TIBETAN FAMILY SINGS KARAOKE AT THE HAMBURG BEER CITY IN SHIGATSE, 1999-07-04 (photo)

FOR RELEASE WITH FEATURE BC-CHINA-TIBET-INVESTMENT - A Tibetan family enjoy singing karaoke at the Hamburg Beer City in Shigatse, Tibet's second holiest city, the spiritual seat of the Panchen Lama, June 27. The microbrewery, backed by state industry in Liaoning province, must surely rank as one of the more bizarre Chinese investments in Tibet. While there is little doubt that all the investment from other parts of China has raised living standards across the board, the clash of styles and values - and a Han Chinese influx that has accompanied the investment flows - is fuelling ethnic tensions. The Tibetan government-in-exile, led by the Dalai Lama, bitterly denounces what it calls the economic colonisation of Tibet by its Han rulers. ASW/DL