World’s Highest Railway
China will soon be opening the world’s highest railway, going Qinghai west then south to Lhasa in Tibet. Among the features - pressurized cars, oxygen tubes, and special ultraviolet light blocking windows. According to the AP, “The 710-mile rail line crosses mountain passes up to 16,500 feet high and large stretches of ground that is frozen year-round.”
Wired magazine’s July 2006 edition has a great first-person feature on the train, including photos and diagrams explaining how you build a train on dubious permafrost in an era of global warming.
As expected, there has been concern from human rights groups in the West about the development of the transportation link and the continued dilution of the Tibetan culture from Han Chinese. This is perhaps justified, but it’s far from being a Chinese version of America’s 19th century manifest destiny.
On this issue, AP reported some ire from the PRC: “Xinhua lashed out at critics on Saturday, calling them hypocrites who want Tibet to remain undeveloped and a ’stereotyped cultural specimen for them to enjoy.’ “
Here’s to hoping development and cultural preservation are not mutually exclusive.
