This is The New Dominion’s Society News Roundup for 11-17 March 2008.
If you live in Ürümchi, you’ll have noticed that North Youhao Lu (友好北路) is being torn to pieces. The street, lined with two to three rows of trees (inconveniently placed both to the sides of and in the middle of the bus lanes), is being deforested, the trees ripped apart and uprooted. Chaos rules in the bus lanes, which are now great gashes in the ground. Cyclopean concrete pipes await internment. This road work, which actually began ahead of schedule, is meant to continue until 20 May, according to Xinhua. It is in preparation for an unnamed event of great magnitude to be held at the international exhibition center in June. The pipes will also provide better drainage, preventing North Youhao Lu from becoming a “waterway” when it rains. Admittedly, traffic on Youhao Lu is pretty rough during Ürümchi’s seven hours of rush hour (7-10 AM, 3-7 PM Xinjiang Time), but I am myself very fond of the trees, and would wish to see them preserved. This is one of the charms of Ürümchi: its persistently wooded sidewalks. Now, it seems, Youhao Lu will look just like its parallel neighbor, Xibei Lu (西北路).
I am in no way joking, by the way, when I report that Ürümchi’s rush “hour” lasts from 7-10 AM and 3-7 PM Xinjiang Time. I have been told as much by several locals. Luckily, the Ürümchi bus system is remarkably accessible.
A recent famine among wild animals in Tashkurgan has been eased by an influx of donations. Early snowfall, which normally only occurs in March and April, has put wildlife populations there in danger. Over 40 000 RMB of donations from Xinjiang and elsewhere have provided 20 metric tons of food for the animals, who seem to be taking to it.
In contrast, we can see how swiftly the government acts on environmental protection. The Agricultural and Rural Working Committee of the XUAR Standing Committee will request that the Standing Committee discuss a law on the protection of natural woodlands. Various local laws on agricultural practices are already in place, though they are mostly concerned with “development” and consumer protection more than environmental protection for its own sake.
Finally, for the first time, Ürümchiliks have engaged in the worship of the Daoist god Wenchang, protectors of women and students. On 10 March (Lunar 二月初三), Wenchang’s “birthday”, worshipers gathered at his infrequently-visited shrine in Beimen, which was erected last year. The celebration is being touted as a celebration of “Zhonghua” culture.
