A Tibetan girl Qingcuo stood on the platform, smiling, and extended her hand to her etiquette teacher Wen Qikun. Mr. Wen returned her greeting while instructing Qingcuo how to make a more natural smile. Qingcuo was learning how to shake hands in a more appropriate way. Staff working for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, from train attendants to conductors, have to participate in trainings in terms of language, physique and service.
According to Mr.Wen, most staff are shy when they first appear on stage for the first time. He revealed that in physique training classes, most learners were so timid that their movements tended to be unnatural and unrelaxed during the early phase of such training. Through instruction, they became more and more confident and eventually their movements became good enough to meet the required standards.
A conductor named Liu Yanping said that these students should be associate degree holders or above. These training sessions aim to provide better service for passengers on the trains running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which will open to traffic on July 1. They are specially selected from various teams and there are specific requirements regarding their appearance, height and age.
As a matter of fact, not all interns can end up working on trains on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Liang, a learner of Han nationality, said that they need to pass an exam before working on the trains. This exam includes railway security, emergency plans and also knowledge of hygiene and sanitation on the plateau. Learners should gain a good understanding of all types of high altitude diseases and first aid procedures. At present, over 300 students from train attendants to conductors have completed such training here.
Moreover, students of Han nationality are required to learn Tibetan. Liang said that now they can already conduct simple conversation in Tibetan. These students used to meet Tibetans from Qinghai Province and their Tibetan pronunciation is quite different from the authentic Tibetan based on the Lhasa accent. Therefore, those who speak Tibetan with different pronunciations and accents could not communicate with each other. Luckily, there happened to be three Tibetan students from Lhasa in the class and they can teach those of Han nationality and correct their pronunciations. Talking of their job, the above three Tibetans are proud of what they are doing, as they will take up jobs at a Tibet railway station. Lhasa mayor Norbu Dunzhub said that Qinghai-Tibet Railway will lower the prices in Tibet and enhance Tibetans' living standard, which is the greatest benefit that the railway will bring to Tibet.
