More Chinese in Tibet

Lhasa: Eight months after its historic opening the railway to Tibet has already brought economic benefits to the remote region, but detractors continue to see the new line as a tool for Chinese colonisation. “I have returned home,” said Wang Ping, a few days after stepping off the the train as it arrived in Lhasa. Wang, originally from Shanghai about 3,000 km away, moved to Lhasa a year ago to open a small restaurant. “The train ticket is only one third of the cost of an plane ticket,” he said. Wang is not the only one to arrive in Tibet seeking a new life. Many of Lhasa’s taxi drivers, most of whom are ethnic Han Chinese, see a good future on the Tibetan plateau. “Everything is changing here very quickly, partly due to the train,” said a 27-year-old driver who came to Lhasa last year with his wife and child from central Henan province. — AFP