Shangri-La Express

The much anticipated Shangri-La Express was officially launched this week in China. Connecting the central Chinese hub of Golmud with the Tibetan capital Lhasa, it was believed by the Chinese dictatorship to be the missing piece in the integration of Tibet into the People's Republic. Coming at a cost of USD3.6b, the project has been completer almost a year ahead of schedule. It was inaugurated with much pomposity, with all the usual propaganda and fanfare, by the Communist heirarchy earlier this week.

With an average elevation of 4,200 m and a peak elevation of over 5,000 m, it is easily the highest railway in the world. It is indeed an amazing feat of engineering, and as President Hu Jintao points out, a landmark achievement in railroad history. The construction workers battled against -30 C temperatures, low oxygen concentrations (because of altitude) and the cracking whip of their government. The Shangri-La railway is a status symbol for modern China as the Chinese prepare to leave behind the painful past and embrace the future.

But grave concerns have been raised about the impact of the Golmud-Lhasa stretch of the railway (the Xining-Golmud section was completed in 1984- it operates at under 1000m altitude). The Tibetan people are worried that the rail connection with central China will further dilute and oppress their culture. Already, Chinese outnumber Tibetans in Tibet; 7.5 million to 6 million. Now, with ease of travel to and from China, and the increased commercial opportunities (freight costs will fall by an estimated 75%), they fear that more and more Chinese will flood into Tibet. The Chinese government predicts that the Tibetan economy will grow enormously in the coming years- the Tibetans counter that they do not have any share in this as it is the Chinese settlers that reap the benefits and send the money back into China. Not much of it actually remains in Tibet. The only substantial investments in Tibet are government initiatives such as the Shangri-La Express, the extensive road network designed to service the Indo-China border for military access and the diabolic replica of Tiananmen Square imposed on the front courtyard of the Potala palace. An influx of foreign tourism is also expected; but again Chinese merchants are poised to gain the most from this.

However, beyond commerce, tourism and patriotism, lies the real significance of the Shangri-La railroad. It is China's permanent reminder to Tibet, as if the grotesque Mao poster opposite the Potala wasnt enough, that there is no way out for Tibet; that they are irrevocably bound to Chinese imperialism. The true importance of the railway is symbolic. It represents to not only the Tibetans, but also the Uighurs and other minorities in western China that China is the only option.

The rest of the world, despite China's enthusiasm and protests from Tibetans (they're always ignored I suppose), has not been excited by these developments in China and Tibet. If not for the environmental concerns raised about the Golmud-Lhasa track, it is unlikely that I would have even heard about this whole thing. Over 75% of the track runs over permafrost; soil that is permanently in a frozen state that occurs in areas where the mean annual temperature is below the freezing point of water. The construction in itself is not complicated (except by the temperature and air pressure) but the problem occurs when heat generated in the construction is transmitted into the ground and causes melting. The effect of such a massive construction on a delicate ecosystem largely untouched by humans is unknown. No-one exactly how fragile the Tibetan permafrost is; obviously, this concerns many environmentalists. Then of course, there is the issue of garbage and toilet waste being dumped into this pristine alpine desert. The Chinese government has assured western critics that the trains are equipped with garbage compactors to store all rubbish on board and that toilet effluent will also be stored and dumped into the sewerage systems at major train stations.

I believe that the biggest issue facing the Shangri-La will be one of safety. Soil temperatures are rising in parallel with air temperatures around the world. Whether you believe in global warming or not, this is a recorded fact. As this trend continues, and indeed, accelerates, the extent of permafrost will decrease. Continuous permafrost, such as in Tibet, will become discontinuous (seasonal) permafrost i.e. it will thaw for certain periods in the year when mean temperatures are above 0 C. This will be disastrous for the railroad as it puts tonnes of pressure on the ground, which permafrost can absorb, but boggy wet soil?? The Chinese government has rubbished these claims as fictitious. Now, I'm not sure if any data exists for Tibet, but rising soil temperatures have been recorded in many parts of the world, and there doesnt seem to be any reason to believe that Tibet is special in this regard. In fact, in neighbouring Nepal, there has been a large increase in unseasonal thawing of glaciers, flooding of alpine lakes and landslides in the last decade- all symptoms of rising temperature, global warming if I may say so.