here is an interesting story about the controversial project of Tiger Leaping Gorge dam (hu tiao xia shui ba), read here.
i have responded to the article in another blog and i'd like to keep some of the radom thoughts, unedited as below:
random thoughts 1:
while i am more on the side of the author, i must point out that this is a much more complicated issue than a mere environmental protection.
china faces the challenge of how to balance short-term and long-term development. the dam project, it is said, will greatly elevate the living standard of the locals and enhance the economic situation of yunnan province, and no doubt, with the price of sacrificing the environment.
which side of the balance is heavier? this is the question people have controversies.
putting himself into a developed world setting, a westerner will conclude without any hesitation that environmental consideration should prevail. but go to ask the locals, very probably you will get a different answer.
i have been to some of the poorest regions of china and people there will just do anything to make a living.
if the environmentalists finally win, you guys should thank to what you criticized vehemently before - the lack of democracy. under the "rule by the majority", you won't have a chance to have your opinions heard, the locals will just build the dam overnight, if that brings wealth to them in short term.
random thoughts 2:
i am not familiar with the backgrounds of this particular case, but it's not difficult for me to see there are many perspectives and dimensions for the policy-makers to consider:
- long-term vs. short-term
- economic vs. environmental
- national vs. provincial
- locals vs. those affected
- engineering
- investment
- political
- cultural, etc. etc.
in similar cases, i think a committee with experts from all related fields is a good tool to assist decison making, and also a number of representatives reflecting the interest of different groups should have the right of veto to any decison they feel unacceptable.
if i am in a position of criticizing and monitoring the dam project, my focus will be on the decision making process, rather than the decison itself.
it gives me this impression that too many western people and chinese media, without the relevant knowledge and background infor, try to play the role of an expert in cases like this, which eventually becomes a mission impossible.
i remember Confucius said sth like this - if you are not in that position, you are not supposed to do the job of that position (bu zai qi wei, bu mou qi zheng). i don't think this is an anti-democracy statement, but rather implicates true wisdom.
random thoughts 3:
another reflection is how to educate people (or government) something that they have never enountered before.
sometimes i was wondering if china could do a better job without making all the mistakes along the way to today since opening its door in 1978.
my conclusion is that some of them are just unavoidable, or put it this way, a must.
china clearly understood the importance of environmental protection back in 1980s, but without experiencing all the pains and struggles of a deteriorated environment, i doubt china could ever come to the point of taking actions.
random thoughts 4:
one thing we should bear in mind is that provinces are interdependent in china, and the central government is certainly comparing the pros and cons of the dam pjt from the national perspective. for example, shanghai's prosperity relies on energy supply from sichuan dam, and perhaps sichuan factories rely on the coal supply from shanxi province.
this said, i am not suggesting schtickyrice is narrowly focused on yunnan, as a matter of fact, i agree with him that irreplaceable natural resources are much more important even from a long term economic perspective.
i just want to remind those who keep a nose on yunnan to take a step back and get a bigger picture of this case.