Wild China 03 Tibet

janny2008 · 发表于 2008-7-31 11:05

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janny2008 · 发表于 2008-7-31 12:47

A Tibetan plateau is a quarter of China. Much of it is extremely remote and inhospitable. Its southern border runs through the world's highest mountain range- the formidable HImalayas. Its central part is wind-swept and freezing wildness, the size of Western Europe. But this challenging place is home to an incredible wildlife. There're more large creatures here than anywhere else in China.

Tibet has been a province of China for more than 50 years, yet it has a unique character shaped by over a thousand years of Tibet Buddhism. This obscure and *** looking religion has produced one of the most enlightened cultures on earth. Here people have a long tradition of coexisting peacefully with the creatures and landscape around them. A relationship which has helped to protect the fragile environment. In this program, we'll discover why this harsh land with its ancient culture is vitally important for much of our planet.

It's the beginning of winter, high up on the Tibetan plateau, the temperature will soon drop to minus 40 Celsius. Out here, life is reduced to a single imperative- survival. For the argali, the world's largest sheep, it means searching for a few turfs of grass. Descenting from the hill tops to lower atitudes, the argali band together for safety. Hopefully, down here, they will be able to find enough food to last through the rest of the winter. Although this winter landscape looks better and **, Tibet's remote grasslands support a surprising variety of creatures. Though at this time of a year, it can't be hard to track down.

By comparison, Tibet's capital Lhasa is hi* of activity. Lhasa is a focus for large numbers of pilgrims who congregate at the city's temples each day. Tibet is home to over 2.5 million people, most of whom are deeply religious. Though Tibetan Buddhist worship centers on elaborate temples, statues and images, its beliefs are intimately linked with the wild landscapes of Tibet. The starting point ot his relationship is the mountain range that runs along Tibet's southern border. Over 3,000 kilometers long, Himalayas are China's real Great Wall. With hundreds of peaks over 7,000 meters and 13 peaks higher than 8,000 meters, they are the highest mountains on earth. The Tibetan region contains over 35,000 glaciers that cover over 100,000 square km. They comprise the largest area of ice outside the polar regions and nearly a sixth of the world's total. These glaciers are the source of most of the water in the region.

And the Tibetan plateau is studded with glacier lakes. At over 4,500 meters up, lake Manasarovar in the far west of Tibet is the highest freshwater lake in the world. In late spring, the chilly lake waters are a magnet for breeding birds. the crested ** woos its mate with offerings of weed for her nest. Finally, the honeymoon suite is ready for action. the ** are joined by the highest flying birds in the world. Having spent the winter south of the Himalayas, bar-headed geese made their hazardous mountain crossing each spring to breed on the plateau's lakes. The geese nest together for safety. That many chicks hatching at the same time means that it can be tricky finding your parents. Fortunately, once down the waters' edge, there is enough food for all of them.

Fed by the mountain glaciers, the Tibetan Plateau even has its inland sea. This is Qinghai Lake, China's largest. ...

转经筒 · 发表于 2008-7-31 13:48

0‘ - 10’  $m15$

------------------------

The Tibetan plateau is a quarter of China, much of it is extremely remote and inhospitable. Its southern border runs through the world’s highest mountain range, the formidable Himalayas.  Its central part is a wind swept and freezing wilderness the size of western Europe. But this challenging place is home to incredible wild life. There’re more large wild animals here than anywhere else in China.

Tibet has been a province of China for more than 50 years, yet it has a unique character, shaped by over 1000-year Tibetan Buddhism. Its obscure, *** looking religion has produced one of the most enlighten culture on Earth. Here people have a long tradition of co-existing peacefully with the creatures and landscape around them, a relationship which has helped to protect the fragile environment. In this program we will discover why this hush land with ancient culture is vitally important for much of our planet.

It’s the beginning of winter higher in the Tibetan plateau the temperature will soon drop to minus 40 Celsius. Out here life is reduced to a single imperative – survival. For the argali, the world’s largest sheep, it means searching for a few tufts of grass.

Descending from the hill tops to lower altitudes, the argali band together for safety. Luckily down here they are able to find enough food to last them through the rest of the winter. Although this winter landscape looks better than forbidding, Tibet’s remote grass lands support a surprising variety of creatures, though at this time of year, they can be hard to track down.

By comparison Tibet’s capital Lhasa is of higher activity. Lhasa is focus for a large number of pilgrims, who congregate at the city’s temples each day. Tibet is home to over 2.5 million people, most of who are deeply religious. Though Tibet’s Buddhism worship centers on the elaborate temples, statues and images, its believes are intimately linked in the wild landscapes on Tibet.

The starting point for that relationship is the mountain range that runs along Tibet’s southern border. Over 3000 kilometers long the Himalayas are China’s real great wall. With hundreds of peaks over 7000 meters and 13 peaks higher than 8000 meters, they are the highest mountains on Earth. The Tibetan region contains over 35 thousand glaciers that cover over 100 thousand square kilometers. They comprise the largest area of ice outside the Polar Regions and nearly a sixth of the world’s total. These glaciers are the source of most of the water in the region. And Tibetan plateau is studded with glacier lakes. At over 4500 meters up Lake *** in the far west of Tibet is the highest fresh water lake in the world.

In late spring the chilly lake waters are *** for breeding birds. The crested grebe woos his mate with offerings weed of for her nest. Finally the honey moon suite is ready for action. The grebes are joined by highest flying birds in the world. Have spent the winter south of the Himalayas, bar-headed geese make the hazardous mountain crossing each spring to breed in the plateau’s lakes. The geese nest together for safety. But so many chicks hatching at the same time means that it can be tricky finding your parents. Fortunately once down at the water’s edge there’s enough food for all of them.

Fed by the mountain glaciers the Tibetan plateau even has its own inland sea. This is Qinghai Lake, China’s largest.

janny2008 · 发表于 2008-8-1 14:08

Millions of years of evaperation have concentrated the minarals in the lake, turning the water salty. Rich in fish, these waters attact thousands of cormorants, but it's not just wildlife that values Tibet's lakes and seas, the life-giving waters are also important to people.

Tibetan reiligion is a unique mix of Buddhism and much older Shamanic beliefs that were once widespread throughout the region. This hybrid religion forms the bases of an extraordinary relationship with nature. In Shamanic belief, the land is imbued with magical properties which aid communication with spiritual world. Here animal skulls are decorated and rocks are carved with sacred mantras, groups of syllables that are considered to have spiritual power. The reciting of these mantras is believed to created a magical sound that reverberates through the universe. The landscape is decorated with multicolored flags which represent the five elements, fire, wood, earth, water and iron. The flags are printed with prayers to purify the air and pacify the gods. And the wind blows the prayers to heaven. The poles on which the prayer flags are mounted are regularly replenished with fresh flags. Those old flags are treasured. Those near the top of the pole are the most auspicious. So competition for these can get fierce. The golden dome which is mounted right at the top of the prayer pole is the most sacred object of all, or it will be once it is retrieved.

The old Shamanic beliefs of Tibet have scribed magical powers to the landscape, but there is a far more tendable source of power here which owes nothing at all to magic. Strewn across the plateau are boiling thermal springs, the evidence of mighty natural forces which have been at work for millions of years. Deep beneath the surface, the vast continental plates of Asia and India are crashing into each other. The turmoil below erupting clouds of *** steam. It seems unlikely that boiling mineral springs could support life, but one unlikely creature thrives here precisely because of them. The hot spring snake is unique to Tibet and it's believed to have survived the inhospitable conditions up on the plateau principally thanks to this natural central heating. These cold-blooded snakes hanging out in streams and rivers which are fed by the hot springs but they enjoy a surprisingly productive lifestyle. slipping into the warm water, they wait patiently, bobbing their heads on the look out for fish. Thanks to its unlikely relationship with the volcanic forces which build the Himalayas, the hot spring snake is able to survive at atitudes up to 4,500 meters, making it the highest living snake of the world.

The slow motion crash between Aisa and India has been going on for 30 million years. The Himalayas are the crumple zone created by these two colliding land masses, a *** maze of moutains and valleys, home to elusive wild creatures. In this rugged and unforgiving terrain, littered with fractured rock and ice cold rivers. A slightest miscalculation may have fatal consequences. The snow leopard, is the world's highest living big cat, but there's another smaller predator that ranges even higher, almost to the roof of the world.

At a mind-numbing 8,848 meters high, Everest is one of the most hostile places for life on earth. Hunderts of people have died, trying to conquer it. But when climbers first reach the ice fields 3 quarters of the way up the mountain, something had already beaten them to it. This jumping spider is the highest permanent resident on the planet, totally at home among the glaciers of Everest. It scours the slopes for wind-borne preys such as springtails. Chinese call this fierce little hunter the fly tiger. Jumping spiders are found all over the world. Their eight eyes include an oversized central pair which acts like powerful binoculars to spot potential victims. They use hydraulic pressure to work their legs like pistons, catapulting up to 30 times their own body length, the ideal way to get around in a rocky terrain. But like all mountaineers, they always secure a safety line first. A springtail grazes on **, unaware that it's being stalked by such a acrobatic predator.

The Tibetans call Venterest Zhumulangma, meaning mother of the world. It's a mark of affection for the mountain, however brutal it may appear. Venture further from the mountains allow onto the open plateau, but life doesn't appear to get any easier. High winds scour the landscape and temperature can drop from baking to freezing in moments. This is the Changteng or northern grassland, it's so remote that it's been called the third pole. It's about 5,000 meters above sea level, way above the point which attitude sickness starts to affect humans. At this height, most people are gasping for breath, but lack of oxygen hasn't cramed this creature's style. Chiru, or Tibetan antilope, have arrived for the winter rut.

[ 本帖最后由 janny2008 于 2008-8-1 14:59 编辑 ]

转经筒 · 发表于 2008-8-2 19:26

10‘ - 20’
--------------------------------------
Millions of years’ evaporation have concentrated the minerals in the lake, turning the water salty. Rich in fish its waters attract thousands of cormorants. But it’s not just wild life that value Tibet’s lakes and seas, their life giving waters are also important to people. Tibet’s religion is a unique mix of Buddhism and a much older shamanic beliefs that were once wide spread through out the region. This hybrid religion forms the basis of an extraordinary relationship with nature. In shamanic belief, the land is inbuilt with magical properties which aid communication with the spirit world.

Here animal skulls are decorated and rocks are carved with sacred mantras. Groups of syllables are considered to have spiritual power. The reciting of the mantras is believed to create a magical sound that reverberates through the universe. The landscape is decorated with multi colored flags which represent the five elements: fire, wood, earth, water and iron. The flags are printed with prayers to purify the air and pacify the gods and the wind blows the prayers to heaven. The poles on which the flags are mounted are regularly replenished with fresh flags. The old flags are treasured. Those nearest the pole are most auspicious, so competition for these can get fierce. The golden dome which is mounted right in the top of the prayer pole is the most sacred object of all or it will be once it’s retrieved.

The old shamanic beliefs of Tibet ascribe the magical power to the landscape. But there’re far more tangible sources of power here which owes nothing at all with magic. Strewn across the plateau are boiling thermal springs, the evidence of mighty natural forces which have been at work over millions of years. Deep below the surface the vast continent plateaus of Asia and India are crashing into each other. The turmoil below erupts in clouds of sulphurous steam.

It seems unlikely that scalding mineral springs can support life. But one unlikely creature thrives here precisely because of them. The hot spring snake is unique to Tibet and is believed to have survived the inhospitable conditions upon the plateau principally thanks to this natural central heating. These cold-blooded snakes hang out in the streams and rivers which are fed by the hot springs but they enjoy a surprisingly productive life style. Slipping into the warm water they wait patiently, bobbing their heads on the look-out for fish.

Thanks to its unlikely relationship with volcanic forces which built in Himalayas the hot spring snake is able to survive at altitudes up to 4500 meters, making it the highest living snake in the world. The slowing crash between Asia and India has been going on for 30 million years. The Himalayas is the crumple zone created by these two colliding land masses, a bewildering maze of mountains and valleys, home to elusive wild creatures.

In this rugged and unforgiving terrain, littered with fractured rock and ice cold rivers, the slightest miss calculation may have fatal consequences. The snow leopard is the world’s highest living big cat. But there’s another predator that ranges even higher, almost to the roof of the world. At mind-numbing 8848 meters high Everest is one of the most hostile places for life on Earth. Hundreds of people died trying to conquer it. But when climbers first reached the ice fields 3 quarters of the way up the mountain, something had already been them to it.

This jumping spider is the highest permanent resident on the planet, totally at home amongst the glaciers of Everest. It scours the slopes for wind-borne prey such as springtails. Chinese call this fierce little hunter, the fly tiger. Jumping spiders are found all over the world, their eight eyes include oversize central pair, which acts like power binoculars to spot potential victims. They use hydraulic pressure to work their legs like pistons, *** up to 30 times their own body length, the ideal way to get around in rocky terrain. But like all mountaineers they always secure safe line first. A springtail grazes on detritus, unaware that it’s been stalked by such an acrobatic predator.

The Tibetans call Everest Zhumulangma, meaning mother of the world. It’s a mark of their affection of the mountain, however brutal it may appear. Venture further from the mountains and down to the open plateau, the life doesn’t appear to get any easier. High winds scour the landscape and temperatures can drop from baking to freezing in moments. This is the Qiangtang or the northern grassland. It’s so remote that it’s called the third pole. It’s about 5000 meters above sea level, way above the point at which altitude sicknesses start to affect humans. At this height most people are gasping for breath. But lack in oxygen hasn’t cramped this creature style.

Chiru or Tibetan antelope have arrived for the winter rut.

昨天的
补作业
$m9$

转经筒 · 发表于 2008-8-2 21:34

20‘ - 30’
——————
In the energy-sapping thin air the males must try to control groups of females by constantly running them up and crowding them. But the chiru have an advantage, their red blood cell count is twice as high as ours, sufficient to supply their muscles with oxygen even at this extreme altitude. Nevertheless its hard keeping his harem in check and the males’ life is about to get even harder. Another male is *** up to steal his females.

With their rapier-like horn the males won’t risk fighting unless they really have to. But if neither backs down conflict is inevitable. Some of these fights end in death. Farther males’ fans, the females look on. Injured and weakened by the battle the loser will an easy target for the predators and scavengers that patrol the wildness. Out here there’s little room for mistakes. With the clear view of the endless plateau below vultures are quick to spot any possibility. A dead yak has drawn a crowd. Vultures aren’t famous for their table manners. The vultures do well here as the vast Tibetan wildness is home to many large creatures.

Live in herds of up to 200 in remote corner of Tibetan plateau, wild yaks travel large distances, gracing on the alpine ***. Strong and secure over mountain passes and rivers, the yak isn’t its element at altitude. So much so that it gets sick if it goes below 3000 meters. Standing 2 meters tall at the shoulder and weighing more than 800 kilos the wild yak is both formidable and aggressive. But without this fearsome creature, it’s unlikely that humans could have survived up here. Once domesticated the yak is an amazing animal, providing the Tibetans with transport, food, wool of close and tents, and *** for fuel. It’s held in such high regard that its fur is even used to decorate the sacred prayer flag poles. And the yak butter is used as an offering to the gods. The yak has even lead the Tibetans to *** the treasure.

In summer people can be seen scouring the grassland, bent over in deep concentration. This is the world’s wildest harvest. Tibetans first investigated this strange root-like organism, known locally as *** when the yaks appear to have more energy after grazing on it. Rumors of it amazing properties gradually spread and today the *** is a passport to the shady underground world.

It’s possible to dig up 40 of them, the profit from which may provide half of the collectors annual income. The *** has been used as a traditional remedy for thousands of years, though only by the very wealthy. It’s been bartered for tea and silk, and it’s worth more than 4 times its weight in silver. So lucrative is this trade that sites and information is jealously guarded. At the nearby market the *** are cleaned and their true nature becomes clear. The *** translates as summer grass winter worm. The winter worm is caterpillar. It is the roots of grasses in preparation for its transformation into a moth. But some winter worms never make it as moths, instead of the strange growth erupt from their body, appearing above ground in summer. This is the summer grass, a fungus call ***, whose *** have infected the caterpillar, using its body as their host.

Modern medical tests have shown that substances contained in *** lower blood pressure and make it easier to breathe. So in recent years harvesting this natural treasure has grown into a huge profitable business. *** is sold for big money in top department store in Lhasa, and there is growing market outside Tibet.

今天的 $21$

转经筒 · 发表于 2008-8-3 10:39

30‘ - 40’
————————

Although Tibet is modernizing fast, it retains a deepest spiritual culture. Even today Tibetan valleys resound to distinctive and extraordinary calls to prayer. The Tibetan horn may be the world’s most unwieldy instrument, but its sound is unique. Every morning the nuns assemble for practice. The air is chilly but they soon warmer.

Monks and nuns comprise a substantial portion of society, largely self-contained and isolated. Deep within the monastery it’s the spiritual engine that drives much of the Tibetan culture. Buddhists believe that an endless cycle of rebirth in which the action of this life will impact on the next. The goal of Buddhism is to escape from this earthly cycle of pain and suffering by achieving a state of freedom, called enlightenment. The enlightened guides or spiritual teachers are called Lamas. The possibility of escaping from the cycle of live and death on the promise of enlightenment encourages people to perform activities that benefit all beings. This belief that science is as much important to the environment and creatures as it does to humans, since every living creature is believed to have a soul. In the remote lands of Tibet for over thousands of years this concept has been translated into practice or benefit for wild life. And it starts literally on their door-step.

Buddhists’ monasteries have sacred sites, areas where taboos are placed on the hunting and killing of animals. Some creatures have become so tame that nuns are able to hand-feed them. But the Tibetan yield ***. Thanks to handout from the nuns, these rare birds can survive the worst of winter. In this extreme place people with few resources are prepare to share them, with their needy fellow creatures. The Tibetan *** sample is a model for conservation. This respect for wild life stands beyond the monasteries into the wide community.

One of the most Tibet’s sacred creatures is the black-necked crane, in summer they live in breed out of the plateau, but in winter they congregate on farmland. 70% of the world’s population can be found here. The species was only recently identified by scientists. But it’s been known to Tibetans for hundreds of years. In 17th century Tibet’s *** Lama wrote, crane lend me your wings, I go no farther than the *** county and *** return again. Tibetans believed *** predicting the sight of *** and in due course his successor was found, sure enough live in *** county. Even today the black-necked cranes are treated with reverence and welcomed by farmers as they land in the fields around the villages.

Here they perform their elaborate sky-pointing rituals. After the dignified busy *** they begin to forage for ******, helped by the pace which break up the soil. The farmers are happy to have these sacred birds on their fields. Within village religion is *** part of life. Each prayer will is inscribed with mantras, spinning them has much the same effect as reciting the prayers. Perhaps the Buddha would have enjoyed thought that his teaching could provide so much fun.

Buddhists’ respect for nature may find an expression in practical ways too. This bird has a broken wing and has been nurse back to health by the villagers. Such kind acts are common where people believe that helping other beings, animals and people in this life may bring rewards in the next. The culture of veneration and protection stands right across Tibet, helping to preserve a *** ecosystem.

Out on the plateau there’s a small creature that has the root of much of the grassland’s delicate ecology. Despite the summer snow storms, the piker, a relative of rabbits and hares, is perpetually eating and gathering grass and digging burrows for its family. The piker’s constant excavations aerate the soil, which helps the plants to grow.

In the short summer the landscape is carpeted with hardy grasses and decorated with *** flowers.

好多没听清楚 $m9$

janny2008 · 发表于 2008-8-4 13:07

这两周度假，估计没时间听。之后再补交功课。
$害羞$

转经筒 · 发表于 2008-8-4 23:46

40‘ - 50’
--------------------------------

In such a *** environment the pika’s farming helps to kick start the food chain. But the pika itself is a very tasted ***. Its presence has enabled an uneasy relationship to develop, between two of the plateau’s most opportunistic predators, the fox and the bear. The Tibetan brown bear, a close relative of *** tries to dig the pikas out of their burrows. Even hard frozen soil presents little obstacle to a determined bear. The wily Tibetan fox is quick to spot any possibility. True to form a crafty fox claims the prize.

A combination of inaccessibility and the ancient traditions which forbid hunting means in some parts of the plateau wild animals have remained undisturbed, even today. But in those areas which are within the reach of motor vehicles the historic safe guard has been under mind. This change is illustrated in the fortunes of chiru. A century ago millions of chiru migrated across the plateau. Unfortunately for the chiru, its fur, known as *** or *** is highly prized. In recent decades *** have ventured deep into the wildness, killing thousands of chiru. However, the situation is improving, anti-*** laws are now actually enforced, so very summer the female chiru can head to the birthing grounds in relative safety.

Out on the plateau new born chiru are vulnerable to predators, so the mothers must try to hide and protect them. The most recent problem faced by the chiru is the new Tibet-Qinghai railway, which cut right through their traditional migration routes, running nearly 2000 kilometers through some of the highest terrain on Earth. The railway is an astonishing technical feat. It’s too early to say its fate on wild life, but the engineers have made effort to incorporate underpasses where wild life can cross the line in safety.

As the modern world increasingly impacts on Tibet, its tradition could be in danger or being eroded. But thanks to the sheer scale of this remote region, there’re still many wild places that have so far remained largely intact. The least explored area of all is found in Tibet’s far southeast. Here, the Yalong River, Tibet’s longest, has cut through the Himalayas, allowing monsoon clouds from India to pass through.

This is Tibet’s most secrete corner. According to legend the Yalong gorge was *** magically invisible in the 8th century and can be only be seen by those who have attained sufficient knowledge and wisdom. At two days’ walk from the nearest road this hidden region wasn’t explored by outsiders until the 1990s. Thanks to the annual monsoon the whole landscape is covered in marsh forest. The scale of the gorge is breath taking. As the Yalong River cut the mountains, it created the world’s deepest gorge, three times deeper than America’s Grand Canyon.

Its vast and mysterious place provides a vital clue to Tibet’s importance for the rest of the world. The monsoon which sustains the lush and fertile valley owes its various existence to the Tibet Plateau. Like a giant hot plane the plateau heats up in the spring and summer. The change in the air pressure draws and warm moist air from the Indian Ocean in the south. Thanks to this, over a billion people from India to Burma benefit from the monsoon rain as this wind brings with it. Tibet is the engine that drives the fertility of a whole subcontinent. But Tibet has even a greater role for the ecology of the region. Clues to this function are found in legend that predates even the ancient Tibetan culture, and which still draws the pilgrims from all over the world.

Several world religions believe in a mythical mountain of equivalent to the Garden of Eden. Its peak has four faces align to the points of the compass and from it some rivers are set to flow to the four quarters of the world. Thanks to its life giving waters this mountain is known as the axis of the world. In one of the remotest areas of Tibet there’s a place where this legend takes a physical form. That place is Mount ***.

By an *** coincidence, Mount *** perfectly matches the legend of the mythical axis of the world. Its four faces are roughly align to the compass and four major rivers flow from its foothills. These are some of the most significant rivers in Asia. The Yalong which becomes India’s ***, the *** are *** with flow to Pakistan, and ***, a major feeder for the ***. Thanks to its connection with the mythical mountain, *** is so sacred that it’s never been climbed. It’s Tibet’s most important pilgrim site.

很多地名都用***表示了 $汗$

[ 本帖最后由转经筒于 2008-8-4 23:47 编辑 ]

转经筒 · 发表于 2008-8-5 17:36

50‘ - end

——————————————————————————————

For Tibetans pilgrimage is a journey from ignorance to enlightenment. A pilgrimage around the sacred mountain is believed to *** the things of life time, increasing the chance of a better rebirth. Most pilgrims time their visit for the most important festival in the Tibetan calendar. For over a thousand years they have gathered at the foot of *** for the *** festival to celebrate Buddhism and enlightenment. The festival’s climax is with the raising of the newly dressed ***, a 25 meters flag pole. The *** of the Tibetan monks make the most ***, with music, prayers and blessings. Hundreds of fresh prayer flags are prepared and added to the pole. They had the Lama’s sacred scarf at the final touch to the proceedings.

But the significance of Mount *** isn’t confined to Buddhists alone. Other fates venture to this remote place, many from the far beyond the Himalayas. Threatening to up stay the Buddhists, the Hindus arrive, adding their own mix of color and music. When suitable respect has been paid it’s time for the newly dressed prayer pole to be raised.

The prayer pole must stand up straight or it will be a bad omen for Tibet. At last the pole stands true and the new prayers can be blown to the heavens. Around this point the power of Tibet’s landscape and the beliefs of many cultures converge. More prayers written on pieces of paper called wind horses are thrown into the air, and flatter up towards the peak of Mount ***, where the gods of different faiths are believed to reside.

Here at the axis of the world it’s a rare vision of harmony. For a few there is one more but essential task to perform. Buddhists believe in the concept of rebirth, and that ***, the journey from this life to the next, is marched with ancient but outlandish rich one. Tibetans believe that there’s no need to keep or burry the body of the dead since the departed life will have already *** a new one else where.

The word of ‘burry’ means giving offerings to the birds, an active generosity, in line with the concept of compassion for all beings. By doing good deeds Buddhists believe they can contribute to the process of enlightenment, so sky burial at the *** contributes to a brighter future.

There may be legends of mythical mountains and rivers that form the axis of the world, but the Tibet plateau itself with its mountains, glaciers, and rivers and thus the engine that drives the monsoon, lays fair claim to being the real axis of the world. Apart from feeding the rivers of India and Pakistan, Tibet’s glaciers are the resources of even more great rivers, Vietnam’s ***, Burma’s ***, and Yang’s and Yellow, both of which flow into China. Each year enough water flows from Tibet plateau to fill the entire Yellow River, the mother river of Chinese civilization. Today in China alone 300 million people depend on water from Tibet plateau.

With its profound affects on Asia’s weather and water system, the Tibetan plateau helps to sustain almost half of the world’s population, for the moment at least. Close to the *** of Mount Everest a forest of ice once covered most of the area. But now thanks to the climate change, much has gone. Within the next 30 years it’s predicted that 80% of the Tibetan glaciers could disappear. In many ways the Tibet’s fragile environment is the barometer of our world. What happens to it today will in time affect us all.

$21$

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