Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Tibet scholars protest construction project in Lhasa historic district.
3 views
Skip to first unread message
Peter Terpstra
Jun 16, 2013, 3:03:37 PM6/16/13
to
Tibet scholars protest construction project in Lhasa historic district.
June 15, 2013
By NOZOMU HAYASHI/ Correspondent
BEIJING--A group of scholars on Tibet have issued an open letter to Beijing and UNESCO to protest the Chinese government’s plans to
turn a historic quarter of Lhasa into a shopping mall.
Lhasa, the administrative capital of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, began a grand project in December 2012 worth 1.5 billion yuan
(25 billion yen or $246 million) to reconstruct the old urban district of the city.
The project is intended to “preserve cultural heritage, improve people’s living and upgrade the city’s urban image,” according to a
senior official at the city’s housing bureau.
The relocation of old stores and houses, roads and sidewalks, sewage construction and temple repair work are under way near the
historic area, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and includes Jokhang Temple, the most sacred in Tibet.
The huge project prompted an Internet protest by Lhasa-born Beijing-based writer Tsering Woeser. Chosen in March as a winner of the
U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award, Woeser raised awareness of the construction project through her blog.
The 46-year-old posted information and pictures provided by tourists and local residents and appealed that the reconstruction project
would destroy the historic quarter of Lhasa. She also said a mining project around the old city is polluting the Kyi River and causing
other environmental damage.
In response to Woeser’s appeal, U.S. and French scholars issued an open letter addressed to UNESCO and the Chinese government on
May 15.
The letter demanded that the authorities conduct a fact-finding survey and halt the reconstruction project.
More than 250 scholars on Tibetan studies worldwide have signed the petition.
The People’s Daily, the official organ of the Communist Party of China, ran a rebuttal on May 13 with the headline, “Truth behind the
uproar.” The article said a survey conducted by the city found that “96 percent of residents supported the project and 91 percent of
small retailers understood the need to relocate their stores.”
After a string of self-immolations in recent years in Tibet to protest Chinese government repression, Beijing stationed many troops and
police in the region while local authorities promoted the idea of regional investment and development.
In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered officials to “accelerate development and long-term stability in Tibet.”
Woeser, who maintains a home in Lhasa, is skeptical.
“The current reconstruction of the city does not reflect Tibet’s traditional techniques or wisdom,” she said. “Only vile-colored concrete
buildings—fake Tibetan architecture—are increasing.”
By NOZOMU HAYASHI/ Correspondent
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ201306150012
June 15, 2013
By NOZOMU HAYASHI/ Correspondent
BEIJING--A group of scholars on Tibet have issued an open letter to Beijing and UNESCO to protest the Chinese government’s plans to
turn a historic quarter of Lhasa into a shopping mall.
Lhasa, the administrative capital of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, began a grand project in December 2012 worth 1.5 billion yuan
(25 billion yen or $246 million) to reconstruct the old urban district of the city.
The project is intended to “preserve cultural heritage, improve people’s living and upgrade the city’s urban image,” according to a
senior official at the city’s housing bureau.
The relocation of old stores and houses, roads and sidewalks, sewage construction and temple repair work are under way near the
historic area, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and includes Jokhang Temple, the most sacred in Tibet.
The huge project prompted an Internet protest by Lhasa-born Beijing-based writer Tsering Woeser. Chosen in March as a winner of the
U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award, Woeser raised awareness of the construction project through her blog.
The 46-year-old posted information and pictures provided by tourists and local residents and appealed that the reconstruction project
would destroy the historic quarter of Lhasa. She also said a mining project around the old city is polluting the Kyi River and causing
other environmental damage.
In response to Woeser’s appeal, U.S. and French scholars issued an open letter addressed to UNESCO and the Chinese government on
May 15.
The letter demanded that the authorities conduct a fact-finding survey and halt the reconstruction project.
More than 250 scholars on Tibetan studies worldwide have signed the petition.
The People’s Daily, the official organ of the Communist Party of China, ran a rebuttal on May 13 with the headline, “Truth behind the
uproar.” The article said a survey conducted by the city found that “96 percent of residents supported the project and 91 percent of
small retailers understood the need to relocate their stores.”
After a string of self-immolations in recent years in Tibet to protest Chinese government repression, Beijing stationed many troops and
police in the region while local authorities promoted the idea of regional investment and development.
In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered officials to “accelerate development and long-term stability in Tibet.”
Woeser, who maintains a home in Lhasa, is skeptical.
“The current reconstruction of the city does not reflect Tibet’s traditional techniques or wisdom,” she said. “Only vile-colored concrete
buildings—fake Tibetan architecture—are increasing.”
By NOZOMU HAYASHI/ Correspondent
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ201306150012
0 new messages