The Train to Lhasa

In July of 2006, the Qinghai-Tibet railway, which connects Lhasa to the existing China rail network, opened. China's rulers have said that the rail line is opening up Tibet and bringing greater prosperity for all its people, but Tibetans say that the rail is accelerating the demise of Tibet's unique culture and way of life.

Sadly, the situation is similar in many ways to what happened in the U.S. in the 19th century, when railroads opened the west to a huge influx of new population and native peoples were pushed to the margins.

This piece was created using a Tibetan prayer flag woodblock (purchased at a Tibetan store in my town) and a block of Chinese text that I carved. The Chinese text is from a 1972 propagand a poster and reads, "Take root in the countryside while keeping the world in your heart."