China to build ‘Tibetan theme park’ in Lhasa

By Adam Tebbe

Last week the Chinese government revealed plans to build a £3bn Tibetan theme park in the outskirts of Lhasa, an act which critics fear will be "ruinous for Tibet's environment and culture." Of course, a writer for the Global Times (viewed primarily as a communist party propaganda outlet), has a more rosy outlook, writing, "The latest grand tourist project will further fuel the local economy and provide more opportunities for direct interaction between locals and visitors. Economic growth and cultural prosperity are not in opposition."

The piece, however, did not appear to impress opponents of the plan. Stephanie Brigden, Director of Free Tibet, said, "We are not opposed to development per se but this type of [large-scale] tourism will not benefit Tibetans and will actually further marginalise [them]. Any kind of development within Tibet has to be inclusive of an informed by the opinions of Tibetans."

For more information on the proposed project, you can read the original piece by Tom Phillips for The Telegraph here.

Photo by Michael Lieu via Flickr using a CC-BY license.

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