Western China - news and development

[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.

 

[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.

 

[ahojunk]

This railway will help in the transport and development of southern Xinjiang. It is definitely welcome by the locals.

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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)

 

[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.

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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.

 

[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]

 

[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.

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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!

 

[AndrewJin]

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.

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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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[AndrewJin]

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

 

[ahojunk]

Some info on the big data industry in Guiyang.

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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.

 

[AndrewJin]

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!

 

[ahojunk]

More info on the big data expo, but it's about 2 weeks old.

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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.

 

[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.

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.

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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.