| CHINA DAILY Supplement | chinadaily.com.cn | PAGE S1-4 | Tuesday, November 26, 2019 Oasis of natural Recognition of traditional crafts beauty opening has rural economy all sewn up By Yuan Shenggao

Zhu Ernu, a 53-year-old farm- up to tourists er, was taught traditional embroidery — also known as Qing embroidery — by her mother throughout childhood. Thanks Province boasts ultraclean plateau, to that, she founded her own company. On Aug 30, she was invited to a forum ancient cultural heritage and rich mineral resources on traditional crafts and rural revitaliza- tion as an inheritor of Qing embroidery. By Hao Nan known as one of four ultraclean China’s total and 60 percent glob- The inheritance and innovation of Qing [email protected] areas in the world by UNESCO, ally. The province is also one of embroidery became a major topic of the said. China’s demonstration provinces in event. Northwest China’s Qinghai prov- Qinghai boasts the richest biodi- the clean energy sector. Taking steps to At the forum, Zhu displayed the ince is increasing efforts to allow versity among high-altitude regions Having a mixed culture, such embroidery on her clothes that she made more people from across the world internationally. The total value of as Hehuang and Regong, Qinghai herself. Attendees were amazed at her to learn about its natural beauty the province’s ecological resourc- has developed into an important promote coexistence handicraft and skills. and unique culture. es reaches nearly 19 trillion yuan national ethnic cultural protection Zhu said she didn’t expect that the Qinghai residents promote Tibetan-style blankets. provided to china daily The province got its name from ($2.73 trillion), he noted. and tourist destination. “ordinary” skills in her eyes had become Qinghai Lake, China’s largest inland In 2015, Qinghai was approved “We have organized several inter- a representative item of intangible cul- saltwater lake, said , to build the Sanjiangyuan National national activities like a cycling race, and social development tural heritage in Qinghai. work for family workshops, embroidery local Party secretary. Park. This made it one of the first a swimming competition across the “Embroiderers like me are riding the companies and art studios. Since ancient times, whenever provinces in China to carry out a pilot Yellow River and a poetry festival. By ZHANG DANDAN wave (of national support for traditional Weaving Tibetan-style blankets is people mention Qinghai Lake they program for the national park sys- They have raised Qinghai’s profile [email protected] crafts),” Zhu said. Besides Zhu, about another intangible cultural heritage item think of “green lake”, “blue sea” or tem. In August this year, the province and expanded its influence,” said 100 other inheritors of Qing embroidery in Qinghai. The province has established “fairyland” due to its picturesque held China’s first forum on national Ning, governor of Qinghai. Paying close attention to local participated in the event. a reputation as a key Tibetan blanket scenery. parks in its capital city, . For years, both the number of ethnic groups’ cultural protection “With the support of the government production center. Riding high on the Qinghai is the source of three of The two-day event attracted more tourists and tourism revenue in and living environment, North- and so many people working hard to Belt and Road Initiative, a growing num- China’s most important rivers: the than 450 representatives of regula- the province have had an annual west China’s Qinghai province develop the embroidery, there is no rea- ber of Qinghai-made Tibetan blankets Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang. The tory agencies, experts and scholars growth rate of 20 percent. has made great strides in pro- son for us not to inherit and practice the are exported to Europe. This helps to first two are known as the mother from home and abroad. They dis- “We will create a series of tour- moting multicultural coexistence skills well,” Zhu said. promote Qinghai’s culture and crafts, rivers of China. The Lancang (or cussed topics including construc- ism activities that will break the and boosting economic and social These achievements can be attrib- Qinghai Daily quoted Ma Xinmin, board Mekong) is one of the most impor- tion and management of nature seasonal restrictions, such as self- development. uted to the province’s efforts to pol- chairman of Qinghai Tibetan Sheep Car- tant water systems in Asia. It flows reserves, biodiversity protection and driving tours, culinary trips and a With ethnic groups making up ish the brand of Qing embroidery, said pets (Group) as saying. through China, Myanmar, Laos, the future of natural heritage sites. journey highlighting folk customs 47 percent of its total population, Lyu Xia, deputy director of the Qinghai Regong in Qinghai is famous for Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam “The success of the forum has and intangible cultural heritage,” Qinghai is a province of multi- Provincial Department of Culture and thangka, a kind of Tibetan scroll paint- before joining the South China Sea. opened a new window for Qinghai Liu added. ethnic gathering, multireligious Tourism. ing, and has made advances in protect- With a total area of 720,000 to connect with the country and the Opening up to the outside world, coexistence and multicultural Lyu said Qing embroidery is an assort- ing its intangible cultural heritage. square kilometers, the province world,” Wang said. Qinghai has formed comprehensive integration. ment of Qinghai and Tibetan embroi- With a total of 330 intangible cultural boasts more than 5,000 lakes and In addition to its natural beauty, road and high-speed rail networks. Therefore, the integrated devel- dery, Huangzhong county embroidery An embroider shows her heritage items, 128 demonstration fami- 4,200 rivers. Annually it supplies the province is home to abundant It also facilitates routes linking sev- opment of all ethnic groups is and Hehuang Valley embroidery. It also Qinghai-style embroidery work. lies, 257 representative inheritors and some 60 billion cubic meters of mineral and energy resources. The en countries and regions, as well as Modern face of Xining, capital of Qinghai province in Northwest China. Li Xiaogang / for china daily the cornerstone of the province’s includes traditional embroidery skills provided to china daily 37,000 cultural industry practitioners, freshwater to lower reaches, ben- potential value of proven miner- 107 domestic destinations. economic development and social learned from ethnic groups like Tu, Salar local people have increased efforts in efiting millions of people, data from als, including metal, petroleum and The province has gradually From left: Rural students at school in Banyan village in Qinghai’s Huzhu Tu autonomous county. provided to china daily Cyclists from China and abroad compete during the Tour of Qinghai Lake 2018. provided to china daily stability, according to the local and Mongolian people. commercializing their crafts and engag- the provincial government show. shale gas, now reaches about 105 become a transport hub linking Chi- government. In Qinghai, women used to embroider inheritors of embroidery. There are more ing with industry. Qinghai is located on the “planet’s trillion yuan. The Qarhan Salt Lake na’s east and west, southwest and Statistics of the Qinghai Provin- by hand for their families; from wedding than 50 embroidery enterprises and “Intangible cultural heritage is a sym- third pole” — the Qinghai-Tibet Pla- is the largest of its kind in China northwest. It is also an important Hand-pulled noodles cial Department of Culture and dresses to insoles. The folk art developed organizations. Nearly 300,000 people bol of a nation’s wisdom,” said Shi Xiao- teau. The plateau has the world’s and second-largest in the world, gateway to the South and Central Tourism show that by the end of through a large number of artisans and are engaged in the industry, accounting bo, an official from the Qinghai culture largest stretches of alpine wetlands, with salt reserves of more than 60 Asian countries, Liu said. 2018, the province had six items has witnessed a close cultural bond with for 5 percent of the province’s popula- and tourism department. grasslands, shrubs, forests and oth- billion metric tons. As for international relations, and Tibetan medicine listed among intangible cultur- local ethnic groups. The embroiders use tion. In the future, the province will launch er ecosystems. Green and blue space Moreover, Qinghai’s proven lith- Qinghai has 182 trading partners al heritage of humanity, and 73 their skillful hands to carry forward the According to the Qinghai culture more projects to protect heritage items. accounts for more than 70 percent ium reserves reach 17.24 million and friendship ties with 20 cities national-level and 253 provincial- ancient art. and tourism department, embroidery Such projects include establishing the of the total area. The plateau was tons, accounting for 83 percent of from 17 countries, Wang said. level intangible cultural heritage At present, the province has 12 catego- has become an important channel for intangible cultural heritage list, increas- helping Qinghai win items. ries of intangible cultural heritage proj- women in rural areas to make a living. ing the group of inheritors and making a As the only province nation- ects in embroidery and 19 representative Instead of working individually, they digital record of the items, Shi said. GDP ROBUST GROWTH OVER THE Per capita GDP Unit: million yuan Unit: yuan fight against poverty wide with three national-level PAST DECADES experimental areas of cultural ecology protection so far, Qing- Economic boom hai has taken the lead in protect- By Liang Kaiyan in the village over the past two ing local culture, according to an Number of 417,800 [email protected] years, he added. official at the Qinghai Tibetan Ecological efforts bear fruit market entities As a calling card of Qinghai, the Buddhism research center. Qinghai province has made By Erik Nilsson 169,000 lamian (hand-pulled noodle) sec- Due to rapid changes in the remarkable achievements in pov- tor has offered another approach natural and social environment, and Zheng Jinran in Xining erty alleviation in recent years, to fighting poverty. some intangible cultural heri- 286,523 47,689 local officials said. Home to the noodle, Haidong in tage cannot find a proper use The “roof of the world” shelters the 2018 2018 Government statistics show that the northeast of Qinghai province, in modern life, resulting in a global ecosystem. But many of the pil- 2012 2018 since 2013, Qinghai has helped is such an example. In the city, one danger of losing inheritance, lars that prop up the Qinghai-Tibet Pla- 1.08 million local people escape out of three people is engaged in Tibetan children are excited by their new home after a welfare institute opened in Tianjun A sanitation worker in Qinghai. experts said. teau’s ecology have come under assault Consumer retail 83,556 poverty. The incidence of poverty operating noodle businesses, and county, Qinghai province. provided to china daily provided to china daily To solve the problem, the Golog from such forces as climate change and Unit: million yuan had decreased from 24.6 percent in its rural areas, one out of every Tibetan autonomous prefecture desertification. in 2012 to 2.5 percent by the end two families runs such a business, in Qinghai province introduced a In response, the central and Qinghai of 2018. said Ma Jinxing, head of the Haid- three-year plan of training 1,000 provincial governments are adopting The per capita disposable ong employment bureau. people in intangible cultural heri- innovative solutions not only to protect 34.7 income of farmers and herdsmen To date, the city is home to 578 tage crafts in 2016. places under threat, but also to restore 1949 2018 in impoverished areas increased companies engaged in the noodle The autonomous prefecture has degraded lands. from 5,594 yuan ($800) in 2012 to business, which have created 9,786 Villagers show their gratitude for their improved lives after they benefited from rural tourism, running rural breakfast-and-bed businesses and selling traditional handicrafts and other local specialties, since they were relocated from their original mountainous held 14 training sessions on intan- Last year alone, Qinghai’s grass cover- 10,393 yuan in 2018. job opportunities, Ma said. dwellings in 2016. provided to china daily gible cultural heritage, involving age increased by more than 25 percent. Improved life quality “Areas of extreme poverty are The noodle industry has helped more than 740 participants. And the province set a world record 135,043 24,098 the most difficult parts of poverty Haidong generate 15.4 billion yuan By collaborating with top uni- when it ran entirely on green energy for Urbanization rate among 2010 2010 Qilian Mountains Forest Park in Qinghai. Zhang Shumin / for china daily permanent population alleviation in Qinghai and the in business revenue and realize a versities in China, the Yushu 360 consecutive hours in June, beating Unit: percent province has set a goal to elimi- total of 4.2 billion yuan in employee Tibetan autonomous prefecture records it set in 2017 and 2018, according nate absolute poverty by the end income. In 2017, the Qinghai pro- in the province has made efforts to Huanghe Hydropower Development, 54.5 of this year,” said Ma Fengsheng, vincial government issued a guide- to promote the sustainable devel- its major provider of new energy. earned less than 2,000 yuan ($280) a from entry fees to the garden since it 2018 head of the Qinghai Poverty Alle- line on encouraging the noodle opment of intangible cultural During the same period, it even pro- year. Isolation made it difficult to send opened. Each ticket costs 20 yuan. viation and Development Bureau. sector and promoting employment. heritage. duced surplus power that it shared with children to school. More than 200,000 travelers visited 44.7 Since 2018, the Qinghai provin- The province is planning to Last year, the autonomous pre- central and eastern provinces. Currently, Now they live in new homes with run- food and entertainment venues in the 2010 cial government has spent more build a noodle business hub cen- fecture organized 30 inheritors of 86 percent of Qinghai’s installed energy ning water and gas. In addition to sub- village last year, generating 5 million 23,938 4,728 than 75 percent of its annual tering on an industrial park, Ma traditional Yushu costume to visit capacity comes from renewables. sidies, they earn money patrolling the yuan and supporting 4,000 jobs, Li said. 1999 1999 34.6 budget to promote social welfare said. From left: Tibetan people in Qinghai dance to showcase local culture. provided to china daily Employees work in a lithium-ion storage battery plant in Qinghai. Li Xiaogang / for china daily to the Institute of Fashion Meanwhile, the endangered Tibetan mountains and rivers. Qinghai is keeping a close eye on its 1999 including education, employment, Qinghai will introduce third- Technology. antelope population has increased to “The patrols control poaching and oth- ecology. Since 2016, it has built 1,579 medical care, culture and infra- party payment companies to the In 2017, 20 inheritors of local 70,000 from fewer than 20,000 in the er activities that harm the environment,” monitoring stations as part of a compre- 1,554 18.6 428 structure. industrial park to offer financial A herdsman who injured his leg receives treatment in a hospital Qinghai is a major wolfberry production hub in China. provided to china daily Tibetan traditional craft from 1980s, provincial environmental authori- Gega Namgyee said. hensive network. Cameras installed at 1978 1978 1978 Kasar village in Nangqen county services to Qinghai-style noodle in Qinghai. provided to china daily Region on fast track to becoming greener with blessing from NEA Yushu got the opportunity to visit ties said. At the same time, at Qarhan Salt Lake, the source of the three rivers, known as at the Yushu Tibetan autonomous restaurants and related compa- the Academy of Arts and Design Qinghai is the source of three great for instance, the authorities are devel- Sanjiangyuan, also monitor wildlife and 163 5.2 101 prefecture in Qinghai is a poverty- nies, he added. at Tsinghua University. rivers — the Yangtze, the Yellow and the oping sustainable, eco-friendly ways to human activity, including illegal fishing, 1952 1952 1952 stricken area living on farming Praised as an inclusive place for By Song Mengxing to develop into a national clean This year, a similar 15-day event the country’s first 13 circular econo- and can offer about 15 million tons of Development is the key to solv- Lancang (or Mekong) — major water- use resources and attract tourists at the hunting and camping. Video surveillance and herding. traditional Tibetan medicine, Qin- A clean energy power station in Qinghai features photovoltaic panels and hydropower. Rich in rivers, Qinghai has distinct advantages in developing the [email protected] energy demonstration province. was held from June 9-23, when pow- my pilot sites. organic fertilizers annually. ing various problems in ethnic ways that supply China, and in the case same time. and motorcycle patrols, which are under- Ratio of residents in poverty to Residents' disposable income per percent To date, more than 5.55 million people are In 2015, 123 out of 251 house- ghai has also made full use of its provided to china daily hydropower industry. provided to china daily By the end of June, the province’s er supply from clean energy reached 11 Production of potash fertilizer Qinghai’s agricultural and ani- areas, Qinghai officials said. The of the Lancang, also parts of Southeast The 5,856-square-kilometer body of taken 22 days a month, enable authori- total population capita in poor areas of China’s solar energy resources Unit: percent beneficiaries of the country's basic medical holds in the village suffered from advantages to develop its medical On a river bank in the installed capacity of new energy had almost 2.84 billion kWh. is almost mature and stable, local mal products, such as yaks, Tibetan province has stepped up efforts to Asia. water is rich in potassium, magnesium ties to punish violators, said monitoring Unit: yuan is from Qinghai insurance program in Qinghai province. poverty. industry and improve livelihood. Tibetan autonomous prefecture, surpassed 12 million kW. Statistics The power not only satisfied the media reported, adding Qinghai has sheep and highland barley, are of develop the local economy. The village of Changjiangyuan takes and lithium. “All exploitation produces center staff member Losang Tashi. Sotso, a local villager, said he To date, the province has more rows of blue solar panels stand near show Qinghai contributed about province’s own needs but was also gained a leading global position in natural varieties and have broad In 2018, the province allocated a its name from its location near the source zero pollution,” said Xie Kangmin, CEO “The fact that we’re observing more The combined number of low-income apartments experienced hardships when he than 450 traditional Tibetan medi- pylons. It is one of two large pho- 11 percent of China’s solar energy transmitted to eight other regions terms of both technology and pro- market prospects. total of 440 million yuan ($62.89 of the Changjiang, or Yangtze, although of Qinghai Salt Lake Industry. animals, such as Tibetan antelope, dem- and renovated housing, both subsidized by the 26.4 2.5 5,594 10,393 took his son, who has epilepsy, cal institutions and opened public tovoltaic power centers that Qing- resources, and theoretical reserves including and related resources has become a pillar duction scale. The Ministry of Agriculture and million) as special support funds it has moved from the remote grassland For instance, all magnesium chloride onstrates ecological improvement,” he 2012 2018 local government, has reached 452,000. 2012 2018 to see a doctor due to poor traffic Tibetan medicine hospitals in 70 hai province in Northwest China is of the province’s hydroelectricity provinces. industry in Qinghai. Exploitation and utilization of Rural Affairs and Qinghai signed an to promote economic and social to just outside the city of Golmud. produced while processing potash is cap- said. conditions in the past. percent of its counties. developing. resources is 21.87 million kW. Qinghai has formulated a plan Qaidam Basin in the province salt-lake resources in Qinghai has agreement on cooperating to develop development, which has yielded A top Chinese leader made a visit in tured and used to make other products. The center also shares data in real time Green move Transport expansion But now, residents can get access “Tibetan medicine is not only a By early October, 45 billion yuan Qinghai has held seven-day and for developing into a national clean abounds in salt-lake resources. Its improved in recent years and a circu- the province into a demonstration positive results, according to the August 2016, asking villagers about their The lake is also developing tourism, with government agencies and NGOs, to safe drinking water and harvest medical science but also contains ($6.45 billion) had been invested nine-day events to achieve 100 per- energy demonstration province. exploitable reserves of mineral salt lar industrial system has been estab- production center of organic farm local government. Qinghai province is life after the move and highlighting the which has become a major green indus- said Li Fei, director of the information Area of environmental restoration Road mileage Expressway mileage Rail mileage crops with machines, thanks to profound wisdom of the Chinese in the center, which is capable of cent power supply by clean energy Accordingly, the province plans to reached 340 billion tons, including lished involving exploitation of the products. The ministry will provide By establishing a communica- home to scores of importance of protecting the environ- try in many places in Qinghai. center under the provincial environmen- in Sanjiangyuan, the source of the Unit: km Unit: km Unit: km the support from the government, nation,” said Dondrub, head of the generating more than 4.49 million since 2017. During the events, clean be at the forefront nationally on the 735 million tons of potassium chlo- resources, and industries of energy, leadership, technology, policy sup- tion and cooperation platform ethnic groups. ment. On July 1, Xinzhuang, a village in Gao- tal protection authority, which runs the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang, or Sotso said. Qinghai Province Administration kilowatts in concentrated solar energy such as water, wind and sun- energy’s development and utilization ride and more than 17 million tons chemicals, nonferrous metal, new port and project capital and help to for local industries, Qinghai con- graphics by Gega Namgyee, an elderly villager, miao township, opened a garden where monitoring network. Mekong, rivers 3,937 82,137 All levels of government have of Traditional Chinese and Tibetan power. light is used to support civil, corpo- by the end of 2020. Clean energy is of lithium chloride. energy and new materials. reduce use of chemical fertilizer and tributed to collaboration between li xiaotian / china daily said: “Grazing and garbage were harm- visitors can enjoy flowers and cultural Initiatives to protect the environment, Unit: sq km 2,250 395,000 been dedicated to improving infra- Medicine. Qinghai has made clean ener- rate and municipal power utiliza- projected to account for 41 percent of The province’s salt lake industry Qinghai is also on the way to pesticide and establish a traceability 652 private enterprises and 1,430 ing the plateau. The relocation and activities. Local authorities plan to cul- restore degraded areas and improve structure in rural areas, said Ma Qinghai will continue to pro- gy one of its four calling cards to tion. In last year’s nine-day event, the province’s total energy consump- has boasted five categories: sylvite, becoming a demonstration province system of agricultural products. poverty-stricken villages. reduced herding have helped to revive tivate more scenery and, in particular, human development mean that Qing- 152,300 Chengxue, Party secretary of the mote the culture of traditional achieve high-quality development Qinghai used clean energy to supply tion by then. sodium salt, magnesium salt, lithium of organic agricultural and animal Qinghai plans to replace chemical A total of 900 million yuan has the grassland.” restore mountainside vegetation, accord- hai’s future not only looks brighter but 18,679 121 village. Tibetan medicine, and develop since 2018 and wants to build itself 1.76 billion kilowatt-hours, equiva- The province also emphasizes the salt and chlor-alkali. products. It is one of the country’s fertilizer with organic fertilizer on been invested in projects, indus- More than 400 herders started the ing to village Party secretary Li Chan- also greener. 472 94 They have helped tackle the traditional Tibetan medicine and into a special zone of electricity. lent to reducing 800,000 metric comprehensive utilization of salt Magnesium metal has become a five pasturing areas and has more all crops and reduce the usage of trial support and donations, ben- relocation process in 2004. The nomads glong. 2005 2018 1959 2000 2018 2002 2018 1959 2018 problems of road construction, relevant health tourism, Dondrub The National Energy Adminis- tons of coal fire and an emission of lake resources. It is home to more key project in the Qaidam circular than 20 million cattle and sheep. It is pesticides by more than 60 percent efiting 154,000 people from all had previously moved around in tents So far, every resident has received Contact the writers at Source: The Qinghai provincial government MUKESH MOHANAN & LI XINLEI / CHINA DAILY drinking water and power supply said. Beichuanhe Wetland Park in Xining provides a popular destination for locals and tourists to relax. Li Xiaogang / for china daily A high-speed train runs through Qinghai. The province on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a convenient transport network linking it with other regions. Li JUn / for china daily A wind power farm in Qinghai. provided to china daily tration in March approved Qinghai 1.44 million tons of carbon dioxide. than 100 such lakes. Utilization of economy experimental area, one of home to more than 2,800 large farms by the end of 2023. ethnic groups. during warmer months. On average, they 1,000 yuan per mu (1/15th of a hectare) [email protected]