Written by Laurence Brahm - Published by Hongkong Culture on 05/03/2006

I met Zhongdian’s governor of Zhongdian Qizhala, an ethnic Tibetan. To my surprise, he was dressed not as cradre in western tie and jacket, but as an ordinary Tibetan in long dark robe. Unlike other officials in China, he made no pretension of who he was, because he knew his roots.

Sitting casually on a wooden bench between log and wooden buildings in the old section of Zhongdian, which he sought to save and preserve, Qi Zhala seemed casual, perfectly at home in his home town. He presided over what the central government has now proclaimed as “Shangri-La County”.

Pointing at the dirt road running between wooden buildings, which could have been a set from a western movie, I asked, “Is this a street in The Tea Caravan Route?”

“Yes,” he replied briskly. “The tea caravan route ran from Simao and Pu’er to Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian, over the mountains to Chamdo and Lhasa, and eventually to India and Nepal. Throughout the Ming and Qing dynastics, this was a mayor trade route. During those days, when caravans plied the mountains, Zhongdian was an important station on the route.”

“Is that why you wish to preserve the old town of Zhongdian,” I asked. “Other cities in China are busy destroying their old sections, obliterating their own heritage in the name of development. What do you want to achieve?”

Qi Zhala explained, “The ancient city of Zhongdian has heritage value that must be preserved. This city dates from the Tang Dynasty and as a trade station, it, was also a center for multi-cultural integration between Tibetan, Chinese, Naxi and Bai. Architectural heritage merged and many of the old cities of the Qinghai Tibetan plateau are already gone. Aside from the Barkor in Lhasa, Zhongdian is one of the few ancient cities still in tact, so we want to keep it that way and preserve it.”

“Then you are saying that along the Tea Caravan Route, Zhongdian is one of the best preserved or least damaged of the ancient cities or caravan station?”

“You could say from the whole Tea Caravan Route, especially in the Tibetan regions, that this is one of the most well-preserved Tibetan cities, and we want to protect its architectural heritage.” Explained Qi Zhala. “Moreover, it is our intention to protect the environment. The local people support it and our planning departments have decided to protect it comprehensively.”

“This represents really progressive innovation compared to anywhere in China,” I ventured. “What about Beijing, the nation’s capital. Is the plan in raising the old city for the Olympics and leaving a few Chinese facades like moive sets, destroying everything of heritage value?”

“We think differently,” Qi Zhala nodded with confidence. “The old should be kept old, and it should be preserved with cultural protection as the central objective. Some cities use just superficial cultural motifs by tearing down the old city and replacing it with steel and cement structures. This creates something from what it was originally. We have chosen a separate path—to protect the old heritage because history is continuity. Preserving our culture within is true heritage protection.”

“You are really a leader, pioneering heritage protection in China.”

“There are other examples of cities that are well preserved.” Qi Zhala added graciously. “Lijiang and Dali are such examples. We want to study the successful examples and avoid the mistakes of other cities. Moreover, our intention is not to just commercially exploit the old city, but carefully protecting the architectural heritage and preserving our culture through this process.”

“Most cities in China are just cement structures covered with bathroom tiles and blue glass. The whole country seemed to be fixated with Freudian bathroom fixtures for external decoration. Zhongdian has not done this. Why?”

“This was a group decision of ours,” Qi Zhala admitted, “We already starred doing this, but we recognized the problem early and we are determined to tear down the tiles and blue glass, creating a Tibetan look for the new city stuctures using orginal materials. It is not just face-masking the city, but reviving the original Tibetan architectural style and heritage in the new city. As for the old city, it will not be touched.”

“But how will you address rechinical infrastructure needs for the old city?”

“We want to have a traditional cultural city. Our city may appear ancient, but we will have modern electricity, water, and other facilities. But where we have the ancient culture, it should be protected.”

“This effort will in turn protect the environment surrounding the old city, won’t it?”

“Shangri-La is a rare ecosystem zone,” Qi Zhala explained, “with an enormous diversity of environment, ecology and culture. So it needs to be protected. Protecting the environment, architecture and traditional culture and the supporting sectors is an integrated effort. Forests, waters, and mountains need an accelerated protection measure that also involves fighting pollution and garbage. We will not allow plastic bags and anything else alien to affect the environment even on the use of agricultural pesticides, we have very strict measure as to what can be use so as not to destroy the soil or have any adverse spin-off effects.”

“You approach is so different form Beijing’s,” I pointed out, “Where the city government, in the name of rapid development, not only obliterated its cultural heritage but has turned the city into an environmental disaster unsuitable for human beings to live in.”

“We feel our environment is part of our human heritage,” Qi Zhala replied, “We must protect it and the culture that is an integral part. Actual protection of forest and ecology is interrelated with the protection of the culture. If you do not have blue skies and green mountainsides, then there is no Shangri-La. If you do not have traditional culture, then the ecology misses its spirit. Actually, protecting ethnic people’s culture in traditional form naturally protects the environment.”

“Are you saying by protecting Tibetan culture,” I asked “Tibetans by nature will in turn protect the environment because that, in itself, is integral to their culture?”

“When we talk about ecological protection, we must talk about our Tibetan culture,” Qi Zhala emphasized. “We Tibetans herb animals, which is a traditional occupation in conflict with industrial development. We do not need industrial development here in Zhongdian. We have selected sectors to develop, such as traditional herding, agriculture and crafts. We do not want the kind of industrial development that will destroy our ecosystem. People and nature should be in close relationship and should nor be in conflict. Nature is not to be destroyed or we will destroy ourselves. Shangri-La may only be an ideal from a philosophical perspective, but a place where humanity and environment are in harmony and spirituality exceeds materialism can be achieved.

“Is your approach in conflict with China’s established development model, measuring success based on GDP growth, as well as how much cement and steel can be churned into real estate projects, or how many fancy big cars can choke the streets?”

“Real development involves protection,” Qi Zhala was emphatic. “Recognizing and protecting what is really important represents true development. Actually ecological protection is a sector onto itself. This sector fits our traditional lifestyle and our own region. We have chosen it. The total picture of development is not just high-rise building and smoke stacks. Sure, you can urbanize yourselves; but this does not necessarily mean you are developed. Development is not only large-scale industrialization. We have over 300,000 people here. We see development in a larger perspective. Protecting our mountains forests and lifestyle is development for us.”

Laurence Brahm is a global activist, international mediator, political columnist and author. He is the leading advocate of a fresh development paradigm - The Himalayan Consensus - an innovative approach to development.

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