Tibet is a plateau region in Central Asia and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the ‘Roof of the World.’—from Wikipedia
The Dragon in the Land of Snows: a History of Modern Tibet Since 1947, by Tsering Shakya (New York: Penguin, 2000; first published in 1999)
In order to better understand the passion behind the Olympic Torch protests, turn to Tsering Shakya’s The Dragon in the Land of Snows: a History of Modern Tibet Since 1947. Shakya’s “balanced” study “lucidly depicts the tragedy that has befallen Tibet and identifies the forces that continue to shape the aspirations of the Tibetan people today."
On 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation and inherited the political influence and the privileges that Britain had gained in Tibet. This historic transition was marked in Lhasa with a simple ceremony: the Union Jack was lowered and the Indian national flag was raised in its place. Hugh Richardson, the last British representative in Lhasa, became the first Indian representative. Later he wrote: ‘the transition was almost imperceptible. The existing staff was retained in its entirety and the only obvious change was the change of flag’. But this was deceptive. The emergence of the new Republic of India changed the traditional balance of power, and Asian nationalists envisaged that the collapse of the British Empire would lead to the birth of a new order in Asia. And thus the history of modern Tibet in the second half of the twentieth century was to become a search for the maintenance of its independence and international stature in this emerging regional order. -- from The Dragon in the Land of Snows: a History of Modern Tibet Since 1947, by Tsering Shakya
Related Websites
Tsering Wangdu Shakya (University of British Columbia)
My Journey to Lhasa: the Classic Story of the Only Western Woman Who Succeeded in Entering the Forbidden City, by Alexandra David-Neel; preface by the Dalai Lama (New York: Harper Perennial, 2005; first published 1927)
“Fluent in Tibetan and well versed in both Sanskrit and Buddhism,” 55-year-old Alexandra David-Neel, disguised as a pilgrim, journeyed to the Forbidden City in 1923. She shared her incredible adventure in the now classic My Journey to Lhasa. Vastly changed, David-Neel’s story allows us to “see” Lhasa -- place, people, and culture -- as it was in the early 1920s, while also marveling at the strength and curiosity of the traveler herself.
“I had hesitated a long time in choosing the road I would take in order to enter independent Thibet. The one I preferred, or perhaps I should say the one which circumstances seemed to be thrusting upon me, is followed every autumn by many travelers. By taking it I foresaw that I should run the danger of frequent meetings. Not that this inconvenience was without its favourable aspect, since out tracts could be more easily lost amongst those of pilgrims from various Thibetan regions, each of whom spoke in different dialect, and whose womenfolk had a variety of different dress and coiffures. The little peculiarities of my accent, my features, or my clothes would more easily be overlooked on such a road, and if enquiries were to be made, they would have to embrace so many people that confusion might very likely follow to my advantage. But of course I sincerely hoped that no enquiry would be made, and that we should meet as few people as possible during the first few weeks of our trek.” – My Journey to Lhasa, by Alexandra David-Neel
Related Websites
Foundation Alexandra David-Néel (Digne-les-Bains, France)
In 1994 I was working as a journalist in Nanjing. During the week, I presented a nightly radio programme that discussed various aspects of Chinese women’s lives. One of my listeners called me from Suzhou to say that he had met a strange woman in the street… The woman had just come back from Tibet. He thought that I might find it interesting to interview her. – from Sky Burial, by Xinran
Sky Burial : an Epic Love Story of Tibet, by Xinran (New York : Nan A. Talese, 2005; paperback available August 2006)
“’But why did you go there?’ I asked. ‘For what?’
‘For love,’ she answered simply, again looking far beyond me at the empty sky outside.’”
-- from Sky Burial, by Xinran
Sky Burial follows the newly married Shu Wen from her Chinese village to Tibet where she spends 30 years, beginning in 1958, searching for her missing husband. Through her experiences, readers enter the landscape, culture, and politics of Tibet and witness love’s power in the will to survive.
Throughout the years that Wen spent with Gela’s family, she clung to her belief that, one day, she would be reunited with Kejun. Although in many ways she had adopted the Buddhist way of life and, like the Tibetans around her, was accepting of her fate, a part of her would never renounce her quest. – from Sky Burial, by Xinran
Publisher's Website
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It was time for Wen to leave the Hundred Lakes, snow-capped Anyemaqen and the other mountains of Qinghai. For years she had wandered in this region. Its grasslands, waters and sacred mountains filled her soul. Here she had sampled all the joys and sorrows of human life. – from Sky Burial, by Xinran