Tibetchina - Random Thoughts

We talk a lot about endangered species of wildlife (like Asiatic Lions, Tigers and Giant Pandas) but one rarely hears about endangered languages and cultures. Although I have only spent a week in Tibet, when I look around me I see a rich culture on a pathway to extinction.  Why?

For those of us who have been blessed to live in free countries, perhaps it is hard to believe but it is illegal to display the Tibetan flag anywhere in the country and it is also illegal to possess or display any photos of the 14th Dalai Lama, the DL that is alive today and living in exile in Dharamsala, India. The Dalai Lama is both the religious and political leader of Tibet … but has not been in Tibet since 1959.

Religion, ‘Buddhism’ is integral to Tibetan society and the Chinese government has decided that they will be the ones to select high ranking lamas (religious leaders) rather than the Tibetans themselves. A prime example is the selection of the 11th Panchen Lama (you can think of the Panchen Lama as 2nd in line in terms of the leadership hierarchy in Tibet – with the Dalai Lama at the top). The selection for the next Panchen Lama made by the Dalai Lama was turned down by the Chinese government and their selection was put in place. The selection made by the Dalai Lama was detained by Chinese authorities and has not been seen in public since 1995.

Tibetan is no longer being taught in schools (the language of instruction in Tibet is Mandarin, the official language of China).  The language issue is a double edged sword… if young Tibetans only speak Tibetan they limit their educational and career opportunities drastically (exams for post-secondary education for example are all in Chinese not Tibetan).

There are some that say (including the Chinese government) that Tibetans have largely benefited from government policies and a booming Tibetan economy in recent years but one cannot deny
the general poor treatment of Tibetans, inequalities in the education and employment system, and the growing Chinese presence in Tibet. There are a whopping 1. 35 billion people in China and although China is BIG … the human population does move around and settle in new areas.

Although guide books will tell you that the majority of people living in the cities of the Tibetan Autonomous Region are ‘Tibetans’ if you look around in the cities of Lhasa and Xigatse that does not seem to be the case. It would seem that Tibetans are becoming a minority in their own ‘Autonomous Region’!

And I have to say it was bizarre to walk around the larger Tibetan towns and cities. For example when you walk anywhere in the Tibetan centre of Lhasa, you can’t walk for long before seeing half a dozen Chinese police or military. An odd feeling.