A view of a settlement next to the mountains, not far from Yamdrok Lake also known as Yamzho Yumco, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
The natural beauty of Tibet, the thousand-year-old Himalayan roof of the world, still dazzles the few visitors who are allowed in. But these days in many places, bulldozers, highways, and modern apartment towers have replaced the grazing yaks and the chanting Buddhist monks. The unstoppable advance of modernity and Chinese construction projects among the Himalayan snow-covered peaks means it is now possible to travel distances in a matter of just a few hours that not long ago would have taken days to cover. One might even come across a shepherd tending his flock at 4,000 meters engrossed in a 5G-ready smartphone. According to the Beijing government, extreme poverty – an endemic problem in Tibet, where pastoralism has traditionally been the sole source of income for most people – has been eradicated. In recent years, the central government has made colossal investments in Tibet, both in infrastructure and poverty reduction programs. Since 2016, Beijing has invested 74.85 billion yuan in projects to improve access to health, education, clean water, housing, or infrastructure in the region’s poorest areas. More than six hundred thousands Tibetans have been lifted out of poverty, and 266,000 of them have been relocated “voluntarily”, according to Wu Yingjie, secretary-general of the party in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet told reporters during a government-guided tour of the region recently, the only way foreign journalists are permitted to visit. The enormous red signs along all the highways and in cities bearing messages thanking people for their support of the Communist Party and calling for unity were unheard of just two years ago in this remote enclave. Desertification is also advancing: real sand dunes are increasingly appearing on mountains and in rivers due to climate change. So is the predominance of Mandarin Chinese in classrooms and on the streets. According to data from the 2010 Chinese official census, 90.48 per cent were ethnic Tibetans, 8.17 per cent Han Chinese – the majority in China – and the rest of the 40 ethnic minorities that populate the region. Tibetan ethnic numbers have been decreasing in recent decades – 95.5 per cent in 1990 and 92.8 per cent in 2000 – while that of the Han ethnic group has kept growing – 3.4 per cent in 1990 and five per cent in 2000 – and it is estimated that currently, it may already be above 10 per cent.
A Tibetan woman looks out a window at a house in Jangdam village, Samzhubze District, outside Shigatse, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A boy stands next to a house in Jangdam village, Samzhubze district, outside Shigatse, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Portraits of current Chinese President Xi Jinping and other former Chinese leaders hang on a wall in a house of a Tibetan family in Jangdam village, Samzhubze District, outside Shigatse, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Journalists visit a Tibetan family in Jangdam village, Samzhubze District, outside Shigatse, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A Tibetan girl rest at a house in Jangdam village, Samzhubze District, outside Shigatse, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A Tibetan man who was relocated from a high-altitude area speaks to journalists at his house in Boma village, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Men play billiard in a village built for relocated Tibetan people from high-altitude areas in Gong Ga County, Lhoka city, near Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Officials conduct a demographic census in Boma village, where relocated Tibetan people from high-altitude areas live, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A child sits in front of houses in Caiqutang village built for people relocated from high-altitude areas, in Damxung county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Workers work in Caiqutang village that was built for people relocated from high-altitude areas, in Damxung county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Women with children ride on a vehicle in Caiqutang village built for people relocated from high-altitude areas, in Damxung county, Tibet Autonomous Region, C hina.EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
People stand in front of houses in Caiqutang village built for people relocated from high-altitude areas, in Damxung county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A boy rides a bicycle in Caiqutang village that was built for people relocated from high-altitude areas, in Damxung county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Children play in a kindergarten in a village built for relocated Tibetan people from high-altitude areas in Gong Ga County, Lhoka city, near Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Students listen to a teacher during a class in a school at Doilungdeqen district, near Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Tibetan people make a pilgrimage around the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A bride poses for her pre-wedding photos at the square in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
People visit a Tibetan shop near the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A worker checks a road camera in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A view of construction sites in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A woman walks in her shop in an alley near the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A general view of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A man works on a sewing machine in a shop near the Jokhang Temple, in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A man wearing a protective face mask works at the fungi farm of the Everest Agricultural Investment Fund, in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
An employee wearing a protective face mask collects mushrooms at the fungi farm of the Everest Agricultural Investment Fund, in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
An employee wearing a protective face mask works at the fungi farm of the Everest Agricultural Investment Fund, in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
Employees wearing protective face masks peel mushrooms at the fungi farm of the Everest Agricultural Investment Fund, in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
An employee wearing a protective face mask cleans at the fungi farm of the Everest Agricultural Investment Fund, in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A Tibetan Buddhist woman prays at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse city, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A Tibetan Buddhist woman prays at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse city, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A young Tibetan monk walks on a territory of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse city, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A view of dry land near Shigatse city, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A general view of Yamdrok Lake, also known as Yamzho Yumco, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A herdsman walks in Gyangze county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A view of a settlement next to the mountains, not far from Yamdrok Lake also known as Yamzho Yumco, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A yak lays on the ground near the Noijin Kangsang mountain in Gyangze county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A man wearing a protective face mask walks in Jieba village, Gongbo’gyamda county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
A child sits in front of houses in Caiqutang village built for people relocated from high-altitude areas, in Damxung county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
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