Last Stop, Lhasa: Rail Link Ties Remote Tibet to China

In terms of engineering, there is no doubt that the completed railway connecting Beijing to Lhasa, the remote capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, is a great feat. It traverses a total of 710 miles, much of it over unstable permafrost at astonishing altitudes. Chinese officials hailed the $4.1 billion project, expecting it to increase the flow of tourism, information and development to the region. Critics fear, however, that the railway represents an attempt by Beijing to suppress the cultural and political autonomy of the Tibetan people. Tibet was brought under Chinese control in 1951, and despite the worldwide popularity of its exiled spiritual and political leader, the Dalai Lama, has failed to win international commitments in efforts to severe ties with China. The fanfare surrounding the inaugural train-ride into Lhasa resembles the US eagerness for westward expansion a century ago – as well as attempts to explore, consolidate and control its remotest territories. – YaleGlobal