An exhibition of products made by Tibetan artisans opened Friday in Beijing as an important part of the Sustainable Human Development Project in the Qomolangma Nature Reserve (QNR) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Silver articles, ornaments, stonework and Tibetan clothes were shown, which were made by the local peasants in the QNR.
The QNR project was jointly initiated by the UNDP and Finland in 1999, and co-executed by the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange and the QNR Management Bureau. The project, with the theme of enhancing environmental protection and poverty alleviation in the QNR, focuses on developing the local tourism and helping the peasants to promote traditional handicrafts.
During the past two years, the sponsors invited experts from the United Nations Volunteer Program to tour the reserve area, and held symposiums to discuss the market potential and production capacity of the local artisan industry.
Project organizers arranged some local management personnel make study tours in the developed tourism places home and abroad, to learn artistic designing and advanced management expertise.
At present, the local peasants in the area have learned sewing, stone carving, silver making and the use of hi-tech tools, which gradually changed the traditional handmade craftmaking styles and provided a new way to wipe out poverty.
The first artisan products expo was held in Lhasa on May 30 this year.
(China Daily December 15, 2001)
