Investment leaves Tibetans empty handed
This photograph was taken in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet and reads:
Wanted: Chinese worker: 50 Yuan. Tibetan: 30 Yuan.
China refers to Tibet as its "Western Treasure House" due to the vast mineral resources there.
In the Tibetan Autonomous Region a massive injection of Chinese government subsidies over the last decade have not in fact benefitted the Tibetan people.
Literacy levels in the Tibetan Autonomous Region compare poorly with the average literacy rate across the People's Republic of China: in 2007 the illiteracy rates in the Tibet Autonomous Regions was eight times higher than in China.
Contracts are mostly awarded to Chinese state-owned companies so that the income generated from projects in Tibet goes straight back into Chinese companies and Chinese pockets. The money goes in, but the money then goes straight back out.
To participate in the 'economic revolution in Tibet' Tibetans must be fluent in Chinese, but the majority of Tibetans are not. Chinese language work cultures also exclude the vast majority of Tibetans.
Many Tibetans feel strongly that not only have they been largely marginalised from the material benefits of the growing Tibetan economy, their identity, culture and language are also being eliminated as a result of the increasingly large number of Han Chinese in Tibetan cities, many of whom have been incentivised to move to the region.
Dhondup Wangchen, a Tibetan nomad, recorded on film the opinions of ordinary Tibetans about the Chinese policies affecting their lives.
"The Chinese are saying that they have made so many improvements in Tibet. We don't see any improvements".
Watch Dhondup Wangchen's film:
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