Himalayan Times (1955)

>i* ^jimalagan Qxvoe* Januaiy 23, I95f

MINERAL DEPOSITS IN TIBET

BY LI PU

FOLLOWING the libe- On every hand, there our geological surve

ration of Tibet in May were signs th&t the Tibe- group.

1951, the Central People s tans, were once a thriving fn thfi _nrl„ . ■

Government of the Peo- people. Their 30-leHer nf iSJ

pie's Republic of China phonetic alphabet dates { ol^ILn J u to S

sent 57 well.qualified Chi- back 1,300 years. Their ' " a ^ at H«

nese scientists to study literature discloses a high r£*o£TJ\ « h „ r?

nature and society on the Lei of culture which wL ^^^ £«t£° *

entire Tibetan plateau enriched bv contact with *^ religious centre ib „,

.including Sikana. Th« t niSi ^a Dy contact with northern part of ! he reg o,

the iands inhabit by ^ SSZ^PmL t° e feTarea^

out of poverty and btk «re" »°h»"™"'°'«°1>'- ol ,t the Nu river (whie

" j P0T5"y »no oacK tectum doting bact to h-comes the - ■»,en i

zi^Zm arts sr re,t sr-^r ?s=s^te.'

groups. I was with the Z?iESfJSJ5Si TZv'Zt ^'lZ

gerogrPaphfersge 0S'SU "d J* bwn "•»-».«"•'!- nSf through

gouyiapiiers. tution was everywhere and 7 ■■ ° , ■

Land Cf Contradictions the land was 'supporting ,ha,pe; Valleyf/Ui ^ 3agg<

w„ x- i rp.i . , o.pyui iiiig mountains, lo i tie wts

We found libet a less and e?s peop e. This i i

i^a ~r „~ ^ a- ^ u rT s nearer its headuaters i

land ot contradictions. was the resu t of centuries l

Tll„„„ „_„ . . c . , tclu""ts weaves qu.et v throug

I here was iron ore almost of oppre sion by re ac- the hieh uras^l-rt s 4ltc

everywhere that we went, tionary overlords, both eeLw 1 we oroceede

and evidence that it was Manchu and Han, who ^ teat the ter„!

once mined. Yet the peo- sowed dissension among i ' i 5

f„„ au .a... ' , ai,luIlr< become more and mor<

pie, with a few excep- the Tibetan clans and |evel M_11V rivers in lhi

tions, were cooking in monasteries to exploit them ' ai t of Tbet ha e d

crude pots hollowed out the easier, and of inva- P , ♦ i J . k

of soapstone. When our sion and 'intrigues from 2 J f inl

agricultural scientists first abroad. Though the Tib™ to form. itfMj

went to Tibet, very few tan people fought heroi- Zes 1

crops were being grown cally against all these q„„ ■, n r„ the

there-huskless barley, forms of oppression they fs°?h ? .1,1

spring wheat, turnips, peL " were unable to overcome ^ °f He,h°' W° I „ I

and broad beans Subse- them until the liberatio" *-™U%Z' 18 "oO^d

E fctheresSoenwhas otftlf ^ *™ - eveL^neS

suitable tor a very wide general observations, I above sea level lay the

variety ot grain and vege- wnnH UbQ t~ ^ u a^vo '-^^ .

table Vrnnf T to desc"be inland lakes, separated

the travels and work cf from each other by gently