Science and technology

By the end of 2005, Tibet had 33 State-owned independent scientific institutions, nine non-governmental scientific institutions, 54 kinds of academic communities, 140 institutions for popularization of agricultural and husbandry technology at all levels, employing 38,227 specialized technical personnel over 70 percent of them from Tibet and other ethnic minorities, including 1,825 research specialist staff (one of whom is an academician of China Engineering Academy). Tibet also has one State-class pivotal laboratory, four Science and technology demonstration gardens, five pivotal laboratories at autonomous regional level, three engineering technology research centers at autonomous region level. All these have helped endow Tibet with an initial scientific research and extension system with plateau characteristics.

In 2005, Tibetan research specialist staff undertook 23 State scientific and technological programs, 28 key scientific and technological programs at autonomous region level, and submitted 102 patent applications, 44 of which were authorized. In the approval of key scientific and technological programs, Tibet has always given priority to scientific research of agriculture and animal husbandry, covering more than 50 percent of the total cost of scientific research and bringing about strong economic growth in agriculture and animal husbandry with a contribution rate of 27.5 percent. Recently, Tibet has further strengthened the work of introducing and raising selective fine-strain livestock as well as the test and demonstration activities, carrying out the project of introducing and developing fine-quality and high-efficiency new crops and livestock. Thanks to such projects, Tibet has introduced 9,834 new types of crops and pastures, 307 breeders (fowls), and extended 30 types of crops (six of which have won approval through examination by the autonomous region) and six types of livestock.

Tibet carried out a group of key projects such as "quickly improving the quality traits of Tibetan wheat with bio-technology", "breeding research on Tibetan pigs and Tibetan chickens". Furthermore, it has also made new progress in basic or applied basic research with plateau characteristics. For example, the Yangbajing international cosmic ray observation project on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is well appraised at home and abroad. Great achievements have also been made in research on the prevention and control of mud-rock flows, road damage, earthquakes and other geological disasters, meteorological forecasting and utilization of remote sensing technology, comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and eco-environmental protection, and exploitation of mineral resources. Some of these programs are setting the pace in China and even in the world.

During the period from 2001 to 2005, Tibet had basically formed up a pattern of science and technology promoting agriculture and animal husbandry. Up to now, Tibet has further strengthened the work of introducing and feeding chosen of fine-strain livestock as well as the test and demonstration, carrying out the project of introducing and feeding fine-quality and high-efficiency new crops and livestock. Thanks to such a project, Tibet has introduced 9,834 new types of crops and pastures, 307 breeders (fowls), extending 30 types of crops (six of which has won approval through examination by the autonomous region) and six types of livestock. Tibet carried out a group of key projects such as "quickly improving the quality traits of Tibetan wheat with bio-technology", "breeding research on Tibetan pigs and Tibetan chickens" and "research on the breeding technology of Northwest Tibet cashmere goats".

With a view to promoting transformation of scientific and technological achievements as well as the introduction of advanced technology, Tibet has built 37 scientific and technological bases for demonstration purposes and pilot programs in various eco-regions and spread 20 items of advanced pragmatic technology for use in agriculture and animal husbandry. It established five demonstration bases, including elementary species of crops, improved varieties of vegetables, semi-fine wool sheep breeding, improvement of scalpers, comprehensive test procedures combining agriculture and animal husbandry, mainly spreading high-quality species like Tibet Rape No. 5. As a result, Tibet has transferred four million kg seeds into and out of the region, extended the area of test demonstration of introducing fine herbage to 257.8 hectares. Simultaneously, it has widely engaged in improving and breeding scalpers, sheep and goats, research and demonstration popularization of grass planting, short-term fattening, prevention of common livestock diseases, microbe-treated straw, and yak breeding through frozen semen. Thanks to these measures, Tibet had over 44,000 breeding key households (special households and demonstrated households) of all types, 15,000 improved scalpers and 60,000 improved sheep, bringing in more income for farmers and herders.

Hi-tech enterprises and scientific and technological enterprises are growing quickly thanks to the measures of policy support, normal management and intensified service. At present, there are 15 hi-tech enterprises. In 2004, the production value of scientific and technological enterprises reached 513 million Yuan, with taxes paid amounting to 69.5 million Yuan. The high-efficiency greenhouses and multi-span greenhouses in modern agriculture demonstration gardens have reached the stage of scientific research and experimentation and begun to play a role of demonstration and radiation action. Lhasa Chengguan District Integrated Demonstration Base of Scientific and Technological Industry, Bainang County Modern Agriculture Science and Technology Example Garden, Xigaze Gyangdang Eco-Agricultural Science and Technology Garden have brought obvious economic and social benefits since they were established.

Public health

There were no modern medical and healthcare institutions before peaceful liberalization. The PLA initiated public health undertakings once they had peacefully liberated Tibet in 1951. For more than half a century, the State has allocated a total of 1.8 billion Yuan to develop medical and health undertakings in the region. Other fraternal provinces (cities) also provide assistance to the TAR, dispatching 35 groups of medical teams and 363 medical workers, donating medical and healthcare equipment worth nearly seven million Yuan, helping build the Infectious Diseases Hospital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Pharmaceutical Factory of Tibetan Medicine of the Tibet Autonomous Region, In-Patient Department of Lhasa People’s Hospital, reproductive health training center of the TAR and rebuilding or extending hospitals of seven prefectures including Nyingchi, Xigaze, Shannan, Ngari, Qamdo, Nagqu and Lhasa. According to statistics, at the end of 2005, the Tibet Autonomous Region had 1,378 medical institutions, including 763 hospitals and clinics, 79 disease prevention organs, and 55 centers for the healthcare of women and children. They had 6,767 beds for the sick, including 4,426 hospital beds. The number of medical and technical workers reached 8,913, including 3,575 licensed doctors. The number of beds for the sick and the number of healthcare workers reached 2.44 beds and 3.22 persons respectively per 1,000 people. All these elements have initially formed a relatively good public health service network at county, township and village levels as well as a disease prevention and medical assistance system.

Tabelle einfügen

With constant improvement in medical and health conditions, the incidence of such infectious diseases and endemics as variola, cholera, venereal disease, macula, scarlatina and tetanus has decreased to 8 per thousand, and some have vanished. Tibet has provided children with vaccination for six consecutive years, and reported no case of poliomyelitis for seven consecutive years.

At the same time, maternity and childcare, family planning and primary health care with agricultural and pastoral areas as the principal focus have also developed rapidly with drastic improvements in the structure and quality. As a result, the death rate of women in childbirth has dropped from 50 per thousand before the Democratic Reform in 1959 to around 7 per thousand, while infant mortality plunged from 430 per thousand to 6.61 per thousand. The proportion of elderly people in the population has risen to 4.5 percent from 4.36 percent. According to statistics, there are more than 200,000 people above the age of 60 with people above the age of 65 totaling 118,000, accounting for eight percent and 4.5 percent respectively of the total population. The average life expectancy of Tibetans has been prolonged from 35.5 years five decades ago to the present 67 years.

Medicare System in Agricultural and Pastoral Areas

Beginning in 1998, the Health Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region introduced a medicare system in Gyangze and Nyingchi counties on a trial basis. This medicare system in Tibet centers on risk pooling for serious diseases. Farmers and herders participate in the system on a voluntary basis. Governments at various levels, collectives and individuals raise the necessary funds. Thus far, all agricultural and pastoral areas in Tibet have been included in the system, with over 80 percent of farmers and herders participating.

During the period from 2001 to 2005, Tibet allocated 800 million Yuan to medical care undertakings in agricultural and pastoral areas through central financial assistance and financial arrangements at all levels in the autonomous region, greatly enhancing infrastructure conditions in these areas. In 2005 alone, the special free medical service funds allocated by central financial assistance and local financial arrangements reached 188 million Yuan, with per-capita funds rising to 80 Yuan from less than 15 Yuan in 1998, greatly easing the economic burden on farmers and herders regarding medical care. Moreover, the TAR has allocated special funds to equip medicare institutions with essential medical equipment helping guarantee the smooth development of work on preventing endemic and infectious diseases.

To supplement the medicare system for the farming and livestock breeding areas, the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region has worked out and implemented the Interim Provisions on Providing Medical Assistance to the Destitute Masses in Agricultural and Pastoral Areas. According to the provisions, people enjoying the five guarantees (childless and infirm old persons who are guaranteed food, clothing, medical care, housing and burial expenses) shall get fees they have to pay for medical treatment reimbursed according to the medicare system for the agricultural and pastoral areas, with the remainder reimbursed in the form of medical assistance; and people who are incapable of labor, without means of livelihood, or without family support, or people the elderly, handicapped, the junior and the sick who suffer from serious deseases and therefore have to pay high fees for medical treatment, shall get fees for medical treatment reimbursed according to the said provisions, and receive medical assistance from local civil departments in the case when the amount of feel that could be reimbursed is set at 3,000 Yuan or when they are not entitled to reimbursement and have spent more than 300 Yuan. The funds for the medical assistance system are collected through extra financial support by central finance, local revenue and the medical fund of agricultural and pastoral areas (at a rate of 5 percent). Such a policy integrates the reality of Tibet, guarantees the basic needs of the destitute, reflecting the popularization and justness of medical and healthcare services, conducive to tackling problems of illness caused by poverty.

During the period 2006-2010, the TAR will allocate 5.8 billion Yuan to medical care and continue to give priority to agricultural and pastoral areas, and further improve the free medical care system, raising the per-capita free medical service fund from 80 Yuan to 130 Yuan. At the same time, Tibet is also strengthening the building of the medical service system in agricultural and pastoral areas, and improving the service level of counties and townships so as to form up the medical system of promoting townships with counties, establishing and perfecting the long-term mechanism of preventing endemic and infectious diseases, implementing comprehensive measures against major infectious diseases, Iodine Deficiency Disorders, Kaschin-Beck Disease, and glaucoma. Tibet aims to reduce the overall incidence rate of infectious disease, realizing no reported case of glaucoma, and raising the coverage rate of iodized salt to 85 percent.

Tibetan Medicine

Tibetan medicine is regarded as an important component of Chinese ethnic medicine, as a part of Tibetan traditional culture. The TAR has always supported and developed Tibetan medicine as a type of characteristic industry of the national economy. In 1959, it established Lhasa Tibetan Medicine Hospital, which later became the Tibet Autonomous Region Tibetan Medicine Hospital, the regional teaching and research center for Tibetan medicine. The State earmarked over 20 million Yuan for setting up a new in-patient building for the Tibetan Medicine Hospital of TAR, building new Tibetan hospitals in another six districts and seven counties, and establishing Tibetan medicine departments in more than 60 county-level hospitals.

The Tibetan Medical School launched in 1984 together with the Tibetan medicine department initiated within Tibet University in 1985 has trained and provided the whole autonomous region with a large number of educated medical personnel. Great efforts have also been made in improve the professional competence of grassroots Tibetan medical workers. At present, the TAR has over 2,000 Tibetan medical workers, 19 manufacturing enterprises of Tibetan medicine, 283 Tibet medicines approved by State medical authorities, 216 Tibetan medicines and 230 Tibetan medicinal materials incorporated into the State standard, 200 Tibetan medicines and 137 Tibetan medicinal materials included in ministerial standards. The whole region produces 1,090 tons of Tibetan medicines a year.

In order to secure rapid development of Tibetan medicine, under regional government support, Tibetan medicine circles have worked to improve the formulation of traditional Tibetan medicines and promote Tibetan medicine production to a national and international advanced level while integrating international standards and domestic standards. Meanwhile, they have also adopted state-of-art technology like bioengineering, accelerating the pace of developing new drugs and helped enterprises to achieve economies of scale so as to further improve the overall strength and integrated level of Tibetan medicine’s development and manufacture.

The TAR government encourages veteran doctors of Tibetan medicine to write books summarizing their precious experiences. The famous Four-Volume Medical Code has been published in a new edition along with scores of newly compiled or written teaching materials and treatises including The Complete Four-Volume Medical Code Wall Chart Series, the "Tibetan Medicine" volume of the Encyclopedia of Medicine, Tibetan Medicine Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Bromatology, and the New Compilation of Tibetan Medicine. Champa Trinle, current head of the TAR Hospital of Tibetan Medicine and honorary head of the Tibetan Medicine Academy, has been in charge of the compilation of the "Wall Charts for Four-Volume Medical Code" (in Tibetan-Chinese and Tibetan-English versions), the first teaching wall chart in the history of Tibetan medicine. In addition, his Biographies of Various Generations of Tibetan Medical Experts and On the Four-Volume Medical Code have filled a blank in this field and were awarded first prize and bronze medal respectively in the appraisal of Chinese medical history documents in 1991.

In 2005, the TAR government began to make preparations to build a research academy of Tibetan medicine and a research building of Tibetan medicine, allocating five million Yuan to equip them with necessary appliances. The conditions for establishing the research academy of Tibetan medicine matured in 2006, and its establishment will play an important role in promoting the characteristic industry of Tibetan medicine.

Tibetan medicine has won a worldwide reputation. Research institutes on Tibetan medicine have been built in more than 30 countries including the United States, Japan, Switzerland and Germany. The world congress on Tibetan medicine has been held four times since 1983.

Beijing Tibetan Medicine Hospital

To the south of the Asian Games Village in Beijing stands a famous modern Tibetan building, the Beijing Tibetan Medicine hospital, the only State-class ethnic hospital throughout China. Launched in 1992, it has a constructed area of 12,000 sq m, possessing 150 beds for the sick and 158 healthcare workers.

The Beijing Tibetan Medicine Hospital has specialized out-patient departments concentrating on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, atrophic gastritis, hepatobiliary diseases and Tibetan herbal bathing. A group of experts on Tibetan medicine also came from Lhasa and Shannan as medical staff. Nowadays, more and more people know Tibetan medicine. Beijing Tibetan Medicine Hospital provides medical and health care services for people of all ethnic groups, as well as for patients from both at home and abroad.

The Beijing Tibetan Medicine Hospital follows the road of combining traditional Tibetan medical practices with modern medical facilities such as CT, color Doppler, and gastroscope, and has established a center of telecommuting consultation. With a view to inheriting and further developing the cultural heritage of Tibetan medicine, Beijing Tibetan Medicine Hospital collaborates with other institutions throughout the country to carry out scientific research. Moreover, it also undertakes the tasks of clinical teaching for the Tibet Medicine Department of the Central University for Nationalities, training masters and doctorate candidates majoring in Tibetan medicine.

The establishment and development of Beijing Tibetan Medicine Hospital reflects the great importance the State attaches to continuing and carrying forward Tibet’s excellent traditional culture, and also conveys the great support from the State in preserving, sorting and promoting Tibet’s excellent traditional culture.

Sports

Athletes of the region won three golden medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals in 2005 in the competitive sports matches at home and abroad. In the same year, Tibet made 13.58 million Yuan by selling sports lotteries and collecting public welfare funds to the tune of 4.55 million Yuan.

Mass Sports Activities

In recent years, Tibetan mass sports activities have flourished. According to incomplete statistics, the TAR has held 1,200 mass sports meetings since 1989, with an annual average of 70, representing an increase of 49 before 1988. By the end of 2005, over 600,000 Tibetans had joined in mass sports activities, accounting for 22 percent of the region’s population. The morning exercise and evening exercise activities launched in Lhasa and other places are popular among retired cadres and employees and sports fans. Tibetan traditional sports are shown in festivals in agricultural and pastoral areas, helping promote Tibetan traditional sports and reflect the spirit of becoming well-off for farmers and herders.

Moreover, the TAR attaches importance to training key personnel to promote mass sports. It has nurtured thousands of coaches through opening training classes in setting-up exercises to radio music, shadow boxing, dance and calisthenics. In 2005, the TAR held four types of training classes in the fields of body-building Qigong, mass setting-up exercises to radio music and mass body-building, inviting experts from the State Bureau of Sports to lecture to 120 trainees. After a ten-day training, 84 gained the qualification of State Class A social sports instructors, 20 State Class B and 16 State Class C in the examination.

Tibet traditional folk sports

Tibet traditional folk sports are the outcome of natural physical geography and national living customs. They are games and, at the same time, they are shows. The main traditional sports items are: horse racing (the competitors ride without saddles) Horsemanship (including riding and shooting, picking up a Hada scarf while riding fast and so on. The participants wear ancient costumes, put on big red cap and the horses are decorated with feather flowers and copper bells), polo, arrow shooting (it is popular in Mainling, Medog and Zayu areas; there are some holes on the arrowhead, so that when the arrow flies into the sky, the air passing through the holes makes a sound.), wrestling (both sides put on Tibetan gowns, and tie on a wide waistband. It is regulated that competitors can only hold the other’s waist and use hands and the strength of the waist to gain a fall, and the feet are forbidden to be used), two persons’ tug-of-war (the two persons stand back to back, using a rope with two circles at both ends going through between their legs and then harnessing their necks. The hands and knees should touch the ground. The one that pulls the other over the middle line wins), yak racing (the yaks wear red flowers on their heads and are decorated with beautiful saddles; the riders wield a whip and drive fast), holding a stone and the Tibetan game of Go and so on. Now, having been standardized, some of the traditional folk sports items have been adopted as modern sports.

Mountaineering

In May 2005, an expedition with the important task of re-measuring the height of Mount Qomolangma together with a China-Japan Joint All-Women’s Expedition in memory of the 30th anniversary for a Chinese Tibetan woman namely Pan Duo scaling the summit from the north side set off. Surveyors Chen Jie, Ren Xiubo and Bai Huagang took gravity measurements up to camp C2, at an elevation of 7,790m, breaking the record of 7,600m in this regard. Surveyor Chen Jie eventually reached a height of 8,200m, also the highest for specialist surveyors. On the morning of May 22, some 20 Chinese members of the surveying team including Gyambo, Purbo, Ngawang Gendui and Dorgyi Galsang left the attack camp at an elevation of 8,300 for the summit; in addition, 17 other Chinese members also ascended, breaking the record in regard to numbers. Two Tibetan women, namely Ji Ji and Ji La of the women’s expedition, successfully reached the top from the north side, marking the sixth time for Chinese women to scale the summit since 1975. The surveyors in the expedition placed a surveyor’s beacon on the apex of the earth with an area of some 20 sq m, and they also measured the depth of snow and ice on the summit, which played a crucial role for China to re-measure the exact altitude of Mount Qomolangma.

The mountaineering industry keeps growing in Tibet, and a mode of industrialization has been initially shaped. Mountaineering brings more income for farmers and herders living around the mountains, and also introduces a new channel for the development of the local economy. According to statistics, during the period 2001-2005, the TAR received 530 mountaineering teams from home and abroad, with 7,000 individuals, which brought government revenue of 80 million Yuan and farmers and herders’ income of 11.5 million Yuan.