New Tibetan city rises from humble start

A massive reconstruction project valued at nearly 7 billion yuan ($1.13 billion) is underway in the eastern part of the Tibet autonomous region that will eventually provide homes, neighborhoods and virtually a new city for over 1,000 families in Qamdo township.

Qamdo township serves as the seat of Qamdo county, and is where the prefecture government is located. It is home to 100,000 residents, 97 percent of whom share Tibetan origins.

Helping to pay for the project is the central government and the autonomous region that will contribute about 1.53 billion yuan. A local investment company is providing 3 billion yuan. When the project is finished, the town will expand by three times to 12.6 square km to accommodate 35 percent of the prefecture's total population.