Lost horizon, found China's Tibet today, amid widespread modernization, is certainly no romantic Shangri La. What it is, is a gripping documentary of an Asian country's unrelenting effort to get up and be counted among the league of developed nations. >> China for more trade through Nathu La Though the Nathu La pass was opened for border trade between India and China on July 6, trade activity has not picked up till now and the Chinese government is disappointed with that. >> On top of the world Travel writer Paul Theroux once prophesied that the erstwhile Hi-malayan kingdom of Tibet would remain protected from Han Chinese influence owing to an accident of geography. >> Tibet train leads to Nathu-La buzz The reality, of course, is that the pass has just been opened for limited border trade, and even preliminary negotiations are yet to begin between New Delhi and Beijing about the movement of people, tourists or other-wise, across this land route. >> Golden Roof Shining in the Sun Tibet. Land of mysteries. Unknown to the external world even in the early decades of the twentieth century. Great valleys crouching beneath snow laden mountains. Lakes mirroring blankets of snow. Majestic Buddhist edifices. Conspicuous to the world for political reasons, this dark land enclosed by huge mountains ranges was sparingly trodden till recently. >> Rails that Touch the Skies China, the land of the Great Wall, one of the great miracles of world, is all set to astonish the world with yet another miracle. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway line is to be realized in March 2006 as the tallest railway line in the world. And it would sure be a technological marvel. >> Bengal Ring in Tibet Call "Go tell the world that we want investment to come and we offer them all facilities. Our party will do everything for development." Familiar stuff for someone from Buddhiadeb Bhattacharjee's Bengal. >> The New Face of Tibet For centuries few people could lay eyes on the mysterious kingdom of Tibet, called the "land of the snow and the roof of the world". But with the Chinese policy of "opening up", this landlocked Autonomous Province of China is no longer the hidden kingdom that so charmed and mesmerized the early western travelers that they risked their lives to reach Lhasa and have a glimpse of the famous Potala. >> Tibet on Trade Track Tibet is keen to follow the rest of China in opening up to the world. That could mean a new turn in China's relations with India, since all of the 3,500-km border between the two countries runs along the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). >> Many Roads to China's Tibet Policy In 1951, there were hardly any roads in Tibet. At a relentless pace and extraordinary cost, Mao changed the nature of Tibet's connectivity. It was raining when we left Lhasa. Our destination, the small town of Nyingchi more than 400 km away in the southeastern corner of Tibet, is perhaps less important than the road we have taken. >>
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