1.02 million km2, the Tarim River Basin is home to nearly 10 million Uyghur and other ethnic minorities. Water resources from the Tarim River mainstream and its tributaries are vital for both human development and the region’s ecosystems.

The Tarim River Basin sustains more than a third of China’s cotton production, however, 37% of the areas in the River Basin are under 'extremely high' water stress, according to the Aqueduct Global Water Risk Map of World Resources Institute in 2013.


Xinjiang Sets up Research Center to Better Protect Tarim River Basin---Chinese Academy of Sciences

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## JSCh

*Teachers share their knowledge in Tibet*
Yang Meiping 23:48 UTC+8, 2018-08-05 

Fifty five teachers from Shanghai set off yesterday for Shigatse, in Tibet Autonomous Region, as part of an ongoing program to bolster education there.

The teachers include 40 involved in a Shanghai-based program launched in 2016 to send teachers annual to Tibet, where they will be based in the Shigatse-Shanghai Experimental School. 

The other 15 are part of a national program announced in December to aid educational development in Tibet. These teachers will be based at the Shigatse No.2 Vocational School.

Peng Chunhui, a physics teacher at Shanghai New Bridge Middle School, said he served in a similar program in 2012 which sent him to Zepu County, Kashgar Prefecture, in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. There he shared his teaching experience with local educators through demonstration classes, lectures and research.

“It touches me that, even now, some of the Xinjiang teachers are grateful to us, saying they were inspired by a word, a class or even a homework-assessment demonstration from us; and that the program benefited local children,” he said. “So when I saw a recruitment notification to aid teachers in Tibet, I told myself I should do something for Tibetan children, too.”

But while the program offers the chance for Shanghai teachers to share their knowledge, it also means spending up to a year away from family and familiar surroundings.

Xu Xin, a chemistry teacher at Shanghai Songjiang No.2 High School, said he will miss seeing his 6-year-old daughter start primary school in September. Nevertheless, he says the chance to help Tibetan children is worth the sacrifice. 

Shu Yinji, a teacher at the School Affiliated to Jinyuan Senior High School, said his father was diagnosed with liver cancer last year and will be hospitalized later.

“But my family encouraged me to go to Tibet because it’s a meaningful experience,” he said. “They can endure the hardships, even though I am absent.”

Hu Xiaoguang, another teacher from Putuo District, said he had to ask his parents living in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, to help his wife look after their 18-month-old son while he is away in Tibet. 

Over the past two years, 74 Shanghai teachers have worked in Shigatse; and their efforts seem to be paying off.

Last year, all high school students at the Shigatse Shanghai Experimental School obtained college-entrance exam scores that met the threshold for university admission.













​Source: SHINE Editor: Wang Xiang

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## JSCh

*Tibetan children get free heart treatment at low altitude*
By PALDEN NYIMA/QI XIN | China Daily | Updated: 2018-08-10 07:06
















A nurse uses a mobile phone to translate and communicate with a Tibetan girl and her father at Zhengzhou Cardiovascular Hospital in Henan province on Thursday. QI XIN/CHINA DAILY

Forty-five Tibetan children with congenital heart disease began to receive free medical treatment in Henan province on Wednesday.

Due to factors in the Tibetan plateau's climate, such as low oxygen, the Tibet autonomous region has one of the highest rates of congenital heart disease in China.

Since 2012, the Chinese Red Cross Foundation has been organizing medical teams to conduct screening work and provide free medical treatment.

Since 2015, Zhengzhou Cardiovascular Hospital has rescued 165 congenital heart disease patients from the provinces of Qinghai, Guizhou and Yunnan, as well as Tibet.

Most of the 45 children this time were from Tibet's northern Nagqu city, where the average altitude is above 4,500 meters, and it was the first time they had been to a place with an elevation of only 200 meters.

These children－ranging in age from 10 months to 6 years, with one 20-year-old－are being treated at the Zhengzhou hospital in the provincial capital. The hospital has been working with the foundation since 2015 to provide free medical treatment for children from China's remote areas.

"This is the fourth time our team has offered free medical treatment in Qinghai, Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet," said Yang Bin, director of the Third Cardiovascular Surgery Zone at the hospital.

"It will take three weeks for these children to complete their medical treatment. After that, another 40 children will receive the same treatment."

Yang said language has been a small barrier during the treatment so far; however, the children were strong and the treatment process was successful.

There is translation software in the ward, and they also use body language frequently, Yang said.

"There is still a big need for doctors and heart disease medicine in Tibet, which has a higher rate of heart disease," Yang said.

Bu Norbu, a 4-year-old Tibetan boy, received his surgery on Wednesday, and his father Shungmakyab was pleased.

"I found out my kid had congenital heart disease when he was 2. Whenever he got a cold, he had to be hospitalized for treatment," said Shungmakyab, who added that he had never dreamed of getting free medical treatment in Henan, and he said he and his son were lucky to get the help.

"We are fine here, only it is a bit hot. The food provided by the hospital is good," said Shungmakyab, adding that the hospital provided food according their customary diet.

Contact the writers at palden_nyima@chinadaily.com.cn

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## JSCh

*In searing heat, retired doctors volunteer in China's northwest*
Hu Min 01:44 UTC+8, 2018-08-13 



Shanghai ophthalmologist Liu Hongdi bids farewell to Hasiyet Abilizi in Kashgar.

*Editor's note:*
A Shanghai Daily reporter was part of a journalists’ tour to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to see first-hand how the devotion and experience of senior Shanghai volunteers are making a difference in the lives of people there. This is her report.​

On Shanghai ophthalmologist Liu Hongdi’s seventh trip to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as a volunteer this summer, a patient she treated six years earlier traveled more than 200 kilometers to greet her.

“She is my daughter in Xinjiang,” Liu, 67, said of Hasiyet Abilizi, “I was very touched that she came to see me because it’s such a long distance to travel.”

Liu is one of 20 retired professionals working in Xinjiang this summer under a “senior volunteer action” program that encourages professionals to put their talents to good use in China’s underdeveloped western regions.

The group, which ends its two-month stint later this month, is spread across 10 work units in the city of Karamay, the prefecture of Kashgar and the counties of Yecheng, Shache and Bachu. Liu is part of the medical contingent.

Liu’s bond with the Abilizi dates back to 2012, when the girl was 13 and suffering from tympanitis, an inflammation of the inner ear.

As a former doctor at the Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention Center, Liu was a volunteer at the Zepu County People’s Hospital when she came to know the girl on ward rounds.

“Unlike other doctors, she was smiling all the time and she made me feel very warm, just like mother,” said Abilizi, who helped Liu with some translations from the Uygur language and gave her a letter of gratitude. After Liu returned to Shanghai, they kept in touch by letter.

In 2015, when Liu was doing volunteer work in Yecheng County, Abilizi turned up unexpectedly to greet her.

“I was very touched because she had never been outside her home county,” said Liu.

Since then, the girl and Liu have reunited every time the doctor is working in Xinjiang. One time, that involved a five-hour bus ride for Abilizi. Liu bought her a train ticket for her return home. It was the first time the girl had ever taken a train.

“Because of Mother Liu, I know there is a city called Shanghai far away from here, and I want to apply to the Shanghai International Studies University if I do well on the national college entrance examination,” the girl said.

In Xinjiang, there is an increase in numbers of cataract and glaucoma patients due to strong ultraviolet rays and complications of diabetes and hypertension, said Liu.

In Yecheng and Shache counties, medical conditions are often poor, while demand for ophthalmologists is high. While there, Liu separated ophthalmology from the ENT (ear, nose and throat) department and started offering outpatient services.

As part of a cataract-screening project in Shache, she has visited more than 20 villages.

“My counterparts in Shache were very concerned about me, given my age, the remoteness of villages and the inclement environment, but I was determined to do my work because preventing and treating blindness is my duty as an ophthalmologist,” she said. “Screening is so important to early diagnosis and care.”

About 100 surgeries resulted from these screening.

This summer, Liu is working at the Second People’s Hospital in Kashgar, along with He Qinguo, 61, a dermatologist from Shanghai.



A photo shows Liu and Abilizi shortly after their first meeting in Zepu County in 2012.

“I was worried that there is a shortage of skin-disease specialists at the hospital, and screening and treatment programs are inadequate,” he said.

He is training doctors, holding classes and working out a plan for development of a dermatology department at the hospital. He also treats patients suffering from rare skin diseases.

“We are very grateful for these senior doctors from Shanghai because they introduce good medical treatment and help in training medical personal,” said Yao Chunhui, deputy director of the medical department at Kashgar hospital.

At the Karamay Municipal People’s Hospital this summer, Wei Chaosheng, a 69-year-old cardiovascular specialist, is doing volunteer work. It’s his third tour in Xinjiang as a volunteer, but his history with the region dates back to adolescence.

When he was 17, Wei was among the urban youth sent to Xinjiang, where he worked on a farm for 20 years. Conditions were harsh, but Wei developed a deep bond with the region. Every time he returns to Xinjiang, he visits the farm where he once worked.

At the hospital, he teaches young doctors how to use cardiograms to diagnose specific medical conditions and does a bit of outpatient treatment.

“I want to share my expertise and experience in the field with the people of Xinjiang,” he said.

His colleague at the hospital is 66-year-old ophthalmologist Chen Jianhua, who is on her fourth volunteer tour in Xinjiang.

She has introduced sutures to treat childhood entropion, a condition in which the eyelid is rolled inward against the eyeball. She has also promoted the use of lasers in eye treatment

There are three doctors from Shanghai currently working as volunteers at the hospital this summer. They have already treated 1,290 outpatients’ visits, according to the hospital.

“Despite their ages, they work harder than younger people and handle a big workload,” said Ling Lixing, director of the hospital. “They come here at the hottest time of the year and develop very good relationships with patients.”

Source: SHINE Editor: Xu Qing

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## JSCh

*Modern education comes to far-flung areas*
Hu Min 00:18 UTC+8, 2018-08-15 



 Shanghai Volunteers In Xinjiang​
*Editor's note: *
A Shanghai Daily reporter was part of a journalists’ tour to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to see firsthand how the devotion and experience of senior Shanghai volunteers are making a difference in the lives of people there. This is her third report. To read the whole series, please go to shine.cn.​


Liang Ping (back row, right), a 61-year-old retiree and a specialist in teaching management, and Jin Nan (back row, left), 61, a former teacher from Shanghai Minli High School specializing in information technology and community education, pose with students of the Bachu County Third Primary School.

Liang ping, a 61-year-old retiree from Shanghai Jing’an Education College is doing a third tour of volunteer work in Xinjiang. A specialist in teaching management, she has designed family education programs and activities for people in local villages.

She is one of 20 retired professionals working in Xinjiang this summer under a senior volunteer action program that encourages professionals to contribute their talents and skills to hardship areas of China’s west.

They devote their passion and expertise to helping people in Xinjiang without any reward but the smiles and gratitude of those whose lives they brighten.

Since 2003, retired volunteers from Shanghai have made 351 trips to Xinjiang under a “senior volunteer action” program that encourages professionals to contribute their talents to China’s western regions.

The latest group of 20 volunteers from Shanghai have an average age of 63, and come from careers in medicine, education and psychology. Thirteen of them are on return visits to the region. The current contingent will return to Shanghai at the end of this month.

They are assigned to 10 work units in the city of Karamay, the prefecture of Kashgar and the counties of Yecheng, Shache and Bachu on a roughly two-month stint, during which they provide assistance in local hospitals, disease control and prevention centers, child welfare institutes and schools.

Liang is working in Bachu County this summer, more than 300 kilometers from Kashgar.

“Two months of services here are far from enough for me because I have so much to accomplish,” said Liang. “The divorce rate in some local villages is high, and children’s education is often neglected. Moreover, we see some cases of domestic violence.”



Sun Dan / SHINE
Ye Yin (left, standing), 60, a retired vocal music teacher, teaches at Kashgar College for Senior Citizens during her fourth volunteer tour in Xinjiang. She is organizing a female chorus at the college this summer.

She has spent seven days visiting more than 20 far-flung villages in Bachu to promote family education, which is a new concept to the locals. She uses translators since most villagers are ethnic Uygurs.

“Few people could withstand the strain of such an intense work schedule, not to mention the shabby conditions of these villages, where meals are basic and no air conditioning is available when temperatures soar to 38 degrees,” Wang Lin, an official in the Bachu County Community Education Office, said in praise of the volunteers.

Another volunteer is Jin Nan, 61, a former teacher from Shanghai Minli High School specializing in information technology and community education. He is helping promote 3D printing in the local villages. The 3D printed works of local children were sold at a charity bazaar in Shanghai.

Jin was severely bitten by an insect in the leg and couldn’t sleep because of the pain and itching. There was no ointment at the local hospital to relieve the condition. He ended up applying salt water as a salve. In such a remote environment, ingenuity is paramount.

“I am called a ‘senior expert’ by the locals,” Jin said. “That places a lot of responsibility on me and I strive to fulfill expectations.”

Huang Lixin, 55, a former professor of Shanghai University of Engineering Science specializing in mechanical and automotive engineering, has compiled textbooks for students and faculty at Bachu County Vocational High School.



Sun Dan
Huang Lixin, 55, a former professor at Shanghai University of Engineering Science and a specialist in mechanical and automotive engineering, teaches students at Bachu County Vocational High School. 

“When I was young,” she said, “I had a long-term goal to go to the neediest places in China. Now my teaching experience accumulated over decades is given full play here.”

Another of the current Shanghai team of educators is Ye Yin, 60, a vocal music teacher working at Kashgar College for Senior Citizens on her fourth volunteer stint in Xinjiang.

“I formerly was in Xinjiang 10 times, giving musical performances and traveling,” she said. “I love Xinjiang for its beauty, customs and people.”

She is organizing a female chorus at the college this summer.

“My ‘students’ are a mixed lot,” she said. “Some gave up their dreams of music when they were young because of throat problems. Now they want to fulfill their dreams. Some just want to make friends.”

She added, “Seniors sometimes behave like children, but I encourage them even if they don’t perform well.”

Her students love their teacher.

“I am very happy to be here,” said senior Zhao Yanqin. “I never expected to learn so many things after retirement. I am very interested in music and don’t miss any of Ye’s classes.”

Another student said Ye was always patient, even if rehearsals don’t go well.

“I have learned how to sing beautifully from here,” said He Yuxia, another student. Ye said there is a surplus of music teachers in Shanghai, but too few in areas like this that needs them. “I hope to return to Xinjiang next year and am even considering moving here to live,” she said.

Source: SHINE Editor: Zhang Shunyi

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## JSCh

*



*​*Tibet builds world’s highest 500-kilovolt substation*
By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2018/8/14 22:28:41

The world's highest 500-kilovolt transformer substation has begun to provide electricity to Tibet, with experts predicting the Southwest China region can supply other provinces in the future.

The 500-kilovolt substation in Markam county went operational Saturday, according to a statement released Tuesday by the State Grid Corporation of China on its official website.

The grid upgrade from 220 to 500 kilovolts will guarantee more stable electricity, said Han Xiaoping, chief analyst at energy industry website china5e.com on Tuesday.

"In the past, energy supply in Tibet was relatively insufficient," Han told the Global Times. "People sometimes needed to transport fuel to Tibet to ensure usage. But with better power grids, the problem will be solved."

Built at an altitude of 4,300 meters, the Markam substation is "the highest 500-kilovolt transformer substation in the world," according to the statement.

Construction took "more than 700 days," the statement said. Workers had to cope with the high altitude, low temperatures, lack of oxygen and intense ultraviolet rays. 

The Markam substation is a part of the Central Tibet Grid Interconnection Project, which aims to meet the electricity needs of central Tibet and promote development.

When it is completed, the project will break world records. It is not only the world's highest power grid with an average altitude of 4,000 meters, but also has the biggest altitude difference of 3,100 meters, Tibet-based news website xzxw.com reported.

"Tibet doesn't need too much electricity itself, but it has huge potential for generating hydroelectricity," Han said.

"In the future, the project will allow Tibet to output extra electricity to other Chinese provinces, which could help with economic development in Tibet."

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang's tourism booms in first seven months*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-18 13:44:19|Editor: Li Xia




URUMQI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region saw more than 78 million tourists in the first seven months, up 38.72 percent year-on-year, according to regional statistics.

Tourists have spent more than 121 billion yuan (around 17.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the region during the period, up 40.72 percent from last year.

Emerging tourist attractions in the region and a more developed traffic network are the primary reasons for the strong growth, according to the regional tourism development commission.

Xinjiang saw an increase of 32.4 percent in the number of tourists in 2017, receiving a total of 107 million. Tourists spent over 182 billion yuan in the region, 30 percent more than in 2016.

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang’s Alashankou plays key role on busy intercontinental trade route, bringing jobs and security*
By Shan Jie Source:Global Times Published: 2018/8/22 18:53:40



Wang Ying and her granddaughter Mengmeng, tourists from Central China's Hubei Province, view the national gate at Alashankou, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, on August 2. China-Europe freight trains pass beside the gate every day. Photo: Shan Jie/GT

Alashankou city used to have China's most remote railway station. Now, the young city in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has become an important border hub. More than 6,000 trains carrying goods between China and Europe pass through here.

As a western gate for China on the Belt and Road, Alashankou draws on its strength to boost the initiative and drive the development of other parts in Xinjiang.

*On the rise*

Alashankou, also known as Alataw Pass, is the largest entrepôt in northwestern China, located in Bortala Mongolian Prefecture of Xinjiang. It saw a steep increase in the number of China-Europe freight trains and freight volume in the first seven months of 2018, according to local authorities.

From January to July this year, 1,328 China-Europe freight trains passed through Alashankou, carrying 577,600 tons of goods, according to Alashankou customs, people.cn reported.

To increase efficiency, around 63 percent of the trains passed through at night time. In this way, the time to pass customs has been reduced from more than 23 hours to less than 15 hours.

According to the local customs office, over 6,000 China-Europe freight trains had traveled through Alataw Pass since 2011, when the first China-Europe line was launched between Chongqing and Duisburg, Germany, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

About 70 percent of China-Europe trains pass through Alashankou before arriving in 36 cities of 13 European countries through 10 routes.

Zhu Chao, a trade official in Alashankou, told the Global Times that in 2017, a total of 1,755 China-Europe freight trains passed through the city, a 75.4 percent year-on-year increase, carrying 894,800 tons of goods.

"Currently, the rising trend is still very obvious," Zhu said.

Alashankou is at the middle point of the Second Eurasian Continental Bridge, a railway that passes more than 40 countries with Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu Province on either end. The route crosses countries with a combined population of 2.2 billion.

The line goes through major cities in China. A train from Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality to Duisburg of Germany takes two weeks.

Zhu said that Alashankou has a proud record of efficiency in customs clearance services, nearly two hours faster than the average time national-wide, thanks to its advanced facilities and workers' experience.

This line is also the shortest way to Europe among all the China-European railways, Zhu noted. "It has great potential."

*More than an entrepôt*

The Alashankou Integrated Free Trade Zone was approved in May 2011 by the State Council. It is the first of its kind in Xinjiang, and the 16th across China.

The zone has been taking advantages of policies and its location to promote the development of production and processing in the area.

Alashankou is the main land route for importing energy resources, and ensures China imports good-quality resources, said Zhang Xuehai, head of the economic development bureau under the management committee of the Alashankou Integrated Free Trade Zone.

By the end of 2017, 20 billion yuan ($2.92 billion) was invested into the Alashankou Integrated Free Trade Zone, Zhang told the Global Times.

The region attracted 465 companies by 2017, generating an income of 44 million yuan, he said.

SF Express, China's logistics giant, built a subsidiary in Alashankou this year that provides fast train transportation services.

Leo Zheng, a manager of the SF Express subsidiary, told the Global Times that the company receives goods by train from different areas of China or Europe at Alashankou, and sends the goods to different destinations.

Chemical materials, electronic devices, tomato sauce and textiles are the main products the company exports from China for now, while clothes, raw materials and luxuries are being imported.

The company aims to operate 100 trains between China and Europe in 2018, delivering 100,000 tons of goods, according to Zheng.

Meanwhile, the Aiju Qinjiang food company from Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has been producing flour and oil in its newly opened factory in the Alashankou Integrated Free Trade Zone since 2017.

The company processes wheat and sunflowers imported from Kazakhstan in Alashankou, and sells the products in supermarkets back in Shaanxi, Li Ping, an office chief of the company, told the Global Times.

"The transportation cost is much lower than processing in Xi'an. Also, the Kazakh products have a better taste and are more organic," Li said.

The company has invested 80 million yuan in building factories and storage facilities in Alashankou, and will pay 140 million yuan for more storage and production lines, Li said.

*Helping to maintain stability
*
Alashankou has also been using its advantage to lead the development of other regions in Xinjiang.

The Integrated Free Trade Zone is making a contribution to regional stability by creating a large number of jobs, which is considered part of targeted poverty relief.

The zone has attracted more than 1,800 workers from all around Xinjiang. At the end of 2018, there will be more than 3,000, including many ethnic minorities, according to Zhang.

For example, Alashankou has accepted 300 Uyghur workers from Pishan and Shache counties in southern Xinjiang.

"Xinjiang's efforts in maintaining stability aim to make an environment for economic development and people's peaceful life," Zhang noted. "The benefits of stability will bloom within five years."

Zhang said that to make the Belt and Road initiative more energetic, people-to-people communication is a key. 

"Therefore, we are studying how to upgrade Alashankou into a free trade region in order to clear up barriers to people's communication and promote development all along the railway," he said.

Zhang said that Xinjiang needs more medium- and high-end talent who can practically understand and apply the policies.

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## Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA

*China, Xinjiang, Urumqi latest street views*




People's cinema and surroundings

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## Cybernetics



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## JSCh

*Across China: Highland barley a plant of fortune for Tibetans*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-25 21:56:30|Editor: Liangyu




LHASA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Growing 1,000 meters above sea level on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, highland barley has been filling the bellies of Tibetans for generations. Now the plant is also bringing them wealth.

Tsering Yangzom, 30, was busy gathering in highland barley over the weekend. She expects to harvest 1,200 kg this year. Besides the portion she keeps for her family, she intends to sell the rest to a local processing factory, which will bring nearly 1,000 yuan (145 U.S. dollars) of extra income.

Lhorong in Tibet's Chamdo City is known for its quality highland barley. With nearly 4,000 hectares of highland barley, the county is called "the granary of east Tibet." About 55,000 people are engaged in the production and processing of the grain.

After harvest, the highland barley will be washed, dried, roasted and ground into flour-like tsamba -- the most popular staple food in Tibet. Since last year, Lhorong tsamba has been granted a geographic indication and is thus protected.

Farmers used to keep most of the yield as the staple food for the next year. However, as new breeds of high-yield barley were introduced, farmers are able to sell their surplus to a local tsamba company, where the grain is processed into flour, noodles and biscuits.

Tsering Dhondup, the general manager, said the company purchased 800,000 kg of highland barley from local farmers last year, and is expected to purchase 1.5 million kg this year, thanks to a booming market and expanded production.

More than 1,000 households sold their barley to the company at 30 to 40 percent higher than the street price. The selling price of registered impoverished households was even higher, according to the local government.

"Highland barley processing helps to expedite local economic development and increase people's incomes," Tsering Dhondup said.

Among the 30 employees of the company, 28 were from registered impoverished families. Due to the stable income of the job, 18 of them have been successfully lifted out of poverty. The expanded recruitment is expected to help another 50 to 80 low-income residents shake off poverty next year.

Lhosong used to be a farmer before joining the company as a driver in 2011. His monthly income was instantly boosted to 2,500 yuan from less than 500 yuan previously. This year, he introduced his fiancee, also from a poor family, to work in the company.

After years of work, he used his savings to build a two-storey house for the whole family, and buy a second-hand car for himself and a tilting cart for his father to do part-time contracts.

"Even though I don't make direct contact with highland barley nowadays, my job and a relatively well-off life only exist because of the plant," the man said.

Like Lhosong, many families in Lhorong have bid goodbye to poverty thanks to highland barley. According to the local government's work plan, the whole county will overcome poverty by the year-end.

"In addition to other parts in Chamdo, our barley seeds are sold to the neighboring provinces of Sichuan and Qinghai. Our tsamba biscuits even board the planes of Tibet Airlines and fly across China as inflight snacks," said Soinam Tsering, head of Lhorong's agriculture and animal husbandry bureau.












​

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## JSCh

*World's largest textile mill for colored yarns opens in Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-25 18:50:48|Editor: Liangyu




URUMQI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The world's largest textile mill for spinning colored yarn was launched on Saturday in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Built with an investment of 5 billion yuan (735 million U.S. dollars), the mill in Aksu, southern Xinjiang, will see 1 million spindles installed by the end of the year.

The textile mill is owned by Huafu Fashion Co. Ltd., the world's largest supplier of melange yarn, which is based in east China's Zhejiang Province.

The company has also invested 2.5 billion yuan to build a dyeing industrial park in Aksu, which is designed with a capacity for dyeing and printing 100,000 tonnes of cotton yarn a year.

Sun Weiting, chairman of the company, said the factories were not only textile producing facilities, but also boasted a fashion designing, developing platform and intelligent and digital machines for developing environmentally-friendly textiles.

As the largest cotton grower in China, Xinjiang has attracted major textile companies from east and south China to set up branches and factories. Aksu, Kashgar and Hotan in southern Xinjiang are major producers of cotton. Aksu's long-staple cotton output accounts for 93 percent of the country's total.

As of 2017, there are more than 2,700 registered textile companies in Xinjiang, which have provided jobs for more than 350,000 local residents.

Huafu has 5,333 hectares of cotton growing fields in Xinjiang. Its annual cotton trade and logistic volume has reached 500,000 tonnes.

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## JSCh

*Top-level planning on western development to be released*
Xinhua Finance in CNSTOCK
2018-08-31 16:28






It will be the 30th year since China carried out the grand western development program, and new top-level planning is expected to be released soon. Xiao Weiming, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), yesterday disclosed that the NDRC is taking the lead in drafting instruction on pushing the western development drive in the upcoming era.​
*Draw the roadmap for China’s western development drive in next 10-15 years*

The NDRC held a news conference discussing the progress of development boost in China’s western area yesterday. Xiao said that the NDRC initially considered driving the coordinated development in western region by measures in six aspects.

Deepening state-owned enterprise (SOEs) reform is one of the measures. Xiao remarked that the country will reinforce SOEs reform, particularly SOEs mixed-ownership reform, adjust SOEs deployment, and enhance development of civilian-military integration. Supports should be given to promote system innovation and reform pilot in western region.

In addition, Xiao mentioned that the country should support western areas to take part in and integrate in the Belt and Road initiative development, improve open infrastructure construction, and establish some open platforms such as free trade experiment zone, inland economic experimental zone, national-level new area and cross-border economic cooperation zone.

It is learnt by Shanghai Securities News that earlier in July, several ministries and commissions including the NDRC, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Ministry of Commerce had joint investigation in China’s western areas, aiming to lay foundation for drafting guidance on strengthening measures of boosting western development in the upcoming new era.

It is reported that the to-be-released new planning will guide the western development word for the next 10 years or till 2035.

*Transportation infrastructure is still key task of western development*

152 major projects about the western development drive with total investment worth of 3.75 trillion yuan have been newly started since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, according to the NDRC data.

Lately, the central government and ministries frequently said that they would continue to develop the weak links in western areas and advance significant project constriction.

Xiao also added that the NDRC will start construction of a batch of major projects related to transportation, water conservation, energy infrastructure and ecological and environmental protection, and livelihood guaranty by centering on development of the Belt and Road initiative, poverty alleviation program and rural revitalization. This will ensure the growing economic and social development momentum in the western areas.

He also stressed that transportation infrastructure is still the key mission of western development. The government will speed up the transportation network construction which is mainly composed of freeway, railway and highway. It should quicken construction of Chengdu-Guiyang high-speed railway, and start construction of other railway and high-speed railways in western regions as soon as possible. It should build a batch of freeway to expand regional connection, and continue to strengthen highway development in rural areas and airport construction.

“The western regions boast huge investment demand in the future due to lack of transportation infrastructure,” said Huang Yong from Guizhou Academy of Social Sciences.

The planned transportation infrastructure investment in 12 western provinces is over 1.2 trillion yuan in 2018, according to SSN.

Translated by Vanessa Chan

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## JSCh

*China's first independently-developed atmosphere observation system installed in Tibet*
Xinhua | Updated: 2018-09-05 21:18














LHASA -- China has installed its first independently-developed atmosphere observation system known as APSOS in Tibet Autonomous Region in the southwest of the country.

APSOS, or Atmosphere Profiling Synthetic Observation System, is a ground-based facility for profiling atmospheric variables and multiple constituents in the atmosphere.

The system, installed in Yangbajing International Cosmic Ray Observatory, is capable of monitoring atmospheric compositions such as temperature, wind speed, and ozone and carbon dioxide levels, according to Lyu Daren, head of the APSOS project and academician in the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"It can continuously gather atmospheric data from the ground up to 110 km in the air," said Lyu, adding that it supplements current methods of atmosphere observation.

"The system is installed in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau because the region plays an important role in affecting climate and environmental changes globally," Lyu explained.

The APSOS program was launched in 2012 with an investment of 93 million yuan ($14 million) from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

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## JSCh

*China Focus: Tourism booming at World's Third Pole*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-09 17:28:53|Editor: Xiang Bo




LHASA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The year 2018 is essential for Tibet's tourism industry as the regional government is making efforts to boost the all-for-one tourism to enhance the land's charm as a tourist destination at the Third Pole of the world.

Unlike traditional tourism which focuses merely on touring activities for leisure, the all-for-one tourism involves the reconstruction of an industrial chain to engage all possible sectors that a tourist may be interested in, thus making tourism a leading sector to drive along the development of other sectors.

At the ongoing Fourth China Tibet Tourism and Cultural Expo, Qizhala, chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region, stressed the need to implement the "Tourism plus" strategy, as the regional government hopes to encourage the integration of tourism with other sectors such as farming and husbandry, traditional Tibetan games, Tibetan medicines, cultural and art, rural leisure and health care, so as to enrich tourism products and increase the appeal of Tibet as a tourist destination.

Official estimates released at the expo show that Tibet will receive more than 30 million tourists this year, a new record high and triple as many as that in 2012. The number was 25.61 million last year, up 10.6 percent from a year earlier.

Last year, Tibet's tourism revenue was 37.94 billion yuan (about 5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up 17.4 percent from 2016, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the region's gross domestic product. In 1980, when China started the economic reform and opening-up, however, local tourism revenue was negligible.

"Tourism has become the region's most dynamic and most promising industry, and also a forerunner sector strategically important to the economic and social development of Tibet," said Qizhala.

*NEW MOVES*

To extend the tourism industrial chains to more sectors and attract more tourists from at home and abroad, the regional government has decided to establish an industrial development fund to channel more private investment into the sector and encourage more public-and-private capital cooperation.

A tourism resource trading platform will soon be set up so that tourism resources can be more efficiently mobilized through the market, said Qizhala.

Investment funds and venture capital guidance funds will also be established to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in the tourism-related industry, he said.

Road and railway construction will be sped up to improve the public services for tourists.

Yao Tandong, director of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Institute with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposed at the expo the establishment of "Third Pole" national parks to make better use of tourism resources and better protect the environment.

The four candidate national parks are Serling Tso, Tibet's largest lake; Mount Qomolangma; the world's deepest canyon Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon; and Earth Forest, the ruins of the palace of the Gurge Kingdom dating back to the 9th century.

Once the Third Pole National Parks were established, unified planning could be made on the protection of these scenic areas to minimize the damage from tourism on ecology. The behavior of individual travelers will be better regulated while in-depth tours will be arranged to target high-end travelers.

Local residents who live nearby could also be better equipped to engage in tourism services. In 2017, some 125,000 farmers and herders benefited from the tourism industry, earning 12,000 yuan per person on average, by selling souvenirs, snacks, and other specialty products.

*WINTER TOURISM*

Like most tourist destinations across the world, Tibet sees a strong seasonality in its tourism industry. Tourists tend to swarm in from May to October, while the off-season lasts from November to April as the air often gets thinner, and the weather is cold and dry.

With a package of incentives released in February, including free admission to 115 tourist attractions and lower prices for starred hotels, touring vehicles and airfares, winter tourism has shown positive changes.

The number of tourists to Lhasa and Nyingchi both surged by more than 50 percent from Feb. 1 to April 30. The Potala Palace in Lhasa has seen its visitors more than double in February compared with the same month of last year.

Statistics from the regional tourism authority show that from January to April, more than 2.67 million domestic tourists came to Tibet, up 63.5 percent from the same period last year, while Tibet took in tourism revenue of more than 3.5 billion yuan, up 62.8 percent.

During the same period, the occupancy rates of international hotels, chain hotels and boutique homestays in Lhasa and Nyingchi both exceeded 80 percent, much higher than in normal years.

Known as the "sunlight city" in Chinese, Lhasa has more than 3,000 hours of sunshine annually on average. It is sunny on most winter days, therefore, basking in the winter sunlight in Lhasa has been a selling point of the winter tourism promotion.

Li Xinyu, vice president of Ctrip Group, noted that thanks to the rising awareness of the all-for-one tourism and the winter promotion, Tibetan's tourism has entered a golden period and witnessed explosive growth.

Ctrip data point to a trend of consumption upgrading too, he said at the expo. In 2018, domestic tourists' average stay in Tibet has been extended to 9.6 days from 9 days, and each tourist spends 9,893 yuan on average, about 800 yuan more than the previous year.

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## JSCh

*New highway put into use in China's impoverished region*
New China TV
Published on Sep 16, 2018

A new highway has been put into use in China's Xihaigu, which is on UNESCO's list of the world's most uninhabitable places. It's the country's another poverty alleviation effort in the region.

====================

For those who never heard of Xihaigu, it is in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, south west China.

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## JSCh

*Ningxia celebrates 60th anniversary of its founding*
Updated: Sep 21,2018 9:33 AM Xinhua

People stage a performance during a grand gathering held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Ningxia Hui autonomous region at Helan Mountain Stadium in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region, Sept 20, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

































*Greater support pledged for Ningxia*
By HU DONGMEI,CUI JIA | China Daily | Updated: 2018-09-21 03:28
















A ceremony is held to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in the regional capital Yinchuan on Thursday. PHOTOS BY WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY 

The central government will better support the development of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and make sure that relatively less-developed ethnic areas achieve a moderately prosperous society in all respects together with other regions by 2020, a senior official said on Thursday.

However, people who deliberately instigate ethnic tensions or division will be punished in accordance with the law, regardless of their religion or ethnic group, said Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"We firmly oppose the attempts to divide and contain China by using the excuses of ethnic, religious and human rights issues," he said.

Wang made the remarks while delivering a speech at a ceremony celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in the regional capital of Yinchuan. He led a 62-member central delegation attending a series of events marking the anniversary, which began on Wednesday.

Ningxia was founded on Oct 25, 1958, and has a population of 6.82 million. More than 36 percent of its people are from the Hui ethnic group and a majority of them are Muslim.

The CPC Central Committee, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the State Council, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and the Central Military Commission jointly sent a congratulatory letter to Ningxia to mark its 60th anniversary.



Performers engage in ethnic dances at the ceremony.

The letter said the founding of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region was a milestone in the history of China's ethnic relations, and the region has achieved historic changes in the past six decades. The region's GDP reached 345 billion yuan ($50.2 billion) in 2017, more than 1,000 times what it was in 1958, according to official data.

Achieving faster economic growth and maintaining ethnic unity are in line with the fundamental interests of people in Ningxia, and is also the common wish of the CPC Central Committee and people all across the country, the letter said.

Wang said that people from all ethnic groups are equal, and relatively less-developed ethnic areas should not be viewed as burdensome.

Although lifting people out of poverty in ethnic areas is indeed one of the key challenges in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the challenge can be overcome by letting people enjoy more fruits of reforms so people from ethnic groups or ethnic areas won't fall behind others in stepping into a moderately prosperous society, he said.

Wang also made it clear that treating Han culture as the sole Chinese culture and excluding the culture of any ethnic group from Chinese culture are both wrong. People need to respect differences and embrace diversity, he said.

"People need to deal with different problems in accordance with their nature instead of randomly labeling them as ethnic issues," he said.

_Contact the writers at cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn_

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## JSCh

*Xinhua Special: Data, dunes, determination in Ningxia*
New China TV
Published on Sep 19, 2018

How can man and nature live in harmony? #XinhuaSpecial heads to Ningxia, a tiny region in the middle of China that is surrounded by deserts, to explore some of the very creative ways that it has struck a balance between its people and the land.

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## JSCh

*Beidou navigation system serves Tibet*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 20:52:39|Editor: mmm




LHASA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Beidou, a domestically engineered satellite navigation system of China, started to serve its second largest provincial region of Tibet on Monday.

A Beidou-supported information platform made a debut in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. It is expected to provide services in disaster alert and relief, emergency rescue, transportation, agriculture, forestry, water conservancy, as well as targeted poverty reduction and smart travel.

"We will accelerate the development of Beidou navigation industry and its application in Tibet," said Qin Zhenhua, chairman of the Tibet Xingchuan Beidou Satellite Navigation Platform Co., Ltd.

Tibet occupies about one eighth of China's land area with 3.17 million people. Beidou meets the urgent need from the sparsely populated region.

Named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation, Beidou is a rival to the U.S. GPS system, Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo as a global satellite navigation system.

China launched its first Beidou satellite in 2000.

Beidou, with 38 satellites, will provide danger alerts and navigation services for global users after the successful launch of two satellites on September 19.

Beidou was listed on a global satellite search and rescue implementation plan in February by COSPAS-SARSAT, an international satellite system for search and rescue.

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## JSCh

*Social media helps village teacher spread knowledge to children*
Cui Zhaoqian
2018-10-02 13:05 GMT+8




A Chinese volunteer teacher working at a village school in northwest China's Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region recently made the headline as the “happiest woman on earth”. This was because after she requested on social media to receive books for her students. The response is overwhelmingly heartwarming.

When the new school year starts in autumn, teacher Shen Jianli, who goes by the name @Jiaowojianlibao on China's Twitter-like platform Weibo, discovered many books in the school's library are romantic fictions full of explicit phrases which pose negative effects on students' mental health.



Nature History Magazine retweets the teacher's post expressing gratitude. /Weibo Photo

Lacking accesses to obtain good books in this remote school, teacher Shen tried to tag a youth educational magazine on Weibo, pleading for a few copies on a whim. To her surprise, the magazine, Nature History, not only donated 101 newly-published copies but helped retweet her original post to get more attention.



Another teacher sends books collected from her students to the remote school. /Weibo Photo

As an active science account with more than nine million followers, the post has turned the teacher's small request into public view as commercial publishers, charities and book lovers across the country started sending fairy tales, classic novels, science magazines and encyclopedias to the school.



Shen ships the parcels containing books from all over the country. /Weibo Photo

Love influx as books continue to pour into the local post office, Shen was busy shipping the parcels by her little electric motorcycle back and forth. “Being a carrier because of today's delivery. Thank you for making me the happiest woman in the world”, the teacher expressed her gratitude in a post.

The teacher has received 2,000 books from donators nationwide. “My students are thrilled to have these books,” said Shen, who likes taking photos of her students and since got the comment “‘Sparkles' can be seen through their curious, happy eyes,” Weibo users posted.



Shen's students are reading books from social media donators. /Weibo Photo

This is the second year Shen devoted herself to the teaching program. She chose to be a village teacher right after graduation without hesitation.

When the media asked why she would like to move to the countryside at such a young age, she answered frankly, “Just out of love for the country. It is the teachers who spread me knowledge which empowers me the right to choose, and I want to be a person like them, to help rural kids get more opportunities.”



She likes taking pictures of her students. /Weibo Photo

China's education system has made much progress over the past few decades, but a lack of qualified teachers in vast rural areas is still an issue to be solved.

In late August, the Ministry of Education announced a plan to expand the teaching staff in resource-scarce areas, including attracting more college graduates and employing retired experienced teachers to teach or provide training to village schools.

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## JSCh

*World's highest! Chinese engineers build highway tunnel in Tibet*
New China TV
Published on Aug 1, 2018

Chinese engineers have built the world's highest highway tunnel, which is located at an average attitude of 4,750 meters above sea level. The tunnel forms a key part of a highway in Tibet, linking Lhasa to Nyingchi.

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## JSCh

*Big data system keeping track of visitor information helps Tibet’s tourism*
By Cao Siqi Source:Global Times Published: 2018/10/3 11:08:01

*Number of foreign tourists to Tibet increases fast*

As China enters the era of big data, a key university in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region is using this technical method to monitor the flow of tourists. 

Analysts said the move will not only boost the tourism industry, but also help safeguard regional stability and promote national unity. 

Tibet University, the largest university in the region with an internationally renowned department of Tibetan studies, has established a big data center based on tourism information.​


This big data screen made its debut at this year’s Tourism and Culture Expo that kicked off in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in early September. The screen shows the distribution of Tibet's natural resources including lakes, lands and rare wild species. Photo: Courtesy of Wang Sheng






​Tibet University installs a real-time monitoring electronic screen which can display the number of tourists in a given period and the specific number at any tourist attraction. Photo: Courtesy of Nyima Tashi

The center was jointly built by the university's information and technology school and Beijing-based Wiseweb Technology Company, one of China's leading companies that provide big data smart software and services. It was officially launched in early September. 

Nyima Tashi, dean of the school, told the Global Times that the center aims to provide data support for the regional government to boost the local tourism industry and further accelerate the region's openness to the world. 

Tashi said the school installed a real-time monitoring electronic screen which could display the number of tourists in a given period and the specific number at any tourist attraction.

Moreover, it can show the background information of local tourist attractions and exhibit any trends of changing tourist preferences.

"In near future, the screen could also show more information about tourists, such as the origin of domestic and overseas tourists and their preferences of scenic spots, as long as the information does not invade personal privacy," Tashi noted. 

The big data screen made its debut at this year's tourism and culture expo that kicked off in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in early September. 

Wang Sheng, deputy manager of Wiseweb, told the Global Times that the data aims to provide a reference for the regional government to monitor tourism market dynamics.

For example, the screen could display important events held in Tibet, ticket information, and the number of tourists in different scenic spots, he said. 

"The real time monitoring could give a warning to the government on negative social events," Wang noted. 

According to Wang, some data is captured from open sources on the internet while other data is purchased from tourist companies. For the next step, the company will obtain more data from different levels of government. "Possibly, the screen will show more information about overseas tourists," said Wang. 

The big data center impressed foreign visitors. Han Woo-duck, director of South Korea Central Daily China Institute, said in an article published on its website on September 18 that what marveled him most during his four-day visit to Tibet was not the Potala Palace or the Jokhang Monastery, but the big data center at Tibet University.

Han said the university's staff led him to the center, and the changing data on the screen, shown as pie charts and bar graphs, could demonstrate the changes of tourists in real time. 

"It means that the Tibet University, located in the deep heart of China, is building up a big data center. It marks a clear comparison with South Korea, where there is not any real time information about the number of tourists in scenic spots, or the major gathering spots of overseas tourists," Han said in the article. 

Tibet received a record 25.6 million domestic and foreign tourists in 2017, up 10.6 percent compared with the previous year, the Xinhua News Agency reported in January, citing regional authorities.

Tourism has become one of the pillar industries in the region. Tourism revenue during 2017 reached 37.9 billion yuan ($5.9 billion), with a year-on year increase of 14.7 percent. Statistics showed that for the past five years, total tourism revenue in the region topped 130 billion yuan, said Xinhua. 

Due to special ethnic traditions and environmental protection concerns, overseas tourists must get a permit from the regional tourist bureau before entering into Tibet. 

From January to April, Tibet received nearly 40,000 foreign tourists, up 50.5 percent compared with the previous year, the regional tourism development committee announced in May. 

"A big data system incorporating tourism information will help the local government to manage the industry in more orderly way and avoid accidents," Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic studies at Minzu University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday. 

In addition to sharing the beautiful scenery and cultural heritage with the outside world, developing tourism in Tibet is also an important move to safeguard regional stability, promote national unity, and guard against separatist forces, said Xiong.

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## JSCh

*New railway set to fuel Tibet’s economy, trade with India and Nepal: experts*
By Li Xuanmin Source:Global Times Published: 2018/10/11 22:28:40



The last T-shaped girder is installed on the Lhasa-Ya'an highway bridge at the Chengdu-Ya'an section of the Sichuan-Tibet railway in Southwest China's Sichuan Province in April. Photo: IC

The construction of the Sichuan-Tibet railway, dubbed the world's most challenging railway, will have a big influence in boosting Tibet's integration into South Asia and the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative (BRI), as well as facilitating its trade connectivity with China's developed regions, industry observers said on Thursday.

The comments came after Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the full launch of the planning and construction of the 1,700-kilometer Sichuan-Tibet railway at a meeting held on Wednesday, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

The meeting emphasized that the railway, which will run from Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, to Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, will promote ethnic solidarity, safeguard national unity and consolidate the stability of the frontier, as well as bolstering Tibet's economic and social development, the report said. 

The 250-billion-yuan ($36.16 billon) railway, which will have a designated speed of between 160 and 200 kilometers per hour, is expected to be completed by 2026, media reports said.

The line will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the world's most geologically active areas, which also has sharp changes in terrain. This means the construction of the railway line will have to overcome substantial risks.

Long Xingchun, an associate professor at China West Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the railway could fuel Tibet's economic growth because it will connect Tibet with Sichuan, whose transportation network is also linked with other southwestern regions as well as more developed central and eastern regions such as the Yangtze River Economic Zone and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

Upon completion, the travel time by train from Chengdu to Lhasa will reportedly be cut from 48 hours to about 13 hours. 

"The shortened travel time will enable faster movement of goods and people between Tibet and wealthy regions of China, injecting new vigor into Tibet's economy," said Sun Zhang, a rail expert and professor at Shanghai Tongji University.

The project will also provide the second rail line into Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. 

But Long noted that the new railway will offer more significant benefits than the first rail line. 

Unlike Northwest China's Qinghai Province, which is relatively undeveloped, Sichuan is Tibet's most affluent neighbor, and is the center of China's southwest regions with a dynamic and vibrant economic structure. "So its economic radiation effect to Tibet will be much stronger," Sun told the Global Times. 

It is also necessary to construct the railway so that goods can move quickly along the route without being affected by weather conditions, Long said. 

"Every year, the Sichuan-Tibet highway is closed for up to six months due to natural disasters, blocking Tibet's trade connectivity with inland China," Long added.

In the long term, the railway could also potentially boost Tibet's tourism revenue as well as driving investment in its real economy, which will help bridge the gap between the country's western regions and those in the east, Sun noted. 

*Opening up more* 

Experts also pointed out that the railway can help Tibet play the role of an "intermediary" between Southwest China and South Asian countries such as Nepal and India. "The region could then utilize resources from home and abroad to drive its economy," Long said. 

At the same time, more Chinese tourists will be eager to travel by train to South Asia and goods from northern India and Nepal can be shipped to China more quickly, helping the two nations to tap the Chinese market. 

The prospect of connecting with South Asia is promising, as the railway line from Lhasa to Tibet's Xigaze, as part of an extension of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, was put into use in 2014. Meanwhile, the China-Nepal railway, which will link Nepal's capital Kathmandu with Xigaze, is expected to be completed by 2022. 

Sun noted the integration into Sichuan's transportation network will open up more opportunities for Tibet to participate in and benefit from the BRI.

Chengdu operates multiple China-Europe freight trains, making it possible for Tibet to transport goods to Europe via the route. The region could also send goods to ports in South China's Guangdong Province, taking advantage of the Maritime Silk Road.



Elevation map of the Sichuan Tibet Railway. The leftmost red star is Lhasa, Tibet. The rightmost red star is Chengdu, Sichuan. The number is elevation in meters.

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## JSCh

*Kekeya green project: A man-made miracle*
chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-10-18 08:42



An aerial photo shows the Kekeya green project in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. [Photo/ts.cn]

On the northwestern side of the Taklimakan Desert, the world's second-largest shifting sand desert, stands a man-made forest spreading across about 66,667 hectares.

This forest is the Kekeya green project, also a boundary dividing desert and green space in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.

Aksu launched the Kekeya green project in 1986 to change the harsh natural conditions. For over 32 years, four million people, including soldiers, students, teachers, civil servants and residents, kept on planting trees, creating a "green Great Wall" 25 kilometers long and four kilometers wide.

The green project has been set as a model of ecological restoration in China.





​A car drives through the core region of the Kekeya green project in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, Sept 20, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]




​Deep green ecological shelter forest adjoins golden rice fields in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, Sept 23, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]




​The Kekeya green project stretches towards tall buildings in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, Sept 26, 2018. [Photo/Xinjiang Daily]




​In this undated file photo, people plant trees that will become part of the Kekeya green project. [Photo/iyaxin.com]




​Satellite remote sensing images show Kekeya (from left to right) in 1987, 1995 and 2017. [Photo/Xinjiang Daily]

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## JSCh



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## JSCh

*Relocation raises living standards for Lhopas*
By Palden Nyima in Manling, Tibet | China Daily | Updated: 2018-10-19 09:36



Dawa makes a traditional costume at his home in Manling. [Photo by PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY]

The lives of members of the Lhopa ethnic group in the Tibet autonomous region have improved markedly in recent decades, thanks to the reform and opening-up policy that was launched 40 years ago.

Until about 50 years ago, they lived in the forest as hunters. Now, about 3,000 Lhopas live in Tibet, in sparse communities such as the group in Manling county, according to official statistics.

Despite his typically Tibetan name, Dawa is a Lhopa man from Tsedro village in Manling. He said he has witnessed many social changes in recent decades, having worked as a village official for many years. He is now a respected maker of ethic costumes.

"We used to live on the mountain and in the forest. We had no livestock and only had small fields for planting corn," the 52-year-old said.

"As hunters on the mountain, we lived in simple wooden sheds and our diet mainly consisted of meat from animals we hunted, corn we grew, and a few edible wild herbs."

He added that people often suffered from hunger, and they were forced to exchange bears' gallbladders and the skins of the animals they hunted for daily necessities such as grain, salt, tea leaves and clothes.

In 1985, 18 households, totaling 80 people including Dawa, were relocated from remote mountain and forest areas to Tsedro, where they were given houses, fields and livestock, resulting in a far higher standard of living. Since then, the number of households has risen to 41, with more than 190 people, he said.

The relocation was the Lhopas' first encounter with modern conveniences.

"Since 1985, the government has paid for house renovations three times, and now our living conditions are good," Dawa said.

A resident named Yari recalled that only one doctor traveled around local villages when the Lhopa lived on the mountain, but he was only able to treat minor illnesses, not serious conditions.

The 65-year-old woman said local women used to give birth at home, which resulted in many birth injuries and infant deaths, but the frequency of such incidents declined greatly after the people were relocated.

After he ceased to be a village official in 2008, Dawa began making traditional costumes to earn a living and to preserve the Lhopa culture.

He learned the skills from older people while the group was living on the mountain, he said.

However, it is hard to find the traditional materials, such as animal skins and fur, in the valley because hunting is prohibited by law. Instead, Dawa uses substitute materials to make the clothes.

In addition, he collects herbs, like other Lhopa families, and raises Tibetan pigs. Last year, his family's income was more than 60,000 yuan ($8,650).

"Thanks to President Xi Jinping, we have received more welfare than in the past, and many of the central government's preferential policies are implemented correctly and efficiently. People like us, at the lower levels of society, are benefiting more."

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## JSCh

*Herbs grow Tibetan farmers' fortunes*
By Palden Nyima in Manling, Tibet | China Daily | Updated: 2018-10-19 09:35



A worker takes care of seedlings at entrepreneur Nyima's plantation in Manling county, Tibet autonomous region. [Photo by Palden Nyima/China Daily]

Farmers in the Tibet autonomous region's Nyingchi have been collecting medicinal herbs for years. Now they are using them to heal their poverty woes.

Manling county, which has a history of at least 3,800 years, is synonymous with Tibetan medical culture. Historical records show Yuthok Yonten Gonpo, the founder of traditional Tibetan medicine, trained practitioners and dispensed medicines in Manling, and wrote about its achievements in ancient times.

One of the reasons Manling is so integral is its abundance of medicinal herbs. It grows an estimated 3,800 types of plants and 680 kinds of macrofungi.

In 2010, the county government took measures to make the area a center of Tibetan medicine.

Seeing a business opportunity, entrepreneur Nyima set up the Golden Sun Tibetan Herbal Plantation Farm in 2012 to cultivate medicinal herbs.

"It's become harder to find naturally grown herbs in high-altitude areas since the market demand has risen," he said. "I felt that Tibetan medicine's development would have no future if no measures were taken to preserve these herbs.

"Herbs have big business potential, as the Tibetan medicine market is growing. I also want to help protect traditional culture."

His plantation grows six kinds of herbs and sells them in other parts of Tibet and neighboring Yunnan province. Buyers are mostly Tibetan medical institutes, but they are also popular among tourists. Last year, the business made more than 300,000 yuan ($43,200).

Nyima, who is well-known in the region, said he did not expect such success. The 52-year-old, who hails from Gyaltse county, had a difficult childhood. He had no chance to go to school, so he learned how to read and write Tibetan while working in a monastery as a carpenter.

When he was 19, he had an opportunity to work for the government in Manling, where he met his wife and decided to settle down. He also worked at chicken farms, pig farms and apple orchards before starting his herb business. The venture has not only made his family better off but also helped many impoverished locals.

Nyima employs nine workers and four technicians, as well as some part-time workers at peak periods. Workers are paid 180 to 220 yuan a day, while the technicians receive 6,000 yuan a month, he said. At least 19 poor families have benefitted from working at his farm.

He has also built two greenhouses and allows villagers to use them to grow herbs for free. Lodre has worked at the farm for three years. He expressed his gratitude to Nyima as the job is not tough but the salary is satisfying.

"Before coming here, I'd worked on construction sites for years. The jobs were mostly heavy and risky, but now my family is very pleased," the 31-year-old from Shigatse said.

According to the Manling government, the county's eight townships all now have herbal plantation companies as well as communal village plantations.

Nyima said the county has promised to invest 1.68 million yuan to expand his farm, allowing it to play an even bigger role in the development of Tibetan medicine and poverty alleviation.

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## JSCh

JSCh said:


> *New railway set to fuel Tibet’s economy, trade with India and Nepal: experts*
> By Li Xuanmin Source:Global Times Published: 2018/10/11 22:28:40
> 
> 
> 
> The last T-shaped girder is installed on the Lhasa-Ya'an highway bridge at the Chengdu-Ya'an section of the Sichuan-Tibet railway in Southwest China's Sichuan Province in April. Photo: IC
> 
> The construction of the Sichuan-Tibet railway, dubbed the world's most challenging railway, will have a big influence in boosting Tibet's integration into South Asia and the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative (BRI), as well as facilitating its trade connectivity with China's developed regions, industry observers said on Thursday.
> 
> The comments came after Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the full launch of the planning and construction of the 1,700-kilometer Sichuan-Tibet railway at a meeting held on Wednesday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
> 
> The meeting emphasized that the railway, which will run from Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, to Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, will promote ethnic solidarity, safeguard national unity and consolidate the stability of the frontier, as well as bolstering Tibet's economic and social development, the report said.
> 
> The 250-billion-yuan ($36.16 billon) railway, which will have a designated speed of between 160 and 200 kilometers per hour, is expected to be completed by 2026, media reports said.
> 
> The line will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the world's most geologically active areas, which also has sharp changes in terrain. This means the construction of the railway line will have to overcome substantial risks.
> 
> Long Xingchun, an associate professor at China West Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the railway could fuel Tibet's economic growth because it will connect Tibet with Sichuan, whose transportation network is also linked with other southwestern regions as well as more developed central and eastern regions such as the Yangtze River Economic Zone and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
> 
> Upon completion, the travel time by train from Chengdu to Lhasa will reportedly be cut from 48 hours to about 13 hours.
> 
> "The shortened travel time will enable faster movement of goods and people between Tibet and wealthy regions of China, injecting new vigor into Tibet's economy," said Sun Zhang, a rail expert and professor at Shanghai Tongji University.
> 
> The project will also provide the second rail line into Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
> 
> But Long noted that the new railway will offer more significant benefits than the first rail line.
> 
> Unlike Northwest China's Qinghai Province, which is relatively undeveloped, Sichuan is Tibet's most affluent neighbor, and is the center of China's southwest regions with a dynamic and vibrant economic structure. "So its economic radiation effect to Tibet will be much stronger," Sun told the Global Times.
> 
> It is also necessary to construct the railway so that goods can move quickly along the route without being affected by weather conditions, Long said.
> 
> "Every year, the Sichuan-Tibet highway is closed for up to six months due to natural disasters, blocking Tibet's trade connectivity with inland China," Long added.
> 
> In the long term, the railway could also potentially boost Tibet's tourism revenue as well as driving investment in its real economy, which will help bridge the gap between the country's western regions and those in the east, Sun noted.
> 
> *Opening up more*
> 
> Experts also pointed out that the railway can help Tibet play the role of an "intermediary" between Southwest China and South Asian countries such as Nepal and India. "The region could then utilize resources from home and abroad to drive its economy," Long said.
> 
> At the same time, more Chinese tourists will be eager to travel by train to South Asia and goods from northern India and Nepal can be shipped to China more quickly, helping the two nations to tap the Chinese market.
> 
> The prospect of connecting with South Asia is promising, as the railway line from Lhasa to Tibet's Xigaze, as part of an extension of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, was put into use in 2014. Meanwhile, the China-Nepal railway, which will link Nepal's capital Kathmandu with Xigaze, is expected to be completed by 2022.
> 
> Sun noted the integration into Sichuan's transportation network will open up more opportunities for Tibet to participate in and benefit from the BRI.
> 
> Chengdu operates multiple China-Europe freight trains, making it possible for Tibet to transport goods to Europe via the route. The region could also send goods to ports in South China's Guangdong Province, taking advantage of the Maritime Silk Road.
> 
> 
> 
> Elevation map of the Sichuan Tibet Railway. The leftmost red star is Lhasa, Tibet. The rightmost red star is Chengdu, Sichuan. The number is elevation in meters.

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## JSCh

*Eco-unfriendly vehicles banned from base camp of world’s highest peak*
By Xu Hailin Source:Global Times Published: 2018/10/21 23:18:40



A model presents a creation during a folk costume show at the 5,200-meter-high base camp of the world's highest peak Qomolangma, in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2018. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)

Eco-unfriendly tourist transport vehicles will be banned from base camp starting 2019 at Mount Qomolangma, known to the Western world as Mt. Everest, in a Tibetan county government environmental campaign. 

Locals who live below the poverty line will be employed as tour guides and drivers of new electric golf-style buggies to and from the camp, China Tibet Online reported Saturday, citing the government of Tingri county, Xigaze, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. 

"It will help reduce pollution in the area and raise the income of locals," Wangqiong, deputy head of Tingri county, was quoted as saying.

"This area has a fragile environment and its natural conditions have limited processing capabilities of trash and sewage, which must be handled very carefully."

More than 100,000 people, including 40,000 mountaineers and hikers, visited the Everest Base Camp and nearby area in 2017, the Xinhua News Agency reported in March.

Some 2.26 tons of human feces, one ton of mountaineering trash and 5.24 tons of household waste have been removed from the world's highest peak since April. 

A further 8 tons of trash was removed between 5,200 meters and 6,500 meters above sea level.

A professional cleaning company has been hired to maintain the area and every visitor will receive trash bags to promote cleanup, Wangqiong told the news site.

Electric buggies are used in scenic spots across China to reduce emissions, Zhang Shangzheng, dean of the tourism management department at Anhui University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"If local government chooses charging piles to solve the power issue, such piles must be carefully installed at places that do not influence the water or damage the beautiful scenery," he said.

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## JSCh

*Trees turn oilfield city into modern oasis*
By Zou Shuo and Mao Weihua in Karamay, Xinjiang | China Daily | Updated: 2018-10-24 07:30




The city center of Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in 1958. [Photo provided to China Daily]

More than 277,000 people involved in greening project that started six years ago

An oilfield in the Gobi Desert hardly conjures up visions of an ideal living environment, but the city of Karamay has created a pleasant life for its more than 400,000 residents.

Karamay, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, is known for its oil and gas rigs, and its name means "black oil" in the Uygur language. Yet this man-made oasis also has some breathtaking scenery and unexpected pleasures.

The sun rises and sets later than in most of the country. Every evening, residents gather at Karamay Lake to watch a water fountain performance and enjoy the cool breeze that rustles through the trees.

There are some surprising twists that make this remote destination ideal for people seeking something out of the ordinary. They include the city fountain, with its pivoting nozzles that shoot water high into the air in an array of patterns, accompanied by lights and music; the mesmerizing sight of hundreds of pump jacks bringing crude oil to the surface; and the windcarved rock and sand sculptures called yardang.



The city center of Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in 1972. [Photo provided to China Daily]

With the efforts of generations of local people, Karamay has changed from a desert to a modern petroleum and petrochemical base and a civilized, livable modern city.

Karamay didn't even exist until the 1950s. The land was uninhabited, a barren landscape of desert and brush.

"There was nothing: no water, no houses, no grass," said Turdi Kasim, who arrived in Karamay in 1975. He was hired as an oil worker in the city soon after leaving the army when he was 21.

"There was only the wind, which blew every day," he said. "We dug cellars to sleep in, built dry toilets, had to work with rudimentary supplies and drank rationed water trekked in on the backs of camels. I wanted to do something about that, and trees were the first thing to come to my mind."

When he retired in 2000, Kasim, now 64, started to plant trees in the Gobi Desert. He used his pension to buy saplings and replaced the sand with fresh, fertile soil.

When he started, only 20 percent of trees could survive due to the harsh desert environment and lack of water in Karamay. However, he did not give up. Over 18 years, he has grown more than 2.7 hectares of forest with more than 10,000 trees.

"What you see today is truly amazing, and I'm proud that I helped make it happen," he said.



The city center of Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in 1975. [Photo provided to China Daily]

*Industrial chain*

For most people, the closest they actually come to oil and gas is putting gasoline in their cars or paying their winter heating bill. But for residents of Karamay, oil is a dream, a livelihood, and their city's reason for being.

The first oil reserves were discovered in October 1955. Three years later, the State Council, China's Cabinet, established the city of Karamay with the goal of developing oil production and related industries.

Today, 90 percent of the city's GDP is dependent on the oil and petrochemical industries, and as many as a third of its residents have, at one time, been employed by an oil company.

In 1959, the city opened China's first oilfield with annual production capacity of more than 1 million metric tons, accounting for 40 percent of domestic oil production.

A second oilfield with an annual production capacity of 3 million tons was built in 1977, while the first oilfield in western China with annual production capacity of 10 million tons was opened in the city in 2002.

With proven oil reserves of 2.6 billion tons, the city has drilled more than 370 million tons of oil and 82 billion cubic meters of natural gas, adding up to 198 billion yuan ($28.6 billion) in national and local tax revenues, according to official data.

A typical, resource-based city, Karamay also commands a complete industrial chain, with first-class technological services and skilled workers. The city government is pushing ahead with a strategy based on the information industry to turn it into a world-class oil city.





​The city center of Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in 1997. [Photo provided to China Daily]

*Greening project*

If the city exists because of oil, it has flourished because of water.

Surrounded by desert, the city is subject to hot, dry weather, and it previously suffered from a shortage of water and scant vegetation.

Tan Zhijun, deputy head of the city's department of housing and urban-rural development, said, "Children here start learning about environmental protection at an early age because we want them to know the hardships early generations endured in planting trees and the importance of protecting the environment."

In 1965, the city planted its first trees, three rows of elms in the city center irrigated with sewage water.

"The whole city stank, but we couldn't spare more water for trees as each person only got 3 cu m of water a month," Tan said.

Everyone knows the importance of trees to the city. A vice-mayor's approval is required before relocating more than three trees, Tan said, and the city forbids any replanting of trees from May to October.

"It is harder to plant a tree in Karamay than raise a baby," he said.

Matters took a turn for the better in 2000 with the completion of a water transport project that brings in 400 million cu m of water every year. The water has completely changed the once-arid no man's land and turned it into a modern oasis.

In 2001, the city started a massive tree planting program and built a windbreak between the city and the Junggar Basin, one of the largest and most petroleum-rich basins in China, and home to the country's second-largest desert, the Gurbantunggut.

Karamay initiated a new greening project in 2012, with 277,400 people participating in tree planting.

The city invested 12.7 billion yuan from 2012 to 2016 in environmental protection, and more than 4,900 hectares of trees have been planted in the past six years.

By the end of last year, trees and grass covered 43 percent of the city, with the per capita green space reaching 11.6 square meters, up from 2 sq m in 1999.

In 2016, more than 90 percent of days were of first-or second-grade air quality, and living standards have also improved. Per capita living space reached 40 sq m in 2016, up from 28 sq m in 2012.



The city center of Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, today. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Karamay's GDP hit 72.2 billion yuan last year, with its annual per capita income reaching 39,000 yuan, exceeding the national average of 26,000 yuan.

Its modern high-rise buildings and sleek highways are a dramatic departure from the early years. There are amenities such as 40 city parks, a golf course, a library, a science and technology center, a gymnasium and an Olympic-sized public swimming pool.

Karamay has been diversifying the city's economy away from sole reliance on exploiting oil and gas resources in the Junggar Basin.

"Rather than awaiting another fall in oil prices, we're much better off taking advantage of our oil and gas production to initiate industrial restructuring," Wang Gang, mayor of Karamay, said.

In a resource-based city undergoing transformation, livelihoods should be the priority, he said. Special attention has been paid to developing three new industries: finance, information and tourism.

The measures introduced have extended the industrial chain to downstream sectors, improving the city's economic structure and enhancing its capacity to cope with risks.

Livelihood projects such as tree planting, the building of senior day care centers, community healthcare, and food safety cooperatives have created a livable environment.

Tourism has become Karamay's most vibrant industry, said Shi Jian, deputy director of the city's tourism bureau.

Visitors made 6.2 million trips to the city in the first nine months of this year, up 48 percent year-on-year, he said, while tourism income rose 46 percent year-on-year to 9.2 billion yuan.

"Developing the tourism market is an appropriate path for Karamay's transformation from a single-product economy to a diversified economy," he said.

Wang said the next step in Karamay's development is to become a vibrant, varied place to live, attracting new blood and offering a much broader range of social, economic and cultural resources.

Achieving that in a remote city like Karamay won't be easy.

But the city authorities are confident that continued reliance on the resilience of its people will make the impossible possible once again.

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## JSCh

*A stunning sea of red chillies covers the desert in NW China*
CGTN
Published on Oct 27, 2018

This "sea" of red chillies will get spicy food lovers' mouths watering in this October. Farmers have turned the desert red by leaving their harvested chili peppers out to dry in Zhangye City, northwest China's Gansu Province. Each year, this area produces more than 26,000 tonnes of chili peppers to satisfy people's appetite for spicy food.

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## TaiShang

JSCh said:


> *A stunning sea of red chillies covers the desert in NW China*
> CGTN
> Published on Oct 27, 2018
> 
> This "sea" of red chillies will get spicy food lovers' mouths watering in this October. Farmers have turned the desert red by leaving their harvested chili peppers out to dry in Zhangye City, northwest China's Gansu Province. Each year, this area produces more than 26,000 tonnes of chili peppers to satisfy people's appetite for spicy food.


 
Red chillies make great national flags 

Well, 辣椒 and 玉米，to be exact。

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## JSCh

*Changes in Tibet: Housing*
New China TV
Published on Nov 1, 2018

From mud shed to concrete house: Tibetans embrace new life as the government steps up efforts to improve housing for farmers and herdsmen.

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## TaiShang

*Logistics center set up in China's most western region*

(People's Daily Online) 13:25, November 21, 2018







_A van of a courier company runs on the highway linking Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County and Kashigar. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)_

A package distribution center has recently been established in a county on the Pamir Plateau, in China's westernmost region, thanks to the country’s significant efforts to eradicate poverty.

Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County is located in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Province. It covers an area larger than Beijing, but has a population of only 41,000.






_Li Xin (left) contacts the parcels' owners. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)_

*To date, at least one person in each of the region's 3,235 households has been guaranteed a stable job, and 1,542 impoverished families have already been relocated. The county is expected to rid itself of poverty in 2019.*

About 1,000 express parcels have been delivered to the county since the logistics center opened, including home appliances, mobile phones, face masks and clothes, courier Li Yue said.






_Local residents show the items they received. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)_

*Poverty reduction in the region has brought business opportunities for e-commerce and express industries*, and the logistics center is expected to link the small county with the outside world, Li added. 






_The photo taken by a drone shows the van of the courier company. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)_

http://en.people.cn/n3/2018/1121/c90000-9520738.html

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## JSCh

*New archaeological site revises human habitation timeline on Tibetan plateau*
November 29, 2018
Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters



Stone artifacts on the surface.
_Credit: IVPP_

Human ancestors first set foot on the interior of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau around 30,000-40,000 years ago, according to new research by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). This new finding moves back the earliest data of habitation in the interior by 20,000 years or more.

The research team was led by Dr. ZHANG Xiaoling and Prof. GAO Xing from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of CAS. Their study, published in _Science_, was based on investigations of Nwya Devu, the oldest and highest early Stone Age (Paleolithic) archaeological site known anywhere in the world.

This archaeological achievement is a major breakthrough in our understanding of the human occupation and evolution of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau as well as larger-scale prehistoric human migration and exchanges. It caps 60 years of effort trying to find evidence of the earliest human habitation on the plateau.

The high altitude, atmospheric hypoxia, cold year-round temperatures and low rainfall of the plateau creates an extremely challenging environment for human habitation. Archaeological evidence indicates it was one of the last habitats colonized by Homo sapiens. Today, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is the third least-populous spot on the planet.

Before now, no concrete evidence existed of people inhabiting the interior of the plateau before the Holocene geological epoch (4,200-11,700 years ago). In addition, only a few reliably dated Pleistocene (11,700-2.58 million years ago) archaeological sites had been discovered around the plateau's margins.

The Nwya Devu Paleolithic site discovered by this team confirms that human ancestors set foot on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at elevations approaching 5,000 meters above sea level around 30,000-40,000 years ago. It is the first Paleolithic archaeological site discovered in Tibet that preserves intact stratigraphy allowing age-dating of the site's antiquity. Nwya Devu is located in the Changthang region of northern Tibet, about 300 km northwest of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, at about 4,600 meters above sea level.

The site comprises an extensive, dense surface distribution of stone artifacts and a buried continuous record of human occupation. It is the earliest Paleolithic site known on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the highest yet discovered anywhere in the world. Before this discovery, the earliest archaeological record of high-altitude human activity was from the Andean Altiplano, at about 4,480 meters above sea level, showing human habitation about 12,000 years ago.

This discovery deepens considerably the history of human occupation of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the antiquity of human high-altitude (>4,000 masl) adaptations.

The Late Pleistocene (about 12-000-125,000 years ago) was a crucial period for human evolution. During that time, the behavior and cognitive ability of ancient humans developed rapidly and the ability to adapt to a broader range of environments similarly increased. The prehistoric cultural artifacts from Nwya Devu provide important archaeological evidence of the survival strategies of early anatomically and behaviorally modern people to what is arguably the most rigorous terrestrial environment on earth. It also allows analysis of Paleolithic exchange and interactions between East and West suggesting possible migration routes.

The paper was vetted by three reviewers during the evaluation process, with one concluding it is " . . . quite original and very exciting, and will be of utmost interest to the readers of _Science_ and researchers studying the origin and dispersal of modern humans and high altitude colonization. The results have profound implications for the understanding of the timing and dynamics of human settlement of the Tibetan Plateau."

The Nwya Devu project was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Excavation Funding and Emphatic Deployed Project of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.
*
Journal Reference*:
X. L. Zhang, B. B. Ha, S. J. Wang, Z. J. Chen, J. Y. Ge, H. Long, W. He, W. Da, X. M. Nian, M. J. Yi, X. Y. Zhou, P. Q. Zhang, Y. S. Jin, O. Bar-Yosef, J. W. Olsen, X. Gao. *The earliest human occupation of the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau 40 thousand to 30 thousand years ago*. _Science_, 2018; DOI: 10.1126/science.aat882​

New archaeological site revises human habitation timeline on Tibetan plateau -- ScienceDaily

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## JSCh

*Quake-battered Tibetan prefecture rebuilt from debris with modern improvements*
Source:Xinhua Published: 2018/12/16 17:28:39



People perform a Guozhuang dance, on the street of Yushu to display the indigenous folk culture. Guozhuang dance is one of the three major Tibetan folk dances, together with Xianzi and Reba. Photo: VCG

Residents in the city of Yushu are familiar with a sweet melody that is played every day at dawn. Many might not be aware of the Disneyland song "It's a Small World," but when the sound begins, they know a garbage truck will appear.

Garbage trucks are new to the locals, so are waste treatment plants, sanitation workers, sewage treatment and heating system in this city on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an altitude of 4,500 meters above sea level.

Located in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in Northwest China's Qinghai Province, Yushu has a population of over 111,000, and nearly 95 percent of them are ethnic Tibetans.

On April 14, 2010, a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Yushu, toppling thousands of houses and leaving around 3,000 people dead or missing, and more than 10,000 injured.

Thanks to support from all over the country, the city has been rebuilt over the past few years, from a remote, backward town to a modern city.

The city has seen new buildings with Tibetan characteristics, new hospitals, commercial areas and broad avenues emerge out of the debris, standing in striking contrast to the cityscape before the earthquake.

"There was very little urban construction in the city before the earthquake. The streets were packed with cars, pedestrians and yaks. I've never heard about a waste treatment plant or heating system. We used to just throw our trash into rivers," said Ngange.

"Our lives have changed greatly. We have now modern schools and hospitals, and the Yushu Airport has shortened the distance between the city and the world," he added.

Tseyang Tsang, a 30-year-old mother of three kids, said life has become much better and more convenient.

"There wasn't a nursery in the city before. Housewives needed to take care of their kids while doing housework. But now I can send my kids to the nursery and then go shopping. The market is just a short walk away from my home, and it sells products from across the country," she said.

Ju Chagxi, director of Yushu's urban construction bureau, said there were hardly any tall buildings in the town. Most buildings were constructed using dirt and wood.

"I remember the roads were very narrow and some were only able to let motorbikes pass through," Ju Chagxi said, adding that people suffered power outages frequently, carried water from wells and burned yak dung in the winter for heating.

According to the city's urban construction and management authorities, more than 1 million square meters of residential areas have been developed to relocate about 14,000 households that had been affected by the earthquake. So far, 15 schools, 10 hospitals, 10 iconic buildings, streets and roads, a leisure square, a museum, and an art center have been completed and put into use.

Water and sewage pipe networks have been completed, too, while the gas pipe network is under construction.



Summer scenery in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Photo: VCG

"As a participant and a beneficiary of the construction of the new city, having personally experienced the earthquake, I really believe the new Yushu has experienced a 20-year leap in city development over the past few years. Our citizens are much happier now," said Ju Chagxi.

In the process of reconstruction, the Beijing Municipal government has played a significant role, bringing talents from a wide range of fields including city planning, urban construction and management, and pouring tremendous investment into the construction of infrastructure.

"Beijing experts coming to Yushu have done their utmost to improve local people's living conditions, help lift impoverished residents out of poverty, and protect the local environment," said Wang Duwei, who heads a Beijing team in charge of poverty relief in Yushu.

In recent years, Yushu has seen a growing number of domestic and foreign tourists since the city has pushed tourism to the forefront of its economy.

"The prefecture is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang (Mekong) rivers. It is also home to the Hol Xil Nature Reserve and the ancient Tang-Tibet Road, linking eastern cities with Qinghai, Tibet, Nepal and India during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). So tourism will become a vital engine of the new city's economy," said Ashak Yumpon, director of the prefecture's tourism bureau.

The director said Yushu is expected to be built into an international tourist destination.

Wu Dejun, the prefecture Party chief, said the reconstruction of Yushu would not have been done without support from all over the country.

"We will protect the sources of the major rivers and the ecological environment while developing the economy," Wu said.

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## JSCh

*Botanist Builds "bank" for Desert Plants*
Dec 19, 2018 

Pan Borong, a researcher with the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been dedicated to the research and cultivation of plants in arid regions for 46 years.

Pan recently received the 2018 China Botanical Garden Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the cause of desert botanical garden in China.

Pan is the founder of the Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden in Xinjiang, the country's first botanical garden for desert plants.

In 1972, Pan began researching and domesticating drought-resistant plants for desert control at a people's commune in Turpan, a city along the ancient Silk Road.

At that time, the commune was plagued by frequent gales blown from the sandy land to its west. Local residents hoped the researchers could help them shake off the fear of the sands.

Life in Turpan was harsh. Pan and other researchers lived in cave houses with windows made of plastic. In the winter, heavy winds would tear apart the windows, leaving dust and sand everywhere.

Food supplies were also scarce. Researchers' regular diet included steamed cakes of sorghum, green turnips and onions. They had to bicycle to the county seat to buy daily necessities such as meat, sugar and soap with ration coupons.

Despite the difficulties, the researchers worked hard and successfully introduced a dozen drought-resistant plants, including suosuo, tamarix ramosissma and desert poplar, which are adaptable to local climate and soil conditions. After sapling nursery and planting trials, several species were chosen to be promoted in Turpan.

After years of effort, the "land of no life" began to be covered with vegetation. And today, these sand-fixation plants have grown into tall shrubs which form a "green barrier" to prevent sands from moving.

In 1976, the Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden was established to support further research in the introduction and breeding of sand-fixation plants.

To collect more desert plants, Pan and his colleagues often ventured into the wilderness, encountering all kinds of obstacles.

Once, Pan broke his cervical vertebra in an accident during an expedition to the desert. He convalesced in hospital for nine months, only recovering after two operations.

Pan said he could not remember how many times he encountered dangers on the journeys to collect plants.

The harsh weather conditions also posed a threat to research work. As sandstorms hit Turpan frequently in the spring, seedlings are often killed by heavy wind. Researchers had to collect new plants again and again.

This years-long endeavor has paid off. Now, the Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden is the largest of its kind in China. It is home to more than 700 desert plant species, among which nearly 100 are rare and critically endangered.

More than 100 types of desert plants have also been brought in from countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.

"The Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden is just like a 'bank' where we deposit abundant desert plants. We can take out the 'savings' when needed," Pan said.

"Many normal-looking plants which have been raised in extreme climates can play a big role in restoring ecological environment," he added.

With expertise cultivating sand-control plants, the researchers have offered seedlings for greening projects in other areas of Xinjiang and also arid areas in other provinces of northwest China.

Besides, the Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden has also become a tourist attraction for leisure and entertainment. (China Daily)
*
*
Botanist Builds "bank" for Desert Plants---Chinese Academy of Sciences

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## JSCh

*New discoveries in Xinjiang awe archaeologists*
(Chinadaily.com.cn) 09:28, December 20, 2018



​47 heritage sites and more than 70 pieces of relics were found at the middle and lower reaches of the Keriya River in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo by Li Xiao/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Recently, 47 heritage sites and more than 70 pieces of relics were found at the middle and lower reaches of the Keriya River in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The discoveries include rare "wooden corpses", exquisite jade scepters, jade rings and a sarcophagus with ritual symbolism.

The research team consisted of experts from Renmin University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Cultural Relics Bureau of Hetian district in Xinjiang.

According to Li Xiao, head of the team involved in the scientific research, the age of these cultural relics was initially identified as 4,000 to 2000 years ago.

The discovery could play an important role in the study of the natural and historical changes in the southern margin of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang.
































​

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## Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA

*Qinghe County, Xinjiang: The beauty of Xinjiang you don't know*
2018-12-24 12:54:00
https://www.toutiao.com/a6638372761599214087/
On the Chinese border, there are many small counties.

They have a foot across multiple countries

Some picturesque scenery

here has

Crystal clear river, blue sky

Fresh pastoral atmosphere, rich ethnic customs

Quietly original valley

This is - "natural oxygen bar" Xinjiang Qinghe

now

Qinghe's food is on CCTV!

Qinghe is not only a fossilized beaver, seabuckthorn and seabuckthorn deep processing products, but also slate barbecue, numerous intangible cultural heritage and its inheritors... here is a place of outstanding people and picturesque scenery.

Beautiful view of Qinghe

Burgen Beaver National Nature Reserve







Burgen, Mongolian is the meaning of beaver. The Burgen River, the river with beavers.







Originating in the Altai Mountains, the Burgen River enters from the border of China and Mongolia, and flows slowly westward. After meeting with the Qinggri River, it flows into the Ulungu River until it was once part of the Ulungu Lake. . The Ulun ancient water system is the only place in China where beavers live.







The Burgen Beaver Nature Reserve is located in Qinghe County and was established in 1980. In 2013, it was promoted to a national nature reserve. The protected area is centered on the mainstream of the Bulgen River, with the beaver and its living environment as the main protection objects, with a total area of 5,000 hectares.







　The protected area is rich in water, with many wetlands and diverse ecosystems. The complex food chain provides sufficient food for the birds that breed or migrate here, making it the third important passageway for the north-south migration of birds and an important part of the resting place. It is also an important breeding area for many rare birds.







The beaver is a surviving species of the Quaternary Pleistocene of the Cenozoic two million years ago. It is one of the oldest surviving animals in the world and is known as the "living fossil" of ancient vertebrates. The Eurasian beaver subspecies living in our country are national Grade I protected animals, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has included it in the Red Book of Endangered Species.







The protected area is rich in water, with many wetlands and diverse ecosystems. The complex food chain provides plenty of food for the birds that breed or migrate here, and is an important breeding ground for many rare birds.









There are 222 species of birds such as the Great Swan and other national protected waterbirds and a variety of birds such as Raptor. Among them, there are 4 kinds of protected animals in the country, including black scorpion and so on. The second type includes 22 species such as 蓑 feather crane and big swan.







In addition to the concentrated distribution of Mengniu beavers in the reserve, there are many wild animals living or living around the wetlands, 46 species of common wild animals, 10 species of reptiles such as dryland sand lizards, and only one species of green amphibians in amphibians.







Fish resources are extremely abundant, and the most common types are river carp and carp. Among them, there are 9 kinds of protected animals in the country: Mengxin beaver and northern goat, and the second category includes 26 species such as cockroach, rabbit cockroach and argali.






Sandao Haizi







The history of Qinghe County in Xinjiang has a long history, and the scenery of Sandaohaizi in Qinghe County is even more fascinating.







In the morning, the three seas, like a shy girl, stared at us with her strange and questioning eyes, as if to say: I will not easily give you the most beautiful body, because you still don't know me.







Sandao Haizi is named after Bianhaizi, Zhonghaizi and Huahaizi. It is surrounded by mountains and waters. Every summer, thousands of animals and herders flock to this beautiful and beautiful summer pasture.







Standing on the top of the mountain, the sea is like a sly grassland dragon, with a sea top on the top of the head, and a sea shell at the end. The yurts and flocks of cattle and sheep are dotted among them.







Around Haizi is an alpine pasture, spring pastures are green, summer mountains are blooming, blue sky and white clouds, small rivers, clear blue waters like sapphire crystal clear.







Inside the three seas, there are more than 50 mysterious stone circles, stone piles and millennium deer stones in various forms, as well as the ancient war roads and military accounts left by the Genghis Khan.

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## Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA

Panda Mountain







The giant panda is regarded as the treasure of the Chinese nation and symbolizes good luck. Located on the west side of the Daqing River, there is a pictographic mountain, which resembles a giant panda lying on the top of the mountain, making the foreign friends who enter and leave the county town stunned. It is a rare natural scenery wonder. Local people call it "Panda Mountain."







In the long winter, the heavy snow has put a silver dress on the Panda Mountain, and the “Giant Panda” on the top of the mountain is even more eye-catching. There are several houses at the foot of the mountain. The cows and horses are basking in the sun, and the sheep eat the grass with gusto.







For thousands of years, this "Giant Panda" has quietly lying on the top of the mountain, staring at the clouds and clouds, the rivers, and the vicissitudes of the world. May this strange "Giant Panda" always protect the creatures on the Qinghe land.







Famous and special products of Qinghe
Zhe Luozhen

The scientific name of Zhe Luozhen is a scorpionfish, a national second-class protected animal. It is only distributed in the Irtysh River Basin in Xinjiang, and there are also rivers and lakes in Burqin County.







Altay Big Tail Sheep

Altay Big Tail Sheep is an excellent sheep breed in China, mainly living in the Altai Mountains of Xinjiang.







Awei mushroom

Awei mushroom, also known as Awei Pleurotus, is a delicious edible fungus. Its shape is large, the mushroom body is thick, the color is white, the nutrition is rich, and the flavor is unique. In addition to the characteristics of the general edible mushroom, it is also medicinal and has good development and application prospects.







Sea buckthorn

The high content of vitamin C in the fruit of the spine is known as the king of vitamin C.







Essential food of Qinghe

Hurdak







Kazakh artichoke







Kazakh specialty milk tofu fish rolls







Pepper and leg of lamb







Spicy bone chicken







Slate grilled lamb chops







Pine root stone grilled fish







Kebab







Hu spicy sheep hooves







Lamb leg bread







Ancient culture, passionate folk customs

There is also history of eating, drinking and having fun!

-END

Card Cartoon Travel Network Comprehensive Network Finishing

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## JSCh

*Power grid expansion completed in southern Xinjiang*
CGTN
Published on Jan 5, 2019

The 750-kilovolt power grid expansion and upgrading was completed on January 5, 2019 in southern Xinjiang.

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## JSCh

*Tibet's GDP grows 10 pct in 2018*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-10 16:49:51|Editor: Li Xia




LHASA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The GDP in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region grew about 10 percent in 2018.

Tibet's GDP was estimated at more than 140 billion yuan (21 billion U.S. dollars) last year, Qizhala, chairman of the regional government, said in his government work report delivered Thursday at the second session of the 11th People's Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Per capita disposable income for the region's rural residents grew about 13 percent, while for residents in urban areas it rose more than 10 percent.

It is the 26th straight year that Tibet has recorded double-digit GDP growth. The region reported 10-percent GDP growth in 2017.

In the report, Qizhala said that Tibet has "made decisive progress" in the battle against poverty, with 180,000 people lifted out of poverty. A total of 14.49 billion yuan was allocated to help 218,000 people relocate to help them live better lives, he said.

Meanwhile, credit spending expanded, with 368 billion yuan of loans granted to companies, up 20 percent year on year. Small and micro-sized companies, agriculture, anti-poverty projects, private businesses and startup entrepreneurs benefited from the loans.

Qizhala added that last year, construction began on nine of 24 key projects in Tibet, drawing investment of 44.6 billion yuan.

Major industries like tourism, clean energy and border logistics all contributed to high-quality growth in the region, in addition to a series of projects that support the development of Tibet, he said.

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## JSCh

*Big support funds for Xinjiang's development in 2018*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-14 16:23:09|Editor: ZX

URUMQI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Support funds totaling about 16 billion yuan (2.37 billion U.S. dollars) were allocated to northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in 2018, an official said.

The funds, from 19 provinces and cities, were allocated to help locals rise out of poverty and improve their livelihoods, Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the regional government of Xinjiang, said in his government work report.

Last year, authorities with these provinces and cities also helped train talent for Xinjiang, offered jobs to ethnic groups in developed areas and enhanced communication, Shohrat said.

Xinjiang will continue to learn from other provinces and cities and allocate support funds to improve people's livelihoods and to grassroots areas, he said.

===+++===​
*Xinjiang lifts over 500,000 out of poverty in 2018*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-14 16:58:16|Editor: ZX

URUMQI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region lifted 537,000 people out of poverty last year, said regional authorities at the ongoing session of the People's Congress of the region Monday.

A total of 513 villages and three counties in Xinjiang shook off poverty last year, and the region's poverty headcount ratio dropped from 11.57 percent in 2017 to 6.51 percent, said Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, in his government work report.

The work report said absolute poverty was basically eliminated in Xinjiang except in four prefectures in southern Xinjiang -- Hotan, Kashgar, Aksu and Kizilsu Kirgiz.

The region invested over 33.4 billion yuan (4.9 billion U.S. dollars) in poverty relief last year, 92.3 percent of which went to the four prefectures, which sit on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China and the second-largest shifting sand desert in the world.

Residents in these prefectures have long been plagued by erratic weather and poverty.

The region also built new houses for 68,900 households in 22 impoverished counties in southern Xinjiang last year.

In a bid to eliminate absolute poverty by 2020, Xinjiang will continue to use relocation as a means of poverty reduction and speed up infrastructure construction in poverty-stricken villages, said Shohrat Zakir.

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang to keep pressure on terrorism*
By Mao Weihua in Urumqi and Cui Jia in Beijing | China Daily | Updated: 2019-01-15 09:30















Women dressed in colorful outfits perform at the 27th Silk Road Turpan Grape Festival in Turpan, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Sept 3, 2018. [Photo provided to Chinadaily.com.cn]

Long-term security and stability are region's top priorities, chairman says

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will maintain pressure against terrorist activities and make frequent terrorist attacks in the region a thing of the past, the chairman of the regional government said on Monday.

"We should get prepared both mentally and in our operations that maintaining social stability is a long-term task ... and the anti-terrorist measures proven effective should be carried on and social governance further improved," Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the region, said in delivering the government work report to the annual session of the regional people's congress, which started on Monday in Urumqi.

The central government has made maintaining social stability and long-term security the region's top priority. Currently, Xinjiang is generally stable and has created a harmonious environment for economic development, Shohrat said.

Huang Sanping, a senior official of the regional government, said, "No terrorist attacks have happened in Xinjiang for 25 months. A series of measures adopted by the regional government have taken root."

Xinjiang has begun to enjoy the dividend of effective counterterrorism efforts, receiving more than 150 million visits from tourists in 2018, an increase of 40 percent year-on-year. Tourism is expected to play a strategic role in the region's economic development this year. Xinjiang, which is well known for its grand natural beauty, set a target for tourism growth this year at 40 percent, Shohrat said.

The region, which covers one-sixth of China's territory, plans to improve its transportation infrastructure, including roads, railways and aviation. The current lack of infrastructure restricts the development of tourism, he said, adding that visitors may find it difficult simply to find toilets, gas stations and parking spaces.

"We want tourists from home and abroad to enjoy their time in Xinjiang and make them want to stay," he said.

The region will continue its efforts to eliminate extremism and expose those who secretly support terrorism, extremism and separatism, Shohrat said.

"We will make being hit by frequent terrorist attacks a thing of the past and end the era when separatist forces rampaged in the region. More important, we will make the times that people had no sense of security become history."

Since the 1990s, terrorists, extremists and separatists in China and abroad have plotted, organized and conducted thousands of violent terrorist attacks including bombings, assassinations, poisonings, arsons, assaults, unrest and riots, causing the deaths of a large number of innocent people and hundreds of police officers, as well as immeasurable property damage, Shohrat said during an interview in October.

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang to build 210,000 houses for rural poor*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 18:16:35|Editor: xuxin

URUMQI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to build 210,700 houses for underprivileged people in 2019, authorities said Thursday at the ongoing session of the People's Congress of the region.

Xinjiang began rural house construction last year and has since renovated more than 470,000 houses in shanty towns, and constructed more than 280,000 subsidized houses for impoverished people in rural areas, including 68,900 new houses in the 22 most poverty-stricken counties in the south part of the region.

The region will continue constructing new houses for low and medium income residents, and promoting the healthy development of the real estate industry, said Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government.

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## JSCh

*Tibet's highway mileage reaches 97,000 km*
New China TV
Published on Jan 20, 2019

Better connected: Highway mileage in China's Tibet reaches 97,000 km.

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## TaiShang

JSCh said:


> *Tibet's highway mileage reaches 97,000 km*
> New China TV
> Published on Jan 20, 2019
> 
> Better connected: Highway mileage in China's Tibet reaches 97,000 km.



Great. The more connected, the better. 

Bridge by bridge, highway by highway, railway by railway.

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## JSCh

*Upgraded team to help clean Tibetan mountains*
By PALDEN NYIMA | China Daily | Updated: 2019-01-21 07:15



















The scenery of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. [Photo/VCG]

The Tibet Mountaineering Team has been upgraded to the national level China Mountaineering Team (Tibet) and will perform large-scale cleanup activities this year. It marks the first time remains of mountaineering victims above 8,000 meters will be recovered on Qomolangma.

As part of the campaign, victims' remains will be brought down from the mountain when possible, according to Nyima Tsering, the team captain.

Moreover, the region plans to reduce by about one-third the amount of climbers permitted in 2019 on the northern slope of Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, to better fight pollution.

Founded in 1960, the Tibet Mountaineering Team has helped cultivate mountaineering professionals over the decades.

The Qomolangma National Nature Reserve, which was founded in 1988, encompasses over 33,800 square kilometers.

Nyima Tsering, who also serves as head of the Tibet Sports Bureau, said China's highest peaks are all located in Tibet, and the region is key to the country's mountaineering activities.

Nyima Tsering said the new team upgrade marks an advance in the region's overall mountaineering skill set.

Tibet's efforts in cleaning its mountaineering venues have gradually reached the goal of normalization and legalization in recent years.

New legislation has been enacted in the reserve to conserve the environment surrounding the world's highest mountain.

According to the legislation, Tibet will limit the period it allows climbers to scale Qomolangma to spring, and the amount of climbers will be kept under 300, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The legislation also regulates climbing, tourism, scientific exploration, engineering projects and ranger patrols.

No production facilities are allowed in the core area of the reserve, which makes up about one-third of the total area.

According to the regulation, tree felling, herding, hunting and collecting natural specimens in the reserve are prohibited, with violators subject to prosecution.

The region has five mountains above 8,000 meters, more than 70 above 7,000 meters, and over 1,000 above 6,000 meters.

Only 46 peaks are open to mountaineers, and removal of rubbish is required whenever a climb takes place.

According to the region's mountaineering statistics, more than 300 climbers reached the summit of Qomolangma over the past six decades, and over 2,300 reached the summits of peaks above 8,000 meters.

The region's mountaineering team received more than 20,000 overseas climbers from 40 countries in the past eight years.

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## JSCh

_*Story from last year by Xinhua. *_

*Across China: Tibetan students' thousand-km way home for holiday*
Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-05 11:13:27|Editor: Liangyu




XINING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 3,100-km journey home from his high school did not stress 17-year-old Sonam Wenjam, who comes from a Tibetan prefecture in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

On Feb. 1, he arrived at Qinghai's provincial capital, Xining, after a 48-hour train journey from Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province. He has been studying at Shenyang Xiangyu Middle school for three years.

From Xining, Sonam Wenjam and other students boarded buses and took another 10 hours to arrive home in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, about 800 kilometers from Xining.

"I miss my mother the most. I still remember when my parents saw me off at the bus station three years ago. I felt so heavy in my heart because the school is far from home, and away from my parents," he said.

"I don't feel so heavy-hearted now and I'm more sure of myself. It is a necessary experience for growing up," he said on the bus.

A total of 156 students took bus trips on Thursday, said Kumjo Doje, deputy director of traffic police in Yushu City, capital of Yushu prefecture.

Sonam Wenjam and the students are part of a competitive but promising national program that takes children from remote and impoverished areas in provinces such as Qinghai, Tibet Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and allows them to attend senior high schools in central, east and southern China.

Every year, thousands of students are enrolled in the programs. The programs are funded by the government. When schools are out of session for summer and winter holidays, educational authorities, schools and police arrange the students' travel back home.

This year, 2,195 students from Yushu studying in other provinces are expected to travel home for the new year. Officer Kumjo Doje said the figure is about half of the total number of students in the Yushu program.

"Not all students choose to make the journey during the Spring Festival travel rush, when the transport system is under a lot of pressure," he said.

The police department in Yushu shepherded the students' buses to ensure their safety.

"The bus drivers are experienced and know about the road conditions -- a third of the roads from Xining to Yushu are frozen earth. The police car is in the front leading the way to keep the bus from speeding," said Kumjo Doje.

"We have carried out the task for eight years, and this year, there are 15 groups of students to escort," he said. Teachers also accompany the students back home.

Sonam Wenjam has received state funding during his study in Shenyang, but his parents also send him a monthly allowance of 1,000 yuan (about 158 U.S. dollars).

"My father herds cattle in the Chongda Township in Yushu City. I used to dig for caterpillar fungus to help support the family when I was in primary school, but after I went to middle school, my father said I had to focus on my studies so that I can go to better schools in more developed places," he said.

In Shenyang Xiangyu Middle School, Sonam Wenjam gets up at 5:30 a.m. every morning and stays up until 11 p.m. studying. He has 13 classes in Tibetan language and culture every week.

"Our Tibetan-language teacher is also from Yushu. He wears traditional Yushu Kangba robes in class, which reminds me of home," he said.

"Studying in the city is an eye-opener. The books are more up-to-date," he said.

"But the bad thing about the city is that it has smog," he said. "And there are mosquitoes -- we hardly see them in our hometown," said Soam Palde, a student from Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

Sonam Wenjam bought down coats and sweaters for his family. "In a few days, there will be the Tibetan new year," he said.

He keeps a fountain pen given by the Yushu prefectural governor, who visited the Shenyang school in December last year.

"My dad is a herdsman, but he writes Tibetan words beautifully. I'm giving this pen to him as a new year's gift," the 17-year-old said.

After the new year holiday, the students will embark on another journey from home to school.

"I'm very lucky. Compared with many students back home, I have better education and more opportunities to learn. In the future, I hope I can make my hometown a better place through my own strength," he said.

_*Story this year...*_


> 公安部交通安全微发布
> 1月26日 17:02 来自 HUAWEI Mate 10
> #温暖回家路# 【#6000名玉树灾区学生的返乡路# -20℃破冰铲雪 交警800公里全程护送】1月，在异地就读的6000多名玉树灾区学生陆续返乡。由于不通火车，他们必须乘大巴从西宁到玉树，沿途零下二三十度还要经过高山。为确保安全，@玉树州交警支队 已坚持9年护送孩子们回家，“不管下雪还是封山，我们都全程护送。”#平安春运交警同行#@时间视频 L时间视频的秒拍视频


*Ministry of Public Security Traffic Safety Microblog Release*
January 26 at 17:02 from HUAWEI Mate 10

*#温暖回家路# [#6000 Yushu disaster area students return home road # -20 °C ice shovel snow traffic police 800 km full escort] *

In January, more than 6,000 Yushu disaster area students studying in different places returned home. Because they don't have trains, they have to take the bus from Xining to Yushu, and they will pass through the mountains at minus 20 or 30 degrees. To ensure safety, the Yushu traffic police detachment has been escorting the children for 9 years. "Whether it snows or mountain-sealed, we will all escorted." #平安春运交警同行#@时间视频 

_*Video link ->* _时间视频的秒拍视频

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## JSCh

*Returned Tibetans encouraged to promote ethnic unity*
By Ji Yuqiao Source:Global Times Published: 2019/1/27 23:28:40



A woman cleans a solar panel at her new house thanks to the "Guangming" Project, which was drived by the Chinese government in 1997 to solve the power supply of no-electricity regions by developing new energy electricity generation, in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, on October 12, 2006. Photo: Xinhua

Tibet regional government has encouraged returned overseas Tibetans and relatives of Tibetans living abroad to help promote ethnic unity and oppose separatist activities.

A tea party was held on Wednesday in Lhasa, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, where returned overseas Tibetans and relatives of Tibetans living abroad were invited to greet the Spring Festival and Tibetan New Year, the Tibet Daily reported on Sunday.

Lhapa Donrup, Party secretary of Lhasa Municipal Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, attended the tea party, where he encouraged the returned overseas Tibetans and relatives of Tibetans living abroad to support the policies of the Communist Party of China, uphold national unity and resolutely oppose separatist activities, according to the report. 

Lhapa Donrup also encouraged them to support the reform and development in Lhasa, help promote the Party's policies to overseas Tibetans so that Tibetans living overseas can learn about the real Tibet. 

A representative of returned overseas Tibetans who came back with his family in 1986 said that he had witnessed Tibet's economic and social changes in these years and himself had enjoyed the fruit of these development. 

Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times on Sunday "the situation of overseas Tibetans is complicated, including the reasons why they left Tibet and their living conditions."

Some Tibetans left to earn money, and some had blindly followed the Dalai Lama, but then returned due to China's economic development and improvement in living conditions, according to Zhu. 

Zhu noted that "returned Tibetans should tell those who are abroad and still don't know the true conditions of Tibet."

Tibet's GDP grew about 10 percent in 2018, the 26th straight year that Tibet has recorded double-digit GDP growth. Tibet's GDP was estimated at more than 140 billion yuan ($21 billion) last year. 

The 14th Dalai Lama fled abroad in 1959 with a small group of followers. His group is driven by the political goal of achieving "Tibetan independence." 

The official statistics of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council show that there are about 200,000 Tibetans living overseas, mainly in 40 countries such as India, Bhutan, the US and Switzerland, China National Radio reported in July 2014

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## JSCh

*Profile: Chinese botanist opens plant "bank" in desert*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-02-12 19:41:51|Editor: mmm

URUMQI, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Stunning desert, sweet grapes and scorching heat make Turpan an ideal place for curious travelers and even automakers conducting heat exposure experiments.

However, botanist Pan Borong came to the city in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for a special purpose -- opening a plant "bank" in the desert.

"If a plant can survive in extreme conditions such as temperature as high as 50 degrees Celsius, frequent sandstorms and drought, it can survive anywhere," said Pan, a retired researcher from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Pan and his colleagues came to Turpan in 1972 and were assigned to help five local farms that were frequently plagued by gales and sandstorms to fight desertification.

"It was an arduous start," he recalled.

To buy rice, edible oil and vegetables, researchers had to take a 20-km bike trip to the nearest county, taking turns cooking.

They lived in shabby houses with windows made of plastic and relied on kerosene lamps at night. In the spring, heavy winds would tear apart the windows, leaving dust and sand everywhere.

Despite the difficulties, researchers started introducing sand-fixation plants to Turpan. A dozen of them such as rose willows and desert poplar proved adaptable to the local climate and soil conditions.

Based on this vegetation, they decided to set up Xinjiang's first botanical garden in 1975 and named it the Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden.

"The arid desert area accounts for a quarter of China's land. We want to collect and introduce various drought-resistant plants in the botanical garden for further research," Pan said. "It's just like a 'bank of plants'."

To collect the plants, Pan and his colleagues ventured into distant basins and mountains. Their footprints were even left in foreign areas such as Russia, central Asian countries, Libya and Syria.

It is very likely to encounter dangers in the vast wilderness.

Sometimes to find a plant, they had to take bus, ride bikes and hop on a donkey cart to reach remote destinations. In some untraversed areas, Pan's only method to reach plants to deposit in his "bank" was to walk.

In October of 1980, Pan broke his cervical vertebra in an accident during an expedition to Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Yili. He stayed in the hospital for more than nine months and underwent two operations.

His decades-long endeavor has paid off. The botanic garden covers an area as large as 210 standard football fields. It is home to more than 700 species of desert plants, including nearly 100 rare and endangered species of desert plants.

China has been conducting afforestation and forest conservation programs in Xinjiang for decades to fight desertification and over-grazing in the region.

"The botanical garden is significant to the sustainable development of China's desert areas," said botanist Hong Deyuan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Though Pan has retired, he has not stopped researching.

The plants from his "bank" have helped restore and reconstruct the ecosystem in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River, China's longest inland river, and in several polluted areas surrounding oilfields.

He and his colleagues have been bringing the desert plants and research results to broader domains. Twenty tonnes of sand-fixation plant seeds and more than 3 million saplings have been sent to other areas in and outside Xinjiang in northwest China.

"We can deposit abundant desert plants in the 'bank' and take out the 'savings' when needed," Pan said.

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## JSCh

*Tibet reports increasing employment rate of women*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-04 13:54:59|Editor: Liangyu

LHASA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has seen an increasing number of women joining the workforce and a growth of income, local women authorities said.

A series of policies against poverty, including targeted poverty alleviation and encouraging women to start businesses, attracted funds of more than 20 million yuan (nearly 3 million U.S. dollars) last year, according to the regional Women's Federation.

Over 560 skill training activities organized by the federation helped more than 20,000 impoverished women start businesses or find jobs. The employment rate of women in the region grew to 40 percent last year, Gyatso Lhamo, chairwoman of the federation said.

Tibet has more than 1.62 million women.

The federation will continue to provide more training for women in 2019, especially women in rural areas and pasturing areas, to help them learn policies and skills necessary for social development and the job market.

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## JSCh

*Tibet considers written Lhoba script*
By Cao Siqi Source:Global Times Published: 2019/3/4 21:53:39
*Another government effort to preserve ethnic culture: legislator*


A student in Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region dances to celebrate Children's Day in 2015. Photo: VCG

A legislator from Lhoba, the second smallest of 56 ethnic groups in China living in the southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region, said the regional government is considering creating written scripts for the Lhoba language, a move the legislator hailed as another government effort to preserve ethnic culture. 

Being the only deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC) from Lhoba, an ethnic group of around 3,600 people, Tashi Gyaltsen works hard to make sure his people's voice is heard by others. 

Young people are living a more dynamic lifestyle and some traditional customs face the risk of extinction, Tashi said.

Tashi told the Global Times that his work has gained the support of the regional government, which is considering creating a written script for his language. 

Since the population of the Lhoba ethnic group is very small and the language divergence between different areas is large, Tashi said it is better to adopt the international phonetic system. However, he admitted that it is difficult to promote among the group. 

Lhoba means "southerners" in Tibetan language and Lhoba people speak different languages but are considered the same Lhoba minority. 

The Lhoba population consists of many tribes and others in the group live in northeast India, Bhutan and Myanmar.

In 2008, Lhoba's ethnic clothing was listed in the second batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list.

Living in Shannan Prefecture, Tashi said preserving Lhoba culture is only a small part of the local and central governments' efforts in protecting Tibetan culture. 

He said primary schools in Tibet still use Tibetan language textbooks, including mathematics. Tibetan course is taught from primary to high schools in this region, and universities in Tibet also offer a major in Tibetan language.

Meanwhile, the regional government also produced new radio gymnastics exercises featuring Tibetan folk dances so that the Tibetan people will not forget their traditional dances. In China, students across the country would line up every morning on the playground stretching, kicking and jumping to the music on the radio. 

Tashi also said that ethnic minority students are required to wear their folk costumes once a week. Slogans on the streets are required to be written in both Putonghua and the Tibetan language. 

In recent years, some Western media have criticized China for increasingly restricting Tibetan culture. "The accusations are ridiculous," Tashi said. 

The local and central governments have spared no effort to protect Tibetan culture. In the latest move, the central government plans to invest 300 million yuan ($44.9 million) in the next 10 years to protect and utilize ancient documents in the Potala Palace, a World Heritage site in Lhasa, Tibet. 

A white paper released by the State Council Information Office in December 2018 says religious freedom for ethnic minority groups is also fully guaranteed.

Tibet has 1,778 venues for practicing Tibetan Buddhism, and normal religious activities and beliefs are protected based on the law, the white paper said.

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## JSCh

*Number of Thangka painters boosted amid governmental support to protect the ancient art*
By Cao Siqi Source:Global Times Published: 2019/3/6 21:33:41

*Ancient Tibetan religious art thrives*





Norbu Sitar Photo: Cao Siqi/GT




Thangka painted by Norbu Sitar Photo: Courtesy of Norbu Sitar​
From 300 to 3,000 (roughly), the rise in the number of Thangka painters in Tibet shows that religious art is thriving and a perfect example of the government's support to Tibet culture," Norbu Sitar, dean of the Tibet Thangka Painting Academy in Lhasa, said.

A national-level cultural inheritor of Thangka and a Chinese Crafts and Artisan Master, China's top honor title issued by State Council to craft artists, he came to Beijing with a mission. 

As a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), he attended the two sessions to promote the "status" of Thangka. 

Thangka paintings, or scroll paintings on cotton or silk, was originated more than 1,300 years ago. They were traditionally kept unframed and rolled up when not on display. The themes of Thangka are mostly about Buddhism, legendary and folk tales, and historical stories.

Norbu Sitar said with central and regional government support, the number of Thangka painters have been increasing in recent years and their skills have also improved. 

One of his works has been preserved in the Potala Palace, a World Heritage site in Lhasa, and his academy is receiving huge government funding. 





Norbu Sitar draws Thangka painting Photo: Courtesy of Norbu Sitar​
Despite the efforts, in China's top artwork exhibits, Thangka still fails to be included as a genre, Norbu Sitar said, suggesting that the country is giving the ancient art a higher status. 

"Thangka is not only thriving in China, but also drawing the attention of collectors in the US, the UK and Denmark," he said, adding that to prevent it from over-commercialization, Thangka inheritors are thinking of a national standard for the industry. 

Lhapa, also a CPPCC member from the Jokhang Monastery Temple, recently told news site tibet.cn that the temple has established a Buddha and Thangka database and has included more than 6,000 Buddha statues and 600 Thangka paintings into the database. 

In response to accusations from overseas media that many Tibetans blame China for wanting to dilute their culture and that Tibet is the victim of "cultural genocide," Norbu Sitar laughed. 

"The number and skills say everything," he said.

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## JSCh

*Tibet creates 667,000 jobs in ecological protection*
By Xu Keyue Source:Global Times Published: 2019/3/7 21:03:41



Linzhi, or Nyingchi, often referred to as the throne of the sun in Tibetan by locals, is indeed where the sun rises every day compared to other places in Tibet. Photo: China.org.cn

Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region created 667,000 jobs in ecological protection as of 2018, which has not only protected the plateau's ecology but also helped farmers and herders combat poverty.

Tibetan regional authorities had set up a special working team for poverty alleviation and ecological protection, an official from the Tibet regional environmental protection bureau told the Global Times on Thursday. 

The team hires local people as rangers to tour, clean or plant trees, which helped alleviate farmers' and herdsmen's employment, he said.

Puciren, 31, a forest ranger in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, whose job is to check around local forests every day and organize villagers to plant trees in spring, said, "To protect the forest is to protect our hometown," the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

Compensation to these rangers rose to 3,500 yuan per person per year in 2018, Xinhua reported.

In 2018, the Tibet regional government invested 10.7 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) to protect the local ecological environment and to create jobs, Luo Jie, head of the Tibet regional ecological environment department, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

A total of 1,112,000 mu (74,100 hectares) in the region had been planted with new trees in 2008 with the local forest coverage rate in the Tibet region increasing to 12.14 percent, Luo said. 

The region has vowed to lift 150,000 people out of poverty and eradicate absolute poverty this year, Xinhua reported in January.

A white paper "Ecological Progress on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" released in 2018 by the State Council said that "China has initiated a series of ecological compensation mechanisms, including transfer payments to key ecological function zones, forest ecological benefit compensation, grassland ecological protection subsidy and rewards, and wetland ecological benefit compensation."

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## JSCh

*Pic story of embroiderer in NW China's Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-13 15:52:56|Editor: mingmei

Renagul embroiders for haute couture at her workshop in Yizhou District of Hami City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on March 8, 2019. The haute couture, literally named "blossoming flower", decorated with handmade embroidery with distinctive local flavor, was presented at the Paris Fashion Week in 2016. This changed embroiderer Renagul's life, who never thought her works would be displaed at a world-renowned fashion show. Renagul grew up in an embroidery family in Hami. Influenced by her mother, she has been fond of embroidery since childhood. Supported by local government, she opened an embroidery cooperative in 2014. In 2016, Qin Xu, founder and chief designer of Shanghai fashion brand Moodbox, came to Hami for inspiration. Obsessed and inspired by Renagul and her mother's exquisite embroidery, Qin Xu designed a series of fashions with Hami embroidery. Once the elegant "blossoming flower" was stunningly unveiled during the Paris Fashion Week, it immediately fascinated the audience. Now, Renagul has achieved growing orders and rising incomes. She also started to learn English, hoping her work would gain popularity abroad. She said, "I enjoy my work. Every time I pick up the needle, I feel calm and happy. In the future, I would like to incorporate more modern elements into traditional embroidery to make Hami embroidery more popular". (Xinhua/Wang Fei)





















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## JSCh

*Entrepreneurs improve Tibetan environment*
By EDITH MUTETHYA | China Daily | Updated: 2019-03-14 09:31
















People walk on the foot of the Mount Kangrinboqe in Burang county of Ngari prefecture, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, June 24, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese entrepreneurs are committed to sharing their solutions for the protection of the environment of Tibet, considered the be part of the earth's "third pole", according to Li Xikui, secretary-general of Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, or CPAFFC.

Li, who spoke during a side event of the ongoing United Nations Environment Assembly, or UNEA, said Chinese enterprises play an irreplaceable role in the sustainable development of Tibet's ecology.

Hailed as the "roof of the world", the "water tower of Asia", Tibet has ice fields contain the largest reserve of fresh water outside the polar regions. It is the source of the 10 major river systems that provide irrigation, power and drinking water for over 1.3 billion people in Asia, nearly 20 percent of the world's population, according to thirdpole.net.

It's also a natural habitat for rare animals like the wild yak, Przewalski's gazelle, snow leopard and a gene pool of plateau life.

However, climate change has become a major concern in the third pole, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

The rate of warming in the region is significantly higher than the global average, with increased rate at higher altitude, suggesting a greater vulnerability of the environment to climate change. This trend is expected to continue.

Li said the Chinese government has always paid close attention to the ecological protection in Tibet.

"Today, there are more than 20 entrepreneurs from China who are involved in the World's Third Pole Environmental Protection issue, establishing an ecological civilization concept that respects, conforms to and protects nature," he said.

Li said the entrepreneurs have overcome many challenges and spent time, energy and financial resources to repeatedly explore the possibilities.

"They are more than willing to contribute and share innovative methods and results to the world. They have set up entrepreneurial role models with their own actions and led more to Chinese entrepreneurs to actively participate in the ecological environmental protection," he said.

Tibet Langsai Industrial Co Ltd is one of the Chinese companies that have committed to protecting the third pole environment.

Suo Lang, the company chairman, said his company has always put environmental protection as the priority to strictly implement the government's related requirements.

"To realize a health and sustainable development, we promote ecological cycles, low carbon manufacturing, and clean production," Suo said.

He noted that his staff members have been participating in the March 12 tree-planting activities in Tibet.

He said the people living in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will continuously shoulder the responsibility to protect the ecological environment of the high plateau and will play an active role in environmental protection activities.

"We are dedicated to protecting plants, mountains and waters for the benefit of all mankind. I believe through joint efforts, we will make the sky brighter, the water cleaner and the mountains greener for the world's third pole," he said.

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## JSCh

*Tibetans hop on the e-commerce fast track as communications infrastructure catches up*
By Zhang Hongpei in Lhasa Source:Global Times Published: 2019/3/19 17:51:55





​Workers of China Tower's Tibet subsidiary at a base station of communications in the outskirts of Lhasa on March 8 Photo: Li Hao/GT




​Dawa Ciren, a Tibetan farmer, chats with his daughter via WeChat beside his house in the outskirts of Lhasa on March 8. Photos: Li Hao/GT

*Editor's Note:*
The remote and mountainous Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China has witnessed rapid improvement in its communications infrastructure, which is not only restricted to making phone calls but also brings business opportunities related to e-commerce, big data and cloud computing. The Global Times traveled to Tibet to interview local people involved in communications construction, which is helping to eliminate the digital divide with the rest of the country. This is the first of a two-part story.​
Dawa Ciren, a farmer living in Dadong village, not far from Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is chatting with his daughter via WeChat, the most used social network in China.

In one hand, he's holding his smartphone, in the other, he's balancing his granddaughter, who's saying hello to her mother. The scene has become a normal part of Dawa's life, but it would be hard to imagine just a few years ago. 

Beside his two-story house stands a several-meter-high China Telecom basic station tower, and Dawa has been able to use it to get mobile signals since 2008.

"I began using WeChat in 2011 with a smartphone. It helps me a lot with my grazing on the pastures because sometimes my herds get lost and I can call for help on WeChat to see if anyone has seen them," Dawa told the Global Times, pointing to a picture of his cattle on the phone.

"The social network has also increased my business opportunities by interacting with the outside," he said.

People living in remote rural areas in Tibet are actually very open to becoming part of connected society. "There is wide use of smartphones to chat through WeChat, browse the internet and shop online in these areas, and there is much demand for this communication technology," said Li Jian, an associate research fellow of Beijing-based China Tibetology Research Center.

Li recalled his study experiences in the high-attitude Ngari Prefecture in the far west of Tibet, and Nyingchi in the region's southeast, which has complex terrain. He found that people living in these areas are very open-minded in embracing new and modern communications technology and treated it as a daily necessity.

"That is very helpful to eliminate the digital and information gap between Tibet and other areas," Li told the Global Times.

Li added that some elderly Tibetans who find it difficult to type on a phone usually ask youngsters to help them shop online. "It surprised me that access to the internet is so badly needed in Tibet's remote towns and villages."

*Signal all the way*

Thanks to improvements in power supply and communication facilities, mobile internet access is widespread across the plateau, providing an information bridge to areas that were previously marked by a digital divide - the gap between those who have access to the internet and advanced technology, and those who do not, who face being left behind by modern life. 

China Tower, the state-owned communications infrastructure giant, is acting to bridge this digital divide by providing basic facilities.

Gama Valley, dubbed the most beautiful valley to the east of Mount Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, is a favorable hiking route for many trekkers, especially those from the West. However, it was also a place where trekkers easily got lost before 2016 when the China Tower Tibet subsidiary completed nine communications stations there.

"Only the first station could be reached by car, but we needed to hike to all the rest," Ciren Luobu, general manager of communications development department of China Tower Tibet subsidiary, told the Global Times in a recent interview, recalling his experience checking the stations when they went into operation at the end of 2016.

"Normally, a station costs 300,000 yuan ($44,696.7) to 400,000 yuan, but those in Gama valley cost up to one million yuan due to the difficulty of construction and labor costs," said Ciren.

"For example, we needed local tour guides familiar with the valley's terrain and pack animals like horses and yaks to haul basic construction material, such as sand and cement, as well as large solar panels up the valley."

It took Ciren and his team a week to hike the 55-kilometer long valley, when they also faced the unpredictable dangers of trekking in remote areas. 

Now, a 4G signal from China Mobile, the state-owned carrier, can be found in this "trekker's heaven."

*Easier access, better economy*

Data from the Tibet Regional Telecommunications Bureau showed that by the end of 2018, there were 40,100 base stations in Tibet, including 13,800 3G network stations and 14,100 4G network stations. 

Mobile broadband, encompassing 3G and 4G networks, has reached 2.755 million families, accounting for 83.35 percent of the total.

Currently, broadband has reached 782,000 families in Tibet, with every 100 households owning 80.91 fixed-line broadband internet connections. 

As of the end of 2018, 98 percent of villages in Tibet have access to optical cables and more than 90 percent have a 4G signal, according to Dazhen, deputy head of the information and communication department at Tibet Regional Telecommunications Bureau.

All the villages in Tibet, over 5,200 in total, will be connected with broadband under a universal telecom service project, which is estimated to cost three billion yuan.

"We aim to reach the 4G network to 98 percent of villages by the end of this year, with the remaining 2 percent left due to relocation or road inconvenience," Dazhen noted.

"Tibet's communications infrastructure covers broad areas in the region and the industry's development is not lagging behind the heartland of China due to mature technology application," said Dazhen.

Tibet has one-eighth of China's territory by land with 3.4 million permanent residents. 

"Townships and villages are like scattered stars in the sky, which determines the increasing investment and costs of equipment maintenance," she noted, adding these obstacles could not hinder the construction pace in the vast land, which is seeking closer connection with other parts of China as well as the outside world.

According to a report released by China's e-commerce giant Alibaba in early March, among the surveyed 209 counties across Tibet, Sichuan, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, Northwest China's Gansu Province and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, 80 percent of which are located in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, nine counties or districts that have seen the fastest growth rate of gross merchandise volume (GMV) last year are in Tibet.

Lhasa's Chengguan district, which houses the regional government, had the highest GMV last year, said the report, takungpao.com reported.

During last year's Single's Day online shopping festival on November 11, online sales of products from Tibet on major e-commerce platform JD.com surged 1,141 percent compared to October 11. The number of online orders during the shopping festival in 2017 grew 3,000 times compared to 2008, according to JD.com Inc.

"Some Tibetan farmers around me are riding on the e-commerce tide to sell their products like beef, honey or other natural products to the more developed eastern China where organic food is much in demand," Dazhen said.

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## JSCh

17:24, 21-Mar-2019
*How to plant trees on the roof of the world?*
By Zhao Ying




Hailed as the "roof of the world" and the earth's "third pole," the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an essential ecological protection barrier for China. However, due to harsh climate conditions and lack of oxygen, the ecology on the world's highest ground is rather delicate and vulnerable, and land desertification is just one of its reflections.

According to the Fifth National Desertification and Sandification Monitoring Report, the desertified land area in Tibet Autonomous Region reaches 43.25 million hectares, accounting for 35.98 percent of the national territorial area of China. The sandy land area in Tibet also amounts to 21.58 million hectares.



The Payang desert in Shigatse city in southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. /VCG Photo

To combat desertification in Tibet, conserve vegetation and plant trees are the primary measures used in Shannan, Nagqu, Ali, Shigatse and some other areas.

*Why it is hard to plant trees in Tibet?*

Most forests in Tibet Autonomous Region grow in the eastern regions, like Nyingchi and Qamdo, where the altitude is comparatively lower. The forest can hardly be seen at the altitude above 4,500 meters. The woody plant Tibetan juniper growing at the altitude of 2,600-4,800 meters may mark the highest elevation treeline in the world.



The pine and cypress forests along the river in Linzhi city in southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. /VCG Photo

Planting trees on the high altitude areas like Nagqu and Ali demand great efforts. Nagqu prefecture once was the only treeless city in China. The blizzards blowing from October to May make the sapling hard to take root. Many locals who inhabit eastern Nagqu have hardly seen a tree in their life until recently.

In Nagqu, the natural vegetation is mainly the grass-like herb of Kobresia genus. The alpine meadow and sand gravel can preserve few moisture and fertility for plants. There are just two months a year suitable for plants to grow. The trees planted in the spring may easily die in the winter due to the low temperature and occasional frost. 

*What are trees living on the plateau?*



The saltcedar forest in northwest China's Qinghai Province. /VCG Photo

Despite all of the challenges like intense ultraviolet radiation and permafrost, some trees still pass the test of natural selection and survive here. The reddish salt cedar, known as the tree closest to the sun, is one of them.

The salt cedar is a vigorous and hardy shrub that can tolerate sandy soil. Its roots can grow to the length of over 30 meters. The pinkish flowers bloom from late summer to early autumn, which embellishes the plateau with more colors.



The Rocks with salt cedars in New Mexico, U.S. /VCG Photo

The large area of reddish salt cedar thriving near Shiquan River in Ga'er county in Ali prefecture used to be one of the few types of trees there until 2016. Since late 2016, promoted by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the local government, Yili Groups has taken the research task of planting trees at high altitude areas.



The Mongolian pines are planted to combat desertification in Hulun Buir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China. /VCG Photo

Trees like Mongolian pines, Russian olive, and savin junipers are thus introduced from regions with similar climate conditions to prevent sand. Spruce and sea buckthorns are also selected because of their resistance to cold, drought and alkaline soil.



A river dune landscape with common sea buckthorn in India. /VCG Photo

In 2018, over 420,000 Qinghai poplars and some other types of trees are newly planted and thrive with a survival rate of 85 percent in Shiquanhe town in Ali. According to the local forestry department, 11 million trees are planted over the years, which prevents the sand and greatly improves the ecological environment there.



The aerial view of Ali city in southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. /VCG Photo

*What are the achievements over the years?*

Recently, Tibet has carried out the "five-eradication" action plan, namely, "eradicating treeless towns, treeless villages, treeless yards, treeless households, and treeless areas." Currently, 863 villages at an altitude below 4300 meters end the treeless history.

In 2018, Tibet invested 10.7 billion RMB in environmental protection funds, with 74,133 hectares of trees planted and forest coverage rate rising to 12.14 percent. The government aims to increase 260,000 hectares of planted forests, which would make the forest coverage rate reach 12.31 percent.



Trees in Ali prefecture in southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. /VCG Photo

(Cover image: The aerial view of Linzhi city in southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. /VCG Photo)
_(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)_

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## JSCh

*Decades of forestation efforts see rich results in Xinjiang*
By Global Times - Agencies Source:Global Times Published: 2019/4/22 17:28:40


The artificial oasis area in Xinjiang has expanded to five times the size of in the 1950s after consistent efforts over a long period
In recent years, Xinjiang has worked on enhancing agricultural technology while improving water management
Xinjiang's environment has improved, which has also benefited local residents' lives




An aerial view of artificial forests in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Photo: Courtesy of Wang Zhiqing from Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps

It is easy to see when spring arrives in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, thanks in large part to a prolonged campaign to turn this mostly desert area into lush swathes of green.

"After consistent efforts over a long period, the artificial oasis area in Xinjiang has expanded to five times the size of in the 1950s. The region is much greener," said Yang Jianming, deputy director of Xinjiang's forestation office. 

*Becoming reality*

The Taklimakan Desert and the Gurbantunggut Desert cover large areas of land on the north and south sides of Tianshan Mountain respectively, making the color of sand the region's primary hue.

Pei Yu, deputy director of a non-commercial forest station in Shanshan county, Turpan, stood on the top of a sand dune on March 3, and watched the lush forest that covers more than 10,000 mu (about 6.7 million square meters) along the edge of the Kumtag Desert.

"We planted all the trees, vowing to make the place green. It has become a reality. The place where I'm standing is another forest that we planned to plant this year. It will also become green," Pei said. 

The development of Xinjiang is closely related to forestation. According to Yang Jianming, the area of the Three-North Shelter forest program in the Xinjiang region has reached more than 66 million mu, and the artificial oasis area is 62,000 square meters. The forestation area for this year is expected to increase by 2 million mu. 

Carrying out forestation programs in Xinjiang is no easy task, as deserts cover most of the area and it has a temperate continental climate with low rainfall throughout the year. Forestation projects in the region can only be accomplished with a great deal of perseverance. 

Liu Zhen, an official from Aksu Prefecture, planted his first tree in March 27 this year. More than 1 million mu of forest surround his seedling. 

Over the past 30 years, the leaders of Aksu have changed and the people who first planted trees here have grown old, but forestation work has never stopped. The prefecture has accomplished more than 4 million mu of forestation. 



Residents in Bortala Mongolia Autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang prepare to plant trees along the road. Photo: CFP

"We people who work for the forestation projects are very proud of ourselves," Yang Jianming said. 

He used a poem to describe the sharp contrast in the climate of the southern part of China and where they live. "Horses gallop in the west wind while apricot blossoms get wet in the spring rain… if there are no green areas, there will be no place for humans to survive. We are engaged in a great career," Yang said. 

According to data from the Xinjiang Daily, the total forest coverage rate of Xinjiang has risen from 1.03 percent four decades ago to 4.87 percent today.

*Led by science*

The development of technology and scientific guidance have helped greatly with the forestation projects in Xinjiang. Ecological forests have been planted on the periphery of the desert and commercial forests in the inner circle, based on market demands. Poultry breeding and tourism will also be introduced to fit with local social development. 

Making the place greener relies not only on forestation projects, but also water resource management. 

When a sluice gate of a water conservancy project over the Kongque River in Koral, in Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, slowly opens, clean water flows out toward a populous forest several hundred kilometers away.

"What is the priority in ecology? We consider water consumption for humans and nature in the same way and we do not neglect the survival of other lives to meet human needs," said Ma Ming, a director of the management department of the Tarim River region. 

In recent years, Xinjiang has worked on enhancing agricultural technology while improving water management. This allows more water to flow from farmland to the desert to revive plants, which also helps to fasten drifting sand.

Zhumahali Hardbayi, a herdsman from the Dabancheng district in Urumqi, said that "Turpan city and our district have implemented a project of returning grazing land to grassland. With more grass, we will have more sheep, and snow leopards have also appeared in the area."

This year marks the 21st year of the start of Xinjiang's natural forest protection work, with a total of 49.18 million mu of natural forest now covered. 

"From 1998 to 2004, Xinjiang reduced the yearly timber yield from 280,000 cubic meters to 80,000 cubic meters. In January 2005, Xinjiang took the first step nationwide to stop felling natural forest for commercial use. All the lumberjacks became forest rangers," said Xiao Zhongqi, a senior engineer from the bureau of forestry and grassland in Xinjiang. 

*Benefiting from nature* 

With its efforts to protect the natural forest and increase in forestation area, Xinjiang's environment has improved, which has also benefited local residents' lives. 

Ning Tao, manager of a Xinjiang-based ecological technology company, is planning to organize people to plant Chinese wild rye this month. 

He is confident of making a success of the ecological program in Duzishan village, Hutubi county in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture. "The desert grassland is hardly covered by plants, but we will change the situation by planting Chinese wild rye with the assistance of the Chinese Academy of Sciences," Ning said. 

Chinese wild rye is a high-quality forage that can resist cold weather and drought. Once planted, it can be harvested for up to 30 years. It can also help with desertification control and water conservation.




"We will try to plant 50,000 mu of Chinese wild rye within three years, making it the largest base for the pratacultural industry in Xinjiang, producing the seed, processing and selling Chinese wild rye," Ning said. 

The forestry and fruit industries have become the main sources of income for local farmers.

Aniwar Abulaizi, a farmer from Gulubashi village of Jiashi county, Kashi Prefecture has planted prunes for four years. "I can earn more than 20,000 yuan from one mu of prune," he said.

By the end of 2018, Xinjiang had more than 22 million mu of forest and fruit trees, with an annual yield of 10 million tons. 

Even the deserts have become a source of income. 

Wumer Memeti resigned from a station selling agricultural machinery in Shanshan county in 2016. He took all his money to plant saxaul in deserts. His agricultural cooperative now owns 2,700 mu of saxaul.

The forestation projects in Xinjiang also help with transportation. Yelibao Sailiguai, a truck driver, said that he no longer worries about strong winds from the desert blowing his truck over. 

Many deserts in Xinjiang have been transformed into parks. Xinjiang now has 36 desert parks, the largest number in China.

"By building these desert parks, we can improve our desertification control work," Tursun Tuhuti, a director of the desertification control department of the bureau of forestry and grassland in Xinjiang, was quoted by the Xinjiang Daily as saying.

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## Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA

Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture will surprise you if you consider xinjiang all deserts and gobi waste lands.

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## JSCh

*World's highest highway tunnel open to traffic in Tibet*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-26 14:40:07|Editor: Li Xia

LHASA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The world's highest highway tunnel was open to traffic on Friday at an altitude of over 4,750 meters above sea level in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

The two-way tunnel is over 5.7 km long, which is a part of the 400-km highway linking the regional capital of Lhasa with Nyingchi in the southeast of Tibet.

Construction of the tunnel started in 2015 on the 5,018-meter-high Mila Mountain, and it was completed on Monday, helping shorten the 18-km distance over the mountain to 5.7 km.

Gong Bin, project manager of Mila Mountain Tunnel of the China Railway No. 2 Bureau, said that more than 10 technological breakthroughs have been made in the course of the construction, such as improving the survey accuracy of mountain tunnels in extremely cold weather and at high altitudes.

He said in addition to coldness and lack of oxygen, over 2,000 construction workers faced the challenges of the inconvenience of transporting living and construction materials to the site.

"We have worked here for more than four years and lived in makeshift houses at the entrance to the tunnel," said Xu Yong, Party chief of the construction project.

He said the highway is an important channel to the eastern part of Tibet, which can help boost tourism, industrial development and bring traffic convenience to local people.














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## Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA

JSCh said:


> *World's highest highway tunnel open to traffic in Tibet*
> Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-26 14:40:07|Editor: Li Xia
> 
> LHASA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The world's highest highway tunnel was open to traffic on Friday at an altitude of over 4,750 meters above sea level in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
> 
> The two-way tunnel is over 5.7 km long, which is a part of the 400-km highway linking the regional capital of Lhasa with Nyingchi in the southeast of Tibet.
> 
> Construction of the tunnel started in 2015 on the 5,018-meter-high Mila Mountain, and it was completed on Monday, helping shorten the 18-km distance over the mountain to 5.7 km.
> 
> Gong Bin, project manager of Mila Mountain Tunnel of the China Railway No. 2 Bureau, said that more than 10 technological breakthroughs have been made in the course of the construction, such as improving the survey accuracy of mountain tunnels in extremely cold weather and at high altitudes.
> 
> He said in addition to coldness and lack of oxygen, over 2,000 construction workers faced the challenges of the inconvenience of transporting living and construction materials to the site.
> 
> "We have worked here for more than four years and lived in makeshift houses at the entrance to the tunnel," said Xu Yong, Party chief of the construction project.
> 
> He said the highway is an important channel to the eastern part of Tibet, which can help boost tourism, industrial development and bring traffic convenience to local people.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​


China and Chinese people should thank Tibet and Tibetain chinese people again coz Tibet and its natural conditions force China and Chinese companies to master and innovate the most advanced constructiontechs in the world!



JSCh said:


> *World's highest highway tunnel open to traffic in Tibet*
> Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-26 14:40:07|Editor: Li Xia
> 
> LHASA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The world's highest highway tunnel was open to traffic on Friday at an altitude of over 4,750 meters above sea level in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
> 
> The two-way tunnel is over 5.7 km long, which is a part of the 400-km highway linking the regional capital of Lhasa with Nyingchi in the southeast of Tibet.
> 
> Construction of the tunnel started in 2015 on the 5,018-meter-high Mila Mountain, and it was completed on Monday, helping shorten the 18-km distance over the mountain to 5.7 km.
> 
> Gong Bin, project manager of Mila Mountain Tunnel of the China Railway No. 2 Bureau, said that more than 10 technological breakthroughs have been made in the course of the construction, such as improving the survey accuracy of mountain tunnels in extremely cold weather and at high altitudes.
> 
> He said in addition to coldness and lack of oxygen, over 2,000 construction workers faced the challenges of the inconvenience of transporting living and construction materials to the site.
> 
> "We have worked here for more than four years and lived in makeshift houses at the entrance to the tunnel," said Xu Yong, Party chief of the construction project.
> 
> He said the highway is an important channel to the eastern part of Tibet, which can help boost tourism, industrial development and bring traffic convenience to local people.
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> ​


Do we need to bring Oxygen bottle with us when travel through this road?

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## JSCh

*Tibet's 1st electrified railway under construction*
New China TV
Published on May 2, 2019

Workers are laying tracks on the 435-km Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, the first electrified railway in Tibet.

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## JSCh

*Monks, nuns have shared basic benefits*
By Li Ruohan in Lhasa and Xigaze Source:Global Times Published: 2019/5/5 23:13:39

Enhanced legal awareness helps monks better exercise civil rights



Tibetan Buddhist believers pray outside the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on March 7. Photo: Li Qian/GT

As China mulls all-out efforts to ensure that the country's achievements during the past six decades are shared by each and every citizen, there's no reason that monks and nuns from monasteries in Tibet are excluded. Such an idea was strongly felt by Global Times reporters during their visits to the monasteries in the region in early March. 

China's national flag was frequently seen at monasteries in Lhasa, capital city of the autonomous region in Southwest China, as well as posters introducing the country's policies to protect religious freedom. 

Articles written by monks and nuns expressing gratitude for the change in their lives brought about by Party and government policies are posted in the monasteries' offices, including some handwritten ones from elder monks. 

Since 2011, Tibet has invested nearly 7 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) on a campaign to ensure that all monasteries or temples in the region are connected to roads and have access to electricity, water and telecommunications services. 

Temples are also building public bathrooms, canteens and reading rooms and movies for the monks and nuns. The films, mostly featuring patriotic and religious themes, are provided with subtitles in the Tibetan language.

Phurbu Tsering, a monk at the Sera Monastery, who is also the head of Lhasa's Buddhist Association, said that the most impressive film for him was the 90-minute documentary Amazing China. The film highlights a series of major developments the country has made since 2012, including the world's largest radio telescope FAST, the world's largest maritime drilling rig Blue Whale 2, and the development of 5G mobile technology.

"It broadens my eyes and I had a strong feeling of those great achievements our home country has made," said Phurbu Tsering. 

As of March, 98 percent of Tibet's temples had achieved the goal of the campaign. The intention is simple: Monks and nuns are also citizens, and they have the same rights to enjoy modern facilities as other citizens do, said Luobu Dunzhu, deputy head of Tibet's religious affairs bureau. 



A Chinese national flag is raised at the Potala Palace in Tibet in March. Photo: Li Ruohan/GT

*Rights respected* 

"About 10 years ago, not many monks and nuns had citizen awareness. But now, being a good citizen and being patriotic has been acknowledged by many as an important quality of being a good monk," Phuntsok Gyaltsen from the Jokhang Temple told the Global Times. 

The result comes from enhanced efforts to introduce laws and regulations at monasteries. In 2018, over 3,200 lectures to promote the legal awareness of monks and nuns were held in 1,787 monasteries across the autonomous region. 

Officials from judicial departments, lawyers, scholars and police were invited to monasteries to explain and answer frequently asked questions from the monks and nuns.

Activities such as group study and seminars on China's law and national policies, such as the Constitution, National Flag Law and Religious Affairs Regulation, are held regularly in monasteries. 

WeChat and other platforms are also used to introduce China's law and religious policies.

In the eyes of monks and nuns, such activities are necessary and helpful to know how to exercise their civil rights and protect the rights from being violated.

"I am a monk. I am also a Chinese citizen, and knowing the laws and regulations could better help protect myself," said Phurbu Tsering from the Sera Monastery. 

Monks and nuns should be punished if they violate laws, but many of them are not aware when and whether they violate laws, and that makes such activities more necessary, he said. 

In some monasteries, monks and nuns also took examinations on laws and regulations, according to autonomous region's religious officials. 

"I experienced the unrest times and I know the reasons behind such turbulence. As a citizen I have the obligation to fight separatism and safeguard stability," said Sonam Phuntsok from Gaden Monastery. 

"Stability in Tibet and in the whole country is the most important guarantee of the development of Tibetan Buddhism," he said, noting that separatist activities bring no good to the development of the religion.

"Dalai Lama's using Tibetan Buddhism as a political tool to serve his own separatist agenda has hurt the future and credibility of the religion. Monks and nuns should realize that the religion could thrive only when it separates itself from the negative impact of separatists and plays a positive role in society," said Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body.

*Transparent operation*

Since 2011, monasteries in Tibet have gradually established committees to manage religious and civil affairs. The management committees normally consist of senior monks and non-religious people who are mostly former or current government officials. 

The committees also include members who are responsible for the conservation of culture relics and ensure that the monasteries are free from fire or other hazards.

Such a work approach was not welcomed by all when first introduced to monasteries, as some monks and nuns did not understand the logic behind the change and feared that they might lose control of religious affairs in the temples, said local officials.

However, those committees are an inseparable part of the monasteries' daily activities and the lives of monks and nuns as they realize that the officials are not here to be a boss, but a server, said Anu Tsering, head of united front work department of Lhasa, the government body that oversees religious affairs. 

Monks in the committees are still in charge of religious affairs, such as how a ritual should be held, while officials in the committees are helping with paperwork and formalities to organize those activities and ensure that those events are held in accordance with law and administrative requirements.

"The officials are like bridges to facilitate the interaction between monasteries and government agencies," said Phurbu Tsering from the Sera Monastery. 

"For instance, the officials are very helpful in applying for more government funds for monks and nuns and ensuring that they have access to all social welfare benefits," he said.

All the monks and nuns in the Tibet autonomous region are provided with medical, social and accident insurance. They can also have a free physical examination once a year, officials said.

Over 290,000 rooms for monks and nuns have been renovated with government funding of 146 million yuan as of March. The region also has an annual budget of 15 million yuan to maintain small and medium-sized monasteries and the cultural relics stored there.

Such a mechanism actually makes the monasteries' management and operations more transparent and efficient, monks and nuns said. 

Before such a committee is launched in the Sera Monastery, major religious positions, such as Guige, who oversees monks' behavior and religious study, are normally appointed or decided by senior monks. 

After the establishment of the committee, those positions are elected every three years and in a democratic manner, said Phurbu Tsering, who is also deputy head of the monastery's management committee. 

The committee will make public the list of candidates first, and if any monks think the nominees are not qualified, they could suggest a new candidate. A vote will be held and announced to ensure the transparency of the process, Phurbu Tsering said.

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## JSCh

*China launches healthcare campaign for elderly citizens in western regions*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-18 12:32:25|Editor: Xiang Bo

BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a campaign on healthcare knowledge and medical services for elderly citizens in provincial-level regions in the west of the country.

The campaign consists of a series of events, including healthcare lectures at local elderly care facilities, promotion of healthcare knowledge at local communities and free on-site clinics for local elderly people, Health News reported.

The campaign is organized by the China Population Welfare Foundation and overseen by the Department on Ageing and Health of China's National Health Commission.

According to the schedule, the campaign will tour 12 provincial-level regions including Tibet Autonomous Region, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Sichuan Province.

In a rapidly aging society, the demand for elderly healthcare services is always rising, said Wang Jianjun, deputy head of the Office of the National Working Commission on Aging at the campaign's launching ceremony, saying that establishing an elderly healthcare system accessible to both urban and rural citizens is a priority.

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## JSCh

*Free iodized salt program benefits 34 mln farmers, herdsmen in Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-19 15:04:15|Editor: Li Xia

URUMQI, May 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 34 million people have benefited from a program in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where authorities have offered free iodized salt for local farmers and herdsmen.

Since 2007, Xinjiang authorities have pumped more than 300 million yuan (44 million U.S. dollars) in funds to subsidize about 160,000 tonnes of iodized salt, according to the regional health authorities.

Xinjiang has long faced a severe lack of iodized salt. Since the 1960s, the locals have used iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency, in addition to other ways to take in more iodine, said Zhang Ling, with the regional center for disease control and prevention.

In recent years, local authorities have stepped up efforts to monitor iodine deficiency and spread knowledge about the importance of iodine intake. No cretinism cases have been reported for nine consecutive years in Xinjiang.

Before the campaign against iodine deficiency began in the 1950s and 1960s, Xinjiang reported severe cases of hypertrophied thyroid glands.

Iodine deficiency was once a seriously prevalent local disease in China, but it has been controlled or eradicated in most areas. According to the national center for disease control and prevention, 94.2 percent of counties in China have no iodine deficiency.

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## JSCh

*Mobile medical teams to tour impoverished regions in Tibet*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-23 16:11:06|Editor: Li Xia

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Mobile medical teams will tour through 96 impoverished townships in Tibet this year, a regional health official said here Thursday.

By the end of next year, the teams will cover all townships in the region, Wang Yunting, a senior official with the health department of Tibet Autonomous Region, said at a press conference.

Due to a small population scattered across the vast lands in Tibet, many farmers and herdsmen living in high altitude and remote areas only receive medical services through such mobile teams.

Medical teams will be made up of staff from village clinics, county and township hospitals and be provided with special medical vehicles and mobile equipment, Wang said.

In the tour, besides treating diseases, they will spend more efforts in offering health counseling and raising awareness, he said.

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## JSCh

*Tibet makes major strides in treatment, prevention of hydatid disease*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-25 12:30:06|Editor: Yamei

BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Major strides have been made in the treatment and prevention of hydatid disease in Tibet Autonomous Region, which had the highest prevalence rate of the disease among China's provincial-level regions, according to a National Health Commission report.

With an average prevalence rate of 1.66 percent among the residents in Tibet, hydatid disease is known to have caused health hazards and heavy economic burdens to the patients and their families, as well as huge losses to local agriculture and animal husbandry.

Noting that hydatid disease was a key reason for people to become poor due to illness in the region, the report said major efforts have been made to treat and prevent the disease.

Despite difficulties, Tibet screened around 3 million people, covering all residents aged above 2, to register hydatid disease cases as of the end of 2017, a job they completed in just one year instead of the planned three years.

Extensive efforts were made to mobilize resources to confirm hydatid disease cases and ensure those willing to be treated can receive treatment in an early manner. As of 2019, more than 5,000 patients received operations and more than 9,800 others were treated with medicine.

Listing measures taken to cut the source of infection, the report said a system to vaccinate and register home-raised dogs has been put in place in Tibet.

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## JSCh

*Hydropower station put into use in Tibet's no-electricity area*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-03 22:45:30|Editor: huaxia






Photo taken on June 26, 2017 shows an aerial view of Tangra Yumco Lake in Nagqu, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.(Xinhua)

LHASA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- An underground hydropower station has been put into operation in the former no-electricity area in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday.

The Jinqiao hydropower station, which is a key project in the region's no-electricity areas, is the first hydropower station built with a rock-fill concrete gravity dam in Tibet.

Located in Lhari County in the city of Nagqu, the hydropower station was built to solve power shortage in the county in winter.

The hydropower station will provide clean and stable power to more than 30,000 local farmers and herdsmen, ending the area's history of energy consumption dominated by firewood and cow dung.

The normal storage level of the reservoir of the station is 3,425 meters, with a total storage capacity of 381,700 cubic meters.

With an investment of 1.4 billion yuan (about 202.7 million U.S. dollars), the station boasts a total installed capacity of 66 megawatts and an annual power generation capacity of 357 million kilowatt-hours.

Sonam Gawa, deputy mayor of Nagqu, said the hydropower station is a landmark project for the city's development of green energy, clean energy and hydropower industry.

The completion of the hydropower station will promote the adjustment of the industrial structure in the main pasturing areas of Tibet, change the mode of production, and help with poverty alleviation, according to the official.

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## JSCh

*Tibet expands air rescue services to improve emergency response*
By PALDEN NYIMA | China Daily | Updated: 2019-06-05 07:57
















Tibet Yunying Medical Rescue workers participate in an air rescue drill in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region. CHINA DAILY

Big steps are being taken to enhance air rescue services in the Tibet autonomous region, officials said.

Lhasa Xueying General Aviation Co began a project in 2017 to build three rescue bases, each with a flight radius of 300 kilometers, and it is nearing completion. The company has five helicopters at its Lhasa base and plans to add two more in the second half of the year, in Shigatse and Lhokha.

"Air rescue allows a quick response in emergencies involving tourists, fire control, medical conditions and car crashes in remote areas," said Songtsen, executive vice-president of Lhasa Xueying General Aviation. "Helicopters fill a regional gap. They are part of a key attempt to link ground rescue with air rescue." Like many in Tibet, Songtsen uses one name.

The aviation company is a joint venture of the Lhasa government and Nanjing-based Ruoer General Aviation Development Group, based in Jiangsu province.

The project is part of the region's efforts to fulfill a central government plan to have a helicopter emergency rescue system in place by 2020.

The company also provides services such as charter flights, air tours, air patrols, pilot training, airborne advertising, fire prevention and aerial photography.

Xiao Jian, general manager of Tibet Yunying Medical Rescue, a company working with Lhasa Xueying, said air rescue is a major step for the region.

"With insufficient air ambulance service in the past, the death rate from automobile accidents was high because ground rescue services could not reach the sites in time," Xiao said.

Gao Daiquan, a neurologist at Lhasa People's Hospital, said it was good to have air medical rescue services in Tibet because the region's transportation network is not highly developed.

"It is crucial for transferring patients, especially people with traumatic injuries or childbirth emergencies," Gao said.

"I hope it will work well with different hospitals and city emergency departments and play a key role in the city's overall first-aid service," Gao said.

The Tibet Red Cross Society 999 Emergency Rescue Center established the region's first aviation rescue team in 2017 and has made many lifesaving flights.

Ma Jun, the center's director, said teams have undertaken 23 mountain rescues in Tibet and helped local police in multiple operations in the Lhasa Kyichu River.

Ma said Lhasa Xueying has the helicopters, while the center can provide professional medical crews, including air rescue doctors licensed in Europe and sophisticated air rescue medical equipment.

"We will work with Lhasa Xueying to carry out professional air rescue work," Ma said.

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang expands test of saline soil rice near desert*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-04 18:27:14|Editor: Yamei

URUMQI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The saline soil rice R&D team of Yuan Longping, the prestigious pioneer of hybrid rice, is expanding its planting scale on the western margin of the Taklimakan desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The area of the test field, in the township of Bayiawati, Yopurga County under Kashgar, has been expanded to 20 hectares this year from last year's 5.3 hectares, according to Cao Zhishun who leads the Xinjiang team.

Cao said the salinity of the local soil is as high as around 1.7 percent, with a pH value of over eight, indicating a high degree of salinity.

"The saline soil rice can improve soil and lower salinity, and turns saline soil into fertile farmland in three to five years," he said.

The township has a total 1,000 hectares of saline soil that is completely unsuitable for planting, said Alimjan, the township head.

Last year, the yield from the test field exceeded the expectation of Cao's team, making them more sure about the potential of their rice.

Cao said about 1,333,333 hectares, or 30 percent of arable land in Xinjiang, has been salinized at varying degrees, and the value of the saline soil rice in improving soil could be huge.

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## JSCh

↑↑↑




*Xinjiang expands testing of saline-tolerant rice*
New China TV
Published on Jun 6, 2019

Testing saline-tolerant rice near the desert in Xinjiang proves successful. This could be a huge opportunity for the region as 30 percent of arable land has "salty soil"


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## JSCh

*Dust Aerosol Observation Field Campaign Completed in Kashgar*
Jun 06, 2019

Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has led an international Dust Aerosol Observation (DAO) field campaign in Kashgar this April, aiming to develop a system for monitoring, early warning and emergency response of heavy haze and dust storm episodes along the Belt and Road region.

Neighboring the Taklimakan Desert, China's largest source of dust particles, Kashgar is a region typically affected by dusts, local pollution from mankind activities, and transported pollution from surrounding arid and desert areas.

Coarse particles like dusts are important components of the atmospheric aerosol. It is difficult to characterize the proprieties of aerosols, majorly due to light scattering by non-spherical dust particles in the atmosphere.

The one-month DAO experiment has captured multiple dust processes, successfully acquiring comprehensive datasets of the optical-physical-chemical characteristics and vertical distribution characteristics of the different layers of regional dust aerosols.

The campaign, integrating in-situ and remote sensing observations based on passive and active technologies, has provided high quality dataset of physical, chemical, and optical properties and radiative effects of aerosols in this region.

Many kinds of instruments are involved in the observation such as the Directional Polarization Camera (DPC) mounted on China’s GF-5 satellite, ground-based sun-sky-moon polarized radiometers, multi-wavelength Mie-Raman polarization lidar (LILAS), high-precision solar radiation monitoring station, aerosol spectrometer, among others. Additionally, four ground-based radiometers are deployed to identify inconsistencies and quantify uncertainties.

The joint experiment was led by the National Engineering Laboratory for Satellite Remote Sensing Applications under AIR, in collaboration with other two CAS institutes, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics and the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, as well as several international partners including the Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique of University of Lille 1, the Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the B.I. Stepanov Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

The research is supported by the National Key R&D Program of China under the framework of International S&T Innovative Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology.





The experiment site (Image by AIR) ​
Dust Aerosol Observation Field Campaign Completed in Kashgar---Chinese Academy of Sciences


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## JSCh

> *新疆铁路今起加开154列旅客列车*
> 作者： 逯风暴 来源： 新疆日报
> 日期： 2019-06-04
> 
> 记者从中国铁路乌鲁木齐局集团有限公司获悉：随着肉孜节、端午节临近，新疆铁路部门将加开乌鲁木齐至吐鲁番北、鄯善北、石河子、库尔勒、北屯市等方向旅客列车（含动车组列车）154列，以满足假日期间旅客出行需求。
> 
> 6月4日至10日，新疆铁路部门计划开行乌鲁木齐—吐鲁番北、鄯善北、吐哈间假日动车36列；开行乌鲁木齐—哈密间假日动车12列；开行乌鲁木齐—伊宁间假日快车26列；开行乌鲁木齐—奎屯间假日快车28列；开行乌鲁木齐—石河子间假日列车18列；开行库尔勒—乌鲁木齐间假日快车12列；开行乌鲁木齐—北屯市间假日列车11列；开行北屯市—霍尔果斯间假日列车11列。
> 
> 新疆铁路部门提醒，加开列车车票可通过互联网、电话订票，车站售票窗口及客票代售点、自动售票机购买。


*Xinjiang Railway has added 154 holiday passenger trains*
Author: Lu fengbao
Source: Xinjiang Daily

Date: 2019-06-04

The reporter learned from the China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Co., Ltd.: With the Eid al-Fitr festival and the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the Xinjiang Railway Department will add passenger trains (including EMUs) from Urumqi to Turpan North, Shanshan North, Shihezi, Korla and Beibei for 154 trips to meet the travel needs of passengers during the holidays.

From June 4th to 10th, the Xinjiang Railway Department plans to operate 36 trains in Urumqi-Tulufan North, Shanshan North and Tuha, and drive 12 rows of Urumqi-Hami Holiday Motors; 26 branches of Urumqi-Yining Holiday Express There are 28 express trains in Urumqi-Kuiyu District; 18 trains in Urumqi-Shihezi Holiday Train; 12 Holiday Express Trains between Korla and Urumqi; 11 Holiday Trains in Urumqi-Beibei City; There are 11 trip of holiday trains in Goss.

The Xinjiang Railway Department reminded that the special holiday train tickets can be purchased through the Internet, telephone bookings, station ticketing windows and ticket agent sales points, and automatic ticket vending machines.

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## TaiShang

*Xinjiang expands test of saline soil rice near desert*

Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/6/6 15:04:11







Farmers carry seedlings of saline soil rice in Baiyiawati of Yopurga County, northwest China's Xinjiang Province, June 3, 2019. The saline soil rice R&D team of Yuan Longping, the prestigious pioneer of hybrid rice, is expanding its planting scale on the western margin of the Taklimakan desert in Xinjiang Province, June 3, 2019. The saline soil rice R&D team of Yuan Longping, the prestigious pioneer of hybrid rice, is expanding its planting scale on the western margin of the Taklimakan desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The area of the test field, in the township of Baiyiawati, Yopurga County under Kashgar, has been expanded to 20 hectares this year from last year's 5.3 hectares, according to Cao Zhishun who leads the Xinjiang team. (Xinhua/Ren Liying)






The saline soil rice R&D team of Yuan Longping work in a test field in Baiyiawati of Yopurga County, northwest China's Xinjiang, June 3, 2019. The saline soil rice R&D team of Yuan Longping, the prestigious pioneer of hybrid rice, is expanding its planting scale on the western margin of the Taklimakan desert in Xinjiang. The area of the test field, in the township of Baiyiawati, Yopurga County under Kashgar, has been expanded to 20 hectares this year from last year's 5.3 hectares, according to Cao Zhishun who leads the Xinjiang team. (Xinhua/Ren Liying)

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang turns 1.2 mln hectares of marginal farmland into forests*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-12 15:51:13|Editor: Yamei

URUMQI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has turned nearly 1.2 million hectares of marginal farmland into forests by the end of 2018, local authorities said Wednesday.

The regional forestry department said the region launched the project of converting farmland into forest in 2000. Over the past 20 years, more than 1.7 million rural residents from over 423,000 households benefited from the project.

So far, nearly 13.5 billion yuan (1.95 billion U.S. dollars) has been invested in the project in Xinjiang. Households who participated in the project have been distributed 9.4 billion yuan in subsidies.

Xinjiang has seen its ecological environment continuously improve over the past 20 years. The forest coverage rate and vegetation coverage rate of grassland have increased steadily, the green space has expanded, and the desert area has been reduced by nearly 40,000 square km during the period.

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## JSCh

*202 projects signed to help lift Tibet out of poverty*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-17 21:59:26|Editor: ZX

LHASA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 202 projects aimed at helping lift southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region out of poverty were signed Monday at a poverty alleviation meeting.

The projects, with an estimated investment of 21.5 billion yuan (about 3.1 billion U.S. dollars), cover a wide range of fields, including education, healthcare, relocation and employment and science and technology.

Since 2017, 25 such projects have been implemented, according to the local poverty alleviation authorities.

Authorities said that 17 provinces and cities, 16 centrally-administered state-owned enterprises and invited private enterprises have joined in the projects for 2019.

The regional government vowed to lift 150,000 people out of poverty and eradicate absolute poverty this year.

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## JSCh

*Tibet plans to invest big in barley, yak industries*
By Palden Nyima and Daqiong in Lhasa | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-06-19 14:29
















A farmer harvests the barley by hand in Tibet autonomous region. [Photo/VCG]

Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region is planning to invest over 120 billion yuan ($17 billion) in growing barley and raising yaks, in a bid to drive regional development, according to a development forum held on Monday reported by China News Service.

Tibet is enriched with rivers and lakes, and places in Shigatse as well as the cities of Lhasa and Lhokha typically feature traditional farming valleys. And the investment will mainly go to the areas of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin and its tributary valleys.

Jampal, the vice-chairman of the regional government, said with a plantation economy plan in the valley areas, the region will stand to benefit from the opportunity of the Belt and Road Initiative and the region's construction plan for the South Asia Great Channel, and will set up pilot plantations along the irrigation areas of Lalo, the rivers of Nyangchu, Shangchu in Shigatse city, and in many valleys of the region's Lhokha city.

The yak, a symbolic livestock of the Tibetan plateau, greatly supports the family income of rural residents all over the region and also comprises an entire industry. By the end of 2018, Tibet had 4.42 million yaks.

"Thanks to the region's pilot livestock breeding and plantation projects in 21 counties, more than 110,000 rural residents received benefits, with each one seeing an income rise of 827 yuan in 2018," said Jampal.

In the barley industry, the region planted more than 141,800 hectares of the crop in 2018 and saw barley output that same year exceed 814,000 tons.

According to official statistics, Tibet has more than 30 barley processing manufacturers, which in 2018 processed over 111,000 tons of the crop.

Currently, Tibet has planned 41 barley plantation and processing projects valued at more than 3.05 billion yuan. For the yak industry, the region plans to invest 7.25 billion yuan, and by 2020, is expected to have 5 million yaks.

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## JSCh

*Tree-planting programs defy deserts and drought*
By Li Lei | China Daily | Updated: 2019-06-20 09:27 




People walk across a bridge in the man-made woods in Makit county, Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. In 2012, the local government launched a project to convert about 66,000 hectares of desert on the county outskirts into woods. ZHANG GUIGUI/FOR CHINA DAILY

Afforestation efforts are providing jobs and improving lifestyles in underdeveloped areas. Li Lei reports from Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

_Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of stories focusing on the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, looking at developments in the environment, the economy and the cultural and business sectors, and poverty alleviation measures._

After decades of playing economic catch-up at the price of environmental degradation, China has learned to seek financial returns by restoring the land.

Now, some of the most rewarding examples of this policy shift can be found in the country's least-developed regions.

In Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, government-led projects to slow desertification and reclaim the land are transforming an area that is home to 1.2 million rural poor, accounting for almost 40 percent of the region's total impoverished population.

These massive campaigns have improved the environment and boosted yields of traditional crops, such as cotton. They have also shored up income from lucrative cash crops by providing arable land in an area known for its harsh environment and lack of workable soil.

One of the places leading the fight is Makit county, Kashgar, which lies immediately west of the Taklimakan Desert, the second-largest area of shifting sand dunes in the world, spanning more than 1,000 kilometers across southern Xinjiang.

For as long as the locals can remember, raging year-round sandstorms have made farming an arduous undertaking. For generations, local families, mostly members of the Uygur ethnic group who own less than 1 hectare of sandy land per household, have struggled to feed themselves.

Osman Ataula, 40, who recently shook off poverty with government aid, said spring sandstorms are the most catastrophic for cotton farmers like him, because they rip apart the plastic mulch used to keep land moist and tear off nearly all the buds.

"It is common to replant several times a year," he said. "Then, I have to seek temporary jobs to help with the family expenses."



Wang Yufeng, director of Makit county's natural resources bureau, checks the growth of cistanche tubulosa last month. LI LEI/CHINA DAILY

*Retreat*

However, in 2012, the sand began retreating after the local government launched a project to convert about 66,000 hectares of desert on the outskirts of Makit into woods comprised of saxaul and poplar, drought-resistant trees whose roots bind the sand and prevent invasive sandstorms.

To that end, 50-meter-wide belts of towering poplars were planted densely in a bid to reduce wind erosion. At the same time, saxaul trees were planted in neat rows between the poplar belts to improve the condition of the soil.

Wang Yufeng, director of the county's natural resources bureau, who has headed the program for the past seven years, said the project, which has provided job opportunities for hundreds of farmers, is about one-third complete. "That's more than 190 million trees," he said.

The 42-year-old said farmers have been hired to preserve the environmental shield by watering the saplings at night, using a drip irrigation network to reduce evaporation, and placing wire fencing around the young trees to protect them from animals.

The work can bring as much as 60,000 yuan ($8,684) a year to poor households, easily lifting a family's average income above the region's annual poverty line of about 3,000 yuan per person.



Orchard workers bag walnuts in Yecheng county, Kashgar. HU HUHU/XINHUA

*Environmental benefits*

According to local meteorological authorities, Makit saw 100 millimeters of rainfall last year, compared with only half that amount a decade ago. Meanwhile, sandstorms only occur about 50 days a year, from about 150 in 2009.

Wang said a positive cycle is being developed, because "more rain makes the rest of the work easier". At present, irrigation is essential to the survival of saplings in the first year after planting, but the rise in rainfall is expected to result in a shorter period of dependency.

In addition to the environmental progress, the man-made green belts provide vast swathes of land for the cultivation of cash crops that thrive in arid conditions.

In 2016, Wang's team began planting cistanche tubulosa in the woods. The parasitic plant - which has high added value due to its wide use in traditional Chinese medicine and cooking - obtains nutrients and water from the saxaul it grows upon. It is fast-growing too, and is ready for sale just 18 months after planting.

Figures provided by the local government show that 1 hectare of treated land produces about 2,250 kilograms of cistanche tubulosa per harvest, bringing in net profit of about 10,500 yuan. Cultivation of the hardy desert plant has provided jobs for about 200 poor farmers.

Wang said the team is exploring other ways to generate profits from the improved environment, such as developing organic farming by raising chickens in the shade provided by the saxaul trees.



Musayif Muniyaz, a farmer in Yecheng who has been lifted out of poverty, trims poplar trees. LI LEI/CHINA DAILY

*Wider success*

Makit is not the only success story, though. In Yecheng county, further south in Kashgar, authorities have achieved similar goals with a slightly different approach.

Over the past four years, Yecheng has encircled large swaths of desert with belts of poplars, while large numbers of Russian olive, a more-drought-resilient tree, have been sown to improve the soil in the encircled areas.

The county government has leased the land at a low rate to an agricultural company, which uses it to grow cash crops such as goji berries, apples, watermelons and forage grass. In turn, the company's operations provide jobs for impoverished local people.

Lin Guoyin, deputy director of Yecheng's agricultural bureau, said there has been a fundamental shift in officials' attitudes toward financial input into the environment, with many realizing its significance for economic growth and poverty relief.

"A better environment is usually followed by rich agricultural output, then by the development of the manufacturing sector, and in time by tourism, which could boost local residents' incomes," he said.

He added that local tourism authorities are considering using the improved environment and the spectacular views of the sprawling Taklimakan outside the county to grow the sector.

The efforts signal the latest triumph against the deserts that wreaked havoc in past decades.

One of the earliest and most successful endeavors was at Saihanba, a forest in Hebei province that was a lush, royal hunting ground for many centuries. However, by the 1920s, its 20,000 hectares had become a sprawling desert as a result of decades of excessive logging, and it fueled sandstorms across North China.

In the 1960s, a reforestation program was introduced to restore the environment and turn the desert into a national forest park. In 2017, the achievement was recognized by the UN Environment Program, when it presented the "afforestation community" with its Champions of the Earth award.

Further success has been seen in the Kubuqi Desert in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Over the past three decades, the Kubuqi Desert Greening Project has succeeded in reining in the expansion of China's seventh-largest desert, which is roughly the size of Kuwait. It has also turned about 6,000 square kilometers of the desert, about 30 percent, green.

The central authorities' push for greener development was reinforced in 2012, when the Communist Party of China added environmental preservation to its blueprint for overall construction of a socialist China, extending the previous four sectors: the economy; politics; culture; and civil society.

The move was in stark contrast to the previous development model that had been used for decades - achieving double-digit economic growth at any cost and ignoring the heavy environmental damage.

Now, officials who neglect environmental preservation face punishment. The most recent example is the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi province, where thousands of lavish, but illegally built, villas have been demolished in the past year to restore a number of natural conservation zones at the foot of the mountain range.

Several powerful figures, including Zhao Zhengyong, former Party secretary of Shaanxi, and Wei Minzhou, a former senior provincial legislator, were dismissed after being found guilty of allowing the villas to be built. Moreover, about 1,000 local officials were censured for negligence.

Now, banners reading "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" can been seen everywhere, both on the streets of big cities and painted on walls in villages yet to shake off poverty.

That maxim, coined by President Xi Jinping in 2005 when he was Party secretary of Zhejiang province, is guiding officials at all levels, from high office to the grassroots.

Jia Junping, head of Chengchuan township, Gansu province, where reforestation efforts have been ongoing for 30 years, said the continuous investment in the environment in the area, a major apple production base, has been repaid several times over.

He added that the improved forestry coverage has resulted in higher levels of rainfall, which has slashed the sky-high cost of irrigating the orchards.

"Drought used to be commonplace, but the tree-planting program has changed that for good," he said.

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## JSCh

*Tibet's least habitable region lifts over 16,000 out of poverty*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-27 09:10:49|Editor: Yang Yi

LHASA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16,212 residents in Ngari Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, cast off poverty over the past three years, slashing poverty rate from 28.3 percent to 8.3 percent.

According to the poverty alleviation headquarters, 85 villages and four counties in Ngari are no longer labeled poor. The number of poverty-stricken population dropped from 22,948 at the end of 2015 to 6,736 at the end of 2018.

Eighty-eight poverty alleviation projects, with a total investment of around 1.5 billion yuan (about 218 million U.S. dollars), have been launched in the prefecture since 2016. Tourism as a leading industry has helped 2,520 people escape poverty.

In the past three years, Ngari has invested 970 million yuan to build 30 relocation sites for more than 7,700 people. A total of 2,680 km of rural power grids were set up or upgraded, and 7,323 km of highways were built in the rural area.

Ngari is the least habitable prefecture in Tibet, with an average altitude of about 4,500 meters, making poverty alleviation extremely difficult.








​

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## JSCh

*Greenhouses take root in desert land*
Xinhua | Updated: 2019-07-03 09:31
















A farmer works in a greenhouse at the Aksu prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, April 29, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

URUMQI -- For Lyu Guoyin, farming is an obsession that he carries wherever he goes, and his latest venture is out in the sandy land off China's largest desert.

Lyu, from Central China's Henan province, arrived in Hotan in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for the first time in 2017, where he planted 50,000 apple trees.

Now Lyu manages more than 20 greenhouses at Yuye village off the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, riding along with a wave of farming technology expansion that has brought fortune to locals.

Hotan, which is located at the edge of the desert, has a relatively large population and a lack of arable lands. "Due to the bad natural environment, we promote greenhouse farming, which can bring higher value," said Qin Zhenhua, Party head of the Yuye village.

The village now has 420 greenhouses and 93 orchards, which are open for tourists to visit and pick fruits. Last year, the annual average income of the villagers reached more than 7,500 yuan ($1,092), which is expected to rise by another 10 percent this year.

Ren Jinqi, a villager, rakes in around 30,000 yuan ($4397) to 40,000 yuan each year by exploring cultivation methods that increased the usage rate of the greenhouses.

Skills and technology like this have been important for the villagers to increase income, said Qin.

"I want to create a team of 'Scientific Guardians' for the village, with both experts and farmers on board," he said.

One of the difficulties of farming in the sandy area is sandstorms and heat. Seedlings are extremely vulnerable to such an environment.

In 2018, the village teamed up with the local sandstorm control branch of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop solutions for controlling sandstorms and introduce new varieties of seedlings more resistant to the harsh conditions.

"People have been battling against the desert and poverty here for a long time," said Zeng Fanjiang, head of the branch. "We want to explore a sustainable path for development here, one that can be promoted elsewhere."

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## JSCh

*Forest rangers safeguarding poplar trees in China's "sea of death"*
New China TV
Published on Jul 4, 2019

Forest rangers have safeguarded poplar trees in the Taklimakan Desert, China's largest desert. Now its border has turned into a green belt

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## JSCh

*A love flower blossoms in the desert of Xinjiang*
2019-07-05 11:01:14 CGTN Editor : Gu Liping

Three years ago, Zhao Bo and his wife received their PhD degrees in geology. But in a move that surprised many, the couple gave up promising careers in academia to work in remote areas in China's northwestern region. The husband calls it a tribute to professionalism.

Qiulitag is a no-man's land in Tianshan Mountains of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Locals describe the area as "a place even eagles and Mongolian gazelles cannot reach." But it's the battleground for Zhao Bo and Zheng Xiaoli. 

Their "office" is a land beneath which some 30 million tons of oil are hidden.

"We all know the challenges and pressure. Even though the work is very hard, someone should do it," said Zhao, who is a surveyor at China National Petroleum Corporation.

To stay, or not to stay, was once a question that gripped the couple, until an accident happened last year. 

One of their colleagues was killed in a landslide, which strengthened their resolve to stay.

"There was no time to run away. We all know the work is dangerous and hard. But we shouldn't be defeated. We know sometimes our hard work may not pay off, but we still accept the challenge," said Zhao.

Zheng has always supported her husband.

In the second half of 2016, their daughter was born. Who would help take care of her? Eventually, Zheng's mother came to Xinjiang to help out.

"Xinjiang is relatively desolate. We have neither friends nor relatives here. I thought I should be with him," said Zheng, also a surveyor in the same company. "Besides, a father is important for a child's growth. Our family of three should be together."

The couple usually has different assignments, and weeks could pass without the two seeing each other. Their most recent meeting was on a train.

Zhao said he will follow the oil trail because he is proud of devoting his professionalism to the country.

And wherever Zhao is, Zheng is, because that is love.

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## JSCh

*China pours multi-bln yuan into Xinjiang's water conservancy projects*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-07-08 18:34:38|Editor: Wu Qin

URUMQI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has allocated 830 million yuan (about 120.5 million U.S. dollars) to support building water conservancy projects in southern Xinjiang this year, local government sources said.

Besides, the government has also spent 1.77 billion yuan on the construction of new supporting facilities in the region's irrigated areas and transformation of water-saving irrigation, according to the water conservancy department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The four prefectures in southern Xinjiang including the Kashgar Prefecture and the Hotan Prefecture face severe water shortage and extreme poverty, but the conservancy projects over the years have improved the farming conditions and benefited locals, said an official with the department.

Over the years, the Chinese government has enhanced its efforts in improving the imbalanced water resources in Xinjiang with major water conservancy projects, which has provided both the water for farming and the domestic water use in water-deficient areas.

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## JSCh

*Tibetan embroidery lifts Qinghai residents from poverty*
By Liu Caiyu Source:Global Times Published: 2019/7/15 20:28:41



A woman makes Tibetan embroidery products in a company in Northwest China's Qinghai Province. Photo: Courtesy of Wucai Tibetan Embroidery Art Company

A lot of residents in Northwest China's Qinghai Province have lifted themselves out of poverty by working in the Tibetan embroidery industry and their products have been sold overseas, including the US and India. 

The Tibetan embroidery industry covers 32 townships and villages in five counties of the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, with annual sales of more than 61 million yuan ($8.8 million), China News Service reported Sunday.

Originated in the 9th century, Tibetan embroidery, together with thangka and barbola, is known as the major arts of Tibetan Buddhism. 

As one of the 21 major Tibetan embroidery manufacturing companies in the prefecture, Wucai Tibetan Embroidery Art Company employs more than 40 local embroiders, company manager Lengben Cairang told the Global Times on Monday. 

Before being employed, most embroiders worked as waiters and farmers earning up to 2,000 yuan per month. But each of them now gets a monthly salary of 3,000 to 6,000 yuan, Cairang said. 



Pictured are Tibetan embroidery products hand-made by local embroiders from Northwest China's Qinghai Province. Photo: Courtesy of Wucai Tibetan Embroidery Art Company

Dekyi Tso, a female embroider, who works at a local company, said that she never thought that she could earn a living by making Tibetan embroidery, something she knew how to do since she was young, and get up to 120 yuan ($17.45) a day, according to China News Service.

The prefecture is home to 109 villages below the national poverty line, according to Beijing-based news portal mzb.com.cn. People whose annual income is lower than 2,300 yuan are defined as living below the poverty line in China, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

To help locals become better off, Cairang said his company also regularly trains local residents interested in Tibetan embroidery. 

Hand-made Tibetan embroidery by farmers in the prefecture have been sold in other countries, including the US, India and Nepal. 

Many local companies participate in various events in other provinces in the hope of capturing bigger markets for traditional art products, the report said.

Cairang said Tibetan embroidery products, such as bags, clothes and decorative pictures, made by his company are mainly sold to other provinces and regions, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Tibet, but he is also eyeing overseas markets.


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## JSCh

JSCh said:


> * Xinjiang to invest 14.4 billion yuan on airport construction *
> _ Source: Xinhua_|_ 2017-04-17 16:23:09_|_Editor: Lu Hui_
> 
> URUMQI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Xinjiang plans to spend 14.4 billion yuan on the construction or expansion of 17 airports this year to enhance the region's role as a transport terminal linking China with Central Asia.
> 
> Fourteen are transport airports located in the cities of Urumqi, Kashgar, Aksu, Yining, Korla and Altay and some counties including Zhaosu, Yutian and Shache. The other three are general airports.
> 
> Shache Airport will be the first to be completed this year. It will be the 19th transport airport in Xinjiang.
> 
> Urumqi International Airport will add two runways and a new terminal building covering 450,000 square meters, with its passenger and cargo throughput rising to 48 million people and 550,000 tonnes respectively.
> 
> Ye Tao, senior engineer and deputy chief of the Planning and Development Department of the Xinjiang Airport Group said the infrastructure construction would facilitate the local economy and make air travel more convenient.
> 
> Xinjiang currently has 18 transport airports in use, the highest of China's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. By 2025, the number will rise to 33.


*China top economic planner approves new airport in Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-07-15 19:13:09|Editor: mingmei

BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner has approved the construction of a new airport in Yutian, a remote county in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The project investment totals about 760 million yuan (about 112 million U.S. dollars), according to a statement posted Monday on the website of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The NDRC will invest 228 million yuan in the project, while the Civil Aviation Administration of China will earmark 380 million yuan. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will provide the remaining 152 million yuan.

Airport density is relatively low in Xinjiang, which covers about one sixth of the Chinese territory. "The construction of the airport will promote local social and economic growth, and boost tourist resources development," the statement said.

The civil airport is designed to handle annual throughput of 180,000 passengers and 400 tonnes of cargo.

The airport will have a 3,200-meter runway, a 3,000-square-meter terminal building, six aprons, and facilities for air traffic control, power and fuel supplies and fire fighting.

Yutian county, on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, is a major stopping off point on the ancient Silk Road. The county is 1,300 km away from the regional capital Urumqi.


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## JSCh

*Clean water projects a splash in Xinjiang*
By Li Lei in Makit, Xinjiang | China Daily Global | Updated: 2019-07-17 09:29

Raykhangul Abduklim was only 18 when tap water reached her home in the droughty county of Makit, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, 20 years ago.

That was when she ceased fetching water for washing, cooking and agricultural endeavors, which she had been doing mostly from nearby laoba, or makeshift reservoirs commonly seen in oases on the verge of the Taklimakan desert before the 1980s.

The facilities - spanning from 100 to 5,000 square meters - were an economical means of tackling water shortages in a region known for scarce rainfall and millions of poor farmers, but the problems loomed large.

During summer, the man-made ponds would become habitat for a wide range of organisms from frogs to mosquitoes, posing health risks for human drinkers.

"When you cook with water from laoba, you cannot finish the entire dish," said Raykhangul, who escaped poverty in 2016. "The remainder was a mixture of vegetables and sand."

Over the last two decades, local people's reliance on the primitive ponds have drastically declined thanks to the efforts of massive government-led campaigns that have brought treated water to hundreds of thousands of Uygur families.

The efforts received new momentum as the nation works to eliminate extreme poverty by the end of 2020. Water security is listed as a basic criterion for relief assessment, along with a minimum annual income of 2,300 yuan ($334) per person, safe housing and access to basic education and health service.

Figures provided by the local government show that in the last few months, 145 million yuan was pumped into projects aimed at further refining water quality to cope with ever increasing water consumption for hygienic purposes, such as showering and toilets.

Zhang Ming, deputy director of Makit's water resources bureau, said civilian water use has more than tripled over the last few years as flush toilets become common among local families.

"The money was also used to purchase equipment to reduce sulfate in drinking water, a major contributor to gallstones and other health problems," he said.

Makit was among many regions that have ramped up efforts to ensure rural water securities.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, China has built a water supply network that covers 940 million rural residents since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

About 86 percent of villages now have access to a centralized water supply, and 81 percent have tap water, the ministry said.

Despite the progress, more than 1 million people nationwide still grappled with water shortages by the end of last year. For regions with a centralized water supply, excessive fluoride, insufficient supply and other problems still exist.

To solve the water problems while eliminating poverty, the central government decided in June to provide 60 million rural residents with safe drinking water in about 17 months.

Tian Xuebin, vice-minister of water resources, while speaking at a news conference last month, said the ministry aims to give 800,000 poor farmers access to safe drinking water by the end of the year and pledged that supplies will reach all poor families by the end of 2020.

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## JSCh

*Collection of books on Tibetan epic released*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-07-27 22:14:29|Editor: Li Xia

XI'AN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A new set of books, considered the most complete versions of the Tibetan epic King Gesar, was released Saturday at a book expo in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

King Gesar is generally considered the world's longest folk epic. The collection, with over 130 million characters and 300 volumes in hardback covers, almost includes all the versions of the epic that are available, according to its investor Sichuan Publishing Group.

"It took ten years to collect all these books, including many historic versions of the epic, and many of which are debuted for the first time," said Luo Yong, chairman of the Sichuan Publishing Group.

These books have also added illustrations of Thangka and artifacts from the local museum, according to Luo.

The Epic of King Gesar tells the story of how an 11th century Tibetan demigod king conquered his enemies and helped ordinary people.

The epic has been passed down orally by singers and illiterate herders or farmers from southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the northwestern province of Qinghai. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2009.


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## JSCh

__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2620335964684871

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## JSCh

*Patrolling power lines in Turpan*
New China TV
Published on Aug 2, 2019

Duty of a lifetime: What is it like to work as a power line patroller in Turpan, #Xinjiang, one of the hottest places in China?

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## JSCh

*Beijing, Xinjiang's Hotan connected by expressway*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-08 00:35:01|Editor: Yamei

URUMQI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Road trip enthusiasts can now take the expressway from Beijing all the way to Hotan, about 4,000 km away in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as a new expressway became operational.

The expressway linking the counties of Shule and Karakax opened to traffic on July 31 and is the first expressway that connects Hotan with other prefectures. Travelers can take the expressway to Urumqi and then head for Beijing on the Beijing-Urumqi Expressway.

The new route stretches 434 km and is a sub-section of the G30 National Expressway, which links Lianyungang in eastern China with Horgos on the China-Kazakhstan border.

Its operation marks that all prefectures and cities in Xinjiang are now integrated into the national expressway network.

Construction of the expressway began in July 2017 and is expected to significantly slash the travel time between Hotan and other prefectures and cities. For example, travel time between Hotan and Urumqi, Xinjiang's regional capital, is projected to be reduced by at least four hours.

Hotan is located in southern Xinjiang. The total length of expressways in Xinjiang has topped 5,200 km, according to the regional transportation department.

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang discharges reservoir water in another effort to revive Tarim River*
By Cui Jia | China Daily | Updated: 2019-08-29 09:41



Water discharged from Daxihaizi Reservoir flows downstream to the Tarim River in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Aug 16, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region began discharging water into the Tarim River, China's longest inland river, this month for the 20th time in a bid to revive the waterway that was once cut off because of excessive water consumption.

According to the Xinjiang Tarim River Basin Authority, 350 million cubic meters of water from Daxihaizi Reservoir will be discharged into the lower reaches of the river as part of a water diversion project aimed at restoring the environment along the 1,321-kilometer waterway originating from the Tianshan and Karakoram mountains.

Since the project was launched in 2000, more than 8 billion cubic m of water from the reservoir has been injected into the Tarim. Daxihaizi was originally built for agricultural irrigation use, but now its sole purpose is to revive the Tarim.

Excessive irrigation in the past once consumed too much water, which caused the Tarim's lower reaches to run dry in 1972 and push the plants along the river to the verge of disappearance. What's more, the disappearance of the waterway - also known as the "mother river of southern Xinjiang" - has caused the two deserts on both sides of it, the Taklimakan and Kumtag, to close into each other, causing greater threats to the local and even national environment.

"We will continue to inject water into the Tarim River, especially to the areas where the poplars grow," said Akrem Abula said, head of the authority. "Also, we will enforce patrols along the river to make sure that no one can illegally use the water, which is solely for restoring the ecological environment."

Monitoring results showed that the 10.7 billion yuan ($1.49 billion) water conveyance project has alleviated the ecological degradation in the lower reaches of the river. The groundwater level in the area has been greatly increased, and the species and number of animals and plants in the area have also risen, the authority said.

Taitema in the Taklimakan Desert, the world's second-largest shifting desert, is the terminal lake of the Tarim. The lake completely dried up in 1972 due to the poor conditions of the river, which has always been the lifeline for oasis cities and villages. Now covering 500 square km, Taitema has become the second-largest lake in southern Xinjiang.

Starting this year, Xinjiang also launched a three-year project on forest restoration along the Tarim, the regional forestry department said earlier.

The three-year restoration plan will cover 11 cities and counties along the trunk and four branches of the Tarim.

Oil producers in the area are also doing their part to protect the ecosystem. The PetroChina Tarim Oilfield Company dismantled 30 oil and gas production facilities in 2018 and will shutter 34 wells by 2020.

_Xinhua contributed to this story._

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## JSCh

*250,000 Tibetans relocated to new homes in anti-poverty fight*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-09-28 16:21:49|Editor: huaxia



Villager Purbu Zhoima prepares to move into her new house in Lhozhag Town of Lhozhag County, Shannan City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Sept. 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

*Tibet seeks to lift 266,000 residents out of poverty by relocating them from harsh living conditions and ecologically fragile areas, of whom 3,359 from 939 families originally lived at an altitude of over 4,800 meters.*

LHASA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 250,000 people in Tibet have moved into 910 new settlements as part of poverty alleviation efforts by August, according to the region's poverty-relief headquarters.

China has planned to invest 19.78 billion yuan (2.8 billion U.S. dollars) in a relocation program to build 60,931 houses in around 970 settlements for 266,000 poverty-stricken citizens in the southwestern autonomous region of Tibet.

By the end of August, 93.6 percent of the investment fund had been used and 56,000 houses had been completed.

Tibet seeks to lift 266,000 residents out of poverty by relocating them from harsh living conditions and ecologically fragile areas, of whom 3,359 from 939 families originally lived at an altitude of over 4,800 meters.

Tibet has been using relocation as a means of poverty reduction. By offering job opportunities in industrial parks and cities, the relocated residents are ensured ways to make a better living.

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## JSCh

*The transformations of #Urumqi in 200 seconds*
Oct 11, 2019
New China TV

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of northwest China's #Xinjiang. Why not spare some time and check out how much #Urumqi, the regional capital, has changed over the past decades?

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## JSCh

*InTibet: Female Pilot Flies out of Poverty in China's Tibet*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-12 11:01:05|Editor: huaxia
​*Female pilot from impoverished family in China's Tibet has changed her destiny by flying helicopter.*

LHASA, Oct. 11, 2019 (Xinhua) -- The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was once known as a "no-fly zone" and it was extremely difficult to fly helicopters there. Now the first batch of young Tibetans has flown civilian helicopters to the Mt. Qomolangma base camp after professional and intensive training.

Jianre Yixi is from an impoverished herdsman family in Damxung County, Tibet. In 2016, Jianre Yixi, a student at Lhasa's No. 2 Secondary Vocational and Technical School, received a call to change her fate when a company selected pilots from poverty-stricken families. After studying more than 10 theoretical courses and hundreds of hours of intensive training, Jianre Yixi spent one year learning the flight skills and successfully obtained a commercial helicopter flight license.

"The cost of training a pilot exceeds 1 million yuan (140,942 U.S. dollars), which is entirely covered by the government and enterprises. This has changed my destiny and that of my family. Once I flew a helicopter back to Damxung on a mission, the villagers praised me as a fairy flying into the blue sky and a pride of Damxung," she said.





Jianre Yixi prepares to fly a helicopter in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)





Jianre Yixi walks before a helicopter in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xin)





Jianre Yixi talks with a herdsman in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





Jianre Yixi prepares to fly a helicopter in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)





Jianre Yixi (2nd R) flies paper plane with siblings in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





Jianre Yixi walks before a helicopter in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xin)





Jianre Yixi prepares to fly a helicopter in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xin)





Jianre Yixi stands in her family's pasture in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





Jianre Yixi herds sheep in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





Jianre Yixi walks before a helicopter in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)





Jianre Yixi (2nd R) flies paper plane with siblings in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)





Jianre Yixi prepares to fly a helicopter in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

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## JSCh

*Xinjiang invests heavily to ensure healthcare for the poor*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-16 15:44:35|Editor: ZX

URUMQI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said Wednesday that it has appropriated about 2.5 billion yuan (350 million U.S. dollars) this year for medical assistance for its poor population.

Over 80 percent of the funds went to the most impoverished areas in southern Xinjiang. Another 300 million yuan has been allocated to purchase medical insurance for nearly 1.63 million extremely poor people in the area.

A comprehensive insurance plan that covers basic medical care, critical illness treatment and medical assistance has been applied to all the registered poor residents in Xinjiang so far, the government said.

The number of households that have fallen into poverty because of illness has dropped to 40,000, involving 149,000 people, a decrease of 22,000 households, or 87,000 people compared with the end of 2018, said Mutarif Rozi, director of the regional health committee.

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## JSCh

JSCh said:


> *Xinjiang expands test of saline soil rice near desert*
> Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-04 18:27:14|Editor: Yamei
> 
> URUMQI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The saline soil rice R&D team of Yuan Longping, the prestigious pioneer of hybrid rice, is expanding its planting scale on the western margin of the Taklimakan desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
> 
> The area of the test field, in the township of Bayiawati, Yopurga County under Kashgar, has been expanded to 20 hectares this year from last year's 5.3 hectares, according to Cao Zhishun who leads the Xinjiang team.
> 
> Cao said the salinity of the local soil is as high as around 1.7 percent, with a pH value of over eight, indicating a high degree of salinity.
> 
> "The saline soil rice can improve soil and lower salinity, and turns saline soil into fertile farmland in three to five years," he said.
> 
> The township has a total 1,000 hectares of saline soil that is completely unsuitable for planting, said Alimjan, the township head.
> 
> Last year, the yield from the test field exceeded the expectation of Cao's team, making them more sure about the potential of their rice.
> 
> Cao said about 1,333,333 hectares, or 30 percent of arable land in Xinjiang, has been salinized at varying degrees, and the value of the saline soil rice in improving soil could be huge.


*Saline soil rice near Xinjiang desert enters harvest season*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-25 19:31:09|Editor: mingmei



Experts examine rice paddies in Bayiawati Township, Yopurga County under Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 24, 2019. A public yield monitoring was conducted Thursday in the saline soil rice paddies on the western margin of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The saline soil rice, developed by the R&D team of Yuan Longping, the pioneer of hybrid rice, achieved a theoretical yield of 546.74 kg per mu (about 0.07 hectares), based on a random drawing of a paddy. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

URUMQI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A public yield monitoring was conducted Thursday in the saline soil rice paddies on the western margin of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The saline soil rice, developed by the R&D team of Yuan Longping, the pioneer of hybrid rice, achieved a theoretical yield of 546.74 kg per mu (about 0.07 hectares), based on a random drawing of a paddy.

The test field, in the township of Bayiawati, Yopurga County under Kashgar, was 20 hectares in size. The salinity of the soil was as high as around 1.7 percent, with a pH value of over eight, indicating a high degree of salinity.

Surrounding the Taklimakan, China's largest desert, are large areas of saline land that were long deemed unsuitable for agricultural production. However, the experts say the saline soil rice can improve soil and lower salinity, turning saline soil into fertile farmland.

The saline soil R&D center, based in east China's Qingdao, began field testing in Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Zhejiang and Shaanxi in May 2018, in a bid to screen the best variety for countrywide promotion.


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## JSCh

JSCh said:


> *Highway to heaven, and to China's most isolated county *
> Source: Xinhua | 2017-04-17 11:26:33 | Editor: huaxia
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of the highway to Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> China's last isolated county was connected to the national road network when a highway to Medog County was built in Tibet in 2013.
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of a highway in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> The road with a total investment of 950 million yuan (about 155 million U.S. dollars) stretches through hidden paths in primeval forests, tunnels under snow-covered mountains and bridges over big rivers.
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of a highway in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> The road is accessible for eight to nine months per year, bar major natural disasters.
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of Medog County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> Near China's border with India, Medog locates in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River and south of the Himalayas. Its name means the "secret lotus" in Tibetan. And as the name suggests, it is a beautiful place surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It used to be known as China's last and only county without a highway link.
> 
> 
> 
> A U-turn of the Yarlung Zangbo River in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> The county is quite different from other areas in Tibet in terms of both scenery and weather. Surrounded by mountains, it is humid and rich in resources.
> 
> 
> 
> Medog residents in a banana plantation in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> Medog's breath-taking scene had attracted visitors around the world even before the road was built. Its hiking paths through mountains are famous among backpackers.
> 
> 
> 
> People have to trek on rugged paths to carry in and out goods in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> But reaching Medog used to be a dangerous journey. People had to climb over Galung La and Doxong La, two snow-capped mountains rising over 4,000 meters above sea level. During the journey, there were frequent accidents such as landslides and collapses.
> 
> 
> 
> Vehicles pass a waterfall on the highway to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> Rugged mountain paths were once the only travel routes in Medog. Complicated geological conditions and frequent natural disasters had thwarted seven previous attempts to build a highway in the area since the 1960s.
> 
> 
> 
> Bridges to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> Local people called the rugged way "monkeys' path," as only people who were light and flexible like monkeys could make their way out of the mountains.
> 
> 
> 
> People have to trek on rugged paths to carry in and out goods in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region before the road was built. Photo taken on Oct. 19, 2004. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> A makeshift road dug along cliffs was built in 1994, but was only accessible between July and September, with frequent fatal traffic accidents.
> 
> 
> 
> An aerial view of the highway to Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> The building of the new road was approved by the State Council, China's cabinet, in 2008. Work officially began in April 2009.
> 
> 
> 
> Medog children in a grocery store in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> ​The opening of the Medog road has greatly lowered transportation costs and commodity prices. It has also brought in opportunities for the locals and helped in poverty relief.
> 
> 
> 
> A temple in Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 30, 2017 (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)
> 
> In 2016, over 70,000 tourists visited Medog, double the amount before the road went into operation in 2013. Most local residents now go in for tourism and transportation businesses.


科工力量 
今天 13:00 来自 微博 weibo.com
【第二条进入墨脱县的公路建设进展顺利】第二条进入西藏林芝市墨脱县的公路——派墨农村公路建设进展顺利。目前，工程已累计完成投资10.47亿元。公路建成后，对加快西藏林芝市米林县和墨脱县的经济发展、推进旅游业等方面具有重要意义。（新华社记者 普布扎西 摄）

Today 13:00 from Weibo
[The second road construction into Medog County is progressing smoothly] 
The second road entering the Medog County of Linzhi City, Tibet, is progressing smoothly. At present, the project has completed a total investment of 1.047 billion yuan. After the completion of the highway, it will be of great significance to speed up the economic development of Minlin County and Medog County in Linzhi City, Tibet, and promote tourism. (Xinhua News Agency reporter Pu Buzaxi)
























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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1195216105301671942


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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1196661882238590977


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## JSCh

*Over 9,000 households bid farewell to dilapidated houses in Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-08 21:11:54|Editor: huaxia

URUMQI, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A total of 9,355 households have bid farewell to their dilapidated houses and moved into new ones in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region this year, marking the end of poverty-stricken residents living in dilapidated houses in the region.

Sherihan Heyt's family, from Aratax Village, Shache County, is one of the 9,355. Sherihan's family had lived deep in the Kunlun Mountains for generations.

With much excitement, Sherihan is busy tidying the 80-square-meter new house, which is equipped with furniture and home appliances such as an end table, sofa, a TV stand and a refrigerator.

"Our old house was not far from here," Sherihan said. "The old house, courtyard and sheep pen would often be flooded during rainy seasons. Some of the walls of our old clay house collapsed, and the house became dilapidated."

However, changes have taken place in recent years. Villagers have moved to new houses, and new roads were built. "When I first arrived here several years ago, there were only mud and stony roads and no electricity or running water," said Li Xuebiao, the village's Party secretary.

"So many big changes have taken place in recent years. One major change is that we don't have to worry about floods anymore," Sherihan said while pointing in the direction of an ongoing conservation project in a valley not far from the village.

The Aratax water conservation project Sherihan mentioned is the biggest water conservation project under construction in Xinjiang. Upon completion, it will play a comprehensive role in flood control, irrigation and power generation.

Xinjiang made great efforts on renovating dilapidated houses in the region from 2014 to 2018 and completed the renovation of 395,400 households. The region allocated over 2 billion yuan (about 282 million U.S. dollars) of subsidies this year to renovate dilapidated houses in its rural areas.

Meanwhile, a total of 2.31 million people were lifted out of poverty during the period, with the poverty rate decreased to 6.1 percent from 19.4 percent.


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## JSCh

*Xinjiang sees achievements in TB treatment*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-11 16:09:30|Editor: ZX

URUMQI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has cured more than 56,900 tuberculosis patients since 2016, according to the region's health commission.

Xinjiang has been providing free medical examinations to all people in the region each year since 2016, along with free tuberculosis symptom screenings and chest X-ray examinations for residents both in urban and rural areas aged 15 and above, the commission said.

The success rate with treatment for tuberculosis patients has reached 96.63 percent thanks to a series of measures taken in the region including the joint service mechanism of disease control and prevention organizations, hospitals and other medical and health institutions, said Liu Jianguo, deputy director of the commission.

The reimbursement rates of outpatient medical expenses and hospitalization expenses for the tuberculosis patients in Xinjiang have reached 100 percent and 90 percent respectively, according to the commission.

"I take medicine regularly with food subsidies and have milk, eggs and fruit every day at a treatment station in Hotan City," said Minawar Rouzatohut, a tuberculosis patient in Xinjiang.


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## JSCh

*Tibet provided 60,000 new jobs in 2019*
By Palden Nyima and Daqiong in Lhasa, Tibet | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-12-11 17:41



Farmers tend strawberries in a greenhouse in Dranang county, Tibet autonomous region, in July. Berry growing and other green industries are part of the county's poverty alleviation efforts. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's Tibet autonomous region has created more 60,000 new jobs in 2019, with the employment rate standing at 75.5 percent, China Tibet News reported on Tuesday.

According to the region's development and reform commission, the increase of new jobs is 1.5 times that of 2018 and the region had 17,693 new college graduates this year, with the employment rate hitting more than 75 percent. 

As of now, the region has more than 3.7 million people enrolled in various types of social security insurance, with full coverage of social security both in urban and rural areas.

This year, 2,129 enterprises have been established in the region, providing more than 15,000 jobs, including positions for 4,880 college graduates.

In 2019, thanks to the region's continuous efforts in teaching facility improvement, 62 kindergartens, 208 primary or junior middle schools, 15 senior high schools and two vocational schools have been either renovated or newly built.


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## JSCh

*Across China: Villagers embrace new life after relocation in Xinjiang*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-14 19:53:03|Editor: ZX

URUMQI, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- For Qimarhan, a 71-year-old woman living in the city of Hami in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, this winter comes without toil.

She used to live in a mountainous area without paved roads, tap water or electricity, and during the winter, she had to chop logs and keep three stoves burning all day in order to keep warm.

Three years ago, Qimarhan and about 500 households in the mountainous area were relocated to a resettlement site in Hami, and her new house is equipped with electric floor heating.

"Now I just need to flip a switch to keep warm," Qimarhan said.

To fulfill the mission of eradicating absolute poverty by 2020, China has been helping impoverished people move from mountainous regions to resettle in places with better natural environments and living conditions.

Xinjiang set the goal of relocating a total of 169,400 people to new houses built with government subsidies in five years from 2016 to 2020. The last batch of residents was relocated in early December.

Qimarxan's village, called by locals as "Happiness Village," is one of the resettlement sites that features public services such as electricity and heating, as well as supporting facilities.

The red-roofed, yellow-walled houses are built near a public square where residents can do exercises. There is also a kindergarten and a senior-care facility.

The village is now home to around 1,600 people from different ethnicities, and the villagers celebrate each other's traditional festivals together.

The local government has been helping the new residents find jobs. "We have contacted nearby orchards, industrial parks, and restaurants to help recruit new residents," said Yang Yanjuan, Party chief of Dongjiao development zone in Hami where the village is located.

Nurtun Aksopa, a former herder in the village, and his family earned 7,000 yuan (about 1,003 U.S. dollars) to 8,000 yuan each year from herding. Now, everyone in his family has a job, earning over 40,000 yuan per year.

"For those who still want to keep livestock, we are setting up a cow farm and introducing milk companies to help villagers improve techniques and boost sales," Yang said.

Aksopa said he is happy with his new life as it was very inconvenient to go to hospitals or access education back in the mountainous areas.

"My family members who were ill missed the best time for treatment since it took so long to get to the hospital," Aksopa said. "Now, things have changed."

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## JSCh

*Breathtaking view of Sichuan-Tibet Highway in SW China*
Dec 6, 2019
New China TV

Breathtaking view of Sichuan-Tibet Highway in SW China, an artery linking the plateau region with China's inland areas

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## JSCh

*Tibet to set up Shigatse economic development area*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-19 14:49:52|Editor: ZX

LHASA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's Tibet Autonomous Region will set up an economic development area in Shigatse, local authorities confirmed.

The regional government officially approved the establishment of the Shigatse Economic Development Area on Dec. 13, aiming to create an important platform for the Belt and Road Initiative and cooperation between China and South Asia.

The economic development area will be located in the southern part of the city of Shigatse, about 50 km away from Shigatse Airport. Covering over 34 square kilometers, a total of 60 billion yuan (8.57 billion U.S. dollars) is expected to be invested into the construction of the area, of which 30 billion yuan will be invested in infrastructure.

Industries in the area will include logistics, organic agriculture, science and technology manufacturing, ethnic handicrafts, financial services, trade and exhibitions.

Bordering Nepal, Bhutan and India, Shigatse is an important gateway for China to South Asian countries.

In 2018, Tibet's total foreign trade volume reached 4.8 billion yuan, of which Shigatse contributed over 80 percent.

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## JSCh

*Villagers live a better life after relocation in Xinjiang*
Dec 23, 2019
New China TV

As weather gets colder, 133 villagers in Aratax, a remote village at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have moved into their warm and modern new houses

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## JSCh

*Program rids Tibet of extreme poverty*
Source:Global Times Published: 2019/12/23 15:22:31

*19 counties and prefectures represent milestone in alleviation efforts*




Tibetan people celebrated their "Fairy Festival" on December 12, 2019 in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo: China News Service/He Penglei)

All counties and prefectures in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have now been lifted out of extreme poverty, reaching a significant milestone in the region's poverty alleviation efforts, the regional government announced on Monday.

The regional government said 19 counties and prefectures, such as Gyangze county in Xigaze, Markam county in Qamdo, can now delete the title "poverty-stricken" from their profiles, according to a document sent to the Global Times by the Tibetan regional government.

This signals that all 74 counties and prefectures in the region have shaken off extreme poverty.

Tibet, a place deemed as the most difficult to get rid of extreme poverty, now achieved a huge progress in this arena and moved one step closer to meet the country's goal of lifting the entire population out of extreme poverty by the end of 2020, Zhu Weiqun, a former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times.

Zhu, who has long-term and first-hand experience of Tibet's poverty alleviation work said the government has laid out measures for different places to become rich.

For instance, Markam county was encouraged to make use of their abundant grape resources to develop relevant industries and this successfully helped all its 206 extreme poverty-stricken families to shake off poverty in 2018, China Central Television (CCTV) reported in September.

Hinterland villages in Shannan Prefecture started to bolster their tourism services. Some 49 out of 66 families in Mamacun village of Shannan work in tourism and the villages' per capital disposable income reached 19,000 yuan annually ($2,710), CCTV said.

A resident of Nyemo county told the Global Times that farmers and herdsmen benefited most from poverty alleviation and learned skills such as handicrafts. They used modern technologies to sell their products online and gained education opportunities.

Ngabo Jinyuan, president of Tibet's association of industry and commerce, said that private enterprises also played an important role in assisting poverty alleviation and boosting employment.

Altogether 703 private companies registered to take part in Tibet's poverty alleviation system, investing 2.32 billion yuan ($0.35 billion).

In 2019, more than 82,000 people were lifted out of extreme poverty and the association helped more than 800 university graduates find jobs in Tibet, said Jinyuan.

Another effective measure was to support poor students' education, said Zhu.

Both the central and regional governments issued preferential policies to relieve poor Tibetan students' economic burden from elementary education to university, Pu Zhengxue, an official from Tibet's office of poverty alleviation and development, said in a conference in November.

"Tibet has poor natural conditions, but the poverty alleviation achievements are quite rich," said Pu.

"Most importantly, poverty alleviation spread the warmth of the central government to all ethnic groups in this region and pulls close the public with the Party and officials," Pu said.

Southern Xinjiang, Tibetan autonomous prefectures in Northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces and some areas in Southwest China's Yunnan and Sichuan were also deemed as most difficult places to shake off extreme poverty.

A total 48 extreme poverty-stricken counties in Yunnan got rid of extreme poverty from 2013-18, China News Service reported in August. Gansu vowed to lift all of its extreme poverty-stricken counties including cities and prefectures out of extreme poverty by 2020, Xinhua reported.

_Hu Yuwei also contributed to the story_

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## JSCh

*Herders resettle in southern Tibet*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-25 07:53:27|Editor: zh

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2019 in the south bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River, shows new houses built for herders migrating from Shuanghu County, Nagchu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. A total of 2,900 residents from three villages of Shuanghu County, have recently left their hometown with an average altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level and travelled nearly 1,000 kilometers to resettle in Konggar County, which, at a relatively low altitude, is located to the south bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River in southern Tibet. (Xinhua/Chogo)

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## JSCh

*Upgraded power grid benefits about 9m people in Xinjiang*
Xinhua | Updated: 2019-12-31 15:08














URUMQI - A total of 2,481 poverty-stricken villages in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have had their power grid upgraded since March 2018, according to the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd.

Thanks to the efforts, 8.91 million residents from 2.64 million households in the villages in Southwestern Xinjiang, including prefectures of Hotan, Kashgar, Aksu and Kizilsu Kirgiz now lead a happy life with stable power supply.

Power supply used to be unreliable as a result of poor infrastructure in the villages.

The company launched a power grid construction and upgrading project in poor areas in Xinjiang in March 2018, including the aforementioned villages, in a bid to bring about positive changes in those areas.

Over the past 21 months, the company has built up or renovated power infrastructure, including 27 110kv electrical substations, over 700 km of 110kv transmission lines, 25 35kv substations and 35kv transmission lines with a length of over 400 km, according to corporate sources.

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## JSCh

*Love on the Roof of the World: Growing up with Tibetan Orphans*
Dec 31, 2019
CGTN

On August 1, 2019, a group of volunteers with the project named "Growing up with you" set off from Beijing to Lhasa in Tibet Autonomous Region. They were on a mission and their endeavor was unique: organizing a flash mob with Tibetan orphans at the Potala Palace square to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. 

The week-long rehearsals were an exercise in discipline and commitment, and opened a window into the lives of Tibetan orphans and the reality of their situation. Through candid moments and one-on-one interviews with orphans, their caretakers and volunteers, this documentary shows a side of Tibet you've never seen before.

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## opruh

In China no matter which province, none is left behind, everyone is getting prosperous.

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## JSCh

*New rice strains offer brighter future for nomadic herders in Xinjiang*
By WANG XIAOYU | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2020-01-03 09:39
















Photo taken on Sept 26, 2018 shows rice crops ready for harvest in Qapqal Xibe autonomous county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]

Large swathes of barren salty land in Akto county, in the southwest of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, were close to worthless for members of the nomadic Kirgiz ethnic group.

However, this year more than 660 hectares of saline-alkaline soil are being cultivated with new rice varieties that can tolerate high salt concentrations in soil, putting the nomadic herders on track to embrace a more secure way of life.

The area planted with such rice strains in Akto will eventually be expanded to about 6,667 hectares to diversify sources of income for the traditional herders and foster the development of a production model that combines herding with farming, said Mi Tiezhu, deputy director of the Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center, which is based in Qingdao, Shandong province.

Akto is just one of many regions across China pinning their hopes on saline-alkaline tolerant rice to transform arid, salty areas into productive rice fields, and the prospects for scaling up cultivation of the advanced rice strains have never been brighter.

Nationwide, about 1,300 hectares of experimental fields sown with the resilient rice strains have averaged yields of nearly 6 metric tons per hectare, crossing the threshold that determines if total profits gained from selling rice can balance out production costs, Mi said.

"In addition to the expanding fields in Xinjiang, in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the Tumd Left Banner of Hohhot and the Hanggin Banner of Ordos will each see nearly 10,000 mu (667 hectares) of salty land being planted with the highly tolerant rice seeds this year," he said.

The two banners－similar to counties in terms of administrative level－are home to thousands of hectares of saline-alkali soil.

Trial planting on a smaller scale will also be carried out in South China, including Beihai in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to test the tolerance of rice strains in infertile soil in coastal areas.

"From the very beginning, our goal has been to achieve commercialization of the technology, and the improved average output is a key determinant and will accelerate commercial production in the future," Mi said.

The average output has already outstripped goals set three years ago by renowned Chinese agricultural scientist Yuan Longping.

During the Fourth International Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Forum held last week in Sanya, Hainan province, Yuan, who is also a chief scientist of the R& D center, lauded the progress.

"Crops planted in test fields in Dongying, Shandong province, are capable of yielding as much as 11.99 tons per hectare," he said.

"In Taizhou, Zhejiang province, the average output was about 10 tons per hectare despite an onslaught of typhoons.

"The momentum of improvement is truly miraculous."

To further facilitate use of the new rice strains, research into effective processing and sales methods that will help maximize profits for farmers is also underway.

"The age-old image of one lone laborer tending to small parcels of land is no longer applicable," Mi said.

Applications to agriculture authorities for certification for several saline-alkaline tolerant rice strains are in the pipeline.

Mi said about three to five strains are expected to be approved early this year, meaning "more people and enterprises can access this innovation".

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## JSCh

*Guangdong to send teachers to support Xinjiang, Tibet*
Xinhua | Updated: 2020-01-03 19:59
















A student learns Mandarin at the No 2 Primary School in Zepu county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Oct 25, 2010. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

GUANGZHOU -- South China's Guangdong province will send 390 teachers to the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the southwestern Tibet autonomous region to support their education sectors.

The teachers will begin working in local middle and primary schools in spring and stay there for one and a half years.

The efforts are part of the government program to meet the demand for qualified teachers in the regions.

Guangdong authorities previously sent 290 teachers to the regions in the first phase of the program.

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## JSCh

*Record number of swans spotted in Xinjiang wetland park*
Jan 4, 2020
New China TV

A "swan lake." A record number of swans have been spotted at a wetland park in China's Xinjiang, thanks to efforts made by the local government to convert farmland to natural habitat

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## letsrock

JSCh said:


> *Herders resettle in southern Tibet*
> Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-25 07:53:27|Editor: zh
> 
> Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2019 in the south bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River, shows new houses built for herders migrating from Shuanghu County, Nagchu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. A total of 2,900 residents from three villages of Shuanghu County, have recently left their hometown with an average altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level and travelled nearly 1,000 kilometers to resettle in Konggar County, which, at a relatively low altitude, is located to the south bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River in southern Tibet. (Xinhua/Chogo)


1000 kilometers? thats huge. what is the need to move that long.


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## JSCh

letsrock said:


> 1000 kilometers? thats huge. what is the need to move that long.


I don't really know, but Tibet autonomous region is about the size of three times California, and the population is about 3 millions. Therefore it is very sparsely populated. It is not unusual to travel long distance from one population area to another.

5,000 meters altitude is very harsh for human, especially for older folk. This is a recent development in where they are moving from,

*World's highest county connected to China's state grid*
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-24 18:51:39|Editor: zh



Aerial photo taken on Dec. 24, 2019 shows a view of Tsonyi County, Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The world's highest county, Tsonyi, Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, was connected to China's state grid Tuesday, enabling a stable power supply for more than 7,000 local residents. In the county seat with an altitude of more than 5,000 meters above sea level, power workers braved a coldness of minus 20 degrees Celsius to start the equipment on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

LHASA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The world's highest county, Tsonyi, Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, was connected to China's state grid Tuesday, enabling a stable power supply for more than 7,000 local residents.

In the county seat with an altitude of more than 5,000 meters above sea level, power workers braved a coldness of minus 20 degrees Celsius to start the equipment on Tuesday.

"Tsonyi relied on photovoltaic power stations to provide power for the whole county. But in bad weather such as heavy rain or snow, when sunshine was not sufficient, the whole county suffered a power outage," Jing Qi, deputy county chief of Tsonyi.

There are 10 months of long winter in Tsonyi, with the lowest temperature reaching minus 40 degrees Celsius.

Jing said the county used to adopt power rationing in winter, which disrupted daily work and life.

In March, the State Grid Tibet Power Co., Ltd. began to lay power lines towards the county, passing through a vast stretch of unpopulated Changtang National Nature Reserve.

"The power line construction is very efficient in providing Tsonyi people access to a stable power supply in winter," said the project manager Tsering Badro.

The power grid construction was completed with a government investment of 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars). Two 110 kV and two 35 kV power transmission and transformation projects were built during the grid construction.


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## letsrock

JSCh said:


> I don't really know, but Tibet autonomous region is about the size of three times California, and the population is about 3 millions. Therefore it is very sparsely populated. It is not unusual to travel long distance from one population area to another.
> 
> 5,000 meters altitude is very harsh for human, especially for older folk. This is a recent development in where they are moving from,
> 
> *World's highest county connected to China's state grid*
> Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-24 18:51:39|Editor: zh
> 
> 
> 
> Aerial photo taken on Dec. 24, 2019 shows a view of Tsonyi County, Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The world's highest county, Tsonyi, Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, was connected to China's state grid Tuesday, enabling a stable power supply for more than 7,000 local residents. In the county seat with an altitude of more than 5,000 meters above sea level, power workers braved a coldness of minus 20 degrees Celsius to start the equipment on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)
> 
> LHASA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The world's highest county, Tsonyi, Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, was connected to China's state grid Tuesday, enabling a stable power supply for more than 7,000 local residents.
> 
> In the county seat with an altitude of more than 5,000 meters above sea level, power workers braved a coldness of minus 20 degrees Celsius to start the equipment on Tuesday.
> 
> "Tsonyi relied on photovoltaic power stations to provide power for the whole county. But in bad weather such as heavy rain or snow, when sunshine was not sufficient, the whole county suffered a power outage," Jing Qi, deputy county chief of Tsonyi.
> 
> There are 10 months of long winter in Tsonyi, with the lowest temperature reaching minus 40 degrees Celsius.
> 
> Jing said the county used to adopt power rationing in winter, which disrupted daily work and life.
> 
> In March, the State Grid Tibet Power Co., Ltd. began to lay power lines towards the county, passing through a vast stretch of unpopulated Changtang National Nature Reserve.
> 
> "The power line construction is very efficient in providing Tsonyi people access to a stable power supply in winter," said the project manager Tsering Badro.
> 
> The power grid construction was completed with a government investment of 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars). Two 110 kV and two 35 kV power transmission and transformation projects were built during the grid construction.


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.


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## JSCh

letsrock said:


> 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.


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## 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.


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## 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.
















​


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## letsrock

JSCh said:


> 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.


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## 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


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## 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.

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## 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


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## 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.


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## 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.


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## 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.


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## 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.


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## 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

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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1270619205436489728People'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

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## 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.


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## 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


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## JSCh

*China's highest-altitude autonomous prefecture ramps up telemedicine construction*
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-01 15:33:14|Editor: huaxia

XINING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of eight hospitals and eight township-level health centers in northwest China's Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture will have access to telemedicine services of the country's first-tier hospitals by August, local health commission said Wednesday.

Golog, located in Qinghai Province, is China's highest-altitude autonomous prefecture, with the highest point at an altitude of 6,282 meters and the highest-elevated county at nearly 4,400 meters. The harsh environment and backward economy have dragged down the health condition of locals.

The telemedicine treatment in Golog will focus on the construction of remote medical imaging and remote ultrasonic examination centers.

According to Han Shangli, director of Golog's health commission, when local doctors have difficulties diagnosing, patients can receive diagnostic recommendations, based on the imaging data, from hospitals in the provincial capital Xining, Beijing or Shanghai -- all with advanced medical resources and experienced medical staff.

Golog has a population of 211,600, with 91.8 percent being Tibetan residents. Many of these inhabitants live sparsely on a large pastoral area, with limited medical resources, according to Han.

"Telemedicine will help solve medical and health-related problems for the locals," Han said, adding that a long-term training will be introduced for grass-roots doctors, such as village doctors and family doctors.


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## JSCh

*China builds world’s highest steel pylon in Tibet*
Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/2 11:18:41




A pylon on Kong Tang Lamu Mountain Photo: VCG

On the 5,342-meter-high Kong Tang Lamu Mountain in Gyirong County, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Chinese State Grid Corp finished construction of a 9AN40 steel pylon as part of a mega power project in the region on Tuesday, making it the highest pylon in the world.

The completion of the pylon marks a big step toward completing a national mega power project that aims to build a 1,689-kilometer-long electric transmission line on the world's highest plateau to connect Ngari Prefecture - the westernmost area of Tibet - with the national grid.

The 9AN40 pylon was a particularly challenging aspect of the project, given its altitude, according to media reports.

Twenty elite construction workers would start to climb the mountain every morning with oxygen bottles, because they took nearly one hour to reach the construction site from the road, even though it is only two kilometers away, The Paper reported.

"The construction was very difficult, we had to replenish ourselves with oxygen every two hours, or we would get high altitude sickness," The Paper quoted a worker on the project as saying.

According to the report, all of the pylons are expected to be finished by the end of July. The test will start from August, and the whole mega power project, with total investment of 7.4 billion yuan, is expected to be finished by the end of this year.

The project is part of China's efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Once it is finished, the power grid in Ngari Prefecture will be connected to the national grid, which is expected improve the usage of electricity for 380,000 people in the region.


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## JSCh

*Beating poverty in Tibet, China: Pu Tsering's New Ranch*
Jul 3, 2020
New China TV

Yak and pasture offer a lifeline to herdsmen living above an altitude of 4,700 meters in Naqu City, in China's Tibet. Watch how a poverty-alleviation program has changed the lives of local herdsmen. #YAKVIDEO


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## JSCh

*Urumqi's main urban area covered with 5G network*
Xinhua | Updated: 2020-07-06 11:11
















A pedestrian walks past a 5G promotion board. [Photo by Su Yang/For China Daily]

URUMQI -- Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, has seen 5G signals covering the main urban area of the city with more 5G base stations built this year.

By the end of June, Urumqi had built a total of 2,379 5G base stations, of which 1,861 were completed this year. Major public venues such as key commercial districts are all covered with the 5G network.

"The construction of 5G base stations has been affected this year due to the COVID-19 epidemic, but the progress has been speeding up and our branch has put into use 902 5G base stations in 38 days," said Bai Tao with the Urumqi branch of China Mobile Xinjiang Company.

In 2019, China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom invested a combined amount of 126 million yuan (about $17.8 million) and built 518 5G base stations.

Urumqi, as one of the first 50 Chinese cities that initiated the commercial use of 5G, officially opened 5G commercial services in October last year. Official data show that the number of 5G users in Urumqi has reached 234,300.


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## 艹艹艹

*5,000 semiconductor lines begin production in Xinjiang*
2020/7/14 11:18:34

The 5,000 semiconductor chip test production lines with a total investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.42 billion) have begun production in Horgos, China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Experts believe they will create more opportunities to boost the regional advancement of the semiconductor sector.

The Horgos Sanyou Fuxin Optoelectronic Semiconductor Industrial Park project was officially launched in the Horgos Industrial Park on July 8. After entering production, the lines will realize an annual output of 24 billion semiconductors and electronic components, according to an official report from the Xinjiang government on July 9.

It is expected that the sales revenues of the newly established industrial park will exceed 10 billion yuan in three years, with profits and taxes of 1 billion yuan, and will create 3,000 jobs to build Horgos into Xinjiang's own "Silicon Valley," the report said.

"China has advanced capabilities and experiences in the development and production of semiconductors, including chip testing, and it is not difficult for the country to build more production lines of this magnitude," industry analyst Xiang Ligang told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Analysts say the new production lines are a good trial for the diversification and transformation of the regional industry toward technological innovation.

Furthermore, Song Guoqiang, chief financial officer of Horgos Sanyou Fuxin Semiconductor Co, said the project will be a driver for 16 upstream and downstream enterprises to settle down in the region, and that number may increase to 100 when the project is fully put into operation, according to articles on the website of the People's Daily on July 9.

Founded in May 2020, the company's business scope includes semiconductor electronic components, field effect tubes, integrated circuits, photoelectric product design, research and development, and the production and sales of electronic products, data from Chinese corporate database Tianyancha showed.

"We plan to enter five Central Asian countries, Russia and the European market to gain a share in the global semiconductor industry," Song said.


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## 艹艹艹

Track laying on a new railway has been completed in Xinjiang, China. The rail line forms part of a circular rail network in the northern part of the region.


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## 艹艹艹

The laying of railway tracks has been completed for a new line linking China's Xinjiang with Qinghai Province and beyond, paving the way for accelerating development in the western region


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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1286915335166128130


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## JSCh

*More Tibetan parents send children to school after central govt's nationwide targeted poverty alleviation campaign*
By Xie Wenting in Qamdo Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/3 0:59:30



Students attend class at Yiri Ecological Forest School in Qamdo, Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Photo: Xie Wenting /GT

It was Saturday afternoon. Sixth grade students of Qamdo Primary School -Tibet's first modern primary school - were still immersed in their books, diligently studying for the upcoming junior school entrance examination.

Those who could score high marks on the examination can enroll in schools in other parts of the country to attain better education and fulfill their academic dreams. 

In contrast to other mainland schools, these students dress differently with many wearing traditional Tibetan clothing. 

Li Dongrui, the school's principal, told the Global Times about 60 percent of students in the school are Tibetans. Programs for all the students are the same, except that Tibetan students are required to study Tibetan language. They also need to take a Tibetan language exam during the junior school entrance examination. 

Most of the teachers in the school are Tibetans, so they can provide bilingual teaching to Tibetan students. Students of Han ethnicity have the option to also learn Tibetan language.

The school, founded in 1951, is well-known in Tibet as it was the first school in the region that provided modern education. Throughout history, people there could only get education at monasteries and a few old-fashioned private schools.

Qamdo Primary School initially did not attract many students. Local people who were accustomed to nomadic life were unwilling to send their children to school. There were only three classes which taught more than 60 students with less than 20 teachers.

But a shift has taken place, especially after 2016 when the country started a nationwide targeted poverty alleviation campaign. An unprecedented number of parents are now hoping to send their kids to schools, Pasang Tsering, director of local educational bureau, told the Global Times.

He noted that infrastructure like roads in Tibet has been greatly improved and many families now buy their own cars. The per capital income also increased, which caused a frequent flow of people, he said. With the increased flow of people, people who used to live a remote nomadic life have more chances to be exposed to urban life and the importance of education. Without enough knowledge, many found it challenging to live in the city.

China also released preferential policies toward minority groups in Tibetan schools. Since 2012, Tibet began to offer a free 15-year education program to young Tibetans, a policy to advocate fair education in the less-developed areas. Students here don't need to pay for their educational fees and their living costs at the schools are also covered. For students who did not eat at schools, their families can receive free food supplies. 

*Growing awareness*

Tsering Qoxi graduated from Qamdo Primary School in 1994. In 2003, she returned to the school as a teacher. 

She told the Global Times when she first became a teacher, parents were reluctant to send their children, so she had to visit their homes to persuade them to send children to school.

But now, parents are waiting in lines for a place at the school. The school has had to lift their enrollment threshold due to the increasing demand over the past few years. In the past, any student who applied for the school could get enrolled. 

Now the school has 38 classes which host more than 2,200 students. Tsering Qoxi said the school does not need to do any promotional work as there are already too many students seeking to attend.

While some Western media outlets smeared China's education of minority groups and claimed it's brainwashing, Tsering Qoxi resolutely slammed such accusations.

She said nobody thought this way as these Western media outlets accused.

"The ordinary people are willing to send children here to study. Ever year when the enrollment season started, some parents whose children are unqualified for the school even waited outside the school gate for weeks [to ask for a place]," she said. "The reason behind this change is they are now aware that studying can truly change lives. In the past, they did not think this way."

A third-grade student named Tenzin Gyatso told the Global Times he wants to get enrolled in other mainland junior high schools, and his dream is to become a solider like his father.

"My life in the school is happy. I make good friends with students of Han ethnicity. We play together. There is no hurdle between Tibetan students and Han students," he said.



Students attend class at Yiri Ecological Forest School in Qamdo, Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Photo: Xie Wenting /GT

In another boarding school named Yiri Ecological Forest School that the Global Times reporter visited, slogans including "knowledge is power," "education changes lives," are common postings in the hall. 

While the school is located at a place far away from the city, it still has nearly 300 students. The village the school sits in only has about 2,000 residents. The school's principal Losang Tsering said that he does not need to worry about whether there are enough students attending schools these days, something he worried about eight years ago.

He said the students returned home once a week and their home can be as far as 35 kilometers. The Global Times reporter also visited the school's classrooms where young students were learning both Putonghua and Tibetan language. While the classroom hardware is not as good as those in metropolitan cities like Beijing, the students there expressed appreciation for the simplicity and availability of books.

Reciting aloud in the classrooms, students demonstrated a strong motivation to change their lives through education.

*Ushering in changes*

Principal Li came from a school in Tianjin to Qamdo Primary School last year as part of an aid program to the region. She is also the school's first principal coming from outside Tibet.

Li told the Global Times that unlike the school where she taught, Tibetan parents and students here care more about the scores. She hopes to bring in some changes, and cultivate students' comprehensive qualities.

Instead of asking students to just memorize the books, she leads students to think more about the meaning of the books. She also lets students participate more in the classrooms and organizes seminars to train Tibetan teachers at the school to gradually change their pedagogy.

"Teachers [from Tianjin] brought changes to the school," a teacher named Wu Limei said.

In the Yiri Ecological Forest School, the principal Losang Tsering said in addition to study, he also tried to instill environment protection knowledge to the students. 

He exhibited a short book in Tibetan language which they compiled to teach environment protection. The school also transformed their toilets into water toilets.

"The environment is the most treasurable resource in Tibet. So I want them to know it and do what they can to protect our land," he said.


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## JSCh

*Upgraded Tibetan-language search engine, input method software launched*
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-04 14:30:59|Editor: huaxia

XINING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- An upgraded search engine app and input method software designed for Tibetan-speaking users have been officially launched, according to local authorities in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

The search engine yongzin.com was launched in August 2016, which receives an average of 10 million daily visits, said the government of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai.

"An AI-based Tibetan word segmentation system has been adopted in the new version of the Yongzin Search app, to improve the recall ratio and precision ratio," said Tselo, director of a Tibetan-language information and technology research center of the Hainan prefecture government.

The newly launched input method software supports input in Tibetan, Chinese and English, with functions including automatic error correction and predictive typing, said Tselo.

Yongzin literally means "master" or "teacher" in the Tibetan language. Its users are scattered throughout China and more than 70 other countries and regions.


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## JSCh

*Naan production and export helps cut poverty in Xinjiang, China*
Sep 1, 2020
New China TV

Naan, a type of flatbread and a staple food in Xinjiang, has been exported to Central Asia. Watch how Xinjiang develops the naan industry to help creat jobs and cut poverty.


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## JSCh

*Infographic: Tibet Autonomous Region sees substantial development owing to favorable policies, national aid*
Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/8 19:18:40

Editor's Note:

From September 1 to 9, 1965, the First Session of the First People's Congress of Tibet was held. At this session, Tibet Autonomous Region was founded after almost a decade of preparation. In the past half century, the region sitting on the "Roof of the World," known for its harsh environment, has witnessed tremendous changes. This page documents Tibet's remarkable progress in economic development, improving people's livelihoods and boosting tourism.


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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1306340337426677761


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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1315194636210597888Economic Daily, China @EDNewsChina
China state-affiliated media

The first high-speed train D2708 from #Urumqi, northwest #China's # Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to Xi'an, central China’s Shaanxi Province, took off on Sunday. The train ran 2,354 km, and the travel time was reduced to 13 hours and 15 minutes, 21 hours less than before


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## JSCh

JSCh said:


> *Xinjiang expands test of saline soil rice near desert*
> Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-04 18:27:14|Editor: Yamei
> 
> URUMQI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The saline soil rice R&D team of Yuan Longping, the prestigious pioneer of hybrid rice, is expanding its planting scale on the western margin of the Taklimakan desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
> 
> The area of the test field, in the township of Bayiawati, Yopurga County under Kashgar, has been expanded to 20 hectares this year from last year's 5.3 hectares, according to Cao Zhishun who leads the Xinjiang team.
> 
> Cao said the salinity of the local soil is as high as around 1.7 percent, with a pH value of over eight, indicating a high degree of salinity.
> 
> "The saline soil rice can improve soil and lower salinity, and turns saline soil into fertile farmland in three to five years," he said.
> 
> The township has a total 1,000 hectares of saline soil that is completely unsuitable for planting, said Alimjan, the township head.
> 
> Last year, the yield from the test field exceeded the expectation of Cao's team, making them more sure about the potential of their rice.
> 
> Cao said about 1,333,333 hectares, or 30 percent of arable land in Xinjiang, has been salinized at varying degrees, and the value of the saline soil rice in improving soil could be huge.






*Saline soil rice enters harvest season in China's Xinjiang*
Oct 14, 2020
New China TV

20 hectares of saline soil rice paddies have entered the harvest season at Bayiawati Township, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region


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## JSCh

*Border guards in NW China turn gardeners on snow-covered plateau*
Source: Global Times Published: 2020/11/11 18:48:40




Chinese soldiers in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have successfully grown vegetables on the 4,050-meter-high plateau, despite having only three hours of sunshine each day. The soldiers are from a border defense troop stationed between the snowy mountains in Xinjiang's Kashi. Screenshot of video by People's Daily on Sina Weibo.

Chinese soldiers in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have successfully grown vegetables on the 4,050-meter-high plateau, despite having only three hours of sunshine each day.

The soldiers are from a border defense troop stationed between the snowy mountains in Xinjiang's Kashi.

Despite the lack of sunshine and cold weather, they set up greenhouses covered with thick cotton quilts, and managed to grow vegetables such as green beans, eggplants and mushrooms, all of which require high temperatures, humidity and sunshine. They have even been able to raise ducks.

To ensure a suitable temperature for the vegetables, they burn coal to heat up the greenhouse once every hour, the soldiers explained.

The output can basically meet the daily needs of the troop, who can then save up to buy more non-staple foodstuff.

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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1327626226471677952M. Azeem Khan @mazeemkhan74

XINJIANG Today OUT OF ABSOLUTE POVERTY, historic day for all ethnic group's in XJ, My hometown Shache County (Yarkan) is also one of the last ten poverty-stricken areas which is officially a poverty less county now, thanks CPC for truly serving the people.

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## JSCh

*Tibet sets up emergency rescue operations*
By Palden Nyima and Daqiong in Lhasa | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2020-11-17 17:48

A central command center for rescues was established on Monday in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, with eight satellite stations, marking the first professional emergency rescue operation in the region.

Three stations are located in Lhasa, with one each in Nagchu, Nyingchi, Lhokha, Chamdo, Shigatse, Ngari prefecture, and three in Lhasa.

Their resources include 112 vehicles, four speedboats, seven helicopters, two fixed-wing aircraft and more than 200 workers prepared to undertake rescues in the region.

Dawa Norbu, an official in the region's emergency management department, said the region would make more efforts in the near future to improve things further.

"We will try to guide the work to a higher level and supervise staff to perform legally in disaster relief, medical aid and emergency rescue," Dawa Norbu said.

Ma Jun, director of the Tibet Emergency Rescue Center, said the region was an attractive place for outdoor sports, such as climbing and hiking, and that it had seen increasing numbers of tourists and climbers getting stranded in remote areas.

"When people were stranded in connection with climbing without proper registration, police officers and the firefighters have been called to perform all sorts of rescue relief work," Ma said.

"With the establishment of the center, we will undertake various emergency duties from now on and be scientific when carrying out rescues."

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## TaiShang

Tibet builds world's highest 220-kV substation - China.org.cn



*Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region completed the trial of a 220-kilovolt power substation at an altitude of 4,688 meters on Monday.*

The station, located in Saga County, Xigaze, was constructed following a challenging high-altitude power transmission and transformation project across Tibet's Ngari Prefecture and the middle part of the region, the world's highest power structure of its kind.

The project, with a total investment of 7.4 billion yuan (about 1.12 billion U.S. dollars), plans to build six substations, all above 4,000 meters above sea level. The total length of the transmission lines will reach 1,689 kilometers across ten counties and two prefecture-level cities.

Three of the substations have been completed since the construction began in September 2019, and the project will start operation in 2021, enabling safe and stable electricity use for nearly 380,000 residents along the lines.

After completion, the project will facilitate the main electric grid in Tibet to cover 74 counties, and 97 percent of the regional population will benefit by then, said Losang Dawa, deputy commander of the project.

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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1329325217592688641


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## shi12jun

The Belt and Road Initiative has promoted the sustainable and rapid development of western China. The major railway inland ports in the west develop rapidly

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## JSCh

*#ProsperityOnthePlateau: All is "well" in Tibet thanks to safe water project*
Nov 30, 2020
New China TV

All is WELL! Thanks to a safe water project in #Tibet, clean drinking water has become a reality for around two mln farmers and herders on the "Roof of the World" #ProsperityOnthePlateau xhne.ws/33CRO

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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1347084684287647744People's Daily, China @PDChina
China state-affiliated media

The Postal Aviation Flight CF9051 landed at Xining Caojiapu International Airport in NW China's Qinghai Province on Jan 6, marking the official opening of the largest all freight air route in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.






3:36 PM · Jan 7, 2021

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## TaiShang

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_xhG3s8RL.html



The road network in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region now stretches over 117,000 km, up 50 percent from the end of 2015, as the region continues to see improving connectivity.

The mileage of the rail network in the region has reached 954 km, according to data released at the ongoing fourth session of the 11th People's Congress of the region.

Transportation has long been a bottleneck inhibiting Tibet's development, as the region is situated on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with complex geographical conditions for road construction and limited technology and funds.

Since late 2012, China has been strengthening its infrastructure investment in Tibet. So far, roads have connected 95 percent of the township-level administrations and 75 percent of the incorporated villages in the region.

As for air transportation, Tibet has launched a total of 130 air routes, with 61 cities connected by flights. The number of passenger trips made through these airports reached nearly 5.18 million in 2020.


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## JSCh

*Major hydropower station begins water storage in Tibet*
Feb 1, 2021
CGTN

For more: https://www.cgtn.com/video 

The Suwalong #Hydropower Station, the first large-scale hydropower plant with a designed capacity of 1.2 million kilowatts, began storing water on January 31, 2021, in southwest #China's #Tibet Autonomous Region. The plant is one of the major projects to send electricity from the west to eastern areas in China and is expected to start operations in the second half of 2021.

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## TaiShang

Xinjiang sets 6% strong GDP target for next five years

By Global TimesPublished: Feb 01, 2021 12:56 PM





Girls display local specialities during a live-streaming activity at a jade trading center in Hotan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 27, 2020. Thanks to strenuous efforts from all sides, major progress has been achieved in Xinjiang.

Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Monday set the region’s average annual GDP growth target for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) above 6%, with per capita disposable income growing at the same rate, according to local government.

During the region’s version of the two sessions (akin to a session of parliament), the local government also vowed to create an average of 460,000 new urban jobs each year over the next five years, with the urban unemployment rate being controlled within 5.5 percent, local government’s news office said on its official Sina Weibo account on Monday, citing a government work report.

Xinjiang aims to step up efforts to develop its tourism sector to boost economic growth in 2021, hoping to welcome 2 million visitors this year and striving to accept home and foreign travelers of over 4 million by 2025, according to the report.

By the end of 14th Five-Year Plan period, permanent basic farm land will be kept above 41 million mu (2.73 million hectares) across the region (excluding Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps), and the grain output capacity to achieve 32 billion jin (16 billion kilograms), it said.

Xinjiang will aim to maintain its cotton production capacity stable at around 5 million tons, the output of fruits at around 12 million tons and output of animal farming exceeding 110 billion yuan ($17.03 billion), it continued.

In 2020, the per capita disposable income across urban areas of Xinjiang stood at 34,838 yuan, posting an average annual growth of 5.8 percent during the past five years. That in rural areas in Xinjiang was 14,056 yuan, up about 8.3 percent each year over the same period.

According to the report, over 70 percent of local government’s fiscal payment was used improving livelihoods during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20). The construction of new health centers in villages and townships in Xinjiang has reached 100 percent and has effectively eased previous pressure on medical access for complex and high expense treatments.

Meanwhile, the region’s poverty alleviation taskforce achieved several notable milestones over the past five years. By the end of 2020, a total of 3.07 million improvised people under current standards in Xinjiang have all shaken poverty, with all of the 35 poor counties having been lifted out poverty.


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## Peace be there

I thought that China would have managed this a little better.
Wonder when China is improving Xinjiang's outbound grid transmission.

------------------------
Xinjiang's new energy plants struggle to survive winter
English.news.cn | 2015-12-19 10:54:18 | Editor: huaxia

URUMQI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Many wind farms and solar plants in far west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region may not survive this year's harsh winter as they have been suspended due to overcapacity.

Electricity demand drops during the colder months of the year as people turn off their air conditioning units in favor of the government managed, and coal-powered winter heating. Having a large number of alternate energy plants, Xinjiang lacks sufficient infrastructure to transfer power out of the region. As a result, the regional State Grid has ordered that all, bar a few, cease operation and hibernate for the winter.

"The whole year's investment almost down the drain," said Cui Wei, a sales manager of a wind farm affiliated to Beijing-based Goldwind Science and Technology Co., one of China's wind turbine manufacturing giants.

The company built a 7.5 billion yuan (1.15 billion U.S. dollars) wind farm with power capacity of 1.5 million kilowatt-hours in Xinjiang, however, 40 percent of the plant has been temporarily shut and the whole plant will suspend business by the month end, Cui said.

According to Yang Yongli of the State Grid's Xinjiang branch, in winter the region's power consumption is almost half of the summer peak as many manufacturers and construction sites halt work when the cold front arrives.

New energy's contribution to the State Grid is limited to below 300,000 kilowatt-hours to make way for the power generated by coal-power plants, while the total installed capacity in the region stands at 15 million kilowatt-hours, the branch said.

The unstable nature of solar and wind power generation means, at the current time, it is not an appropriate power source for the winter heating. As such, when the winter winds blow into the westerly region, many thermal power stations begin to warm up, bringing with them air pollution, the State Grid said.

Heavy smog in winter is a nightmare for Urumqi, the regional capital, grounding flights, closing roads and forcing residents to stay indoors.

A new trading system, which is unique to Xinjiang, is being tested by the region's electricity authority as a way to shift power generation from thermal plants to new energy.

Instead of transmitting electricity to the overloaded state grid, new energy stations supply power directly to factories that have been ordered to shut down their own power plants. The authority pays a subsidy of 0.2 yuan for every kilowatt-hour those factories buy from new energy plants.

So far 55 wind farms and 36 solar plants with a total capacity of 5.35 million kilowatt-hours have joined the deal, and another 8.43 million kilowatt-hours have begun to be added to the trading list starting from late November, said Gong Wenjun of the regional power exchange center.

Yet, a lot of new energy companies are still waiting to be included in the scheme, with many citing the lack of infrastructure as the largest obstacle.

Xu Xiaofeng, an operation director of a new energy plant, said the company's 50,000 kwh wind farm in the suburban district of Dabancheng in Urumqi has sold nearly 7 million kilowatt-hours via the trading scheme this year, but its other wind and solar plants, which boast 110,000-kwh-capacity, have been left idle.

Industry insiders said the new trading system could recoup some of the losses for new energy companies, but the only real solution is to improve the region's outbound grid transmission.

Xinjiang has transferred 53.1 billion kilowatt-hours of power out of the region since 2010, equivalent to coal delivery of 16.5 million tonnes. New energy accounts for 6.1 billion kilowatt-hours, or about 11 percent of the total delivery.

The regional government plans to add another four outbound channels, pushing the total delivery capacity to 50 million kilowatt-hours by 2020.

"Xinjiang's winter wind and solar resources have been wasted for nothing," said Cui, whose company has suffered a loss of nearly 500 million yuan this year alone. "The situation should take a turn for the better next year."


----------



## TaiShang

Peace be there said:


> I thought that China would have managed this a little better.
> Wonder when China is improving Xinjiang's outbound grid transmission.
> 
> ------------------------
> Xinjiang's new energy plants struggle to survive winter
> English.news.cn | 2015-12-19 10:54:18 | Editor: huaxia
> 
> URUMQI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Many wind farms and solar plants in far west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region may not survive this year's harsh winter as they have been suspended due to overcapacity.
> 
> Electricity demand drops during the colder months of the year as people turn off their air conditioning units in favor of the government managed, and coal-powered winter heating. Having a large number of alternate energy plants, Xinjiang lacks sufficient infrastructure to transfer power out of the region. As a result, the regional State Grid has ordered that all, bar a few, cease operation and hibernate for the winter.
> 
> "The whole year's investment almost down the drain," said Cui Wei, a sales manager of a wind farm affiliated to Beijing-based Goldwind Science and Technology Co., one of China's wind turbine manufacturing giants.
> 
> The company built a 7.5 billion yuan (1.15 billion U.S. dollars) wind farm with power capacity of 1.5 million kilowatt-hours in Xinjiang, however, 40 percent of the plant has been temporarily shut and the whole plant will suspend business by the month end, Cui said.
> 
> According to Yang Yongli of the State Grid's Xinjiang branch, in winter the region's power consumption is almost half of the summer peak as many manufacturers and construction sites halt work when the cold front arrives.
> 
> New energy's contribution to the State Grid is limited to below 300,000 kilowatt-hours to make way for the power generated by coal-power plants, while the total installed capacity in the region stands at 15 million kilowatt-hours, the branch said.
> 
> The unstable nature of solar and wind power generation means, at the current time, it is not an appropriate power source for the winter heating. As such, when the winter winds blow into the westerly region, many thermal power stations begin to warm up, bringing with them air pollution, the State Grid said.
> 
> Heavy smog in winter is a nightmare for Urumqi, the regional capital, grounding flights, closing roads and forcing residents to stay indoors.
> 
> A new trading system, which is unique to Xinjiang, is being tested by the region's electricity authority as a way to shift power generation from thermal plants to new energy.
> 
> Instead of transmitting electricity to the overloaded state grid, new energy stations supply power directly to factories that have been ordered to shut down their own power plants. The authority pays a subsidy of 0.2 yuan for every kilowatt-hour those factories buy from new energy plants.
> 
> So far 55 wind farms and 36 solar plants with a total capacity of 5.35 million kilowatt-hours have joined the deal, and another 8.43 million kilowatt-hours have begun to be added to the trading list starting from late November, said Gong Wenjun of the regional power exchange center.
> 
> Yet, a lot of new energy companies are still waiting to be included in the scheme, with many citing the lack of infrastructure as the largest obstacle.
> 
> Xu Xiaofeng, an operation director of a new energy plant, said the company's 50,000 kwh wind farm in the suburban district of Dabancheng in Urumqi has sold nearly 7 million kilowatt-hours via the trading scheme this year, but its other wind and solar plants, which boast 110,000-kwh-capacity, have been left idle.
> 
> Industry insiders said the new trading system could recoup some of the losses for new energy companies, but the only real solution is to improve the region's outbound grid transmission.
> 
> Xinjiang has transferred 53.1 billion kilowatt-hours of power out of the region since 2010, equivalent to coal delivery of 16.5 million tonnes. New energy accounts for 6.1 billion kilowatt-hours, or about 11 percent of the total delivery.
> 
> The regional government plans to add another four outbound channels, pushing the total delivery capacity to 50 million kilowatt-hours by 2020.
> 
> "Xinjiang's winter wind and solar resources have been wasted for nothing," said Cui, whose company has suffered a loss of nearly 500 million yuan this year alone. "The situation should take a turn for the better next year."



Need more storage capacity. Also, if a better nationwide grid is established, the excess could be transmited to the demand areas. 

But, it is a very expensive investment. Investors are willing to invest in generation, but less in very expensive (and challenging due to the fact that the grid has to deal with land rights) grid networks. 

Still, China is making progress.


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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1356573079288180739


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## JSCh

*Livestreaming e-commerce helps promote naan industry in China's Xinjiang*
Feb 2, 2021
New China TV

Naan is a traditional food among ethnic groups in China's Xinjiang. And thanks to livestreaming, employees at a naan production base are spreading the word of their delicious delicacy worldwide.


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## JSCh

*GLOBALink|World's first desert-railway loop line*
Mar 18, 2021
New China TV

Construction of the world's first desert-railway loop line is underway in China's largest desert. The loop line will surround the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China #GLOBALink

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## JSCh

JSCh said:


> 科工力量
> 今天 13:00 来自 微博 weibo.com
> 【第二条进入墨脱县的公路建设进展顺利】第二条进入西藏林芝市墨脱县的公路——派墨农村公路建设进展顺利。目前，工程已累计完成投资10.47亿元。公路建成后，对加快西藏林芝市米林县和墨脱县的经济发展、推进旅游业等方面具有重要意义。（新华社记者 普布扎西 摄）
> 
> Today 13:00 from Weibo
> [The second road construction into Medog County is progressing smoothly]
> The second road entering the Medog County of Linzhi City, Tibet, is progressing smoothly. At present, the project has completed a total investment of 1.047 billion yuan. After the completion of the highway, it will be of great significance to speed up the economic development of Minlin County and Medog County in Linzhi City, Tibet, and promote tourism. (Xinhua News Agency reporter Pu Buzaxi)
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> ​




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1393959775625351169China Xinhua News @XHNews
China state-affiliated media

A highway passing through the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, known as the world's deepest canyon with a maximum depth of 6,009 meters, was completed in Tibet after almost 7 years of construction




__





Highway through world's deepest canyon completed in Tibet - Xinhua | English.news.cn






www.xinhuanet.com














12:01 AM · May 17, 2021


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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1396314949715210240People's Daily, China @PDChina
China state-affiliated media

To Better #Tibet: 70 years after the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, the region in southwest China has witnessed the leapfrog development. Check the #infographic to know more about the improving livelihoods on the roof of the world.










12:00 PM · May 23, 2021

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1


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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1406615124400513025Global Times @globaltimesnews
China state-affiliated media

A 294.86 kilometer-long #expressway connecting Nagqu county and Lhasa in Southwest China’s #Tibet can now service those looking to pass through after 3 years of construction. With an average altitude of 4,500 meters, it is the highest expressway in the world.








10:09 PM · Jun 20, 2021

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## JSCh



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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1409089121759334402China News 中国新闻网 @Echinanews
China state-affiliated media

How beautiful the costumes are! The 5th #Tibetan Costume Culture and Art Festival was held in Qinghai Province, on Saturday. People dressed in Tibetan costumes with strong regional characteristics, showing the colorful and charming Tibetan culture.










6:00 PM · Jun 27, 2021

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## JSCh

*World's longest desert-crossing expressway in full operation*
_Source: Xinhua_|_ 2021-06-30 15:06:10_|_Editor: huaxia_

URUMQI, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing-Urumqi Expressway, the longest desert-crossing expressway in the world, fully opened to traffic on Wednesday after the last section of the route in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was put into operation.

The expressway linking the Chinese capital Beijing and Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, has a total length of 2,800 km, with over 500 km passing through desert and no man's land.

Besides Beijing and Xinjiang, the expressway passes through four other provincial-level regions -- Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Gansu in the north and northwest of China.

It cuts the road distance between Urumqi and Beijing by 1,300 km, making it the fastest road to cross north China.

Sections of the expressway in other provincial-level regions are already in operation. Due to the harsh natural environment and complex geological conditions, the desert-crossing part of the expressway in Xinjiang was the last to be completed.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1410136067055833089

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## JSCh

北极星电力网​7-21 11:20​来自 微博 weibo.com​​【“新疆三峡”工程首台机组并网发电】7月18日，被业内专家称为“新疆三峡”的新疆最大水利枢纽工程——中核集团新华发电公司阿尔塔什水利枢纽工程主电站首台机组并网发电，标志着阿尔塔什水利枢纽工程综合效益全面体现。

网页链接​
*Polaris Power Network*
7-21 11:20 from Weibo

[The first unit of the "Xinjiang Three Gorges" project was connected to the grid for power generation]

On July 18, the first unit of the main power station of the Altash Water Conservancy Project of China National Nuclear Corporation Xinhua Power Company, the largest water conservancy project in Xinjiang, called the "Xinjiang Three Gorges" by industry experts, was connected to the grid for power generation. A milestone that manifest the comprehensive benefits of the Altash Water Conservancy Project.

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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1419568174262104065China News 中国新闻网 @Echinanews
China state-affiliated media

Lhorong County in #Tibet Autonomous Region abounds with highland barley. Traditionally, harvested highland barley was directly made into zanba. With the updated production technique, various highland barley products have been produced after further processing. #ForBetterLife










4:00 PM · Jul 26, 2021

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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1428688263670157317

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## JSCh

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1428959230258597889

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## JSCh



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## JSCh

*DNA analysis reveals amazingly well-preserved 4,000-year-old mummies were from genetically isolated Chinese tribe, not visitors from the West as previously thought*

*Mummies dating from between 2,000 B.C. to 200 A.D. were uncovered in tombs in the Tarim Basin in northwest China*
*Because of their Western features and unusual dress and diet, experts thought they were migrants from the Black Sea *
*New genetic analysis indicates they weren't newcomers to the region, but direct descendants of Ancient North Eurasians *
*Ancient North Eurasians largely disappeared by the end of the last Ice Age, about 11,550 years ago*
By DAN AVERY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 17:41 EDT, 27 October 2021 | UPDATED: 17:54 EDT, 27 October 2021

-> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...lated-Chinese-tribe-not-Western-visitors.html


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1453517119405105160

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## JSCh

*China nurtures medical professionals for rural areas*
Source: Xinhua Editor: huaxia 
2021-12-29 13:06:30

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- More than 63,000 Chinese students have been enrolled in a tuition-free bachelor program in medicine, part of the country's efforts to improve medical services in its central and western regions.

The program was aimed to address the shortage of doctors in rural areas, the Ministry of Education said at a press conference Wednesday. After graduation, the enrollees will be recruited by medical institutions in rural areas in the country's central and western regions.

According to the ministry, other education programs have been launched to attract university students to devote themselves to the country's drive to invigorate the development of rural regions.

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## JSCh

Longer and healthier lives in Tibet​Jan 20, 2022
中国日报CHINADAILY官方频道OFFICIAL CHANNEL

In a wide ranging interview recently, senior Tibetan religious leader Drubkhang﹒Tubtan Khaidrub talked about the many great changes in Tibet in the past 70 years, especially in its healthcare. 

Drubkhang is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee. He is also vice-chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the CPPCC, vice-president of the Buddhist Association of China, executive vice-president of the Tibet branch of the Buddhist Association of China, and head of the Tibetan Buddhist Institute. 

According to him, there were no modernized hospitals for the public except a handful of self-employed rural doctors before Tibet's democratic reform. Now, a healthcare network capable of providing outpatient, clinical and emergency medical services combining traditional Chinese medicine, local Tibetan medicine and Western medicine is in place, making it very convenient for people in Tibet to receive treatment. 

The average life expectancy has increased from 35.5 years in 1951 to 71.1 years in 2019, according to the white paper titled "Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity" released in 2021. 

Drubkhang also praised that the government has attached great importance to the wishes of religious people. Watch the video to learn more.

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## JSCh

Nine young living Buddhas have completed primary schooling and their graduation ceremony was held at the Tibet Buddhism Academy in Lhasa, capital of SW China's #Tibet Autonomous Region Saturday.

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1546298231839244290


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