Building the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into a Highland Chinese Academy

Editor’s note：

In 2006， Norbu Gyaltsen and Wang Yong jointly wrote an article putting forward a proposition for a model of environmental protection and sustainable development of animal husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Later， this solution was included in the 11th and 12th Five-Year Development Plan of the Southwest University for Nationalities and was offi cially launched in 2007. Now， fi ve years later， the Institute for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been established and has collected some initial results. Where did these results come from？ How was the plan implemented？ What was the outcome？ In the current issue of our publication there is a special for readers from the Southwest University for Nationalities on“the Institute for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the Southwest University for Nationalities”.

Thirteen years ago， in a very plain offi ce of the Southwest University for Nationalities， Secretary Norbu Gyaltsen described to a reporter from China’s Tibet magazine his blueprint for the school’s future. His statement “I will lend a billion”left the reporter speechless.

Thirteen years later， in a bright and spacious reception room in the Museum of Ethnology in the Southwest University for Nationalities， he was interviewed by China’s Tibet once more. This reunion after thirteen years revealed that Secretary Norbu’s voice was unchanged， deep but modest in expression， as was as his great selfconfi dence and passion for the future. What had changed were the more than 200 ha. campus， a muchimproved environment and the many achievements of both teachers and students.

After those thirteen years， the university has kept pace with the times while retaining its unique features. It has successfully transformed itself from a purely teaching university into a teaching and research institution， adapting well to working in a new， multinational environment and providing important support for the economic development of this ethnic region. After six years’ investigations and demonstrations， the Institute for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was fi nally established in the County of Hongyuan， Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture， Sichuan Province.

Because of its special characteristics， academic advantages and scientif ic achievements， the university was able to establish the Institute for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The institute has a research structure closely connected with the problems of native herdsmen on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， such as animal husbandry， steppe ecology and organic processing of animal products. Norbu Gyaltsen asked： “As a university for nationalities， how shall we serve the ethnic regions better and make our personnel training much more suitable to the development of the area？ It has been a direction and a goal in which we have persisted.”

The Mother of the Prairie Needs Us

In 2005， Norbu Gyaltsen came to Ruoergai County， Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture（Sichuan Province）. “Looking down from the helicopter， I saw the whole Ruoergai prairie as being something like the head of someone with a cancer who had just received chemotherapy， such was the appearance of its ecological sickness. At that moment I felt very concerned， just as if some of my own kinfolks had a serious disease. I felt very distressed and unable to ignore it.”

The County of Madoi in Qinghai Province had been famous around the country since the eighties of the 20th Century for its carpet of green grass， countless lakes， both big and small， and advanced animal husbandry. However in the nineties came global warming， overgrazing and a rat infestation that made it harder and harder for the bare grassland to recover. Desertifi cation bared its ferocious teeth like a coyote. Madoi has become a poor county at the provincial level. “Seeing Ruoergai from the helicopter， I said to myself that I would not allow the tragedy of Madoi to take place again. For thousands of years， herdsmen have been making their living on the prairie. If the grassland disappears， the highland herdsmen will become“ecological refugees” like “a group of children without a mother！” Norbu Gyaltsen said.

In recent years， the area of wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has shrunk， the snowline has risen and some species have gone without trace. This situation is sounding alarms around the world. Some highland counties like Hongyuan and Ruoergai， which rely entirely on animal husbandry， face a much poorer ecological situation than the grassland. They cannot withstand the losses and natural challenges any more. With its unique geological features and topography， the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an important indicator in climate change （including water and soil conservation in China and the Asia-Pacifi c region… in fact the whole globe）. “The value of the prairie is hard to measure in time and money. Once the fl ora and fauna are destroyed， it will be hard to restore them in a dozen， a hundred， or even a thousand years. Moors are widely distributed in the counties of Hongyuan and Ruoergai， as well as many tiny tributaries of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River as they traverse the counties. Humanity has multiplied along the valley of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River…and all the water resources of the two rivers come from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Should we not respond to the distress signals sent by the highland and do something about it？ In particular， as a university for nationalities， our University should shoulder the responsibility and include major and ongoing development projects as special projects for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau，” said Norbu Gyaltsen， with the determined air of a Khampa man.

The Friends of the Herdsmen Call Us

Early in 2005， the time of the 10th Five-Year Development Plan for the University was about to end， Norbu Gyaltsen led a team to do fi eldwork around the twelve western provinces and regions， enquiring widely about what the western region needed from a university and getting to know the local development situation. In 2006， in the Journal of the Southwest University for Nationalities， Norbu Gyaltsen and Wang Yong， joint Vice Presidents， delivered a paper with the title of How Can a University for Nationalities Play a Role in the Building of a New Socialist Pastoral Area， regarding the proposal to set up a basic model for ecological and environmental protection and the high-tech development of animal husbandry in the QinghaiTibet Plateau， based on the general proposal for the founding of the Institute for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In 2007， Secretary Norbu organized scholars and research fellows to lead a team in fi eldwork in Hongyuan and Ruoergai on animal husbandry， ecology and production methods. By means of this fi eldwork， they learned the general skill requirements of the ethnic region. As a whole， on the highland， people who specialized in management were enough， yet those in science and engineering were in acute shortage （such as specialists closely concerned with highland ecology， animal husbandry， veterinary science and prairie ecology）.

During the fi eldwork， they learned that Ruoergai， at that time a big county entirely involved in grassland farming， had only one senior livestock engineer who was soon to retire and no one was to succeed him. When this was mentioned to Norbu Gyaltsen， the County Secretary of Ruoergai appeared very anxious and helpless. When Tibetan herdsmen were told that experts had arrived， they surrounded the team members right away， someone asking about his yaks with a diarrhea， someone saying that his Tibetan sheep would not graze… and others raising a lot of questions concerning livestock management， epidemic prevention and the processing of animal products. The research team felt deeply how earnestly the ethnic regions， especially in the remote pastoral areas， demanded specialist skills and how acutely the regions held expectations for a university for nationalities.

“My school has advantages in animal husbandry and veterinary science. The university has enjoyed status and fame all over pastoral areas in past years. Occasionally we invited herdsmen to the school to take part in training course on livestock breeding and they were all anxious to take them. Once， as we toured the pastoral area， we found the graduation certifi cate from the university hung on the wall in some herdsman’s houses. When the family was told that we were from the school， their sons were very pleased and said that they had also graduated from it！” Norbu Gyaltsen told the reporter they each had satisfi ed smiles on their faces.

“Hongyuan and Ruoergai lie on the east border of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is quite representative of the whole highland to the extent that the area is trapped in the problems of animal husbandry， poor scientifi c and cultural status， obsolete production methods and low profi ts. Since Hongyuan and Ruoergai is the doorway to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from Chengdu Plain， we considered that if we set up the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in this area it would occupy an important strategic position to advance and spread research results to infl uence the whole plateau.” Eventually， the institute headquarters was located in the County of Hongyuan， which received a lot of support from the local government.

Pass on the Spirit of the Red Army

“In the past it was said that no experts came to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Actually， many have been here… however， due to the harsh highland conditions， most soon left having failed to work consistently. Firstly， altitude sickness caused many people to leave. They wanted to study， but their bodies were not up to it. Secondly， some experts collected samples from the highland， then returned to the hinterland to carry out experiments and never returned. Such expeditions had quite varied outcomes. Some may have achieved something， yet nothing was of practical application to production on the highland. Thirdly， the highland lacks basic conditions for scientifi c research， not even an assured supply of food， accommodation or transport. It seems to be a little easier for a single person to overcome those hardships. In those years， some professors of my school all ate dried meat and stayed overnight in tents as they worked on the plateau. Now， mostly， if a team comes for study and there is no food or beds in the prairie， it is impossible for a group of people to settle down and carry on their work. Secretary Norbu saw the trouble with his own eyes and worried about it in his heart. Soon after he returned， he became busy with the construction of the institute. It took six years for the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to be fi nally set up in the County of Hongyuan and offi cially opened on July 26th， 2011. During the opening， the 11th Panchen Lama and Chairman Redi referred to the Institute. The program also won the support of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. Everyone remembered that how happy Secretary Norbu was on that day. He drank 100 gram of wine， and passionately sang his favorite prairie song for everyone：“I am a child of the prairie as well， and I have its song in my heart， the song of my father the prairie and my mother， the river.”

The County of Hongyuan was the snow mountain and the prairie crossed by the Chinese Workers and Peasants’ Red Army in the Long March. It was founded in 1960 and Premier Zhou Enlai personally gave it the name “Hongyuan”， meaning that the prairie been crossed by the Red Army. “The reason we established the institute at Hongyuan was our intention that people who came here would think about the Red Army’s spirit， their hard struggle against diffi culties， gaining of rewards and achieving something for the highland！” For this purpose， the university requires that every department in the school has to locate a service point in the ethnic area and link their professional knowledge with the practical needs of the ethnic region. “It is not certain that making a study of the highland must have a very high technological content. The most important thing is to maintain the environment and have tangible outcomes from the study.” Secretary Norbu emphasized that， “We don’t make a study for idle theorizing. Though it might produce a good thesis on paper， can it bring material benefi ts to our herdsmen？ Our institute and program not only need funds and the support of the state， but it also needs the support of the mass of farmers and herdsmen. For instance， making a study requires us to travel around and visit the locals， pick up samples and seek their help. By what other way can you gain support from everyone？ Nothing works but your own true feelings and real intentions out of genuine friendship， as well as your incisive， effective level of research（the fi nal fruits of which should bring tangible advances）. These are much more useful than a thesis on paper or the many qualifi cations of a professor！”

Truly， in a later interview on the highland， this reporter deeply understood the meaning of what Secretary Norbu has said. It is the season of grazing and herdsmen began to put up tents on the pasture and live a nomadic life. It is so spacious that sometimes one cannot see the next tent after a long drive. Once people from the university come to pick up samples， our host， who knows little Chinese， always warmly welcomes them and never withhold his favors. Many herdsmen on the prairie now recognize the institute’s SUV， and begin waving while still far away when they see it. Like familiar friends， they may ask the vehicle to stop and let them consult the experts at any time when they have questions.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

The Institute of QinghaiTibet Plateau is made up of its headquarters， fi ve science parks and a basic research infrastructure. The headquarters covers an area of 66.67 ha. at Hongyuan， rents a grassland area of 346.67 ha. ， includes a research laboratory， a training center， a meeting center， a logistics center and a site to demonstrate and extend scientifi c research， which in total covers an area of 470 ha. and a usable fl oor area of 1300 ha. The headquarters is also well equipped to a net value of more than 20 million Yuan. Since it was put into use， the Institute of QinghaiTibet Plateau has undertaken fi ve national programs， over 50 provincial programs and has won 60 million Yuan for scientifi c research. Wang Yong， Vice President of the university and an expert on animal genetics and breeding， took the position of Institute Director. The Executive Vice-Director is Li Jian， an expert on embryology； the other Vice-Directors are Deans of Science and Technology colleges in the school.

“In the past， we used to study separately. One team would work alone and not share results with other teams in different subject areas. Now， we are required to break the bonds of subject area， even of university campus， and to combine arts and science so as to complement each other’s advantages and advance together in mutual interest. For instance， if we research the highland area， we will fi nd issues confi rming that the highland has never been only about grass and yaks， but covers all aspects of ecology， animal husbandry， humanity， traditional Tibetan medicine， and so on. So， we encourage different colleges to develop cooperative studies， striving to build the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into a Chinese Academy of Sciences on the Highland.” At present， The Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a staff of 63， including full-time and part-time personnel. Among them， there are 16 professors， 18 associate professors， 26 PhDs， 28 masters degrees， eight provincial academic and technological pacesetters and deputies， …and six experts who enjoyed a special subsidy from the State Council. As such， the institute embraces seven teams that are known to have distinctive abilities， a reasonable structure and have achieved higher research and creative levels. They have exerted a large infl uence both at home and abroad.

“We have two basic requirements for the personnel who enter and work in the institute. Firstly their workplace must be in the institute on the highland. They must work there for six years. Six years later， on considering their work results， we may recall them to the Chengdu campus. Secondly， working in the institute， they will have a different vacation time from the schools’summer and winter vacations. We require that staff in the institute stay to work on the highland from April to October because that period is best for study. After October， it gets cold so we require the staff to return to the school and continue work there. That is to say， October， November and December are work times at school … and the time from January to April is a vacation.”

“Recently， the Dean of the Traditional Tibetan Medicine College in the University of Qinghai visited our school. After a looking around， he expressed his admiration in our ability to run the school and our thoughts on innovation. He wanted to cooperate with us， so from this year the university will offi cially inaugurate a major in Traditional Tibetan Medicine. Last year， a renowned expert on prairie studies from Qinghai Province visited our institute and exclaimed： ‘I have been making a study in Qinghai for a dozen years and I have never seen a campus where the conditions and work space are superior to yours.’Upon this remark we sincerely invited him join our team at once and he expressed his gratitude. In addition， the institute has cooperated with the Sichuan Prairie Institute to develop studies on grass seed and desertifi cation control. As a whole， our Institute of QinghaiTibet Plateau has gained support from the brother organizations， universities and colleges， and has attracted people with noble aspirations. What we have done is nothing more than ‘to throw out a brick so as to draw in pieces of jade’ and appeal for more people to support the development of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.”

The Future Is Coming

Recently the state has proposed to build an ecological barrier to protect the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The university has joined the team voluntarily， joining the national strategy as much as it could， and support the sustainable development of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Their gesture comes from the school’s enthusiasm for development and their perception of the school’s role… as well as their enthusiasm for the ethnic cause and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Since the f irst day when Norbu Gyaltsen became Secretary of the Party Committee in the university in 1999， he began with a simple and sincere declaration that “The university is a member of the big family of Chinese nationalities. I belong to this family and I love it with my whole heart”. With his enthusiasm and devotion， Norbu Gyaltsen has been destined to work for “the two families” industriously and further the development of the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. No matter whether in a former role or in his current job， he is a Kharmpa man who walks on the snow mountain and who has fi nally realized his ideal to use his “best abilities for the national ethnic cause and to contribute to the development of minority areas in the future”. This oath was written dozens of years ago. His ideal has infl uenced the faculty， staff and students in the university， giving the school a unique character.

In the eyes of all the teachers and students of the university， “solid worker”， “innovative”， and “having a bold vision” have all been used to describe the character of Secretary Norbu. “Knowledgeable”， “able to overcome hardship”， and “nice” are the deepest impressions left with the herdsmen from the prairie by the people from the university. The Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has become a research base for all teachers and students in the school， and a source for future growth for those with noble aspirations， attracted by its fame. There is also an expectation for a newer， richer life in the hearts of the herdsmen in the Prefecture of Aba， Sichuan Province.“For a dozen years， the school has gained many scientifi c research results， some of them confi ned to laboratories. Now that the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been established， we encourage everyone to study practical subjects， striving to transform science and technology into productive outcomes，” Secretary Norbu emphasized this again and again.

Recently， numerous excellent people from the university have all been to the mountains and waters in the southwest ethnic region （as well as other different areas all over the country）. They have set root in basic organizations， immersed themselves in hard work， and dedicated themselves to silently serve the country and society at ordinary posts. They have become a reliable backbone for the development of the southwest ethnic regions. Nowadays， the relay baton is still passed on. Achievement has been the past but the future is coming. The Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will create the next legend.

Once on an honors day for freshmen， Norbu Gyaltsen read a poem from Tagore， an Indian poet， to encourage everyone： “On your way， do not linger to pick fl owers but keep on going because along your way， fl owers will open endlessly！”I think， just because the university has such a large and daring spirit， it can create endlessly， stay active and inspire future staff and students to discover and progress courageously. We wish the southwest ethnic region and the Southwest University for Nationalities an ever-evolving future！