Qamdo Town On the Rise

QAMDO CELEBRATION OFFICE

Qamdo Town is composed of Qamdoba, Sichuanba, Yunnanba, Machaoba, Bamda Street, Gardong Street, Olhu and Gyika. Located in the southern part of Qamdo County, where the Zhaqu and Ongqu Rivers meet, the town covers 4.5 square km and has a population of some 40,000. The landlocked community used to be deficient in public works and basic infrastructure. But the emphasis is on "used to be." Today, the town is well on the way to becoming modernized.

BAMDA AIRPORT OPENED. In 1990, President Jiang Zemin advised that Bamda Airport in Qamdo should be renovated to help promote economic development in the prefecture. Two years later, the State Council allocated 270 million Yuan for the purpose, and the renovation project began in 1993. Work was completed the following year and the airport went into service in 1995. It is now large enough to accommodate jumbo jets. By 1998, it was handling 16,900 passengers and 200 tons of cargo. The prefecture now has 5,000 vehicles transporting 1,301.3 people/km a year. A basic transportation network composed of highway and air transportation has taken shape. Telecommunications have developed apace since 1998, with 215 long-distance telephone lines now in service, including 28 TES and 90 IDR satellite lines. There are 7,376 inner-city telephone lines. With the development of telecommunications, there has been corresponding development of the local economy through access to more information that has helped to upgrade minds.

BOOMING URBAN CONSTRUCTION. For a long period, Qamdo Town had only one 8-meter-wide road, which was muddy and dusty and prone to traffic jams. Although they suffered from "flooding", the locals had difficulty getting drinking water. Government investment of 47 million Yuan, however, has changed that with the construction of a waterworks with a daily supply capacity of 10,000 cubic meters. Three transformer stations were built with a capacity of 14,809 kW. About 55.3 percent of the power output is devoted to daily needs, 29.4 percent to industrial production, 8.7 percent to agricultural production and 6.6 percent to public works. CHANGES IN MACHAOBA. In the past, people went to Qamdo on horseback. The horses were left by the Zhaqu River, where they grazed. That is the source of the name Machaoba (Horse Grass Embankment). "When Qamdo was liberated, there were a few dilapidated houses in Machaoba," recalled one old lady. During my recent visit there, however, I saw hospitals, middle schools, radio broadcasting and TV stations, banks and shopping centers. Since 1978, the year China introduced the reform and opening program, some 32,880 square meters of buildings have been erected with an investment of 37.8 million Yuan. The Qamdo Gymnasium is being built in Machaoba to house the Khamba Art Festival, marking the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Qamdo. A public park is being built in woods behind Machaoba to enrich weekend life.

QAMDO ROAD CENTRAL. June 1, 1999 saw the launching of the Qamdo Road Central Construction and Development Leading Group. The same day saw the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the Qamdo Rural Market. In August this year, the 617-meter-long and 12-meter-wide road was opened. It is flanked by Tibetan style houses and shopping malls. Previously, this part of Qamdo was dominated by grass huts and dirty paths where yaks and sheep roamed. With the development of the reform program, such a situation could hardly meet changing needs. The Qamdo prefectural government, therefore, decided to undertake a thorough change.

MODERN LIFE IN QAMDO. Walking through Qamdo is really entertaining today. In the past, one saw people in grey or black clothes. They wore flat-soled shoes, and the girls had pigtails. Today, however, what greets eyes are chic hotels, where people "dine and wine" in restaurants, or talk business in the lobbies or meeting rooms. Supermarkets have also been built, and visitors find it easy to move around with the availability of taxi cabs. Young people are stylish in many ways. Fashions are pursued and the locals now know the need to visit beauty parlors.

FLOURISHING MARKET. Life in the Qamdo Town is rich. There is no difference between the town and inland cities of China as regards the availability of fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat and seafood. In the past, there wasnt one good restaurant in the town, and friends had to gather at home. In 1986, the town finally gained its own grocery market, and restaurants were built one after another. Some traders began to bring in vegetables, fruit and eggs from Sichuan and Yunnan. During my visit to a grocery market, I saw many people buying meat, live poultry, fruit, fish and seafood.