Lhasa residents welcome the Olympic torch on Saturday. [China Daily] |
LHASA: For rural hotelier Sonam Thundunp in Gaba village, near Lhasa, the 20-member media delegation he received over the weekend was the most - and only - business he'd had since the beginning of the year.
The 40-year-old, who used to live on a farm with his wife and two children, turned his two-story home into a guest house last year. It has eight rooms decorated in traditional Tibetan style, with carved wooden desks arranged around the guest rooms and piled with traditional Tibetan foods.
Business was good last year. Travel agencies brought about 20 travelers to the hotel every weekend, increasing his family's annual income to about 20,000 yuan from the 8,000 yuan they had earned as farmers, Sonam says.
But the March 14 riots ruined his business by apparently instilling anxiety about Lhasa among tourists.
"You are my first guests this year, and I hope everything would improve after your visit," Sonam told delegation members.
He said he had faith the successful Olympic torch relay in the city over the weekend would ease travelers' worries.
"Everything is gradually returning to normal, but people are still doubtful," Sonam said. "The smoothness of the torch relay will rebuild their confidence, and I hope more tourists will come."
It's been three months since the March 14 riots in which people from both the Tibetan and other ethnic groups engaged in arson, beatings and destruction of property in Lhasa. They killed 18 innocent people and caused more than 280 million yuan ($40 million) in property damage.
Even though most businesses impacted by the riots have resumed normal operations and the police have released the majority of minor offenders, tension still lingers in the city.
Many people remain anxious about the threat of new violence - especially acute during major events, such as the torch relay. This could be seen in the posting of policemen every 200m along the relay route and the separation of the relay entourage and crowds by an iron fence.
However, it was a smooth trip for the flame from Norbulinka, which translates as "Garden of Heaven", to the Potala Palace's square. The applause was thunderous along the route.
"I am really moved - not only by the relay, but also by Lhasa," said Losang Cering. The Tibetan doctor suffered a broken cheekbone and concussion while saving a Han father and his injured son from rioters who attacked his ambulance on March 14. He was among the torchbearers in Lhasa.
"The smoothness of the relay comes as no surprise. I don't think it's mostly because of the security, which certainly played some role, but rather, the main reason is possibly that life returned to normal."
