|
TRACKING THE STEEL DRAGON: The world's highest railroad
across the Tibetan plateau to Lhasa is the most high-profile symbol of Beijing's ambitious plans to develop the western
regions of the People's Republic of China. As an indispensable element of Beijing's 'transportation revolution',
the aim of its construction is to expand the influence and consolidate the control of the Chinese Communist Party, which regards
this as crucial to China's successful rise in the 21st century. A new report by the International Campaign for Tibet,
details the strategic significance to China of the extension of its national rail network into central Tibet, which Beijing
describes as 'the southwestern frontier of the motherland', and the projected expansion of the line within Tibetan
areas of the PRC and to Nepal. The Chinese government has recently acknowledged the military applications for the railway
for the first time. Christal Smith speaks with the author of the study Ben Carrdus, Senior Researcher at the International
Campaign for Tibet, about how the railway is transforming Tibet.
View the Report Here: Tracking the Steel Dragon
|
| CLICK image for the official Abrahm Lustgarten website |
Christal Smith also speaks with Abrahm Lustgarten whose journey on the train led to his latest book: CHINA'S GREAT
TRAIN: BEIJING'S DRIVE WEST & THE CAMPAIGN TO REMAKE TIBET Remake Tibet. Abrahm Lustgarten's reporting and photography
focus on the confluence of business and the environment in a globalized world -- from stories about the pharmaceutical industry
experimenting on Russian patients to the legacy of uranium contamination in Kazakhstan. He spent much of the last five years
in Tibet, documenting its transformation at the hands of China's economic expansion, a project that resulted in his critically-acclaimed
new book.
Abrahm Lustgarten's Website
|
| CLICK for Ian Baker's website |
INTO THE HEART OF THE WORLD: Explorer, Tibet scholar and author IAN BAKER talks
about his life's work, experiencing the fabled 'hidden lands' of Tibet, which are considered by Tibetans to be
the most sacred places on earth. One such place, Pemako (aka Land of the Lotuses), is the subject of his book, 'The
Heart of the World', which not only "recounts one of the most captivating stories of exploration and discovery in
recent memory... to one of the wildest and most inaccessible places on earth, (but is) a meditation on our place in nature,
(and) a pilgrimage to the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist faith." Ian reveals what the ultimate goal is of reaching
such a secret land and describes how vital these places are to future of our world.
“Ian
Baker’s journeys into one of the least explored regions of Tibet will inspire others not only to venture into unknown
lands on a geographical level, but also to discover the inner realms within which our own deepest nature lies hidden”. His Holiness the Dalai Lama
|
