According to Lu Ruiqing, head of Rutog County of Tibet, the two yachts have been purchased by the county government and transported all the way from Tianjin in the east to the westernmost county of Tibet.

"We want to boost tourism to this special lake with the two yachts," says Lu.

The yachts are a new attraction on the lake which is 4,300 metres above sea level. "Previously tourists to this part of the country could only stand on the shore and sigh at the beauty of the lake," Lu says. "This was especially disappointing for bird watchers."

Thousands of birds migrate from South Asia to spend the summer on a tiny island in the lake. They live in peace with local Tibetans and their flight is quite a scene to enjoy. Now the yachts bring bird watchers to the island in 15 minutes.

"To save the birds from being disturbed by the presence of humans, we do not allow people to go ashore," says Wang Jun, who is in charge of the yachts. "The yachts circle the island at a safe distance."

Two-thirds of Banggong Co, which is 150 kilometers long, is in China. The bird island is 13 kilometers from the dock, which is half an hour car ride from the county seat.

In fact, the border town of Rutog is still not open to overseas tourists as yet, although they may visit the town with a special pass. Chinese tourists also have to obtain a special pass to go there.

But, says Lu Ruiqing, Rutog has already listed tourism as an economic sector the county is going to develop.

"What we need now is a better understanding of the lake," he says. "For one thing, we don't even know how many fish species there are in the lake."

As the county does not have the expertise to conduct the study, Lu and the county government are planning to bring in scientists to help them with the research.

(China Daily June 12, 2002)