Building a Harmonious and Prosperous Tibet- Interview with Yang Chuantang, Secretary of the CPC Tibet Autonomous Region Committee

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Tibet Autonomous Region. China Today has closely followed Tibet's development, from peaceful liberation to its currently prospering economy, since 1952 when the magazine was established. Israel Epstein, late editor-in-chief emeritus of China Today, made four trips to Tibet and wrote his work Tibet Transformed - the first objec- tive account by a Western writer published in China of the dramatic changes that have taken place in Tibet …     

Tibet: Nearer and Nearer——An Interview With Radi,chairman of the Standing Committee of the People''''s Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region

In the 50 years since peaceful liberation of Tibet, thepeople of various ethnic groups in Tibet have advanced fromdarkness to the light, from backwardness to progress, fromignorance to civilization, from poverty to prosperity, andfrom isolation to openness," says Radi, a Tibetan, and chair-man of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress ofTibet Autonomous Region.People often liken the old Tibet to the European MiddleAges, with its monopolization of political power, and owner-ship o…     

＂The Warmth of Sunshine Is Better Savored After a Severe Winter＂-An Interview with Qiangba Puncog,Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region

ON March 28, 1959 an epochmaking democratic reform was unveiled in Tibet, dispelling the darkness of theocracy and serfdom and bringing the light of freedom and democracy to the snowy plateau. Over the following half century Tibet rose from the ruins of feudal serfdom, and with lavish assistance from around the nation, built a sound economy and modem industries full of local character.     

Impressions of Tibet——Seeing Is Believing

In September 2004, two Americans, Katy Walden and Jon Moggio, made their first trip to Tibet filmed as the documentary Tibet Diary, co-made by U.S Rainbow Network and China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC). With the consent of CICC, we publish in this issue segments of the two Americans'accounts of their adventure on the plateau.     

Western Idealization of Tibet

SHANGRI-LA,mythicalkingdom synonymous withUtopia,was the brainchildof American novelistJames Hilton in his 1933 bestsellerLost Horizon.Hilton’s inspirationcame not from any personal travelexperience in Tibet,but from arti-cles by American botanist JosephRock,who lived in the Khamsregion(the area flanking the pre-sent-day border between Tibet andSichuan Province)from 1922 to1949.     

Tibet:Past and Present

The author, Raidi, is chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region. He wrote an article after a visit to the European Parliament and the Kingdom of Belgium from March 22 to April 2, 2002. Recounting his own experience, he made striking comparison between the past and present of Tibet with enormous facts to reveal the tremendous changes that have taken place in Tibet.     

The Train to Tibet

J UST one year ago, there were two choices of travel to Tibet. You could either dig deep for an expensive ? ight, or take your courage in both hands and travel by four-wheel drive vehicle along the bumpy, unsurfaced plateau road to the Roof of the World. But in July this year, a cheaper and more comfortable means of transport to Tibet became available – the train. The price of a train ticket from Beijing to Tibet is RMB 1,500 cheaper than ? ying.The Train Inhabitants of the Qinghai-Tib…     

GYANTSE-Historical Destination on the Roof of the World

Gyantse was once Tibet's third most important city lying astride the main trade routes from India, Bhutan and Nepal to Lhasa. For many centuries yak caravans carried bags of sheep and yak wool from the north of Tibet to Gyantse from where it was exported to the southern countries.     

＂Brilliance of Hebei＂ Unfolds the ＂Cultural Gateway to China＂

THE first program of the ＂Cultural Gateway to China＂ opened to the public in the Beijing Capital Intemational Airport last April, with the ＂Brilliance of Hebei＂, an exhibition and performance staged at the Beijing Capital International Airport, turning out to be more than just a nice distraction for travellers, The full-scale production was an unqualified hit. a real draw for admiring passengers who turned the airport lounge into a kind of temporary club.     

E）evelopment and Progress of Tibet（IV）

Vl. Environmental Protection and Ecological Improvement
Tibet serves as an important ecological safety barrier in China. Over the past few decades the central and regional governments have upheld scientific development, struck a balance between socio- economic development and environmental protection, and given priority to ecological conservation and environmental protection in China＇ s modernization drive. Vigorous efforts are being made to promote local ecological progress and build a beautiful Tibet. Being one of the areas with the best environmental quality in the world, most parts of the region have maintained their original natural states.     

Ensuring a Safe Tibet

China is determined to maintain social stability and order in Tibet despite recent rioting in Lhasa March 17 was a normal workday for Deyang,Principal of the Jipenggang Primary School in Lhasa,capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Seeing all 100 teachers and most of the 1,500 students,accompanied by their parents,     

Economic Development in Tibet of China

On 18-28 September, 2003, Mr. Lomanov Alexandre, deputy director of international desk of the Vremya Novostej (News Times) of Russia, was invited to visit Tibet, China. Following is the article written by him and published in the Vremya Novostej (News Times) of Russia on October 13, 2003.     

Visit Tibet with an Open Mind

I'm a graphic designer from San Francisco. I'd never been to Tibet before and had only seen a handful of pictures of it. I have a friend who's been here a couple of times, and whenever he talks about it, he gets a dreamy, faraway, happy look. Based on that, I was pretty sure I was in for a really special experience. The little I knew about the Tibetan political situation before the trip was that it seemed to be a mess: that China     

Basic Facts About Human Rights In Tibet

How are human rights in Tibet? This is an issue made a mess of on the international scene. A fair evaluation of the human rights situation in Tibet depends on an answer to these two questions: First, whether human rights conditions in Tibet have improved under the leadership of the Communist Party of China or remained unchanged or even worsened; and second, whether or not the unique interests and rights of Tibetans as an ethnic minority group have been effectively protected. I would like to provide some basic facts as an answer to these questions.     

Prison Life in Tibet Autonomous Region

For a long time, prisons and inmates in Tibet have been a focal point in the Dalai clique and its western supporters' attack on China. To give a true picture of the situation in Tibet's prisons, three correspondents of Xinhua News Agency, Duoqiong, Cui Feng and Zha Xin, went to the prisons in Tibet and obtained lots of untold stories. Following is their report.     

The Pompeii of Tibet

THE Guge Kingdom in Ngari. Tibet, is discussed within archeological circles in similarly reverential tones as the Mayan Civilization and Pompeii. The three have in common that they were abruptly destroyed at their peak and obscured from the world for centuries. Also that when ex-     

Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet

On May 23, the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued a white paper titled "Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet." The text consists of Foreword and five parts: Ⅰ. The Establishment and Development of Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet; Ⅱ. The Tibetan People Enjoy Full Political Right of Autonomy; Ⅲ. The Tibetan People Have Full Decision-making Power in Economic and Social Development; Ⅳ. The Tibetan People Have the Freedom to Inherit and Develop Their Traditional Culture and to Practice Their Religious Belief; and Ⅴ. Regional Ethnic Autonomy Is the Fundamental Guarantee for Tibetan People As Masters of Their Own Affairs. The following is the full text of the document.     

＂National Human Rights Action Plan（2009-2010）＂ guarantees the equality of all ethnic groups and protects the legal rights of all the minorities.

The State Council Information Office promulgated China＇s first ＂National HumanRights Action Plan （2009-2010）＂ on April 13, 2008. This is the first time for China todetermine a national plan on human rights, which clearly defines the objectives and concrete measures to be taken by the Chinese government in the promotion and protection of human rights in the coming two years.     

China＇s ＂New Generation＂ of Olympic Champions

THERE is nothing shy about China＇s new generation of Olympic sportsmen. Born almost exclusively in the 1980s, the athletically gifted young men and women who will represent China at the 2008 Games are far more willing to open up to the public than their predecessors, and like 20-somethings everywhere, they are at home on the Internet, managing their own fan blogs and communicating with their peers online.Their uninhibited self-expression has attracted the attention of commercial advertisers, and occasionally some less welcome interest, and they are celebrated as China＇s ＂new generation＂ in sports circles, ready to take center stage in August before a world audience.     

Origin of the ＂Easl Turkistan＂ Issue

The term ＂Turkistan＂ appeared in Arabic geographical works in the Middle Ages. It meant ＂the region of the Turks＂ and referred to the areas north of the Sir River in Central Asia and the adjoining areas to the east of the river. With the evolution of history, the modem ethnic groups in Central Asia were established one after another. By the 18th century, the geographical concept of ＂Turkistan＂ was already very vague,