Western China - news and development

[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.

 

[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)

​

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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)

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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."

 

[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.​

 

[SBUS-CXK]

@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.

 

[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.

 

[TaiShang]

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.

 

[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.