A Trip to Lhasa River

(ctibet.org)
Updated: 2005-08-22 14:06

The Lhasa River originates from Nyangqentanglha Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is 551 km long and is one of the five major tributaries of the Yarlung Zangbo. For many years, the average diametric flow volume has been 6 billion cubic meters, which is about one-eighth of that of the second largest river in China, the Yellow River. The drainage area is nearly 30,000 square km. The Lhasa River is the Mother River of the Tibetans, which witnessed the changes of ancient Tibetan culture. The drainage area of the Lhasa River serves as the center of politics, economy, culture, transportation and religion in the whole Tibet, as well as the significant part of three-river area (the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Lhasa River and the Nyang Qu River) that Tibetan government attaches importance to the development there.

In March, we paid a visit to the Lhasa River area. We went to the riverhead of the Xoirong Zangbo River, a tributary of the Lhasa River, which is located in Meizhukongka County at an altitude of over 4,500 meters. Compared with the situation more than ten years ago, we found that, except for much improvement in the quality of the roads, Dezong Hot Spring with the history of over 1,400 years and the celestial ground of the Zhigongti Monastery, with a history of over 800 years, remained unchanged.

Qenze Radain, a herder aged 32, said to us after taking a bath in the hot spring: "When I was a child my parents often brought me to the hot spring. If I have time, or if I feel uneasy in my body, I would like to come here and sit in the bath."

Dezong Hot Spring is said to have be efficacious in dealing with rheumatism, ulcers and other illnesses. People who are attracted by its reputation come here in an endless stream. It is free for common people nearby and tourists who only take baths once or twice. Tourists who come here specially to bathe in the hot spring can put up at an inn or even camp out in a tent.

Myima Cering sat in the gurgling hot spring with the water surface up to his waist, and told us: "When we sit in the bath here, we often like to tell stories about Dezong Hot Spring."

While Dezong Hot Spring is well known throughout Tibet, the celestial ground of the Zhigongti Monastery on the southern slope of the great mountain is well known throughout the world because of its long history, peaceful and deep environment, unusual burial customs, and abundant vultures. When we roamed around the monasteries and the celestial ground, Wangzha, a 23-year-old monk, was cleaning the latter. He said: "All mourners hope the vultures can take away the dead completely, so the celestial burial master is required to be very careful and responsible. Toward evening, we will clean the remains and sprinkle butter on them for cremation in the incense pagoda."

Wangzha became a monk at the age of 14, and has served as celestial burial master for five years. He is the youngest among six celestial burial masters in the Zhigongti Monastery. He told us that several years ago iron fences hundreds of meters long were put up around the celestial ground to avoid harassing attacks by wild dogs and other animals and to prevent tourists from taking pictures. On average six or seven dead people are sent here each day. Most of them are from nearby, but some come from Tibetan-inhabited areas in Qinghai, Yunnan and other provinces.

"In the beginning of being in charge of this job, I was scared to go to sleep for several months. Later I felt that I do it for the happiness and consummation of common people's lives, the same as other monks. Although I am young, I would like to go on with the job," Wangzha said.

Wealth and Art

The new two-story house of 60-year-old Gochai evoked endless compliments from us: beautiful kardian (woolen fabrics) on beds of Tibetan style, cabinet combinations that spread along the wall, and colorful three-dimensional paintings on the roof and surrounding wall and eaves. In the past, we could only see all these things in monasteries. On being asked how he made the money to build this new house, he said with a smile, "we make money from selling Chinese caterpillar fungus."

Moving upstream along the Xoirong Zangbo River, we found the valley presented a V shape. On the slope we saw more and more black yaks and white sheep, and less and less farmland and villages. This cold plateau meadow at the altitude of four or five thousand meters is the home of the Chinese caterpillar fungus.

People were not used to collecting this on a large scale in this area in the past. In the past six or seven years, however, with the increase of people who come here to purchase and dig, the price of Chinese caterpillar fungus has repeatedly risen so that local farmers and herders joined the business. In May and June last year, Gochai and his family from Yiwo Village in Moinba Township of Meizhukongka County dug out and collected Chinese caterpillar fungus that weighed 750 grams after being dried, and sold for 24,000 Yuan.

"During the month of the busy season of digging Chinese caterpillar fungus, some families even lock their houses, carry tents on horseback and go into mountains with all the family members. Schools even have a holiday of one day on June 1 Children's Day. Chinese caterpillar fungus is very small and it is hard to find. But children often have good eyesight and they can dig the most. Sometimes, an adult can dig only several fungi in a day, while a child can dig more than 100 fungi at most in a day," Gochai said.

Moinba Township government leader Soinam Sangbo said that, although it is located in a remote area, Moinba Township is the richest among eight townships in the county. For 480 households composed of 2,780 people in the township, the per-capita net income last year reached 2,800 Yuan, and part of the income came from the collection of such medical materials as Chinese caterpillar fungus and fritillary. He estimated conservatively that Chinese caterpillar fungus in the area reached over 300 kg, and one third was found by local farmers and herders. The fees that the township government charged diggers coming from other villages also reached 800,000 Yuan.

"We plan to strengthen the resource protection to ensure it becomes a wealth source of farmers and herders for ever," Soinam Sangbo said.

While Chinese caterpillar fungus is rare and valuable, common herding grasses on the plateau also help Tibetan farmers and herders on the upper reaches of the Lhasa River in Meizhukongka, Dagze, and Lhunzhub to create a folk art and industry with a long history, namely, pottery making.

In Poru Village of Gongka Town along the bank of the Meizhubma Qu River, another tributary of the Lhasa River, we saw pottery flagons, water kettles, oil lamps, candleholders and holders for joss sticks in the shape of animals at the home of farmer Kaicun. Last year Kaicun, 55, made more than 200 pieces of pottery with his son Jor'ang, and sold them elsewhere to earn some 3,000 Yuan. These potteries descended from those made thousands of years ago are made of local red-and-white clay fired after being wrapped in turf.

Every year after the wheat harvest when the grass and trees become withered and yellow, some 30 pottery-making households in Poru Village begin to collect turf to fire their kilns. Kaicun said that local people all like to carry qingke barley wine, grains and water in the resulting pots.

"We also want to fire potteries by coal or charcoal instead of turf, but these energy sources are scarcer in the local area. Furthermore, turf has been used for thousands of years; if we change it, can we make pottery as before? Will common people like them? Nobody is sure of that," Kaicun looked a little melancholy.

Last year, two youths from Zhanang County in Shannan region came to study making pottery from Kaicun.

He said that maybe one day planting grass by man would become an industry.

"Three Gorges" in Tibet

96 km away to the northeast of Lhasa, the Lhasa River presents a huge "S" like a ribbon. Today, at the second large corner of the "S", a dam 1.3 km long cuts off the Lhasa River at the waist.

This is the Zhikung Hydroelectric Power Station that is well known as the "three gorges" in Tibet. It has four sets of generators with a combined capacity of generating of 100,000 kWh of electricity, or 4 million kWh every year. It helps improve 6,000 hectares of irrigated farmlands. In one-and-a-half years, it will form a reservoir of 224 million cubic meters. At the end of next year, the first generator will send electricity to Lhasa, Shannan and Xigaze, and guarantee the smooth running of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Zhikung Hydroelectric Power Station will change the appearance of the Lhasa River. Some 330 hectares of farmlands and grasslands will also be flooded, 101 households, 21 self-employed businesses, and seven small-scale enterprises and organizations will be moved out. Among the total investment of 1.337 billion Yuan in the power station, five percent will be invested on resettlement of migrants and infrastructure. The 772 migrating people will each get a resettlement fee of nearly 100,000 Yuan on average.

In Gyigar Village of Gyangra Township of Meizhukongka County that is planned to be flooded, we saw 56-year-old Yuzin. She told us that, in the past two years since the start of work on the power station her family has experienced two changes: one is that two members her family do some simple physical work at the construction site of the power station during the busy season of construction, and they can earn good wages each day; the second is that the construction of the power station will occupy some farmland, and the cash compensation every year is much higher than the income of planting qingke barley. In autumn this year, her whole family will say goodbye to the old and shabby house, and move to a new village 3 km away, and live in new Tibetan two-story house built by the government. This will be the greatest change that Zhikung Hydroelectric Power Station brings to Yuzin's family.

At the same time of longing for a new house, Yuzin worried about moving to a strange land: the first worry is whether the farmland newly assigned is good after leaving the home where they have lived for generations. How much will they harvest? The second one is she is not sure how to find new ways to become rich besides planting to live from hand to mouth.

Nyima Gyangra Township head Dagdo thought that Yuzin and others can live in the best new houses in the whole township or the new county. According to the policies, a large family with over 10 members can get a new house with a living area of 176 square meters. A family with less than 5 members can even get a new house with a living area of above 95 square meters.

Tibetan traditional qingke barley and beef and mutton are all green foods. The construction of a large-scale power station and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway undoubtedly create conditions for Tibet to conduct environmental protection and characteristic green industries, to set up trademarks and to develop domestic and foreign markets. The power station not only brings light and energy to Tibet, but also helps Tibetan common people renew their minds and improve their production and living methods.

Village Surrounded by the River

Qunyiba Village, 60 km east of Lhasa, is located on an islet in the Lhasa River. A concrete bridge built in 1992 connected it with the Sichuan-Tibet Highway on the southern bank of the river. A flood three years ago, however, destroyed the bridge and Qunyiba Village became a lonely islet once again.

The first time we went to Qunyiba Village, bullboats could not be found along the Lhasa River. In forests far away, the figure of the village loomed out. For the second time, our cross-country vehicle started from Lhasa early in the morning, and it was planned to enter Qunyiba Village from the northern bank of the river through the section where the water is shallow. Little did we think that the broad riverbed of some 10 km wide made us lose our way and we returned to the southern bank.

Finally, we found bullboats to Qunyiba Village at noon. Nyima Soinam said: "The river is shallow in winter and spring. During the flood season in summer and autumn, the sand bank of one or two km wide before us will all become the river way. Bullboats have to spend over 20 minutes to cross the river carefully from the southern bank to the village. Then, it is very difficult for children to go to school, for adults to work and for people to see a doctor or buy things."

Norbu Cering said these are stone materials carried from the great mountains on southern bank of the river by walking tractors three years ago when the bridge still stood. Since it was destroyed, villagers have not been able to access the stone material resource. Can the stones left here be enough to cope with floods this year?

Nyima Soinam, 42, had served as director of villager committee for four years. He said: "32 households in Qunyiba Village have 7,000 head of livestock and over 660 hectares of forests. A household can sell 3,000 kg of surplus grain in a year. But Qunyiba Village has no access to bridge, electricity and telephone. Every year, four or five hectares of farmland and forests will be destroyed by flood."

Nearly 3 million Yuan was invested in building that concrete bridge 13 years ago. If building a dam around the village, the cost will be more astonishing. The local county government tried to move Qunyiba Village to the "mainland," but the proposal was rejected unanimously on the ground that this is the land left by the ancestors, and villagers hate to give up even a blade of grass.

In the house of Norbu Cering we saw four head of cattle eating grass leisurely in the courtyard. Chago, 42, wife of Norbu Cering, was cooking lunch for her son and daughter using cow-dung fuel. The children came home from the middle school in the county and the primary school in the county to spend the weekend. Chago said: "Floods happen every year, and we are used to it. Fears are out of the question. I only hope a new bridge will be built up above the Lhasa River for people to walk and drive walking tractors. Then children will not take a risk to go to school and parents will not worry."

"I hope the government will help us save the village. Furthermore, people in Qunyiba Village also plan to take advantage of the islet in middle of the river to run ecological tourism for urban residents!" Norbu Cering said.

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