——Interview with David Jones, editor of the Washington Times
David Jones, an editor of the Washington Times, was amazed by the rapid growth of Tibet when he saw world-class highways, elegant shopping centers and other modern facilities there. During a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency reporters, Jones said the Chinese government made a deep impression on him by the efforts and results of protecting Tibet's traditional culture.
Last September, Jones was invited to Tibet and Gansu for a two-week visit. Jones said that he found during his visit that "the Chinese government puts a lot of money into the protection and reconstruction of temples, for the construction of the art museum in Lhasa, and found dance and theater troupes to preserve the Tibetan cultural heritage."
In his October report in the Washington Times, Jones reflects on his trip to Tibet. While talking about the issue of cultural protection, he said that as the Tibet Autonomous Region Government would like to develop tourism as a major industry, and what attract tourists most is the traditional culture of Tibet; it also is necessary to protect and promote Tibet's traditional culture. The central government has spent nearly 30 million U.S. dollars just on the construction of the Potala Palace.
Jones said that before his trip to Tibet, he pictured in his mind backward areas with a strong religious flavor. But after he got there, he was surprised to find a modern Tibet where even the yak herders have mobile phones and motorcycles, and their children have access to formal education. He also found that in this ethnic minority autonomous region, the government at all levels consists of Tibetan and Han people.
Jones is a reporter formerly based in Hong Kong in the late 1980s; and was later sent to report on the Chinese mainland. He witnessed the great changes in political, economic and social life in China since the reform and opening up. His most profound impression is that more and more Chinese go abroad and create opportunities for contact with the outside world to enhance their understanding of other countries.
Jones said that the Chinese model is based on 5,000 years of history, so the West can not be so arrogant as to think that only their models are correct. They should recognize that China has achieved tremendous changes in a very short time; and in such a populous country, they face strong challenges amidst such huge changes.
By People's Daily Online
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