Western China - news and development

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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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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https://twitter.com/x/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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.