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17/08/2007

Tibetan life

As part of a series from Tibet, the BBC's Michael Bristow has compiled a series of photographs of everyday life in this remote mountain region.

Outside towns and cities, people mostly rely on farming to survive.

Tibetans grow crops or herd animals, such as cows and yaks. Common crops include barley, potatoes and turnips.

A few years ago, watermelons were introduced to the region and now seem to be the summer fruit of choice. Farmers sell them directly from roadside stalls.

 

Mountain land
With a population of slightly less than three million, spread over 1.2 million sq-km (0.5 million sq-mile), much of the Tibet Autonomous Region is wide open space.

China has established 38 reserves to protect the region’s natural environment, which includes mountains, lakes and forests.

But global warming is changing the landscape. Temperatures in Tibet are rising at more than twice the worldwide average, melting glaciers that feed some of Asia’s major rivers.

Buddhist tradition
Religion remains important for ordinary Tibetans, many of whom make pilgrimages to the region’s monasteries and temples.

Pilgrims are as prominent as tourists on Lhasa’s streets, as they walk around sacred sites chanting and clutching prayer beads. Many sites have been restored after being destroyed in China’s Cultural Revolution, when the country was plunged into virtual civil war.

China says there are now more than 1,700 places of worship in Tibet, and about 46,000 monks and nuns.

Local market
The open-air market in the region's second city, Shigatse, is crammed full of all kinds of consumer goods, some made in the region, others brought to Tibet by rail.

Washing machines and electric bicycles battle for space with Tibetan rugs and noodle stalls.

Officials say the cost of transporting materials to Tibet has dropped by half since the opening of the railway. There are plans to extend the line to Shigatse in the next few years.

Outside workers
Nan Mujia works on a building site in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.

The 22-year-old, from Shigatse, earns between 500 yuan ($66, £33) and 750 yuan a month.

He complains that Chinese workers earn more money than Tibetans, although he concedes they are often better qualified.

Many of the other workers on the site, a business development zone, are ethnic Han Chinese from next-door Sichuan Province.

Tourism boom
China hopes to attract three million tourists to Tibet by 2020.

But there are concerns that these tourists, who will need hotels, restaurants and shops, will destroy Tibet’s unique character.

More visitors could lead to ugly developments around major tourist sites and damage to the region’s natural environment.

Local officials maintain this will not happen, but bold statements and action are often two different things.

15:15 Posted in Environment | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Tibet

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