The Question(s) of Tibet - World Affairs Council

The Question(s) of Tibet 

JSIS East Asia Center 

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Photo by Tese Wintz Neighbor 

Sera Monastery monk debating ‐ photo by Tese Wintz Neighbor 

A Resource Packet for Educators 

COMPILED BY: 

Jacob Bolotin, Josh Neighbor, 

Eileen Hynes, Tese Wintz Neighbor 

WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL 

February 28, 2011 

World Affairs Council Teacher Resource Packet – The Question(s) of Tibet February 28, 2011 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Tibet is a controversial topic. Tibet history, politics, culture, religion, and contemporary issues are 

discussed differently depending on the source and/or the audience. We have tried to include a 

multitude of sources and viewpoints as we explore issues concerning modern Tibet. All text is 

excerpted directly from the corresponding websites. While lengthy, these 70‐some pages are by no 

means a comprehensive list of resources on Tibet. 

MAPS/STATISTICS/TIMELINE .................................................................................................... 3 

HIS HOLINESS THE 14 TH DALAI LAMA.......................................................................................8 

GENERAL RESOURCES ON TIBET ........................................................................................... 11 

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) ............................. 13 

GLOBAL SANDBOX .................................................................................................................28 

CHINA‐TIBET RELATIONS .......................................................................................................29 

TIBETAN BUDDHISM/ART/ARCHITECTURE ............................................................................ 36 

TIBETAN MEDICINE (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)........................................ 41 

TIBETAN YOUTH: HOME AND IN EXILE ..................................................................................42 

DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT TIBET............................................................................................44 

BOOKS AND FILM BY/ABOUT THE 14 th DALAI LAMA ............................................................. 51 

PICTURE BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS………..…………….……………………………………….…….53 

SELECT BOOKS FOR EDUCATORS..........................................................................................54 

SCHOLARLY JOURNALS/BLOGS/PORTALS ............................................................................ 55 

TIBET ADVOCACY/CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS................................................................... 57 

PRO‐TIBET SOURCES OF NEWS.............................................................................................. 61 

NEWS FROM A CHINESE PERSPECTIVE .................................................................................. 63 

NGOS WORKING IN TIBET.......................................................................................................64 

LOCAL TIBET‐RELATED ORGANIZATIONS ............................................................................. 67 

ATTACHED: THE LEGACY OF TIBET 

USING THIS RESOURCE GUIDE 

Packet published: 2/24/2011; Websites checked: 2/23/2011 

Lesson Plans 

Maps 

Audio 

Charts and Graphs 

Video 

Science, T 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math 

Chinese Source 

Recommended Resources 


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MAPS/STATISTICS/TIMELINE 

Map of Tibet 

Public Domain 

Tibet Autonomous Region: Yellow 

Red/Orange/Yellow Areas claims by Tibetan exiles as historical Tibet 


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Note: Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) is an area defined and administered by the People's 

Republic of China. Its area is less than half of the “ethno‐cultural” Tibet (or Greater Tibet). The 

majority of Tibetans live outside of the TAR. They live in the Chinese provinces of Gansu, 

Qinghai, Yunnan, and Sichuan, as well as parts of northern Nepal and India. 

Available for educational use at www.johomaps.com (2005) 


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TIBET 

Territory 

Status 

Population 

Population in Exile 

Ethnic Composition 

Capital 

Area 

Major Languages 

Major Religion 

Staple Food: 

National Drink 

Typical Animals 

Typical Birds 

Environmental 

Problems 

Average Altitude 

Highest Mountain 

Average 

Temperature 

Mineral Deposits 

Major Rivers 

Main Exports 

Economic Activity 

Bordering Countries 

STATISTICS 

Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)/Greater Tibet 

Region of China. Government In Exile seeks greater autonomy 

2.62 million in Tibet Autonomous Region (Chinese Census 2000) 6 million in Greater Tibet 

150,000 (Dalai Lama estimate in 2009), most in India, Nepal, Bhutan, 9,000 in the United States 

92.8% Tibetan, 6.1% Han, 0.3% Hui, 0.3% Monpa (Greater Tibet) (Chinese Census data) 

Lhasa 

1.2 million sq km (471,700 sq miles) in TAR, 2.5 million sq km in Greater Tibet 

Tibetan, Chinese 

Tibetan Buddhism, Bon 

Tsampa (roasted barley flour) 

Salted butter tea 

Wild Yak, Bharal (Blue) Sheep, Musk Deer, Tibetan Antelope, Tibetan Gazelle, Kyang, Pica 

Black‐Necked Crane, Lammergeier, Great Crested Grebe, Bar Headed Goose, Ruddy Shel Duck, 

Deforestation in Eastern Tibet, Desertification, Poaching, Global Warming/Glacial Melting, 

Water concerns (damming, etc.) 

14,000 Feet 

Chomo Langma (Mt. Everest) 29,028 feet 

July 58 degrees, January 24 degrees 

Borax, Uranium, Iron, Chromite, Gold 

Mekong, Yangtse, Salween, Tsangpo, Yellow, Indus, Karnali, Iriwaddy, Brahmaputra 

Crafts, Livestock 

Tibetans: Predominately agriculture and animal husbandry; Chinese predominately 

government, commerce, and service sector 

India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma 

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Information compiled from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia‐pacific/country_profiles/4152353.stm#leaders 

And http://www.savetibet.org/resource‐center/all‐about‐tibet/tibet‐statistics 

Tsampa (Image public domain) 

Tibetan Antelope are endangered today as a result of illegal poaching for their fur, 

known as shahtoosh. Image from WWF 


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Timeline 

7th‐9th century ‐ Namri Songzen and descendants begin to unify Tibetan‐inhabited areas and conquer 

neighboring territories, in competition with China. 

822 ‐ Peace treaty with China delineates borders. 

1244 ‐ Mongols conquer Tibet. Tibet enjoys considerable autonomy under Yuan Dynasty. 

1598 ‐ Mongol Altan Khan makes high lama Sonam Gyatso first Dalai Lama. 

1630s‐1717 ‐ Tibet involved in power struggles between Manchu and Mongol factions in China. 

1624 ‐ First European contact as Tibetans allow Portuguese missionaries to open church. Expelled at lama's 

insistence in 1745. 

1717 ‐ Dzungar Mongols conquer Tibet and sack Lhasa. Chinese Emperor Kangxi eventually ousts them in 1720, 

and re‐establishes rule of Dalai Lama. 

1724 ‐ Chinese Manchu (Qing) dynasty appoints resident commissioner to run Tibet, annexes parts of historic 

Kham and Amdo provinces. 

1750 ‐ Rebellion against Chinese commissioners quelled by Chinese army, which keeps 2,000‐strong garrison in 

Lhasa. Dalai Lama government appointed to run daily administration under supervision of commissioner. 

1774 ‐ British East India Company agent George Bogle visits to assess trade possibilities. 

1788 and 1791 ‐ China sends troops to expel Nepalese invaders. 

1793 ‐ China decrees its commissioners in Lhasa to supervise selection of Dalai and other senior lamas. 

Foreigners banned 

1850s ‐ Russian and British rivalry for control of Central Asia prompts Tibetan government to ban all foreigners. 

1865 ‐ Britain starts discreetly mapping Tibet. 

1904 ‐ Dalai Lama flees British military expedition under Colonel Francis Younghusband. Britain forces Tibet to 

sign trading agreement in order to forestall any Russian overtures. 

1906 ‐ British‐Chinese Convention of 1906 confirms 1904 agreement, pledges Britain not to annex or interfere in 

Tibet in return for indemnity from Chinese government. 

1907 ‐ Britain and Russia acknowledge Chinese suzerainty over Tibet. 

1908‐09 ‐ China restores Dalai Lama, who flees to India as China sends in army to control his government. 

1912 April ‐ Chinese garrison surrenders to Tibetan authorities after Chinese Republic declared. 

Independence declared 

1912 ‐ 13th Dalai Lama returns from India, Chinese troops leave. 

1913 ‐ Tibet reasserts independence after decades of rebuffing attempts by Britain and China. 

1935 ‐ The infant who will later become the 14th Dalai Lama is born to a peasant family in a small village in northeastern 

Tibet. Buddhist officials declare him to be the reincarnation of the 13 previous Dalai Lamas. 

1949 ‐ Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the People's Republic of China and threatens Tibet with 

"liberation." 

1950 ‐ China enforces a long‐held claim to Tibet. The Dalai Lama, now aged 15, officially becomes head of state. 

1951 ‐ Tibetan leaders are forced to sign a treaty dictated by China. The treaty, known as the "Seventeen Point 

Agreement," professes to guarantee Tibetan autonomy and to respect the Buddhist religion, but also allows the 

establishment of Chinese civil and military headquarters at Lhasa. 

Mid‐1950s ‐ Mounting resentment against Chinese rule leads to outbreaks of armed resistance. 

1954 ‐ The Dalai Lama visits Beijing for talks with Mao, but China still fails to honor the Seventeen Point 

Agreement. 

Revolt 

1959 March ‐ Full‐scale uprising breaks out in Lhasa. Thousands are said to have died during the suppression of 

the revolt. The Dalai Lama flees to northern India, to be followed by some 80,000 other Tibetans. 

1963 ‐ Foreign visitors are banned from Tibet. 

1965 ‐ Chinese government establishes Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). 

1966 ‐ The Cultural Revolution reaches Tibet and results in the destruction of a large number of monasteries and 

cultural artifacts. 

1971 ‐ Foreign visitors are again allowed to enter the country. 

Late 1970s ‐ End of Cultural Revolution leads to some easing of repression, though large‐scale relocation of Han 

Chinese into Tibet continues. 

1980s ‐ China introduces "Open Door" reforms and boosts investment while resisting any move towards greater 

autonomy for Tibet. 

1987 ‐ The Dalai Lama calls for the establishment of Tibet as a zone of peace and continues to seek dialogue with 

China, with the aim of achieving genuine self‐rule for Tibet within China. 

1988 ‐ China imposes martial law after riots break out. 


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1989 ‐ The Dalai Lama is awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. 

1993 ‐ Talks between China and the Dalai Lama break down. 

1995 ‐ The Dalai Lama names a six‐year‐old boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, as the true reincarnation 

of the Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese 

authorities place the boy under house arrest and designate another six‐year‐old boy, Gyancain 

Norbu, as their officially sanctioned Panchen Lama. 

2002 ‐ Contacts between the Dalai Lama and Beijing are resumed. 

Rail link 

2006 July ‐ A new railway linking Lhasa and the Chinese city of Golmud is opened. The Chinese 

authorities hail it as a feat of engineering, but critics say it will significantly increase Han Chinese 

traffic to Tibet and accelerate the undermining of traditional Tibetan culture. 

2007 November ‐ The Dalai Lama hints at a break with the centuries‐old tradition of selecting his 

successor, saying the Tibetan people should have a role. 

2007 December ‐ The number of tourists travelling to Tibet hits a record high, up 64% year on year 

at just over four million, Chinese state media say. 

2008 March ‐ Anti‐China protests escalate into the worst violence Tibet has seen in 20 years, five 

months before Beijing hosts the Olympic Games. 

Pro‐Tibet activists in several countries focus world attention on the region by disrupting progress of 

the Olympic torch relay. 

2008 October ‐ The Dalai Lama says he has lost hope of reaching agreement with China about the 

future of Tibet. He suggests that his government‐in‐exile could now harden its position towards 

Beijing. 

2008 November ‐ The British government recognises China's direct rule over Tibet for the first time. 

Critics say the move undermines the Dalai Lama in his talks with China. 

China says there has been no progress in the latest round of talks with aides of the Dalai Lama, and 

blames the Tibetan exiles for the failure of the discussions. 

A meeting of Tibetan exiles in northern India reaffirms support for the Dalai Lama's long‐standing 

policy of seeking autonomy, rather than independence, from China. 

2008 December ‐ Row breaks out between European Union and China after Dalai Lama addresses 

European MPs. China suspends high‐level ties with France after President Nicolas Sarkozy meets the 

Dalai Lama. 

Anniversary 

2009 January ‐ Chinese authorities detain 81 people and question nearly 6,000 alleged criminals in 

what the Tibetan government‐in‐exile called a security crackdown ahead of the March anniversary 

of the 1959 flight of the Dalai Lama. 

2009 March ‐ China marks flight of Dalai Lama with new "Serfs' Liberation Day" public holiday. China 

promotes its appointee as Panchen Lama, the second‐highest‐ranking Lama, as spokesman for 

Chinese rule in Tibet. Government reopens Tibet to tourists after a two‐month closure ahead of the 

anniversary. 

2009 April ‐ China and France restore high‐level contacts after December rift over President 

Sarkozy's meeting with the Dalai Lama, and ahead of a meeting between President Sarkozy and 

China's President Hu Jintao at the London G20 summit. 

2009 August ‐ Following serious ethnic unrest in China's Xinjiang region, the Dalai Lama describes 

Beijing's policy on ethnic minorities as "a failure."But he also says that the Tibetan issue is a Chinese 

domestic problem. 

2009 October ‐ China confirms that at least two Tibetans have been executed for their involvement 

in anti‐China riots in Lhasa in March 2008. 

2009 January ‐ Head of pro‐Beijing Tibet government, Qiangba Puncog, resigns. A former army 

soldier and, like Puncog, ethnic Tibetan, Padma Choling, is chosen to succeed him. 

2010 April ‐ Envoys of Dalai Lama visit Beijing to resume talks with Chinese officials after a break of 

more than one year. 

2010 July 6 ‐ The Dalai Lama celebrates his 75 th birthday. 

2011 February ‐ “The Tibet problem will be solved in my lifetime.” Dalai Lama, Mumbai University. 

China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs disclosed plans to enact a new law forbidding the 

75‐year‐old Buddhist deity to be reborn anywhere but on Chinese‐controlled soil. 

2011 March ‐ The Dalai Lama announces he will withdraw from his political position 

Original Timeline from BBC, with additions added by the World Affairs Council: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia‐pacific/country_profiles/6299565.stm 


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HIS HOLINESS THE 14 TH DALAI LAMA 

NOTE: For a list of books by and about the Dalai Lama see page 5o. 

HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA OF TIBET 

http://www.dalailama.com/ 

Welcome to the official website of the Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. His Holiness 

is both the temporal and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He frequently states that his 

life is guided by three major commitments: the promotion of basic human values or secular 

ethics in the interest of human happiness, the fostering of inter‐religious harmony and the 

welfare of the Tibetan people, focusing on the survival of their identity, culture and religion. 

Explore here how His Holiness fulfils these commitments through his various activities his 

public talks, teachings, widespread international visits and publications. 

THE NEW YORKER: THE NEXT INCARNATION (10/4/10) 

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_osnos 

Osnos profiles the Dalai Lama XIV. His Holiness recently celebrated his 75th birthday in 

Dharamsala, India, the town in which he has lived in exile for the past 50 years. A discussion of 

the political strife between Tibetans and the Chinese government is also presented. 

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS: A HELL ON EARTH (3/9/09) 

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2009/apr/09/a‐hell‐on‐earth/?page=1 

Over the decades I’ve known him, the Dalai Lama has always been adept at pointing out, 

logically, how Tibet’s interests and China’s converge—bringing geopolitics and Buddhist 

principles together, in effect—and at arguing, syllogistically, for how the very notion of enmity 

is not only a projection, nearly always, but, in today’s globally interconnected world, an 

anachronism. But now, with the skill of one trained for decades in dialectics and personally 

familiar with the last few generations of Chinese history, he seems more and more to be 

holding the Chinese government up against its own principles. “Chairman Mao, when I was in 

Peking, said, ‘The Communist Party must welcome criticism. Self‐criticism as well as criticism 

from others,’” he noted pointedly in Tokyo. But now the Party seemed to be all mouth and no 

ears. Deng Xiaoping, he reminded another audience, always stressed “seeking truth from 

facts,” the very empiricism the Dalai Lama would love to see more thoroughly deployed. “When 

President Hu Jintao talks of a ‘Harmonious Society,’ I am a comrade of his,” he told the Chinese 

scholars. “Even today I have points of agreement with Marxist thought.” 

TIME: A MONK’S STRUGGLE (3/19/08) 

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1723 

922,00.html 

…I'm not a Buddhist myself, only a typically skeptical 

journalist whose father, a professional philosopher, 

happened to meet the Dalai Lama in 1960, the year 

after he went into exile. But having spent time 

watching wars and revolutions everywhere from Sri 

Lanka to Beirut, I've grown intrigued by the quietly 

revolutionary ideas that the Dalai Lama has put into 

play. China and Tibet will long be geographic 

Among fellow Buddhists, the Dalai Lama delivers complex, 

analytical talks and wrestles with doctrinal issues within a 

philosophy that can be just as divided as anything in 

Christianity or Islam, but he has decided after analytical 

research that when he finds himself out in the wider world 

talking to large audiences of people with no interest in 

Buddhism, the most practical course is just to offer, as a doctor 

would, simple, everyday principles that anyone, regardless of 

religion (or lack of same), might find helpful. Since material 

wealth cannot help us if we're heartbroken, he often says, and 

yet those who are strong within can survive even material 

hardship (as many monks in Tibet have had tragic occasion to 

prove), it makes more sense to concentrate on our inner, not our 

outer, resources. We in the privileged world spend so much time 

strengthening and working on our bodies, perhaps we could also 

use some time training what lies beneath them, at the source of 

our well‐being: the mind. 


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neighbors, he implies, so for Tibetans to think of the Chinese as their enemies—or vice versa—is 

to say they will long be surrounded by enemies. Better by far to expunge the notion of 

"enmities" that the mind has created. 

DALAI LAMA WINNER OF THE 1989 NOBEL PRIZE IN PEACE 

http://nobelprizes.com/nobel/peace/1989a.html 

Site features links to The 14th Dalai Lama’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, Nobel Prize 

Presentation Speech, Nobel Prize Press Release, Nobel Lecture, Nobel Symposia. Also includes 

links to books written by and about the Dalai Lama. 

DALAI LAMA QUOTES ABOUT PEACE 

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Buddhism/2009/03/Dalai‐Lama‐Quotes.aspx 

Site includes 22 quotes. 

If you want others to be 

happy, practice compassion. 

If you want to be happy, 

practice compassion. 

THOUGHTS ON RELIGIOUS HARMONY, COMPASSION, AND ISLAM 12/9/07 

http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/world_today/religiou 

s_harmony_compassion_islam.html 

…..Some say God, some say no God – that is not important. What is important is the law of 

causality. This is the same in all religions – don’t practice killing, stealing, sexual abuse, lying. 

The different religions may use different methods, but they all have the same purpose. Look at 

the results, not at the causes. When you go to a restaurant, just enjoy all the different foods, 

rather than argue that this food’s ingredients come from this or that. It’s better to just eat and 

enjoy. So, those different religions – rather than argue that your philosophy is bad or good, see 

that they all teach compassion as their purpose and goal, and that they all are good. Using 

different methods is realistic for different people. We must adopt a realistic approach and 

view…For complete transcript see website listed above. 

HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA AND CHINESE ACTIVISTS Q & A VIDEOCONFERENCE 

TRANSCRIPT (1/21/11) 

http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/641‐transcript‐of‐video‐conference‐with‐his‐holinessthe‐dalai‐lama‐and‐chinese‐activists 

Q: Your Holiness, are you losing control over the behaviour of a few Tibetans in exile? What 

do you think if that happens and how are you going to work on this? 

A: There are over 150,000 Tibetans living in exile, out of which perhaps 99 percent share 

common concern and sincerity on the issue of Tibet. Of course, there will be difference of 

opinions and it should exist since here we are following the path of democracy. I tell my people 

that they have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of thought, and they should express 

themselves freely. So there will be different opinions. Take the example of the Tibetan Youth 

Congress. They struggle for independence and criticize our Middle‐Way policy. During my 

occasional meetings with them, I tell them ‘the Chinese government expects that I should 

arrest some of you’, but we cannot do such things here in a free country and I would never do 

such a thing. 

Q: My question to you, my teacher, is the struggle of non‐violence and truth (noncooperation) 

effective in confronting communist China? If yes, in what ways the Tibetan 

people are benefited by non‐violence and truth? 

A: I always tell the same thing to Tibetans. And I want to mention here that even though our 

consistent stand of middle‐way policy based on the foundation of non‐violence has not yielded 

tangible result through dialogue with the Chinese government, it has helped us in getting 


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strong support from the Chinese intellectuals, students and those who are interested in and 

aware of the reality. This is the result of my efforts. 

It is difficult to deal with the Chinese government, but I think despite our inability to maintain 

extensive contacts with the Chinese intellectuals and public, our stand will win their support 

and it will continue to grow. It was some months after the Tiananmen event, I met some 

Chinese friends at Harvard University as I happened to be at that time in the US. After I 

explained to them our position, they said the entire Chinese people would support the stand of 

the Dalai Lama if they know about it. 

For complete English transcript of Q & A with China‐based civil rights activist Teng Biao and 

human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong see website listed above. 

SEEDS OF COMPASSION CURRICULUM 

http://www.seedsofcompassion.net/why/curriculum.asp 

The lessons represent a beginning point for conversations about what 

compassion means and why it is an important element of a healthy 

society. Developed in preparation for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit 

to Seattle on Children’s Day, April 14, 2008 

One can do without 

Religion, but not without 

compassion. 

His Holiness the 14 th 

Dalai Lama. 

Article About His Holiness the 14 th Dalai Lama: THE LEGACY OF TIBET: IN CALM ABIDING 

(Inserted at end of packet) 


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GENERAL RESOURCES ON TIBET 

THE TIBETAN AND HIMALAYAN LIBRARY (THL) 

http://www.thlib.org/ 

The Tibetan and Himalayan Library (THL) is a publisher of websites, information services, and 

networking facilities relating to the Tibetan plateau and southern Himalayan regions. THL 

promotes the integration of knowledge and community across the divides of academic 

disciplines, the historical and the contemporary, the religious and the secular, the global and 

the local. 

THE TIBET ALBUM: BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHY IN CENTRAL TIBET, 1920‐1950 

http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/index.php 

The Tibet Album (Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford) presents more than 6000 

photographs spanning 30 years of Tibet's history. These extraordinary photographs are a 

unique record of people long gone and places changed beyond all recognition. They also 

document the ways that British visitors encountered Tibet and Tibetans. Our specially designed 

functions (maps, zoom, album…) enable you to browse this site in many different ways. 

Photographs appear in a variety of formats and can be linked to the visual narratives they were 

originally used for. 

ANCIENT TIBET PHOTOGRAPHS 

http://www.himalayanart.org/exhibits/ancient_photographs/index.cfm 

A portfolio of 20 haunting black and white photographs primarily made by Sonam Gyatso 

Thartse Ken Rinpoche (1930‐1988), abbot of Ngor Monastery in Tibet in the early 50's, before 

the Chinese Occupation of Tibet. 

TIBET EDUCATION NETWORK 

http://www.globalsourcenetwork.org/TibetCurr&Res.htm 

Tibet Education Network (TEN) has built a vast, comprehensive collection of curricular, 

reference, and resource materials for elementary and secondary study of Tibet—the largest 

library focused on K‐12 education in North America. TEN has also produced and published a 

number of handbooks (listed below), starter libraries, lessons, and other curricular support 

material for use in K‐12 education. Note: some of this material has not been updated. 

TIBET INFONET 

http://www.tibetinfonet.net/ 

TibetInfoNet monitors the situation within Tibet, analyses developments on the basis of 

independent expert knowledge and disseminates information through internet‐based reports, 

electronic mailings and occasional publications. TibetInfoNet’s reports also cover Tibet‐related 

events and developments outside Tibet when these are relevant to gain a better understanding 

of the ‘wider picture’. TibetInfoNet translates parts of its output into Tibetan and Chinese and 

makes the translations available on its website. 

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ASIAN STUDIES VIRTUAL LIBRARY: TIBETAN 

STUDIES PAGE 

www.ciolek.com/WWWVL‐TibetanStudies.html 

This document keeps track of leading information facilities in the field of Tibetan studies. 


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GENERAL RESOURCES ON TIBET 

TIBET TODAY/HISTORIC TIBET 

http://www.oneworldclassrooms.org/travel/china/culturalprofiles/main.htm 

Tibet Today features the following sections: Animal‐Human Relationships ‐ Yaks, Clothing, 

Cultural Assimilation vs. Acculturation and Religion ‐ Symbols. Historic Tibet features the 

following sections: Clash of Cultures, Cultural Landscape ‐ Koras, History and Myth in Art and 

Religious Change. 

C.V.STARR EAST ASIAN LIBRARY 

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/eastasian/Tibetan/guide/tibetan_studies.html 

Resources/articles/journals from Columbia University. See column on the right. 


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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 

GENERAL RESOURCES ON TIBET’S ENVIRONMENT 

THE HIMALAYAS 

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/the‐himalayas/introduction/6338/ 

The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayan range is far‐reaching, spanning 

thousands of miles, and holds within it an exceptionally diverse ecology. Coniferous and 

subtropical forests, wetlands, and montane grasslands are as much a part of this world as the 

inhospitable, frozen mountaintops that tower above. Includes various short videos, fact page, 

and other resources. 

ENVIRONMENT IN ASIA (ASIA DEVELOPMENT BANK) 

http://www.adb.org/environment/ 

Environmental sustainability is a prerequisite for economic growth and poverty reduction in 

Asia and the Pacific. ADB's long‐term strategic framework for 2008‐2020 (or Strategy 2020) 

identifies environmentally sustainable growth as a key strategic development agenda, and 

environment as a core area for support. ADB promotes and invests in sound environmental and 

natural resource management in support of Strategy 2020. Read about ADB's environment 

initiatives and safeguards to find out how environmental objectives are being promoted across 

all ADB operations and how environmental degradation is being reversed. Check the website 

for updates on Tibet and the Himalayas. 

ASIA SOCIETY: ENVIRONMENT 

http://asiasociety.org/policy‐politics/environment 

This section of Asiasociety.org features information on environmental issues in Asia today. 

Included in this section on the environment are videos taken from this website. 

VISIBLE EARTH: TIBET 

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/search_results.html?cx=016116316545443671480%3Albqtvfnrdrk& 

cof=FORID%3A9&q=tibet&sa=search#918 

A catalog of NASA images showing environmental changes in the Tibetan. 

THE GUARDIAN: WIKILEAKS CABLES: DALAI LAMA IS RIGHT TO PUT CLIMATE CHANGE 

FIRST (12/7/10) 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif‐green/2010/dec/17/wikileaks‐dalai‐lama‐climate‐change‐tibet 

The Dalai Lama, according to the latest release of WikiLeaks cables, told US diplomats that, for 

Tibet, climate change is a more urgent issue than a political settlement. This will certainly 

dismay some of the more radical elements of the region's independence movement. Many of 

the younger Tibetans in exile are already frustrated with their spiritual leader's moderate and 

non‐violent approach. For them, independence will always trump the environment. Meanwhile, 

the profound and irreversible impacts of dramatic environmental changes are overtaking 

politics as a threat to the Tibetan way of life. The signs are everywhere: in melting permafrost; 

changes in surface water on the grasslands; disrupted rainfall patterns; and the retreat of most 

of the Himalayan glaciers – the largest store of ice outside the north and south poles…. 


13


TIBET ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH 

http://www.tew.org/index.html 

The site features regularly updated information on environmental problems in Tibet. 

Information includes wildlife, geography, development, etc. 

WORLD WATCH INSTITUTE 

http://www.worldwatch.org/About 

The Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organization recognized by opinion 

leaders around the world for its accessible, fact‐based analysis of critical global issues. The 

Institute's three main program areas include Climate & Energy, Food & Agriculture, and the 

Green Economy. Great searchable information about Tibet included on the website. 

TIBET’S ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES RAISED ON SIDELINES OF UN SESSION IN GENEVA 

(10/3/10) 

http://www.tibetcustom.com/article.php/20101003083154526 

"The Tibetan Plateau is one of the earth’s most sensitive environments and a unique biogeographical 

zone", said Mr. Tenzin Norbu, a Tibetan environmental expert during a 

presentation on the sideline of the 15th session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 27 

September. "It’s warming about three times the global average. Twenty percent of Tibetan 

glaciers have retreated in the past 40 years." Mr. Norbu made the above remarks during the 

15th session of Human Rights Council held here at Geneva. He is the head of the Environment 

and Development Desk of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, India. He gave a 

detailed account of the environmental concerns on the Tibetan Plateau. He said these impacts 

are creating problems not only to the six million Tibetans living on the Tibetan Plateau but also 

to the billions of people especially in India, China and the neighbouring countries. He also said 

that the secret constructions of dams on Tibetan plateau by the Chinese government on the 

Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), Dri Chu (Yangtze River) and Salween will have serious impacts 

on livelihood of downstream inhabitants of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Pakistan, Burma and 

India and the bio‐diversity. 

THE LEGAL STATUS OF TIBET AND CHINA'S INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN 

MANAGING TIBET'S ENVIRONMENT: USING LAW AND POLITICS TO PROTECT TIBET'S 

ENVIRONMENT 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/reports/enviro/enviro.html 

I will summarize the current international legal framework as it affects Tibet's prospects for 

change and propose avenues of action for the international community. My focus is on two 

goals: first, to speed the day when Tibetans can freely exercise their right of self‐determination 

in government and in resource management; and second, to reduce the environmental harm 

that will occur in the meantime. 

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS 

IN TIBET (1992) 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/reports/enviro/env_human_rights.html 

The United Nations Sub‐Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of 

Minorities of the Commission on Human Rights ["the Sub‐Commission"] is currently studying 

the nature of the interrelationship between human rights and environmental degradation, to 


14


determine whether and in what form human rights law should include an explicit environmental 

dimension. To assist in this work, the Sub‐Commission has solicited papers from interested 

parties focusing on the nature of this relationship in particular countries or areas. This paper 

analyzes some of the choices made by the Chinese government in its management of Tibet’s 

environment and development and the impacts of those choices on the human rights of 

Tibetans and other peoples. 

TIBET JUSTICE CENTER REPORTS 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/tringyiphonya/ 

Started in June 2003, Trin‐gyi‐pho‐nya ("Cloud Messenger") is an initiative of Tibet Justice 

Center's Environment and Development Program to share news and expert commentary on 

Tibet's environment and the various development projects underway on the Tibetan Plateau. 

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: CHINA 

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/asiapacific/china/ 

From protecting freshwater on the Yangtze River to preserving biodiversity in the Yunnan 

Forests, the Conservancy is working throughout China to create a sustainable future for nature 

and people. 

SOUTH CENTRAL CHINA AND TIBET: HOTSPOT OF DIVERSITY 

http://arboretum.harvard.edu/library/image‐collection/south‐central‐china‐and‐tibet‐hotspot‐of‐diversity/ 

For over a century, Arboretum staff have explored and documented the natural and cultural 

resources of Asia. In 1924, a three‐year expedition departed for one of the most unusual areas 

on earth—the first of many Arboretum expeditions to a region that is floristically one of the 

richest in the world. Seventy years later, other Arboretum expeditions returned to collect and 

inventory the flora. Today the Hengduan Mountain region, comprising western Sichuan and 

eastern Tibet (Xizang), is considered by international conservation organizations to be a 

hotspot of biodiversity, a term used to designate areas with a high number of endemic species 

(those found only in a single region) that are under severe threat of destruction due to human 

activities. 

PLANTS OF TIBET 

http://www.eol.org/content_partner/content/188 

The mountains of southern and eastern Tibet (Xizang Autonomous Region and adjacent 

Sichuan and Yunnan provinces), China, form the eastern extent of the Himalayan range. It is a 

region of extreme elevational ranges compressed in short distances, with a corresponding 

diversity of habitats ranging from nearly untouched lowland subtropical forests (with tree ferns) 

in the Yarlongtsangpo River Valley, to montane tree Rhododendron cloud forests, to areas of 

alpine and cold desert vegetation at the highest elevations. The flora of southern Tibet is rich 

and contains many endemic species. In this project, for each species page, we provided 

information on general summary of the species, morphological descriptions, biological and 

ecological characteristics, habitats, distribution, economical value, conservation status, and 

related literature references. 

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JOSEPH ROCK 

http://drjosephrock.blogspot.com/ 

Dr. Joseph Rock was an Austrian‐born American botanist, anthropologist and explorer. He lived 

in South West China from the 1920s to 1949. During that time he went on many expeditions to 


15


remote parts of the Tibetan borderlands, collecting plants, taking photographs and collating 

maps. He described his trips in several articles in the National Geographic journal. After reading 

his articles, I was inspired to revisit places he described in Sichuan and Yunnan such as Muli, 

Yading, Deqin and Gongga Shan. This blog describes my travels and compares Rock's pictures 

with ones I have taken in the same places. 

HUNT INSTITUTE FOR BOTANICAL DOCUMENTATION: JOSEPH FRANCIS ROCK 

http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/HIBD/Departments/Archives/Archives‐HR/Rock.shtml 

This website contains biographical information about Joseph Rock and photographs. 

WATER/RIVER ISSUES 

MOUNTAINS OF CONCRETE: DAM BUILDING IN THE HIMALAYAS (2008) 

http://www.internationalrivers.org/files/IR_Himalayas_rev.pdf 

Recent years have seen a renewed push for building dams in 

the Himalayas. Massive plans are underway in Pakistan, 

India, Nepal and Bhutan6 to build several hundred dams in 

the region, with over 150,000 Megawatts (MW) of additional 

capacity proposed in the next 20 years in the four countries. If 

all the planned capacity expansion materializes, the 

Himalayan region could possibly have the highest 

concentration of dams in the world. This dam building 

activity will fundamentally transform the landscape, ecology 

and economy of the region and will have far‐reaching 

impacts all the way down to the river deltas. Submergence of 

lands, homes, fields and forests on a large scale will displace 

hundreds of thousands of people. Damming and diversion of 

Why Tibet matters so much. 

The Tibetan plateau is the water-tower of all Asia. The 

Yellow River, the Yangtse, the Mekong, the Salween, 

the Iriwaddy, the Brahmaputra, the Ganga and 

Yamuna, the Indus complex -- all these rivers rise in 

environmental Tibet, and the cleanness and fertility and 

glacial cool of the plateau are critical to the health of 

these nine alluvia that sustain the lives of over three 

billion people, in the most populated swathe of peoples 

on earth, from the Chinese, through the Vietnamese, 

Cambodians, Laotians, Thai, Burmese, Bangladeshis, 

Indians, up to the Pakistanis. The de-forestation, 

dessication, pollution, and overheating due to 

colonization of the headwater regions of all these rivers 

will be a global disaster of epic proportions. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-thurman/whytibet-matters-so-much_b_465496.html 

rivers will severely disrupt the downstream flows, impacting agriculture and fisheries and 

threatening livelihoods of entire populations. Degradation of the natural surroundings and a 

massive influx of migrant workers will have grave implications for the culture and identity of 

local people, who are often distinct ethnic groups small in numbers…. 

A NEW ERA FOR TIBET’S RIVERS (1/17/11) 

http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4055 

The rushing waters of the Yarlung Zangbo, the last of China’s great rivers to remain 

undammed, will soon be history. On November 12 last year, the builders of the Zangmu 

Hydropower Station announced the successful damming of the river – the first public 

announcement on a matter that, until now, has been kept under wraps. The Zangmu 

hydroelectric power station is being built on the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo (known 

as the Brahmaputra when it reaches India) between the counties of Sangri and Gyaca. Around 

7.9 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) is being invested in the project, located in a V‐shaped valley 

3,200 metres above sea level. At 510 megawatts, the plant is much smaller than China’s 18,000‐ 

megawatt Three Gorges Dam, but still equivalent to the entire existing hydropower‐generating 

capacity of Tibet. 


16


CHINA PLANS STRING OF DAMS IN SOUTH TIBET (2008) 

http://www.internationalrivers.org/node/3579 

Hundreds of millions of people across Asia depend on rivers that originate in Tibet, and 

previous hydroelectric proposals have proved controversial because of their impact on the 

environment, local people and communities downstream. But officials in Lhasa argue the dams 

are the least damaging way of providing power and raising living standards in the region. "Tibet 

is rich in water resources and has good potential for setting up more hydropower stations and 

dams," said Baima Wangdui, director of the region's water resources department. "With the 

economic development of Tibet we need more resources. We will take great care in protecting 

Tibet's natural life and consider the [impact] on society." They add that hydropower is cleaner 

and more efficient than coal, oil, gas or nuclear power stations to generate electricity. A 2003 

study by the ministry of water suggested it could generate 1,800bn kilowatt hours a year in 

Tibet. The director said he did not know exactly how many dams would be built in the next 

decade because there was no detailed planning as yet. But he added that experts were 

considering sites. Sign up at internationalrivers.org for free weekly newsletters. 

INDIA QUAKES OVER CHINA PLANS WATER PLAN (2008) 

http://www.internationalrivers.org/node/3644 

Even as India and China are yet to resolve their decades‐old territorial dispute, another conflict 

is looming. China's diversion of the waters of a river originating in Tibet to its water‐scarce 

areas could leave India's northeast parched. This is expected to trigger new tensions in the 

already difficult relations between the two Asian giants…. 

The river in question is the Brahmaputra, which begins in southwestern Tibet where it is known 

as the Yalong Tsangpo River. It flows eastwards through southern Tibet for a distance of about 

1,600 kilometers and at its easternmost point makes a spectacular U‐turn, known as the 

Shuomatan Point, or the "Great Bend". This is just before the river enters India, where it is 

joined by two other major rivers; from this point of confluence it is known as the Brahmaputra. 

It then snakes into Bangladesh, where it is joined by the Ganges River to create the world's 

largest delta before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. It is at the Great Bend that China plans to 

divert water, in addition to its hydroelectric power project that is expected to generate 40,000 

megawatts of power. …The Tibetan plateau is a source of much water. It is Asia's principal 

watershed and the source of 10 of its major rivers, including the Yalong Tsangpo/Brahmaputra, 

the Sutlej and the Indus. China, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, 

Cambodia and Vietnam, indeed 47% of the world's population, are dependent on water rising in 

the Tibetan plateau. But while rivers with sources in the icy Tibetan plateau are rich in water, 

critics of the water diversion project say they are not inexhaustible, as Chinese officials claim. 

The Tibetan plateau is ice‐covered but it is an arid desert with very little rainfall. The source of 

much of its water bodies and rivers is glaciers, which are melting due to global warming. If, 

alongside the impact of rising temperatures on glaciers, China diverts water from its natural 

course, Tibet will be a water‐scarce region in a few decades. Critics also point to the 

environmental and ecological destruction it is likely to cause. 


17


LANDSLIDE LAKE IN TIBET FLOODS INDIA (NASA) (2004) 

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=19399 

Rock and mud piled over a river in Tibet could spell disaster for communities 35 kilometers 

downstream in northern India. In early summer, a landslide in the Zaskar Mountains, a range of 

the Himalayas, blocked the Pareechu River in its course from the Tibet Autonomous Region of 

China to the Himachal Pradesh State of northern India. The water is slowly building behind the 

natural dam, creating an artificial lake in the remote mountain region. By August 13, the lake 

had spread over 188 hectares and had reached a depth of 35 meters, with water levels rising 

daily. Indian and Chinese officials fear that the unstable dam will burst, releasing a torrent of 

water on populated regions of northern India. 

MEGOE TSO: THE DAMMING OF TIBET’S SACRED LAKE (2005) 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/reports/enviro/megoetso.pdf 

The purpose of this report is to provide an analysis of the key issues surrounding the 

controversial dam project on eastern Tibet’s most sacred lake – Megoe Tso – a project that is 

currently “suspended” but that nonetheless has been approved from China’s central 

government. Damming was again suspended in 2010. 

AN ANALYSIS OF CHINA’S WATER MANAGEMENT AND POLITICS (2002) 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/reports/enviro/hydrologic.pdf 

China is a typical example of the ironic state of high water availability accompanied by 

low per capita availability. Although “Annual Renewable Water Resources” of China 

(2829.6 km3/yr) are one of the highest in Asia (and the world), its population of 1.26 

billion people (largest in the world) make the “most precious resource” more precious 

than in most other countries. Water problems are particularly serious in North China, 

where the per capita water resources are half that of the global average and one‐quarter of 

the national average. This region (particularly northeastern China) is one of the more 

intensely cultivated, industrialized, and densely populated regions of the planet. Northern 

China has only 20 percent of the country’s water resources, but is home to 65 percent of 

the country’s arable land and half of its industry. 

WATER IN ASIA: THE POLICY IMPACT (2003) 

http://www.nias.ku.dk/nytt/2003‐2/2003a.pdf 

Water resource policy has an imprint on people’s daily lives. The relationships, political as well 

as socio‐cultural, between service providers and consumers must be integrated into water 

resource planning. This issue gives examples. The common theme is to consider the 

human relations so that they are included in a water resource concept. Only in this way can 

conflicts be avoided and co‐operation established. The theme is concluded with a treatise of 

water resource management as a political project of great significance. 

SNOWLAND GREAT RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION 

http://www.wiserearth.org/organization/view/fd79a7efc3ce6f29e54eacd1d62c6c56 

Main goals include: Setting‐up of the Advisory Committee of Experts for the environmental 

Protection in the Springhead Areas of The Three Rivers (the Yangtze River, the Yellow River 

and the Lancang River).To promote environmental education for the youth; to raise public 

awareness of environmental challenges,… 


18


ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION: USAID: ASIA (2008) 

http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACM541.pdf 

Under the Water and Sanitation component, ECO‐Asia continued to increase access to reliable 

and sustainable water and sanitation services to support regional health security and prosperity 

in Asia. For the Environmental Governance component, ECO‐Asia implements two main 

activities: (1) support for the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network 

(AECEN) in promoting improved environmental compliance and enforcement; and (2) support 

for the Mekong River Commission (MRC) in strengthening access to improved water services by 

managing conflict in the Mekong River basin…. 

THE YUNNAN GREAT RIVERS EXPEDITION (2003) 46 MINUTES 

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/the_yunnan_great_rivers_expedition/ 

In a remote corner of Southwest China, three of Asia’s greatest rivers plunge off the Tibetan 

Plateau through steep canyons in the Himalayas thousands of feet deep. This stunningly 

beautiful film captures the incredible journey of a whitewater expedition, as it explores the 

upper Mekong, Salween and Yangtze rivers. More than a wild adventure, the two‐month 

expedition was an ambitious partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the Chinese 

government to help protect one of the most biodiverse and culturally diverse regions in the 

world. 

Tibetan Wildlife 

THE STORY OF TSOE (TIBETAN ANTELOPES): 12 MINUTES 

http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinagreen/story‐of‐tsoe/ 

Today we are witnessing rapid changes inside Tibet as China races ahead into the 21 st century. 

While growth and globalization have brought benefits to untold millions, for some, it has 

spelled disaster. The Tibetan antelope, called Tsoe or chiru, lives above the tree line on the 

Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of 14,000 ft and above. They are protected against the sub‐zero 

temperatures and icy winds of the Himalayan plateau by the softest, finest hair on earth. An 

undercoat of this extremely fine fur, covered by a coarse outer fleece, enables it to survive 

winter temperatures of negative 45 degrees Fahrenheit. In a cruel twist of fate, nature’s 

ingenuity is leading to ruin for this species. Shawls made from this fur, or shahtoosh, meaning 

“king of wool” in Persian, have long been prized amongst wealthy, fashionable Indian 

households. 

TIBETAN ANTELOPE CONSERVATION AND THE SHAHTOOSH TRADE 

https://www.earthislandprojects.org/tpp/antelope.htm 

This magnificent animal is being relentlessly hunted for its wool, known as "shahtoosh." Unless 

consumer demand for shahtoosh can be eliminated, the species may be forced to the brink of 

extinction. The slender, gazelle‐like Tibetan antelope is native to the Tibetan Plateau region, 

primarily in China. Chiru stand about four feet high and males have horns 20‐23 inches long, 

while females are hornless; their coloration ranges from beige or light‐grey to white. 

The chiru's undercoat consists of shahtoosh (Persian for "king of wools"), the softest, warmest 

wool in the world. The fiber measures 9‐12 microns in diameter ‐‐ 1/5th that of a human hair. 

Shahtoosh shawls are so fine they can be threaded through a wedding ring ‐‐ earning them the 

nickname "ring shawls." The Tibetan antelope population was one million or more at the 

beginning of the century, estimates eminent wildlife biologist George Schaller, the Wildlife 

Conservation Society's director for science, but by the mid‐90s chiru numbers had been 


19


reduced to less than 75,000, due principally to poaching for shahtoosh. As many as 20,000 

Tibetan antelope are killed annually to supply the trade, with males, females and young 

slaughtered indiscriminately. The only way to obtain shahtoosh is to kill the chiru ‐‐ three to five 

dead antelope yield sufficient wool for one shawl. The chiru are skinned and the raw shahtoosh 

is collected and smuggled to India, where it is manufactured into shawls in the state of Jammu 

and Kashmir, the only location in the world where shahtoosh possession and manufacture are 

officially legalized. 

MOUNTAIN PATROL: KEKEXILI – 2004 (89 MINUTES) 

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mountainpatrol/ 

Mountain Patrol: Kekexili is a film inspired by a people's remarkable mission surrounding the 

illegal Tibetan antelope poaching in the region of Kekexili, the largest animal reserve in China. 

The story is brought to the screen with great detail by director Lu Chuan. Set against the 

exquisite backdrop of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, Chuan tells the tale of brave local Tibetans 

who face death and starvation to save the endangered antelope herds from a band of ruthless 

hunters. The main cause of decline is hunting by humans. Also, habitat disturbance, 

hybridization, and competition with domestic yaks pose a threat to the species. The remaining 

wild yak population is legally protected, but according to the Tibet Forest Bureau, this is 

difficult to enforce in some mountainous regions. Some wild yaks are protected in the Chang 

Tang Reserve in China. 

CHANG TANG RESERVE (ESTABLISHED BY WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY) 

http://www.wcs.org/saving‐wild‐places/asia/chang‐tang‐china.aspx 

The Chang Tang region is one of the last great expanses of wilderness left on Earth. Covering a 

good part of the Tibetan Plateau, this area of more than 400,000 square miles consists of 

broad, rolling alpine steppes broken by hills, glacier‐capped mountains, and large basins 

studded with wetlands and saline lakes. The land is too cold to support forests and agriculture. 

Vegetation consists primarily of a sparse cover of grasses, sedges, forbs, and low shrubs. A 

significant portion of the northern Chang Tang is uninhabited by people, but the southern‐ and 

westernmost parts support Tibetan pastoralists and their livestock. Established with WCS’s 

help in 1993, the Chang Tang Nature Reserve is the second largest protected area on Earth. The 

reserve covers approximately 115,000 square miles in the northwestern part of the Tibetan 

Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. It provides protection for a unique 

assemblage of wildlife, several species of which are endangered and endemic to the Tibetan 

plateau—such as the Tibetan gazelle, kiang, wild yak, wolf, snow leopard, and the Tibetan 

antelope, or chiru. Despite its remoteness, the Chang Tang region faces numerous threats that 

endanger the future of its wildlife, its rangeland ecosystems, and the Tibetan pastoralists. With 

the advent of roads, vehicles, and modern weapons, commercial and subsistence hunting has 

considerably depleted wildlife populations, especially the chiru. Hunters persecute chiru for 

their wool, known as shatoosh—the finest wool in the world. The numbers of pastoralists and 

their livestock are increasing, escalating potential conflicts with wildlife. Nomad groups that 

herded livestock on the open range are beginning to fence winter pastures, and some have built 

long fences across valleys and hills to keep wildlife out and livestock in. Permanent human 

settlements pose problems of over‐grazing, increased competition for forage between wildlife 

and livestock, and persecution of wildlife predators and pests. 


20


EARTH’S ENDANGERED CREATURES WILD YAK FACTS 

http://www.earthsendangered.com/profile‐516.html 

The yak is an ox species found in Central Asia. A very large percentage of the yak population is 

domesticated, but one vulnerable wild yak population still exists in the Tibetan plateau. Adults 

stand about 6.5 feet tall at the shoulder and can weigh over 1800 lb, and they can grow over 11 

feet long in head and body length. Females are smaller than males. Their coats are extremely 

shaggy, dense, and wooly and dark brown to black in color with white patches. Some golden 

wild yaks have been observed, but they are very rare. The shoulders are high and humped, and 

the head is very large. Yaks also possess horns on their heads that curve upward, and they can 

grow over a foot long in females and 3.4 feet long in males. The horns are used for digging 

under the snow for food. Wild yaks prefer grasslands for their habitat and they are usually 

found in areas where there are lots of lichens, grasses, and tubers. When food becomes scarce, 

some herds migrate long distances to find these plants. Herds as large as 200 females and their 

young have been observed. Males prefer to be along or will band together in small solitary 

groups of two to five. The latest population estimate for this creature is 15,000. 

SNOW LEOPARD TRUST 

http://www.snowleopard.org/programs/countries/china 

Founded in 1981, (in Seattle) the Snow Leopard Trust is the world's leading authority on the 

study and protection of the endangered snow leopard…. 

The snow leopard's range encompasses 12 mountainous Central Asian Countries. The Snow 

Leopard Trust currently has programs in five of them: China, India, the Kyrgyz Republic, 

Mongolia, and Pakistan. These are the priority areas for snow leopard conservation: together, 

these five nations contain 75% of the world's population of wild snow leopards and a similar 

proportion of snow leopard habitat. Click on the links below to learn more about these 

important snow leopard countries. 

Country brief: China, the world’s most populous country, also contains the largest number of 

snow leopards of any country in the world. A large country bordering on nearly all other snow 

leopard range states, and containing over half the world’s potential snow leopard habitat, China 

is a key crossroads for snow leopard conservation. For the second half of the 20th Century, 

China's strict Communist dictatorship constrained the collection and, especially, the 

international interchange of scientific information. China is the Snow Leopard Trust's newest 

program country, and the Trust is initially focusing its work in Xinjiang province, which may 

harbor one‐third of China’s snow leopards. 

HIGH FASHION TIBET‐STYLE: STOPPING THE ILLEGAL TIGER SKIN TRADE IN ASIA 

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/conservation/species_programme/species_ 

news/species_news_archive.cfm?58500/ 

Concern is increasing over the role of the Tibetan market in the trade of tiger skins and the 

skins of other Asian big cats, with many animals poached every year throughout the Himalayan 

region to meet demand. Although there are no accurate estimates of the world tiger 

population, numbers are believed to have fallen by about 95 per cent since the turn of the last 


21


century – down from around 100,000 to the present estimate of between 5,000 and 7,000. 

Throughout their range, tigers and other Asian big cats such as leopards and snow leopards are 

threatened by poaching and trade, as well as habitat destruction, loss of prey, and conflict with 

humans. Trade investigations, seizure reports, and other anecdotal information all point to 

China as a major destination for skins and other parts of the animals. But local trade is also a 

significant part of the problem. "If nothing is done to curb this growing demand now, tigers will 

be lost from the world forever," said Dawa Tsering, World Wildlife Fund’s field manager in 

Tibet.“Clothing trimmed with tiger skin has become a new status symbol for Tibetans,” said 

Dekyi, a 20‐year old, upwardly mobile Tibetan university student. “Being from Lhasa, I would 

never have thought to buy one before. But now people are buying tiger skin clothing for 

expensive gifts for weddings or for their children.” Dekyi’s friend Nima, also from Lhasa, 

agrees.“If you don’t have a tiger skin, people look down on you,” she commented. “My sister 

recently went to a company party where she was the only one who wasn’t wearing one. She 

went out and bought one right after the party.” 

TIBETAN PLATEAU PROJECT: ENDANGERED SPECIES FACT SHEET 

https://www.earthislandprojects.org/tpp/esfactsheet.htm 

This interesting concise overview of endangered species of mammals in Tibet looks at those 

animals that have become endangered partially as a result of their harvesting for medicinal 

purposes. 

NUMBER OF ENDANGERED SPECIES RISES DRASTICALLY IN TIBETAN AREA (10/14/03) 

http://china.org.cn/english/environment/80055.htm 

The number of wild animals is increasing and each day I now see more animals than people," 

said Danbaciren, a herdsman in Ker County, part of the Ali area of the Tibet Autonomous 

Region. Currently the endangered animals under state first level protection number more than 

150,000, twice as many as the area's human population. Ali is the most remote area dominated 

by animal husbandry in Tibet. The 340,000 square km area has seven counties under its 

jurisdiction, with a population of more than 70,000. It is located in the frigid zone at an average 

elevation of 4,500 meters. Here, there are more than 40 kinds of wild animals under state first 

and second level protection thanks to its vast grasslands and rich water resources. Hunting has 

been part of the nomadic life of local herders since ancient times. But the number of wild 

animal species began to drop from the early 1980s, with Tibetan antelopes and wild kiangs in 

danger of extinction. 

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: TIBET 

http://www.wwfchina.org/english/loca.php?loca=79 

The Tibetan Plateau is the highest and largest plateau on earth. It shelters a wide array of 

unique species, including the Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelle, wild yak, blue sheep, snow 

leopard, brown bear, Bengal tiger, and black‐necked crane. The Tibetan Plateau is also the 

source of almost all of Asia's major rivers: the Yellow River, the Yangtze, the Mekong, the 

Salween, the Indus, and the Yarlung Tsangpo, which downstream becomes the Brahmaputra. 

Because of its high elevation (ave. elev. 4000m), the ecosystem here is extremely fragile. Once 

damaged, it is extremely difficult to reverse. Tibet is developing quickly, and as a result so is 

grassland and forest degradation. Integrating the needs of local development with conserving 

Tibet's biodiversity is in need of urgent attention. 


22

Global Warming’s Effects on Tibet 


THE MELT (2010): 10 MINUTES 

http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinagreen/feature‐the‐melt/ 

A short video and a panel of comparative images of glaciers encompass the entire debate and 

transport you from past to present. You will have the chance to both savor the untouched 

natural beauty of the Tibetan Plateau and see the changes starting with glaciers in the most 

powerful visual form, which is available only online. 

BLACK CARBON DEPOSITS ON HIMALAYAN (2009) 

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/carbon‐pole.html 

Black soot deposited on Tibetan glaciers has contributed significantly to the retreat of the 

world’s largest non‐polar ice masses, according to new research by scientists from NASA and 

the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Soot absorbs incoming solar radiation and can speed glacial 

melting when deposited on snow in sufficient quantities. Temperatures on the Tibetan 

Plateau—sometimes called Earth's "third pole"— have warmed by 0.3°C (0.5°F) per decade over 

the past 30 years, about twice the rate of observed global temperature increases. "Black soot is 

probably responsible for as much as half of the glacial melt, and greenhouse gases are 

responsible for the rest." "During the last 20 years, the black soot concentration has increased 

two‐ to three‐fold relative to its concentration in 1975," said Junji Cao, a researcher from the 

Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and a coauthor of the paper. The study was published 

December 7th in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Fifty percent of the 

glaciers were retreating from 1950 to 1980 in the Tibetan region; that rose to 95 percent in the 

early 21st century," said Tandong Yao, director of the Chinese Academy's Institute of Tibetan 

Plateau Research. Since melt water from Tibetan glaciers replenishes many of Asia’s major 

rivers—including the Indus, Ganges, Yellow, and Brahmaputra—such losses could have a 

profound impact on the billion people who rely on the rivers for fresh water. Many industrial 

processes produce both black carbon and organic carbon, but often in different proportions. 

Burning diesel fuel produces mainly black carbon, for example, while burning wood produces 

mainly organic carbon. Since black carbon is darker and absorbs more radiation, it’s thought to 

have a stronger warming effect than organic carbon. 

EVEREST’S VANISHING GLACIERS: 4 MINUTES 

http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinagreen/everests‐vanishing‐glaciers/ 

In the fall of 2007 and again in 2008, David Breashears traveled to the Chinese face of Mount 

Everest, a mountain he has summited five times. His goal was not the peak, but a series of 

ledges and outcroppings scattered among the glaciers that flow down Everest’s western side. 

Breashears was retracing the steps of Englishman George Mallory, who died in an attempt to 

be the first to stand on top of the world, and his surveyor, Oliver Wheeler. Breashears carried 

with him photos taken in the 1921 expedition to survey Everest, three years ahead of Mallory’s 

fateful summit attempt. Returning to the exact same locations, Breashears meticulously 

recreated those shots, pixel for pixel. The panoramas revealed a shocking trend: the severe and 

rapid loss of ice mass. 


23


WORLD GLACIER MONITORING SERVICE 

http://www.geo.uzh.ch/microsite/wgms/index.html 

Today, the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) collects standardised observations on 

changes in mass, volume, area and length of glaciers with time (glacier fluctuations), as well as 

statistical information on the distribution of perennial surface ice in space (glacier inventories). 

Such glacier fluctuation and inventory data are high priority key variables in climate system 

monitoring; they form a basis for hydrological modelling with respect to possible effects of 

atmospheric warming, and provide fundamental information in glaciology, glacial 

geomorphology and quaternary geology. The highest information density is found for the Alps 

and Scandinavia, where long and uninterrupted records are available. 

GLOBAL WARMING BENEFITS TO TIBET: CHINESE OFFICIAL (8/17/09) 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g1eE4Xw3njaW1MKpJRYOch4hOdLQ 

Global warming could prove devastating for the Tibetan plateau, the world's third‐largest store 

of ice, but it helps farming and tourism, Chinese state media said Tuesday, citing a leading 

expert. Qin Dahe, the former head of the China Meteorological Administration, made the 

comment in an otherwise gloomy assessment of the impact that rising temperatures will have 

on Tibet, according to the China Daily newspaper. "Warming is good for agriculture and 

tourism. It has increased the growing season of crops," said Qin, now a researcher with the 

Chinese Academy of Sciences. China is banking on tourism to help fund development in Tibet, 

one of its poorest regions, hoping that a railway to the region's capital Lhasa will boost visitor 

numbers. From January to July this year, more than 2.7 million tourists visited Tibet, nearly 

triple the number in the same period of 2008, the Tibet Daily said recently. 

While agriculture and tourism stand to benefit, Qin underlined a series of negative 

consequences that global warming will have in Tibet and surrounding areas. 

Deforestation, Desertification, Erosion, and other Environmental Issues 

SOUTHWEST TIBET MOUNTAINS (NASA) 

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1422 

This spaceborne radar image covers a rugged mountainous area of southeast Tibet, about 90 

kilometers (56 miles) east of the city of Lhasa. In the lower right corner is a wide valley of the 

Lhasa River, which is populated with Tibetan farmers and yak herders, and includes the village 

of Menba. Mountains in this area reach about 5800 meters (19,000) feet above sea level, while 

the valley floors lie about 4300 meters (14,000 feet) above sea level. The Lhasa River is part of 

the Brahmaputra River system, one of the larger rivers in southeast Asia eroding the Tibetan 

Plateau. The rugged relief in this area reflects the recent erosion of this part of the Plateau. 

Most of the rocks exposed outside of the river valleys are granites, which have a brown‐orange 

color on the image. In the upper left center of the image and in a few other patches, there are 

some older sedimentary and volcanic rocks that appear more bluish in the radar image. 

Geologists are using radar images like this one to map the distribution of different rock types 

and try to understand the history of the formation and erosion of the Tibetan Plateau. 

ruggedness of the terrain have precluded preventative measures that the Chinese government 

might otherwise undertake to control the release of the water. The top image shows the 


24


growing lake on July 15, 2004. What had been a river valley around the meandering Pareechu 

River on October 1, 2003, has been entirely covered with dark blue water. Both images were 

acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, (ASTER) 

on NASA’s Terra satellite, and show the lake at 15 meters per pixel. 

XINHUA: DESERTIFICATION WORSENING IN TIBET, REGIONAL FORESTRY OFFICIAL 

SAYS (6/17/09) 

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009‐06/17/content_11558444.htm 

Desertification is worsening in Tibet, said a local official Wednesday. 

Desertified land, which currently covered 21.7 million hectares and accounted for 18 percent of 

Tibet's territory, was expanding 39,600 ha annually, said Sangye Drawa, Party chief with the 

regional forestry bureau of Tibet. Drawa said that causes of desertification in the plateau region 

were its dry weather and low forest coverage rate of just 11.3 percent. The forest coverage rate 

in China is almost 20 percent, according to the State Forestry Administration. Overgrazing, 

cutting of trees and mining were adding to the problem in the region, Drawa noted. Tibet is 

trying to curb the spread of desert by a forestation programs and closing some grassland. 

FORBES: DALAI LAMA BEMOANS DEFORESTATION OF TIBET (11/21/07) 

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2007/11/21/afx4363081.html 

The Dalai Lama called today for special care to preserve Tibet's ecosystem, saying that 

corruption among Chinese bureaucrats was worsening deforestation. Because major rivers 

originating in Tibet feed into South Asia, 'special care of the Tibetan ecology is not only the 

concerns for 6 million Tibetans, but also the concerns for millions of people,' he said. The 

Chinese government has begun to impose 'some restrictions on deforestation in some parts of 

Tibet. However, unfortunately now in China, sometimes restrictions can be easily ignored 

through pocket money, corruption,' he said. 'Some Chinese businessmen still can carry out 

deforestation and also they exploit natural resources with poor care for the ecology,' he said. 

The comments came as China's state Xinhua news agency said climate change was causing 

more weather‐related disasters than ever in Tibet. China's director of the Tibet Regional 

Meteorological Bureau, Song Shanyun, was quoted as saying 'natural disasters, like droughts, 

landslides, snowstorms and fires are more frequent and calamitous now' in Tibet and 'the tolls 

are more severe and losses are bigger. 

ASIAN AIR POLLUTION (2009) 

http://fire.biol.wwu.edu/trent/alles/AirPollution.pdf 

Air pollution has long been a problem in the industrial nations of the West. It has now become 

an increasing source of environmental degradation in the developing nations of east Asia. China 

in particular, because of its rapid push to industrialize, is experiencing dramatic levels of aerosol 

pollution over a large portion of the country. 

THE MUSHROOMING FUNGI MARKET IN TIBET (2008) 

http://www.thlib.org/collections/texts/jiats/#jiats=/04/winkler/ 

The collection of wild edible fungi has a long‐standing history in Tibet. Today, a wide variety of 

mushrooms is collected to supplement rural income. Because of the lucrative economic return, 

rural Tibetans have increased their gathering activities substantially…. 

In late 2007 the value of the best‐quality Yartsa Günbu in Lhasa (Lasa) traded for around CN 

¥80,000 (nearly US $12,000) per pound. The value of the fifty‐ton annual harvest of Cordyceps 


25


surpassed the value of the industry and mining sector in 2004. Most county agencies have 

established a permit system and require collectors to obtain licenses. The ever‐growing 

economic importance of these fungi raises concerns regarding sustainability of current harvest 

levels. There are scientific studies regarding matsutake that conclude that when using 

appropriate harvesting techniques sustainability should be guaranteed. 

Economic Development and its Impact on the Environment of Tibet 

GLOBALIZATION TO TIBET 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/reports/enviro/globalization.pdf 

This paper examines the impact globalization has had on Tibet, includes the environmental 

ramifications in Tibet and throughout the Himalayas. 

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE LONG TERM VIABILITY OF TIBET’S ECONOMY (1997) 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/reports/enviro/apec_paper.html 

Mining and logging have been particularly destructive to the Tibetan environment. Few 

safeguards have been imposed on strip mining operations with the result that lakes, rivers, 

groundwater and soil have been contaminated. Logging has caused soil erosion that threatens 

major river systems, threatens the long‐term arability of the land, and may even be 

contributing to climate change…. 

LHASA MAPS 

http://www.asianart.com/lhasa_restoration/map.html 

The Lhasa Archive Project has recently produced a multi part map of the historic changes which 

have occurred in Lhasa from 1948 to the present day. The images included show small versions 

of the first series of maps, where the total urban area of the Lhasa valley is shown in blue in 

1948, 1980 and 1998. This clearly shows the extraordinary growth which has taken place over 

the past 50 years. 

TIBET’S ENVIRONMENT WELL PRESERVED THROUGH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 

(3/31/09) 

http://www.china‐embassy.org/eng/gyzg/t555211.htm 

While other sources would disagree strongly with the Chinese government’s assessment of the 

environment in the Tibet region, this source provides an interesting perspective from research 

provided by the Chinese government. Tibet's environment has been well preserved in its 

economic development and modernization, said a report published Monday by the Beijingbased 

China Tibetology Research Center. "In China, Tibet is the place nearest to the sky and 

furthest away from pollution," read the Report on the Economic and Social Development of 

Tibet. In 2007, more than 98 percent of the days in Lhasa registered with "excellent" or "good" 

air quality, with only seven days registered as "slightly polluted." 

The human afforested area in the region jumped from 868 hectares in 1990 hectares to 19,069 

in 2007, including 13,132 hectares of shelter forests which plays an important role in ecological 

protection, the report said. In addition, the biodiversity in Tibet was well protected, it said. 

"Since the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, not one species in Tibet has been found to have 

suffered extinction." Tibet also boasted 20 nature reserves, including nine at the national level 

and 11 at the regional level, with a total area of 41.26 million hectares, or 34.8 percent of the 

land area of Tibet. 


26


NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: SEARCHING FOR SHANGRI‐LA (5/09) 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/2009/05/parallel‐rivers/jenkins‐text 

Welcome to Shangri‐La. A decade ago this was an obscure, one‐horse village on the edge of the 

Tibetan Plateau. Today, after an extreme makeover, it's one of the hottest tourist towns in 

China, gateway city to the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage site in northwestern Yunnan 

Province.Ten years ago the original village was becoming a ghost town of derelict buildings and 

deserted dirt roads. Most residents had moved out of their traditional homes—commodious 

chalet‐like farmhouses with stone walls and magnificent wooden beams—into more modern 

structures with running water and septic systems. The historic quarter they left behind seemed 

doomed. Tourism saved the place. The Tibetan farmhouses were suddenly rediscovered as 

unique, endemic architecture that could turn a profit. Redevelopment began immediately. 

Water and sewer lines were buried beneath the crooked lanes. Electricity and the Internet were 

snaked in. The old homes were rebuilt and turned into fancy shops. New shops were 

constructed in the same style but with baroque facades—ornately carved dragons and swans 

and tigers—to attract Chinese tourists. Which they did: More than three million tourists, almost 

90 percent of them Chinese, visited Shangri‐La last year. 

THE MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE (TMI) 

http://www.mountain.org/himalayas 

TMI’s programs in Asia started in the mid‐1980s with the 

“Heart of the Himalaya” initiative for the establishment of 

two newly protected mountain areas: the Makalu‐Barun 

National Park in Nepal and the Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) 

UNESCO World Heritage 

sites in panophotographies ‐ 

immersive and interactive 

panoramic images. 

www.world‐heritagetour.org/.../tibet/the‐roof‐ofthe‐world/map.html 

Nature Preserve in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Both were founded on the 

principles of participatory, design management and collaboration between park managers and 

local communities. These pioneering projects were some of the earliest demonstrations of 

community‐based project design that has since become the cornerstone for TMI’s programs. 


27

GLOBAL SANDBOX 

Questioning the Schedule: Reading about Social Studies in the Elementary Classroom 

Eileen Hynes: http://globalsandbox.blogspot.com/ 

When you talk to elementary school teachers these days about what they are teaching and how 

their days with students unfold you may be surprised by the impact of the controversial No Child Left 

Behind Act (NCLB) on every aspect of the average classroom experience. High standards and 

accountability make sense in theory and may sound reasonable in federal offices, where there are no 

teachers, and no children. There the ideas are translated into priorities for the all‐important funding of 

public education. Ironically, their impact on this most recent generation of students comes right at the 

time when the importance of global awareness as an essential element of education should be 

increasingly obvious. 

If you were asked to choose a discipline that would serve as the bridge that connects all aspects 

of elementary education, something tells me it would not be test taking. For me, in this rapidly shrinking 

world, it would be Social Studies. I see learning about people as the territory in which reading, math, 

science and art all come together. And yet, in schools across Washington State, teachers are left with as 

little as three forty‐five minute periods a week to teach art, social studies, and science. This is a choice 

most schools have made in the hopes of improving test scores and demonstrating increased student 

learning. Whether preparing for tests is learning has thus far not been demonstrated. 

In the present educational environment exemplary teaching can be found in classrooms where 

the teachers are willing to go against the grain of current trends and school culture. Richard Allington 

summarizes the habits of these teachers in his article “The Six Ts of Effective Elementary Literacy 

Instruction” (http://www.readingrockets.org/article/96 2002). For students to become proficient readers they 

must spend time reading at a comfortable or “easy” level. That is different for each student. The scripted 

one‐size‐fits‐all model that continues to gain momentum is the exact opposite of what kids need. 

Classrooms should be filled with books at appropriate levels and kids should spend time reading 

throughout the day. With a little bit of extra effort a teacher can put together book boxes that change 

every six weeks or so around the theme of an integrated study (Social Studies!). The class can all be 

reading books about the same topic, not the same book. The World Affairs Council Global Classroom is 

one place teachers can turn to find relevant resources and information, including book lists, organized 

around topics that support a vibrant social studies curriculum for elementary classrooms. 

A study of the Tibetan Plateau, the roof of the world, is a place where social studies and science 

come together. Through the use of maps and geography skills young students can begin to think about 

the significance of a place that holds the most ice of any place besides the Polar Regions. The fact that 

this ice is the source of the major rivers of Asia, which provide drinking water for over two billion people 

makes for very interesting reading, at any level. 

Check out “The Big Melt” by Norwegian 

photographer Jonas Beniksen for a visual 

overview of the significance of the Tibetan 

Plateau on the planets water supply. 

(http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/video/playe 

r#/?titleID=water‐thirsty‐world&catID=1) 

I would use a book like A Drop Around the World by Barbara McKinney (1998) along with two 

beautiful books by Thomas Locker, Mountain Dance (2002) and Water Dance (2002) to stimulate class 

discussions about water. Once the group has spent some time looking at the maps and identifying the 

major rivers I would begin to ask questions about the people who live in this unique environment. I would 

share Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World by Naomi Rose (2009) to begin a discussion of Tibetan 

culture. Another book that I would be sure to include in my classroom study would be The Chiru of High 

Tibet by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (2010) that tells the true story of these endangered animals and the 

people who are trying to protect them. 


28

CHINA‐TIBET RELATIONS 

THOUGHTS/EXCERPTS ON THE QUESTION OF POLITICAL STATUS OF TIBET 

There is general acceptance that Tibet was in some sense part of the Chinese Empire in the thirteenth century and 

again in the eighteenth century, when Chinese armies were sent to protect Tibet from internal conflict and to repel invasion 

by the Gurkhas of Nepal and when Chinese “Ambans” or imperial commissioners were stationed in Lhasa. But it is argued 

by many supporters of the Tibetan case that the Chinese Empire at that time was either a Mongol (in Chinese, Yuan) empire 

or a Manchu (Qing) one, and that the Chinese republicans who took over Beijing in 1911 did not inherit all the rights and 

respect that were due to their Manchu predecessors. It is a powerful argument in terms of Asian political traditions, but 

generally the international system accepts the transfer of rights between dynasties. 

However one resolves this debate, it is clear that, if it is once admitted that in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries 

(for example) the Chinese emperors had a significant right to participate in Tibetan affairs, the claim to a full and total 

independence by Tibetans is not at all as definite as it is sometimes presented. Those facts that can be asserted with some 

confidence give, accordingly, a more complex impression. Firstly, the Chinese (or their Mongol and Manchu rulers) 

definitely believed themselves, rightly or wrongly, to be for considerable lengths of time in some way overlords of Tibet. 

Secondly, however, it is certain that these rulers and their citizens did not view their Tibetan Territory as identical in status 

to their Chinese provinces, which were handled by a different government office from that which dealt with Tibet and 

Mongolia. Thirdly, it is clear that until this century, at which time the British began actively to encourage a sense of 

separation in Lhasa, the Tibetans, as was natural in the traditional political culture of the time, did little to disabuse the 

emperors of their belief in their sovereignty over Tibet. Fourthly, it is not disputed even by the Chinese that after 1912, 

when all Chinese officials and residents in Lhasa were expelled by the Tibetan government following the collapse of the 

Qing dynasty, Lhasa thenceforth exercise full control of all its own affairs, internal and external, until the Chinese army 

invaded its eastern borders thirty‐eight years later. 

This last argument is persuasive to many people, especially because the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, in a 1912 treaty with 

Mongolia of which the original is lost, reportedly declared Tibet to be independent. Still, it is not as conclusive as it might 

appear, since large parts of China were also in effect autonomous during the first half of this century – Qinghai, for example, 

more or less governed itself under Ma Pufang during the same period. But this could be seen as a consequence of the 

weakness of the then Chinese government, beset by Japanese invasion and wracked by civil war; it was not necessarily a 

proof in itself of separate political status. Ma Pufang apparently did not see himself or his realm as historically or culturally 

distinct from other political entities within China. 

In the final analysis lawyers and historians may not be able to come to a conclusive answer on this question. They may 

concede that the nature of Tibet’s status before 1912 was not of a kind that can be exactly expressed by twentieth‐century 

notions of statehood: it was not the same as a province of China, but, except when China was too weak to exercise central 

control, it did not define itself in modern terms as an independent state. The Tibetans like to express this by saying that 

there was a cho‐yon or protector‐patron relationship between the two governments before 1912, meaning that Tibetans 

offered spiritual guidance to emperors in return for political protection. This, however, seems more a description of a 

personal relationship between leaders than a resolution of the question of statehood. 

There is, however, one negative argument that powerfully supports the Tibetan view: no one seems so far to have 

found any document in which the Tibetan people or their government explicitly recognized Chinese sovereignty before the 

invasion of 1950. The importance of this argument lies not in its role in the legal debate, but in what it indicates in terms of 

the political realities on the ground. Chief among these is the question as to how Tibetans perceived and perceive 

themselves. The fact is that most Tibetans seems to have experienced themselves and their land as distinct from China. 

Few in central Tibet had seen any Chinese before the invasion and almost none of the Chinese there now have lived in Tibet 

for more than fifty years. Although Chinese armies traveled to Tibet four times in the eighteenth century, they were 

probably regarded by Tibetans as allies assisting the Tibetan government to repel threats of invasion or insurrection, not as 

overlords. If Tibet was at any recent time part of China, this affiliation seems to have been for the most part a traditional 

construct that has no exact equivalent in our time, or an abstruse diplomatic technicality arranged among the elite that 

seemingly was never communicated to the Tibetan people. 

Certainly there were few signs of Chinese influence, let alone one rule, in Tibet. All the major indicators of culture and 

society were entirely different from those of their Chinese neighbors – the coinage, postage, language, dress, food, and 

taxation of Tibet were all distinctively Tibetan, and before the Chinese invasion Tibet had developed all the political and 

social institutions, from an army to a civil service, that a country needs to function as a separate entity. It is these simple, 

experienced realities rather than any legal considerations that are of political significance, because it is largely to them, and 

to religious, that we must attribute the decision of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans in the 1950s and 1960s to face death 

in defense of their perception of Tibet as a separate country. It is in this context that we should view China’s current 

campaign within Tibet to oblige all Tibetans to undergo “patriotic education,” a program that requires everyone to attend 

lectures or to sign a statement saying that Tibet has been part of China since the thirteenth century. The campaign 


29


suggests that what matters to Beijing is not expert adjudication so much as popular consent: the Chinese authorities also 

see the Tibet issue as shaped not by the decisions of lawyers and leaders but by the views and beliefs of ordinary Tibetans. 

Strangely, few people, and fewer Tibetans, have chosen to argue that, given the distinct status that the Chinese 

emperors accorded to Tibet compared to their provinces, Tibet must at best have been something like a colony. If this 

argument was pursued – and it is hard to contest – the present situation could be described as one of colonial occupation. It 

is one of the mysteries (some people might say tragedies) of the Tibetan case that its leaders in exile and their advisers have 

sought to show that Tibet has a right to absolute statehood, perhaps gambling to attract Western support, rather than to 

seek its people’s right to decolonization, an option that might have gained them wider support in the developing world. 

But these are in essence questions of strategy and definition, matters that are decided by political elites. At the 

fundamental, everyday level at which most of us operate, the reality is that, as far as we can tell, the majority of Tibetans do 

not accept their current masters as legitimate rulers. It is difficult otherwise to explain the thousands of Tibetans who since 

1950 have taken part in the revolt, in the guerrilla war, on in civil protests, who have been to prison or have been executed 

for holding such views, or who have fled as refugees. The numbers involved in these actions are too great to be discounted 

as all members or beneficiaries of the political elite whose power and wealth was jeopardized by the Chinese advance to 

Lhasa. 

(Excerpt from The Tibetans: A Struggle to Survive pp. 180‐182) 

For the Chinese, pre‐1950 Tibet was a hell on earth ravaged by feudal exploitation. There are no redeemable features 

in Tibetan culture and tradition. This view is fostered by traditional Chinese prejudice against non‐Chinese people. The 

Communists not only believe that they have succeeded in unifying China but that their rule in Tibet has constituted the 

liberation of the serfs and a continuous history of development and progress towards modernity. 

For the Tibetans the image could not be more different. Before the Chinese invasion their country was a land of 

‘happy’ and ‘contented’ people. Chinese rule has not only meant the destruction of Tibetans’ independent political identity 

but (they maintain) four decades of near‐genocide of the Tibetan people and their culture. The gulf between the two 

positions is as wide as heaven and earth, and it is impossible to reconcile them. 

Both are part of political myth‐making, in which these powerful symbols are invoked to justify and legitimize the 

claims of the proponents. For the Chinese it has been a political necessity to paint a dark and hellish picture of the past in 

order to justify their claim to have ‘liberated’ Tibet, a claim which is based only partly on a legal insistence that Tibet 

constituted and integral part of the PRC. The logic of the argument is the same as the belief held by Western colonial 

powers that their rule has been a civilizing influence on the natives in their dominions. For the Tibetans, particularly for 

those who experienced firsthand the oppression of the past four decades, regaining the past has become a necessary act of 

political invocation, which allows them to escape from a reality which has deprived them of their future. They find meaning 

and identity in glorification of the past, when the land of snows was the exclusive terrain of the Tibetan people. 

Neither the Tibetans nor the Chinese want to allow any complexities to intrude on their firmly held beliefs. This has 

resulted in what I have called ‘denial of history’, a process which necessarily entails negation of responsibility. The Tibetan 

elite claims its actions are entirely blameless, seeking to give an image of total innocence and to portray the Chinese actions 

as the rape of an innocent people. It is difficult for the Tibetans to admit that they were not merely a passive agent in their 

recent history of that there was a much more complex issue surrounding the relationship between Tibet and China. In the 

early 1950’s there was a consensus among Tibet’s secular and religious ruling classes that Buddhist Tibet and Communist 

China could co‐exist and, accordingly, they co‐operated fully with the Chinese. Moreover, there were many people in Tibet 

who welcomed the Chinese as a modernizing influence. 

Similarly the Chinese leaders refuse to see the question of Tibet in terms of the desires and wishes of the Tibetan 

people. For the Chinese to acknowledge that Tibet had a recent history and a personality would amount to an acceptance 

of Tibet’s separateness from China. Chinese policy towards Tibet stems from two ideas which have shaped modern China: 

first, Chinese nationalism, which attaches great importance to the humiliation of China under Western imperialism and 

leads the Chinese to interpret Tibet’s demand for independence as an externally generated conspiracy to dismember China, 

a view consistently held by successive Chinese regimes from the Qing to the Guomindang and the Communists. Therefore, 

all Chinese leaders since the later Qing have adopted a policy of incorporating Tibet within the greater policy of China. In 

this scheme of things, it does not matter what the Tibetans thing or want: Tibet is part of China. The second formative 

view adopted by the Chinese is a narrow Marxist economic determinist view of national identity, which sees it as product of 

economic disparity, and argues that once economic inequality is removed, there would occur a natural withering of ethnic 

differences. 

(Excerpt from The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947 by Tsering Shakya 


30


Note: For other articles related to China‐Tibet relations see Environmental Issues (pp. 13‐27), including Economic 

Development (pp. 26‐27) 

THE ECONOMIST: THE INDISPENSABLE INCARNATION (1/6/11) 

http://www.economist.com/node/17851411 

Talk of the Dalai Lama’s “retirement” shows how much Tibet still needs him. Yet so does 

China…The Dalai Lama, with some 100,000 followers, has made his home in India since fleeing 

Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, in 1959. Those exiles, and another 6 million Tibetans under Chinese rule, 

make it impossible for the Dalai Lama to quit politics altogether. He remains the only Tibetan 

they can trust to marshal the international sympathy that keeps their cause alive. Yet China’s 

refusal to talk seriously to his representatives about the future of Tibet seems perverse. For 

over 20 years he has demanded not the independence many Tibetans crave, but greater 

autonomy. Probably he alone could make many Tibetans accept this. Moreover, he is a pacifist. 

China wrongly blamed him for the ferocious ethnic attacks on Han Chinese in riots in Lhasa, in 

2008. Without his restraining influence, violence would have been far more frequent… 

THE ECONOMIST: SPLITTISM ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD (7/15/10) 


Geneticists say Chinese and Tibetans were once one. The news appears to be welcome to 

neither side. To dreamers in the West, Tibet is a Shangri‐La despoiled by Chinese ruthlessness 

and rapacity. To China’s rulers it is a backward kind of place whose former serfs, “liberated” by 

the Communist army, have repaid the favour with ingratitude and even outright “splittism”. But 

to excited scientists, Tibet is the site of possibly the fastest case of human evolution through 

natural selection in the history of mankind. The Tibetan plateau has an altitude of 4,000 metres 

(13,000 feet or two‐and‐a‐half miles), where the air has two‐fifths less oxygen than at sea level. 

When China’s dominant Han come to Tibet, they succumb to altitude sickness and suffer lower 

birth rates and higher child mortality than locals. A study led by the Beijing Genomics Institute 

and published in Science* identified a particular genetic mutation as a key to Tibetans’ highaltitude 

adaptability. Studying contemporary Tibetan and Han populations, the researchers 

claim that the two ethnic groups were once a single population, divided, they guess, 2,750 years 

ago, when one lot of splittists—who became Tibetans—moved to the plateau. *Tibetan Adaptation 

to High Altitude Occurred in Less Than 3,000 Years: http://www.sciencemagnews.com/tibetan‐adaptation‐to‐highaltitude‐occurred‐in‐less‐than‐3000‐years.html 

THE ECONOMIST: RAILWAYS IN TIBET: MOUNT EVEREST IS SINGING FOR JOY (10/7/10) 


“Mount Everest is singing for joy and the Brahmaputra River swirling with happiness”. Or so 

says an official Chinese newspaper (using the Tibetan names, Qomolangma and the Yarlung 

Tsangpo). After much delay, China has started to extend its controversial railway line in Tibet 

that will draw more tourists to the mountain and boost trade with South Asia. How happy the 

outcome will be is not so clear. 

URBAN FAULT LINES IN SHANGRI‐LA (6/04) 

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital‐Library/Publications/Detail/?ots591=0c54e3b3‐1e9c‐be1e‐2c24‐ 

a6a8c7060233&lng=en&id=57493 

This paper argues that contemporary experiences of social exclusion and inter‐ethnic conflict in 

the Tibetan areas of western China are interrelated and revolve around three processes – 

population, growth and employment – all of which center on urban areas. The paper starts with 

a brief overview of ethnic conflict in the Tibetan areas, followed by an analysis of population 

issues and the economic fundamentals of exclusionary growth. It closes with some reflections 

on the role that ethnic conflict plays within these processes. 


31


PEOPLE’S DAILY: SCHOLAR SUGGESTS ACCELERATED URBANIZATION IN TIBET 

(4/20/00) 

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200004/20/eng20000420_39353.html 

Dr. Li Tao, a sociologist with the Sichuan‐based Tibet Studies Institute, points out that 

urbanization is a worldwide trend that can greatly push an economy, and it will help the Tibet 

Autonomous Region narrow the gap between itself the prosperous coastal region. Li 

denounced the allegations made by some people that Tibet is a "special region" which should 

maintain its old image as a "living fossil," and that a modernization drive will damage traditional 

culture and violate human rights there. "Many case studies have shown that the living standard 

of poor villagers improved greatly thanks to factories and markets in nearby cities, and they 

have obtained more access to medical care, schools and other social services," she said. 

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT: I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES, ABUSES BY CHINESE 

SECURITY FORCES IN TIBET, 2008‐2010 

http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/07/22/i‐saw‐it‐my‐own‐eyes‐0 

This 73‐page report is based on more than 200 interviews with Tibetan refugees and visitors 

conducted immediately after they left China, as well as fresh, not previously reported, official 

Chinese sources. The report details, through eyewitness testimonies, a broad range of abuses 

committed by security forces both during and after protest incidents, including using 

disproportionate force in breaking up protests, proceeding to large‐scale arbitrary arrests, 

brutalizing detainees, and torturing suspects in custody. 

THE ECONOMIST: TIBET AND XINJIANG, MARKING TIME AT THE FRINGES 7/8/10 


As it struggles to strengthen its grip on the restive minority regions at its periphery, China 

usually feels that time is on its side. In both Buddhist Tibet and Muslim Xinjiang, China hopes 

that economic development, improved infrastructure and steady demographic shifts will 

gradually ease the ethnic tensions that periodically erupt into violence. 

THE ECONOMIST: PILGRIMS AND PROGRESS: IT IS STILL REPRESSION, NOT 

DEVELOPMENT, THAT KEEPS TIBET STABLE (2/4/10) 


…It will take a lot more than a handy supply of frozen yak‐meat, however, to keep Tibet stable. 

In public, at any rate, officials have yet to undertake any critical re‐examination of how their 

policies went wrong in 2008. China’s official news agency, in its report on the Tibet Work 

Conference, described these policies as “totally correct.”An official in Lhasa professes the belief 

that foreign analysts are quite mistaken to think that the unrest might have been fuelled by the 

economic marginalisation of Tibetans amid an influx of Hans. Rather, it was the “Dalai clique” 

that used a “very small group of people” to mislead the public into rioting. Unwilling to 

acknowledge the depth of Tibetan resentment, China looks doomed to repeat its mistakes. 

THE ECONOMIST: OUTWARD CALM: ACROSS THE REGION, AN ARRAY OF TACTICS FOR 

KEEPING THE PEACE 2/2/10 


In Lhasa, the authorities want to project an image of life returning to normal after the riots of 

March 2008. In some ways it is. The extensive wreckage I saw during my last visit, which 

happened to coincide with the riots, has long since been cleared. Ethnic Han Chinese whose 


32


shops were wrecked and merchandise piled up and burned by Tibetans are back in business. 

After the violence I had seen Tibetan pilgrims turned away from the Jokhang temple in the 

heart of Lhasa by gun‐waving troops. Now they are flocking to it again, prostrating themselves 

on the paving slabs outside (two small boys among them wearing sacks to protect their clothing 

from the wear of countless obeisances). That I have been allowed to return is doubtless part of 

the authorities’ efforts. An occasional visit by a journalist gives the impression that the city is 

open. It is still far from it. Numerous previous requests to go there since the unrest had been 

turned down (though, it must be said, it was rarely easy for journalists to get permission to go, 

even before the rioting). Tourism—a crucial driver of the city’s economy—has yet to recover 

fully. The upheaval unnerved Han Chinese who might have visited from other parts of China. 

Jittery officials did not help by tightening restrictions on foreign tourists, including a 

requirement that they be escorted by guides… 

PBS: CHINESE POLICIES IN TIBET: A CRITICAL LOOK 

http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinainside/freedom/tibet.html 

China's control of Tibet has been a hot‐button issue among 

westerners for nearly half a century. Columbia University's 

Soundscape of Tibet: chanting 

and songs 

http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinainside/s 

oundmap/index.html 

Robert Barnett, a Tibet specialist, discusses how China's influence over Tibet has unfolded, the 

economics of the troubled relationship, and attacks on Tibetan national identity—including 

Tibetan Buddhism. 

THE GUARDIAN: WIKILEAKS CABLES: DALAI LAMA IS RIGHT TO PUT CLIMATE CHANGE 

FIRST (10/17/10) 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifgreen/2010/dec/17/wikileaks‐dalai‐lama‐climate‐change‐tibet 

The Dalai Lama, according to the latest release of WikiLeaks cables, told 

U.S. diplomats that, for Tibet, climate change is a more urgent issue than 

a political settlement. This will certainly dismay some of the more radical 

elements of the region's independence movement. Many of the younger 

Tibetans in exile are already frustrated with their spiritual leader's 

moderate and non‐violent approach. For them, independence will always 

trump the environment. But if the concern is the survival of the nomadic 

Meanwhile, beyond the Himalayas, the 

profound and irreversible impacts of 

dramatic environmental changes are 

overtaking politics as a threat to the 

Tibetan way of life. The signs are 

everywhere: in melting permafrost; 

changes in surface water on the 

grasslands; disrupted rainfall patterns; 

and the retreat of most of the 

Himalayan glaciers – the largest store 

of ice outside the north and south 

poles…. 

peoples of the Tibetan plateau, the Dalai Lama is right. Exile activists, with a familiar cast of 

celebrities and sympathizers, have done much to define western perceptions of Tibet as 

primarily a political issue. But the Dalai Lama's efforts to secure a meaningful autonomy for 

Tibetans have not flourished. Nor has any pressure applied by the U.S. measurably improved 

Tibetans' freedom; and today, with an increasingly confident and nationalist China, the 

prospects for progress are in retreat. 

WHITE PAPER ON TIBET: FIFTY YEARS OF DEMOCRATIC REFORM IN TIBET (3/2/09) 

http://www.china.org.cn/government/news/2009‐03/02/content_17359029.htm 

The paper is a robust defense of China's position that compares the quelling of the 1959 Lhasa 

revolt and the subsequent abolition of serfdom in Tibet with Abraham Lincoln's war to abolish 

slavery in the American south. 

TIBET TOURISM BUREAU 

http://www.xzta.gov.cn/yww/About_us/5174.shtml 

The official tourism agency for the Tibet Autonomous Region established by the PRC in 1986. 


33


HUFFINGTON POST: WHY TIBET MATTERS SO MUCH 2/17/10 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert‐thurman/why‐tibet‐matters‐so‐much_b_465496.html 

Isn't it an amazing spectacle, the "rising power" China, largest population, surging economy 

(supposedly), big military, millions of talented people (just won gold and silver in elegant 

couples ice dancing), and so on, freaking out because a nice Buddhist monk with a shaved head 

and only a couple of maroon robes to his name, a stateless man without a country, a Nobel 

Peace Prize Laureate (who they claim to be a "Tibetan Chinese"), who wants nothing more than 

friendly, cooperative, peaceful relations with everyone, including the Chinese overlords and 

occupants of his beloved Tibet, is going to have a cup of hot water (in lieu of tea) and a chat 

with President Barack Obama, and hopefully extend a hello to Michelle and the girls, if she's 

free from her excellent organic gardening and they're home from school in time! 

NYT: TIBETANS IN CHINA PROTEST PROPOSED CURBS ON THEIR LANGUAGE 10/22/10 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/23/world/asia/23china.html?ref=asia 

Thousands of Tibetan students in western China have protested since Tuesday against 

proposals to curb or eliminate the use of the Tibetan language in local schools, according to 

reports from Tibet advocacy groups and photographs and video of the protests circulating on 

the Internet. 

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: TOURISTS OVERRUNNING TIBET (2/27/08) 

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2008/02/tourists‐overrunningtibet.html 

Tibet, the once remote "roof of the world," has been suffering increasing strain due to rapidly 

growing tourism. Last year the number of tourists who visited Tibet (an estimated four million) 

vastly outnumbered the 2.8 million people who actually live there, resulting in a general 

overload on Tibet’s roads, palaces, and monasteries, reports The Guardian. To accommodate 

the constant flood of people pouring in, 775 tour buses are operating within Tibet at all times. 

That's in addition to three civilian airports (with a fourth in the works) and the high‐altitude 

Qinghai‐Tibet Train that connects the capital Lhasa to Xining, China, and brings in over 1.5 

million tourists a year. Matt Whitticase of the Free Tibet Campaign sums up the problem 

effectively in the Guardian's story: “Tourism is obviously a pillar of China’s western 

development strategy, but it is putting unacceptable strains on Tibet’s fragile environment.” 

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: TIBETANS: MOVING FORWARD, HOLDING ON (4/02) 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/tibet/tibetans‐text/1 

Watching his daughter on a homemade ladder smoothing varnish over the red‐and‐yellow trim 

of their large new log house, Norbu Choden smiled with the satisfaction that even if there was 

no getting the Chinese out of Tibet, he'd finally figured out how to benefit from their decadeslong 

occupation of his homeland. "Once you understand that they're never going to help us," he 

said, "you realize that you have to make your own future." Norbu made his by transforming 

himself from a herdsman to a middleman. Like many of the five million Tibetans living under 

China's flag, he'd spent nearly all of his 48 years in eastern Tibet driving shaggy yaks through 

alpine meadows, eating their meat and butter, living in a tent woven from their coarse black 

wool, barely getting by from one brutal winter to the next. Now he leaves the hard work to 

others, while he buys and sells for profit. 


34


THE TIBET ISSUE: CHINA'S VIEW/TIBET’S VIEW (5/08) 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia‐pacific/7410745.stm 

BBC outlines Beijing's stance on Tibet, based on various official Chinese sources. The Dalai 

Lama’s director of information, Thubten Samphel, outlines the Tibetan government‐in‐exile's 

stance on the China‐Tibet issue. 

ROBERT THURMAN INTERVIEW: FAQS ON TIBET, CHINA, AND THE DALAI LAMA (2008) 

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Buddhism/2008/04/Faqs‐On‐Tibet‐China‐And‐The‐Dalai‐ 

Lama.aspx 

In 2008, Beliefnet editor Valerie Reiss asked Professor Robert Thurman, an American authority 

on Tibetan Buddhism (he was ordained as a monk in 1965 by the Dalai Lama), to discuss the 

basic issues underlying the current conflict in Tibet. 

WASHINGTON POST: TIBET PROTEST AT THE WHITE HOUSE 1/19/11 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/video/2011/01/19/VI2011011903449.html?referrer=emaillink 

Students to Free Tibet held a protest across the street from the White House in Lafayette Park 

on Tuesday, as Chinese President Hu arrived for his state visit with President Barack Obama. 

THE ATLANTIC: TIBET THROUGH CHINESE EYES (2/99) 

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/99feb/tibet.htm 

Many Chinese working in Tibet regard themselves as idealistic missionaries of progress, 

rejecting the Western idea of them as agents of cultural imperialism. In truth, they are 

inescapably both. 

PROFESSOR TSERING SHAKYA WEBCAST: TIBET: DOES HISTORY MATTER? (5/5/06) 

http://webcast.berkeley.edu/event_details.php?webcastid=15750 

Public Lecture from the "Tibetan Religion and State in the 17th and 18th Centuries: Tibetan, 

Chinese, and Mongolian Perspectives" conference. In this lecture, Professor Tsering Shakya, 

University of British Columbia compares Tibetan histories — folk and scholarly, religious and 

secular, Chinese and Tibetan, local and exiled — to examine the process of selective 

remembering and evaluate how historical accounts reflect and construct different images of 

Tibet. He concludes that for people whose history is denied, history does indeed matter, 

because it is intrinsically tied to the formation of individual and national identities, to issues of 

justice, and to their precarious futures. 

HIGH SCHOOL LESSON PLAN ON TIBET AND CHINA 

http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/outreach/educators/lessonplan.shtml 

Developed by a curriculum specialist and a China specialist, this lesson plan examines the 

conflict between Tibet and China. All readings, resources, and activities are included. All links 

are Word documents unless specified. 

WEI JING SHENG ON TIBET 

Letters from Prison: To Deng Xiaoping On the Tibetan Question (1992) 

http://www.weijingsheng.org/tibet.html 

To European Parliament: Full autonomy for Tibet within three years or international 

recognition of the Tibetan Government in Exile (2000) 

http://old.radicalparty.org/tibet/wei_jingsheng_intervento.htm 


35

TIBETAN BUDDHISM/ART/ARCHITECTURE 

THE BERZIN ARCHIVE 

http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/index.html 

The Berzin Archives is a collection of translations and teachings by Dr. Alexander Berzin 

primarily on the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Covering the areas 

of sutra, tantra, Kalachakra, dzogchen, and mahamudra meditation, the Archives presents 

material from all five Tibetan traditions: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, Gelug, and Bon, as well as 

comparisons with Theravada Buddhism and Islam. Also featured are 

Tibetan astrology and medicine, Shambhala, and Buddhist history. 

THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD 

Harvard Distance Education with 

classes on Buddhism 

http://www.extension.harvard.edu 

/openlearning/hist1825/ 

http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/dead/index.html 

Literature and artiwork on prayer, ritual and meditation from the religious traditions of Tibet, 

India, and Nepal. 

BUDDHIST STUDIES FOR PRIMARY STUDENTS 

http://www.buddhanet.net/e‐learning/buddhism/primary.htm 

To find out who the Buddha was, you need to go back to the beginning. The Buddha lived in 

India more than two thousand five hundred years ago. His teachings are known as Buddhism. 

Even as a boy, Siddhartha, the Buddha‐to‐be, liked to meditate. This is how he became 

enlightened. His teachings help people to live wisely and happily. 

TIBETAN BUDDHIST RESOURCE CENTER 

www.tbrc.org 

TBRC is a registered non‐profit corporation dedicated to the preservation, organization and 

dissemination of Tibetan literature. Using the latest technological solutions, and a dedicated 

team of scholars, engineers, librarians, and technicians, TBRC aims to make the extraordinary 

literature of the Tibetan people available to all. 

BUDDHIST ART AND THE TRADE ROUTE 

http://www.asiasocietymuseum.org/buddhist_trade/intro.html 

Trade routes, both maritime and overland, were the primary means by which Buddhist thought 

and imagery were conveyed from India, the birthplace of Buddhism, to other Asian countries. 

These ancient connecting routes provided an avenue for the religious, cultural, and artistic 

influences of Buddhism to reach the distant corners of the continent and beyond. This essay, 

illustrated by objects from the Asia Society Museum's permanent collection provides a base for 

exploring the development of Indian Buddhist imagery and its interpretation and adaptation by 

other cultures along the trade routes. An examination of the works illustrated here will reveal 

some connections as well as distinctions between Indian Buddhist sculptures and their 

counterparts across Asia. 

HIMALAYAN OBJECTS FROM ASIA SOCIETY COLLECTION 

Sculpture from Tibet 

http://asiasocietymuseum.org/region_results.asp?RegionID=2&CountryID=6&ChapterID=14 

Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet 

http://asiasocietymuseum.org/region_results.asp?RegionID=2&CountryID=2&ChapterID=10 


36


BUDDHANET 

http://www.buddhanet.net/index.html 

BuddhaNet is the result of a vision to link up with the growing world‐wide culture of people 

committed to the Buddha's teachings and lifestyle, as an on‐line cyber sangha. In this way, an 

ancient tradition and the information superhighway will come together to create an electronic 

meeting place of shared concern and interests. BuddhaNet is a not‐for‐profit organisation 

affiliated with the Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc, which was first established as a 

Vipassana Meditation Centre in 1992 in Sydney by an Australian meditation monk Ven. 

Pannyavaro. 

INTRODUCTION TO DREPUNG MONASTERY 

http://www.thlib.org/places/monasteries/drepung/ 

A few miles west of Lhasa, just above the village of Denbak (ldan bag) or Dampa (dam pa), 

which is now just a suburb of the city, lies Drepung (lit. “pile of rice”; bras spungs), which was 

during the last century the largest monastery in the world. This study is of one of the main 

Tibetan monasteries in Lhasa, including interactive map, essays, videos, and images. 

SERA MONASTERY 

http://www.thlib.org/places/monasteries/sera/ 

Sera Monastery has been one of Tibet’s premier monastic educational institutions from its 

founding in the early fifteenth century until the present. Located about two miles north of 

Lhasa, and occupying an area of about one‐third of a square kilometer, Sera Monastery is one 

of the three great monasteries (grwa sa) or “seats” (gdan sa) of the Geluk Sect. The Sera Project 

is a research and pedagogical initiative employing state‐of‐the‐art digital technology in the 

service of creating the most comprehensive, interactive, multimedia database of a Tibetan 

Buddhist monastery ever attempted. 

INTRODUCTION TO MERU NYINGPA MONASTERY 

http://www.thlib.org/places/monasteries/meru‐nyingpa/ 

Meru Nyingpa (rme ru rnying pa) Monastery is located in the Barkor (bar skor) area at the heart 

of the old city of Lhasa (lha sa), just east of the famed Jokhang (jo khang) Temple. Meru 

Nyingpa is an unassuming monastery nestled deep within the labyrinthine alleyways and 

whitewashed walls of the old Barkor neighborhood. This project studies the architecture of a 

Tibetan monastery with blueprints, three‐dimensional objects, architectural drawings, and 

more. 

TIBET TODAY RELIGION: TIBETAN BUDDHISM SYMBOLS 

http://www.oneworldclassrooms.org/travel/china/culturalprofiles/main.htm 

To access: see map and click on the Tibet box in western China. Next click on Tibet Today arrow 

and click on Religious symbols. Most Tibetans are profoundly religious. To understand their 

culture, therefore, one must first consider their religion. And, to begin to fathom the 

complexity of Tibetan Buddhism, one might first consider some of its principal symbols. Note: 

This section features photos of important Tibetan Buddhism symbols, taken at various 

locations around Tibet. The audio features a monk chanting scriptures at Hepo Ri. 


37


HIMALAYAN ART RESOURCES 

http://www.himalayanart.org/ 

The mission of the Himalayan Art Resources website (HAR) is to create a comprehensive 

education and research database and virtual museum of Himalayan art. 

RUGS AND RITUAL IN TIBETAN BUDDHISM 

http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={8553DF5D‐9C4B‐4AF4‐ 

B016‐EE653B334D0F} 

Thirty works dedicated to the enactment of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, focusing on Tibetan 

tantric rugs as the seats of power employed by practitioners of esoteric Buddhism, form this 

installation. These rugs typically depict the flayed skin of an animal or human and, together 

with associated ritual utensils, are the tools employed in the enactment of esoteric rites 

associated with protective deities. The employment of these images and ritual tools celebrate 

the power of detachment from the corporal body that advanced Buddhist practitioners strive to 

attain. It features two large ritual tangkas, together with the rugs upon which the practitioner 

sits, or upon which his ritual utensils are placed, as well as a rich assortment of associated ritual 

paraphernalia. Many are rarely seen objects from private collections. Curator John Guy 

discusses the ritual arts of Tibet and their role in the path to enlightenment, the subject of the 

installation. 

TIBETAN ARMS AND ARMOR 

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tbar/hd_tbar.htm 

Armor and weapons are certainly not among the images usually called to mind when 

considering the art or culture of Tibet, which is closely identified with the pacifism and deep 

spirituality of the Dalai Lama and with the compassionate nature of Tibetan Buddhism. 

However, this seeming paradox resolves itself when seen in the context of Tibetan history, 

which includes regular and extended periods of intense military activity from the seventh to the 

mid‐twentieth century. 

DANCING DEMONS: CEREMONIAL MASKS OF ASIA 

http://sites.asiasociety.org/arts/mongolia/ 

Among the great religious festivals of Asia, the ceremonies of Mongolia stand unsurpassed in 

the splendor of their visual imagery and their dramatic expressiveness. Dancing Demons: 

Ceremonial Masks of Mongolia presents spectacular examples of masks, costumes, and 

paraphernalia used in these ceremonies. 

MANDALA SAND PAINTING: CREATING AN ENLIGHTENED WORLD 

http://sites.asiasociety.org/arts/mandala/index.html 

Over a 10‐day period In September 2003 the Tibetan monks of Drepung 

Loseling Monastery constructed a sand mandala – a sacred cosmogram – 

"in commemoration of September 11 and as an offering of peace and 

Through a Child’s Eye: An 

Especially Joyous Expedition 

of Mandalas 

http://kids.asiasociety.org/arts/ 

mandala 

healing to the people of New York City." This archive website includes images showing day‐byday 

construction of the mandala, as well as the original press release describing the event, an 

interview with Geshe Lobsang Tenzin, founder and director of Drepung Loseling Institute, and a 

Teacher's Guide to the Mandala. 


38


MANDALA: THE PERFECT CIRCLE 

http://explore‐mandala.rma2.org/ 

In this online version of the museum's "Explore Mandalas" gallery activity, users can learn about 

the elements of a painted mandala while creating a beautiful design of their own. 

YAMANTAKA MANDALA MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS 

http://www.artsmia.org/art‐of‐asia/buddhism/yamantaka‐mandala.cfm 

With an introduction to the mandala; a guide to the symbolism of the Minneapolis Institute's 

Yamantaka mandala, created by Tibetan monks from the Gyuto Tantric University; a step‐bystep 

guide to the mandala's creation; plus technical details about the preservation of the 

mandala, a short video documentary of the mandala consecration ceremony, and background 

information about Tibet. Also see the “additional resources”section (below “explore the 

collection” on the site menu) for a related teacher's guide with lessons and activities for the 

classroom. 

THE SACRED ARTS OF TIBET: ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO (PDF) 

http://www.asianart.org/educatorresources.htm 

Classroom activities geared to elementary school through high school; adaptable for all ages 

This packet features an overview of the culture, history, and arts of Tibet, with a focus on the 

influence of Buddhism. 

ART ACCESS: ART OF INDIA, HIMALAYAS, AND SOUTHEAST ASIA 

http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_India/index.html 

This introduction to the art of South and Southeast Asia features 15 representative objects 

(mostly Hindu and Buddhist sculptures) from the Art Institute's collection. The objects have 

good descriptive text with links to an excellent glossary and maps. The site also includes four 

lesson plans (specifically for grade levels 1‐3, 4‐8, 7‐8, and 9‐12, but adaptable for all age 

groups). 

ONLINE MUSEUM RESOURCES ON ASIAN ART 

http://afemuseums.easia.columbia.edu/cgi‐bin/museums/search.cgi 

OMuRAA's purpose is to make the wealth of visual materials now available on the websites of 

many museums and arts‐related educational institutions better known to teachers and 

students of Asian studies by cataloguing them in "teacher‐friendly" and "student‐friendly" 

ways. 

FREER/SACKLER: SMITHSONIAN’S MUSEUMS OF ANCIENT ART 

TIBETAN HEALING MANDALAS 

http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/mandala/default.htm 

The Tibetan mandala is a tool for gaining wisdom and compassion and generally is depicted as 

a tightly balanced, geometric composition wherein deities reside. The principal deity is housed 

in the center. The mandala serves as a tool for guiding individuals along the path to 

enlightenment. Monks meditate upon the mandala, imagining it as a three‐dimensional palace. 

The deities who reside in the palace embody philosophical views and serve as role models. The 

mandala's purpose is to help transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones. 

Short Clips Of Construction/Destruction Of Mandala 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp‐srv/style/museums/photogallery/mandala/ 


39


THE ART OF BUDDHISM 

www.asia.si.edu/explore/teacherResources/ArtofBuddhism1.pdf 

This 136‐page pdf includes maps, illustrations, lesson plans, and essays on Buddhism in India, 

China and Japan. 

HIMALAYAS AN AESTHETIC ADVENTUER 

http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/himalayas/default.htm 

Asian Art Connections: Resources for Educators. Download short curriculum resource pdf. 

http://www.asia.si.edu/explore/listByArea.asp?browseTopic=9 

BUDDHISM: BACKGROUND, ART, TEACHER RESOURCES 

http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/buddhism/html/index.htm 

BUDDHIST ART 

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/budd/hd_budd.htm 

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: TIBET TOUR: GO TO THE HEART OF ITS BUDDHIST 

SACRED ART IN A NEW WASHINGTON EXHIBITION 4/15/10 

http://www.csmonitor.com/The‐Culture/Arts/2010/0415/Tibet‐tour‐Go‐to‐the‐heart‐of‐its‐ 

Buddhist‐sacred‐art‐in‐a‐new‐Washington‐exhibition 

'In the Realm of the Buddha' offers a rare glimpse into Tibet's sacred art and reveals a history 

largely lost. 

THE MISSING PEACE: ARTISTS AND THE DALAI LAMA 

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Buddhism/2008/09/Walking‐with‐the‐Dalai‐Lama.aspx 

"The Missing Peace: Artists & the Dalai Lama" was sponsored by the Committee 

of 100 for Tibet and the Dalai Lama Foundation, traveling throughout 2007. Each piece aimed 

to chart the artists' personal journey toward peace. As the Dalai Lama said of the project, "I am 

convinced that if more of us could spend a few minutes every day trying to develop a sense of 

inner peace, eventually it would become part of our lives; then everything we do will contribute 

to peace in the world." Site includes 22 pieces of art. 

Sometimes in life, 

the missing piece is 

the missing peace. 

WHY POTALA PALACE IS A WONDER (11/9/06) 

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/7Wonders/story?id=2638500&page=1 

For centuries, Tibet developed a remarkable and entirely unique culture…The very center of 

Tibet is Lhasa, and the very center of Lhasa, for more than three centuries, has been the Potala 

Palace. An unfathomable building erected on a rock face 13 stories high, it has golden turrets on 

the roof that can be seen 12 miles away, and stretches for more than a 1,000 feet along a ridge 

against the snowcaps. The Potala looks and feels like no other building on the planet. But more 

extraordinary is its meaning. It was at once a center of government, a residence of Tibet's ruler 

(the Dalai Lama), the site of a monastery and a mausoleum for eight previous Dalai Lamas. It's 

as if the White House, the Houses of Congress, Arlington Cemetery and the National Cathedral 

were all concentrated in a single building. 


40

TIBETAN MEDICINE 

LIVE SCIENCE: ART OF HEALING: ILLUSTRATIONS REVEAL OLD TIBETAN MEDICINE 

(1/28/11) 

http://www.livescience.com/11661‐art‐healing‐illustrations‐reveal‐tibetan‐medicine.html 

A drawing of a colorful tree, with the Medicine Buddha wedged above its leaves, seems more 

art than medicine. But this whimsical diagram provided guidance for Tibetan doctors more than 

300 years ago. Its branches and leaves illustrate the humors — bile, wind, phlegm — believed to 

determine bodily functions and how and where disease can arise. Flowers atop this tree 

produce two berries that represent not only material health but also spiritual well‐being and 

liberation associated with the attainment of bliss, the caption explains. This and 63 other 

medical illustrations on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City 

focus largely on physical disease, its causes, diagnoses and treatments. The paintings were 

originally commissioned as teaching aids for a medical school in Lhasa, Tibet. 

See museum site below for informative video: 

http://www.amnh.org/calendar/event/Body‐and‐Spirit:‐Tibetan‐Medical‐Paintings/ 

PEOPLE’S DAILY: TIBETAN MEDICINE (2008) 

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/96054/6551329.html 

Tibetan medicine, an important part of the Chinese medical tradition, has been evolving for 

nearly 3,000 years. During the third century BC, a primitive medical system had existed on the 

Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, comprising theories on daily life, food and drink, and health care. 

Although a complete medical theory had not yet formed, simple therapies were used such as 

blood‐letting, massage, using butter to stop bleeding, and using distillers' grains from highland 

barley to treat wounds. They had also hypothesized that "toxins and medicines co‐exist." 

During the 7th century, Tibetan King Songtsan Gambo united the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and 

established the Tubo Kingdom. He invited medical experts and translators from neighboring 

states, together with medical experts of Tibet, to compile medical classics such as A Complete 

Collection of Medical Works, Fearless Weapons, Medicine and Diagnosis of Moon King, and Four 

Medical Classics. He encouraged Tibetan medical researchers to incorporate Indian and Han 

Chinese medical principles into their work. These efforts promoted the development of 

traditional Tibetan medicine and laid a solid foundation in the fields of physiology, diagnosis, 

and treatment. 

BOOKS: TIBETAN MEDICINE 

Essentials of Tibetan Traditional Medicine, Thinley Gyatso and Chris Hakim , 2010. 

A Mirror of Beryl: A Historical Introduction to Tibetan Medicine (Library of Tibetan Classics), Desi 

Sangye Gyatso and Gavin Kilty, 2010. 

The Book of Tibetan Medicine: How to Use Tibetan Healing for Personal Wellbeing, Ralph Quinlan 

Forde, 2008. 

Tibetan Medicine: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Diagnosing, Treating and Healing The 

Buddhist Way, Gerti Samel, 2001. 

Healing from the Source: The Science and Lore of Tibetan Medicine, Yeshi Dhonden, 2000. 


41

TIBETAN YOUTH AT HOME AND IN EXILE 

CSM: TIBET PROTESTS CHINESE BEING TAUGHT AS SOLE LANGUAGE IN REGIONAL 

SCHOOLS (10/22/10) 

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest‐News‐Wires/2010/1022/Tibet‐protests‐Chinesebeing‐taught‐as‐sole‐language‐in‐regional‐schools 

Tibet protests the Chinese government decision to teach only Chinese in regional schools. 

Students fear that means the current bilingual system will be scrapped in favor of using 

Mandarin Chinese alone, except in language classes. A report on Qinghai's plans for educational 

reform over the next decade was even more explicit, saying "the nation's common language 

must become the language of instruction." Use of the Tibetan language is tied to the region's 

political struggles. Many Tibetans argue they have traditionally been self‐governing and that 

Chinese policies are wrecking their unique Buddhist culture. But the issue is complicated 

because while many Tibetans feel threatened by development and the migration of China's 

ethnic Han majority, some also hope their children master Mandarin in order to obtain better 

jobs. Beijing defends its policies, saying they spur economic growth in the largely poor areas, 

but implementation has often been blunt and heedless of local opinion. 

THE TIBET POST: TIBETAN YOUTH CONGRESS MARCHES AGAINST CHINESE LANGUAGE 

REFORMS (11/4/10) 

http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/exile/1227‐tibetan‐youth‐congress‐marches‐againstchinese‐language‐reforms 

The protest was sparked by reported comments from the Chinese Communist Party's Qinghai 

chief, Qiang Wei, calling for the use of "a common language" in schools and suggesting that the 

introduction of Mandarin as the teaching language over the next decade. 

FRONTLINE: DREAMS OF TIBET: INTERVIEWS JAMYANG 

NORBU 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tibet/intervie 

ws/norbu.html 

To make it that only Chinese language in any way will benefit 

the Tibetans. So, that's why many Tibetans, who really have no 

command of the Chinese or poor command of Chinese, really 

have no substantial job. There's about 75 to 80 percent 

unemployment among the youth of Tibet. People just hanging 

out in the streets, drinking, playing pool. 

Q: Tibetans don't seem to have the economic 

opportunity that the Chinese do, especially young 

people. 

A: Essentially, there is so much unemployment in 

Tibet, because the system is rigged against the 

Tibetans. The people in power, at the top of the 

pyramid, are Chinese. And, in China, I think anyone 

who's traveled through China knows that the system 

is one of "The Back Door." If you want to have 

anything done, you need connections. There is no 

way that you can do anything through a legitimate 

kind of channel. And then all the best jobs are 

reserved for the Chinese. 

GUARDIAN: US EMBASSY CABLES: ‘WIDENING GENERATIONAL DIVIDE’ BETWEEN 

TIBET’S LEADERS AND YOUTH (12/16/10) 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us‐embassy‐cables‐documents/160094 

A May visit to six Tibetan settlements across north and northeastern India underscores 

concerns that frustrated and dissatisfied Tibetan youth and concurrent Indian separatist 

movements could pose serious problems for the future viability of Tibetan settlements. A 

widening generational divide finds Tibetan leaders unable to resolve growing dissatisfaction 

among younger Tibetans, led by the influential Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC). Settlement 

leaders in West Bengal reluctantly discussed intimidation and extortion of Tibetans by Indian 

separatist movements, feebly dismissing the threats as "neighborly" interactions. Tibetan 

participation in events organized by pro‐Gorkaland radicals—whether forced or not—could 

jeopardize relations between the Tibetan community and their Indian hosts. The Central 


42

TIBETAN YOUTH AT HOME AND IN EXILE 

Tibetan Administration (CTA) will need to address these issues or the Government of India 

(GOI) may address them instead. 

WALL STREET JOURNAL: TIBETAN YOUTH CHALLENGE BEIJING (3/20/08) 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120596094739349681.html 

A new generation of impatient activists is vying to seize control of the Tibetan freedom 

movement from the Dalai Lama. Tsewang Rigzin, president of the 30,000‐member Tibetan 

Youth Congress, has a clear goal: Tibet's independence from China. To achieve it, the group has 

staged a march to Tibet from this north Indian Himalayan town, called for a boycott of the 

Beijing Olympics, supported hunger strikes and demonstrated outside China's diplomatic 

missions around the world. 

XINHUA: TIBETOLOGISTS CONSIDER “TIBETAN YOUTH CONGRESS A TERRORIST PRO‐ 

INDEPENDENCE SPEARHEAD” (5/4/08) 

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008‐05/04/content_8104388.htm 

The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) is a stubborn advocacy group for "Tibet independence" 

supported by the Tibetan "government‐in‐exile", which upholds complete violence and has 

become an armed spearhead of the 14th Dalai Lama group, says a senior Chinese Tibetologist. 

The TYC was set up in 1970 under the "direct incitement of the Dalai", said Bi Hua, a senior 

researcher with the Beijing‐based China Tibetology Research Center (CTRC), a research 

institution established in 1986. 

STAR TRIBUNE: MEET THE NEW MISS TIBET 1/28/11 

http://www.startribune.com/local/114841019.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Y 

yc:aU6:iPhD_oD3aPc:i_kchO7DU 

Tenzin Khecheo of Minneapolis won the North American crown and will vie for the world title. 

Dalai Lama on Youtube: "I think beauty of face is also important. But more important is beauty 

of mind." 


43

DOCUMENTARIES/FILMS ABOUT TIBET 

THE BUDDHA – 2010 (120 MINUTES) 

http://www.pbs.org/thebuddha/ 

Tells the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times 

of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world’s greatest 

artists and sculptors, who across two millennia, have depicted the Buddha’s life in art rich in 

beauty and complexity. Hear insights into the ancient narrative by contemporary Buddhists, 

including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join the 

conversation and learn more about meditation, the history of Buddhism, and how to 

incorporate the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and mindfulness into daily life. 

Teacher Guide: http://www.pbs.org/thebuddha/lesson‐plans/ 

SUMMER PASTURE – 2010 (85 MINUTES) 

http://www.khamfilmproject.org/SummerPasture.php 

In recent years, growing pressures from the outside world have posed unprecedented 

challenges for Tibetan nomads. Rigid government policies, rangeland degradation, and the 

allure of modern life have prompted many nomadic families to leave the pastures for 

permanent settlement in towns and cities. According to nomads, the world has entered 

duegnan—dark times. Summer Pasture a.k.a. A Nomad's Life is a feature‐length documentary 

that chronicles one summer with a young family amidst this period of great uncertainty. Locho, 

his wife Yama, and their infant daughter, nicknamed Jiatomah ("pale chubby girl"), spend the 

summer months in eastern Tibet's Zachukha grasslands, an area known as Wu‐Zui or "5‐ 

Most,"the highest, coldest, poorest, largest, and most remote county in Sichuan Province, 

China. The story of a family at a crossroads, Summer Pasture takes place at a critical time in 

Locho and Yama's lives,as they question their future as nomads. With their pastoral traditions 

confronting rapid modernization, Locho and Yama must reconcile the challenges that threaten 

to drastically reshape their existence. Includes a four minute trailer. 

JOURNEY FROM ZANSKAR – 2010 (90 MINUTES) 

http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/films/zanskar/filmviewer.php 

How far would you go to save your dying culture? Two Buddhist monks fulfill their pledge to the 

Dalai Lama to help save their dying culture by leading a group of 17 poor children aged 4‐12 on 

a journey from Zanskar in remote northwest India through the Himalayas. To seek an 

education‐ on foot, on horseback, by jeep and bus, whatever it takes. Thirty years ago, when 

they were children, these monks walked the same path. The 17 children with them now may not 

return home for 10‐15 years or more. This is the story of their incredible journey. This film is 

produced by Frederick Marx of Hoop Dreams, narrated by Richard Gere, and features His 

Holiness The Dalai Lama. 

THE SEARCH – 2009 (117 MINUTES) 

http://asiasociety.org/arts‐culture/film/pema‐tseden‐tibetan‐films‐tibetan‐people 

The Search is the first‐ever film made in Tibet to have been shot entirely with a Tibetan crew 

and in the Tibetan language. In this road movie, a filmmaker travels from village to village 

looking for actors to star in a film based on the Tibetan opera Drimé Kunden, a legendary 

account of a prince who selflessly gives away his children and his own eyes to those in need. 

The director holds auditions in the unlikely but all‐pervasive contexts of contemporary Tibetan 

life—in building sites, streets, bars, nightclubs, and monasteries. 

Trailer: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTAwODE0MDM2.html 


44


KINDNESS: A LETTER FROM TIBET – 2009 (102 MINUTES) 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1476270/ 

Kindness is about the wisdom of a nation. When Tsering Jampa is 4 years of age Chinese 

soldiers occupy her house. Her peaceful life is brutally disturbed. After this, her family flees 

from Tibet to India. What about the pain? Her mother’s singing, old stories and her father's 

prayers surround her and nourish her consciousness. What about the injustice? When Tsering is 

12 years of age she finds the key to the answer, hidden in an ancient verse. Fourty years later 

China is getting ready for the Olympics. Tsering is living in the Netherlands for 23 years and is 

director of International Campaign for Tibet‐Europe. In 2008, unexpectedly, her people revolt! 

Which part plays the ancient verse in these dramatic developments? 

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwgNzc4jISM 

UNMISTAKEABLE CHILD – 2009 (102 MINUTES) 

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/07/17/in_unmistaken_child_the_making_of_a 

_spiritual_leader/ 

This documentary by the Israeli filmmaker Nati Baratz observes the anointing of a spiritual heir 

without the usual devices designed to make Western audiences comfortable. There’s no voiceover 

narration, a minimum of scene‐setting ‐ no ethnographic framing, in other words. Nor is 

there a political subtext: China and its treatment of Tibet are never raised. We simply are 

present from 2001, when the 84‐year‐old Geshe Lama Konchog died, to 2005, when the toddler 

recognized as his reincarnation was presented to the Buddhist community of Nepal and 

beyond. You could argue that the film would be stronger if it explained more fully and asked 

more questions, yet Unmistaken Child stands as a window on a beautiful and mysterious world. 

The questions it leaves hanging are for us to untangle. 

Trailer: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2832059/unmistaken_child_movie_trailer/ 

WILD CHINA – 2008 (300 MINUTES) 

http://www.amazon.com/Wild‐China/dp/B0016I0AH8 

An exotic fusion of natural history and Oriental adventure, Wild China is a series of journeys 

through four startlingly different landscapes, each based around the travels of a real historical 

character. With splendour, scale and romance, Wild China lifts the veil on the world's most 

enigmatic and magnificent country, delving into its vibrant habitats to reveal a land of 

unbelievable natural complexity. Journey across China from the glittering peaks of the 

Himalayas to the barren steppe, the sub‐Arctic to the tropical islands, through deserts both 

searingly hot and mind‐numbingly cold and see, in pioneering images, a dazzling array of 

mysterious, beautiful, wild and rare creatures. 

Trailer: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4733592/wild_china_movie_trailer/ 

TIBET IN SONG – 2008 (82 MINUTES) 

http://tibetinsong.com/ 

Tibet in Song is both a celebration of traditional Tibetan folk music and a harrowing journey into 

the past fifty years of cultural repression inside Chinese controlled Tibet. Director and former 

Tibetan political prisoner, Ngawang Choephel, weaves a story of beauty, pain, brutality and 

resilience, introducing Tibet to the world in a way never before seen on film. The beauty of 

traditional Tibetan folk music is showcased through a variety of working songs, songs about 

family and the beauty of the land. These rarely seen performances are deftly juxtaposed 

against startling footage of the early days of the Chinese invasion and a concise explanation of 


45


the factors leading to the Dalai Lama's flight into exile in 1959. Ngawang Choephel sets the 

stage for a unique exploration of the Chinese impact on Tibetans inside Tibet. 

FILM REVIEW: http://www.aems.illinois.edu/publications/filmreviews/songoftibet.html 

Song of Tibet is noteworthy for its prominent featuring of the role of religion in everyday life, 

even as it oversimplifies that relationship. We see lamas name Yeshe Drolma’s child, offer 

prayers for her dying husband and even care for her in her darkest hour. The director maintains 

neutrality over the 1959 uprising in Tibet; viewers should keep in mind that this is not a 

historical drama but a love story that more or less glosses over the major historical events of the 

decades in which it is set. Even so, it says volumes about what Tibet has become in the 

collective Chinese imagination. Song of Tibet is appropriate for middle school students and 

above. It is relevant for courses in Asian religions including Buddhism, gender relations, 

geography, world history. 

LEAVING FEAR BEHIND – 2008 (24 MINUTES) 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8048230761996582635# 

Leaving Fear Behind (in Tibetan, Jigdrel) is a heroic film shot by Tibetans from inside Tibet, who 

longed to bring Tibetan voices to the Beijing Olympic Games. With the global spotlight on 

China as it rises to host the XXIX Olympics, Tibetans wish to tell the world of their plight and 

their heartfelt grievances against Chinese rule. The footage was smuggled out of Tibet under 

extraordinary circumstances. The filmmakers were detained soon after sending their tapes out, 

and remain in detention today. 

THE UNWINKING GAZE – 2008 (69 MINUTES) 

http://www.linktv.org/programs/unwinking‐gaze 

The Unwinking Gaze offers a unique, behind‐the‐scenes insight into the recent working life of 

Tibet’s would‐be saviour and revered world icon the Dalai Lama. This documentary was filmed 

over a period of three years with exceptional access showing the daily agonies of the Tibetan 

leader as he tries to strike a balance between his Buddhist vows and the realpolitik needed to 

placate China. David and Goliath is played out in front of us as the world’s emerging 

superpower and the Dalai Lama walks a tightrope over an issue of global importance. The 

Unwinking Gaze is not 3 years in the life of the Dalai Lama. It is his life’s work in 3 years. This film 

takes you inside the Titanic struggle of one of the great spiritual and political figures of our 

time, as he tries to lead his people to a peaceful resolution with China. 

THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS: TIBET’S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM – 2008 (79 MINUTES) 

http://thesunbehindtheclouds.com/ 

In The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom, Tibetan filmmaker, Tenzing Sonam, 

and his partner, Ritu Sarin, take a uniquely Tibetan perspective on the trials and tribulations of 

the Dalai Lama and his people as they continue their struggle for freedom in the face of 

determined suppression by one of the world’s biggest and most powerful nations. The 

filmmakers had intimate access to the Dalai Lama and followed him over the course of an 

eventful year, which included the 2008 protests in Tibet, the international response to it, the 

Beijing Olympics, and the breakdown in talks between his representatives and the Chinese 

government. Set against this backdrop, the film explores the interplay between the personal 

and the historic, spirituality and politics, and the tension between the Dalai Lama’s efforts to 

find a peaceful solution to the Tibet situation based on compromise and dialogue, and the 

impatience of a younger generation of Tibetans who are ready to take a more confrontational 

course. 


46


THE JOURNEY OF THE RED FRIDGE – 2007 (52 MINUTES) 


This is a story of a 17‐year‐old boy named Hari Rai, who lives in a small village in the Himalayan 

Mountains of Nepal, and his extraordinary journey. Hari is a student. However, he also works as 

a porter so that he could pay for his tuition and cover his living expenses. Although very young, 

he already has three years of experience carrying loads up and down the mountain, mostly 

tourists' backpacks. This time, he gets a job to carry a huge red refrigerator from the top of the 

mountain, to the nearest town. We follow Hari Rai on his journey through the fascinating 

Himalayan landscapes, we discover Hari’s inner life, his thoughts, hopes and dreams and we 

also get to know the culture and the local people’s way of life in this region. We learn about 

their relation with the most important aspects of their lives: family, nature and religion 

Trailer: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=‐2190015220138713437# 

TSAMPA TO PIZZA – 2007 (45 MINUTES) 

http://freespiritfilmfestival.com/event/2007/summaries.html 

Tsampa to Pizza Tenzin and Dhondup, both in their early twenties are the embodiment of 

today's Tibetan youth, who have carefree souls and are clueless about their lives. Being in 

college, young and living in urban India, they too are frivolous, want to chill and are looking 

around for the hip and mundane things of life. Born to exile parents in India, they have learned 

to accept and adapt the ways of their host country. An encounter with a former political 

prisoner and Indian supporters for a free Tibet brings Tenzin back to his roots. Tsampa (the 

staple Tibetan diet of roasted barley flour) to pizza is about Tenzin's journey to find his true 

identity. Aware and awakened, Tenzin brings together all the little pieces of this puzzle to 

discover his true self. 

KORA: TIBET AND THE TRAIL OF TRUTH – 2007 (65 MINUTES) 

https://audience.withoutabox.com/films/Kora 

In May 2006, award‐winning videojournalist Ken Schreiner and older brother Wayne travel to 

the most remote regions of Tibet in search of the Real Tibet and connections between God and 

Nature. Their trip leads them to Mount Kailash: the world's holiest place for two of the world's 

biggest religions, Buddhism and Hinduism. Thousands travel from all over the world, some on 

foot, to attain enlightenment at the foot of this 22,000 ft., unclimbed peak in the Himalayas. 

While making their 'kora' or circumambulation of Kailash, Wayne and Ken learn not only about 

why Kailash is holy. They see first‐hand how Tibet, one of the world's oldest, most spiritual and 

environmentally undamaged countries, is under assault from foreigners, human greed and our 

endless appetite for amusement and material wealth. This documentary shows you the long, 

spectacular and challenging trek around Kailash, Tibet's monasteries and ancient landmarks, 

exotic wildlife and incredible scenery, the growing towns and cities, consequential 

environmental damage and head‐spinning human expansion into previously inaccessible and 

hostile terrain. 

View clips: http://schreinervideo.com/ Kora.html 

NOVA: LOST TREASURES OF TIBET – 2007 (55 MINUTES) 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tibet/ 

A caring scientist and four mountain‐climbing explorers risked their lives to keep the Chang 

Tang chiru, a small, endangered, antelope‐like animal, safe from poachers. NOVA travels to the 

Mustang region in Nepal where a small group of Westerners are working with local 

townspeople to preserve murals on monastery walls. The program: explores the 


47


village of Lo Monthang where the way of life has remained the same for the past 500 years; 

discusses Mustang's importance as a last stronghold of Tibetan culture, which was mostly 

destroyed when China invaded Tibet in the 1950s. Focuses on the preservation of paintings on 

the walls of a monastery in Lo Monthang; explores the dynamics between Western 

preservationists and the citizens of Lo Monthang. Examines the importance of Buddhism in 

Tibetan culture and the key role the monasteries play in town politics and education; 

documents techniques used by visiting specialists to preserve the monasteries and their 

paintings; shows the technology used by locals to repair the monasteries; compares the 

Renaissance periods that took place simultaneously, yet independently of one another, in 

Europe and Tibet. 

Teacher Guide: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/3006_tibet.html 

PBS CHINA FROM THE INSIDE – 2006 (EACH EPISODE IS 60 MINUTES) 

http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinainside/about.html 

China is rapidly becoming a world power, but much of the country and its people remain hidden 

to those outside its borders. China from the Inside provides a rare insider’s view of China, her 

institutions, and people. This is a four part series; PDF transcripts available for each program. 

See episodes 2 and 4 for some limited Tibet‐related content. 

Episode 2: Women of the Country 

China's women are argued over at their weddings and have one of the highest suicide rates in 

the world. Now many are beginning to fight for their rights and their futures. This hour shows 

discrimination against Xinjiang's Muslim women, various hardships faced by Tibetan women, 

and the status of some of those who have left the countryside for factory work in the cities. 

Episode 4: Freedom and Justice Religious worship in China is problematic for Tibetan 

Buddhists, Catholics separated from Vatican influence, the 40 million adherents of China's 

unofficial churches, and the Falun Gong. Civic problems include forced evictions, government 

cover‐up of AIDS, corruption and land grabbing. Filmed in Tibetan temples, newspaper offices 

and a labor camp, this final episode asks: what are the limits of freedom ‐‐ and the threats to 

stability? 

DREAMING LHASA – 2005 (90 MINUTES) 

http://whitecranefilms.com/films/dreaming‐lhasa/ 

Karma, a Tibetan filmmaker from New York, goes to Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama’s exile 

headquarters in northern India, to make a documentary about former political prisoners who 

have escaped from Tibet. She wants to reconnect with her roots but is also escaping a 

deteriorating relationship back home. 

MOUNTAIN PATROL: KEKEXILI – 2004 (89 MINUTES) 

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mountainpatrol/ 

Mountain Patrol: Kekexili is a film inspired by a people's remarkable mission surrounding the 

illegal Tibetan antelope poaching in the region of Kekexili, the largest animal reserve in China. 

The story is brought to the screen with great detail by director Lu Chuan. Set against the 

exquisite backdrop of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, Chuan tells the tale of brave local Tibetans 

who face death and starvation to save the endangered antelope herds from a band of ruthless 

hunters. 

THE YUNNAN GREAT RIVERS EXPEDITION (2003) 46 MINUTES 

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/the_yunnan_great_rivers_expedition/ 


48


In a remote corner of Southwest China, three of Asia’s greatest rivers plunge off the Tibetan 

Plateau through steep canyons in the Himalayas thousands of feet deep. This stunningly 

beautiful film captures the incredible journey of a whitewater expedition, as it explores the 

upper Mekong, Salween and Yangtze rivers. More than a wild adventure, the two‐month 

expedition was an ambitious partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the Chinese 

government to help protect one of the most biodiverse and culturally diverse regions in the 

world. 

SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET – 1997 (136 MINUTES) 


True story of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai 

Lama at the time of China's takeover of Tibet. 

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ‐KNWJeQ4g 

HIMALAYA – 1999 (108 MINUTES) 


An aging chief's last stand, lessons for the new, and the education of a young chief‐to‐be played 

against harsh Nature in Nepal's Dolpo. When his son dies returning from Tibet's salt lakes, Tinle 

blames Karma, his son's friend, refuses to give Karma his blessing as the new chief, and 

organizes a rival caravan to take the salt to lower Nepal to trade for grain. He, a few old men, 

his son's widow, his grandson, and his second son, a monk, set out on the arduous journey. 

Fearing storms, Karma has led his caravan out of the village before the auspicious day ordained 

by the lamas. Tinle's group catches Karma's before the final pass; the two stubborn men lock 

wills with Tinle's grandson watching. 

Teacher Guide: 

http://college.holycross.edu/projects/himalayan_cultures/2004_plans/lfaden/geography.htm 

KUNDUN – 1997 (134 MINUTES) 


The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced 

to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an 

oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 

and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since. In 1937, in a remote area of Tibet close to 

the Chinese border, a two year old child is identified as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the 

compassionate Buddha. Two years later, the child is brought to Lhasa where he is schooled as a 

monk and as head of state amidst the color and pageantry of Tibetan culture. The film follows 

him into adulthood: when he is 14, the Chinese invade Tibet and he is forced into a shaky 

coalition government; he travels to China to meet with a cynical Mao; and, finally, in 1959, ill 

and under siege, he flees to India. Throughout, he has visions of his people's slaughter under 

Chinese rule. 

Teacher Guide: http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/kundun.html 


49


LITTLE BUDDHA – 1993 (123 MINUTES) 


Lama Norbu comes to Seattle in search of the reincarnation of his dead teacher, Lama Dorje. 

His search leads him to young Jesse Conrad, Raju, a waif from Kathmandu, and an upper class 

Indian girl. Together, they journey to Bhutan where the three children must undergo a test to 

prove which is the true reincarnation. Interspersed with this, is the story of Siddhartha, later 

known as the Buddha. It traces his spiritual journey from ignorance to true enlightenment. 

COMPASSION IN EXILE: THE STORY OF THE 14TH DALAI LAMA – 1992 (60 MINUTES) 

http://www.snowlionpub.com/html/product_8711.html 

This is the story of the Dalai Lama, and it is filled with wonderful photos (much never before 

seen), film clips and candid interviews with His Holiness, his family and other prominent people 

and Tibetans who have left Tibet. With candor and humor, the Dalai Lama describes his 

upbringing and the key moments in his life leading to his becoming head of state at age sixteen, 

meeting with Mao Zedong, and of his life in exile and non‐violent struggle on 

behalf of his people. 

LOST HORIZON – 1973 (150 MINUTES) 


This retelling of the classic tale of James Hilton's Utopian lost world plays out 

uneasily amid musical production numbers and Bacharach pop music. While 

escaping war‐torn China, a group of Europeans crash in the Himalayas, where 

they are rescued and taken to the mysterious Valley of the Blue Moon, Shangri‐ 

La. Hidden from the rest of the world, Shangri‐La is a haven of peace and tranquility for worldweary 

diplomat Richard Conway. His ambitious brother, George, sees it as a prison from which 

he must escape, even if it means risking his life and bringing destruction to the ancient culture 

of Shangri‐La. 

FILM AND VIDEO FROM 

THE HIMALAYAS 

http://www.digitalhimalay 

a.com/collections/films/ 

Digital Himalaya is 

expanding its online 

collections to include 

contemporary film and 

video. 


50

BOOKS BY/ABOUT THE 14 TH DALAI LAMA 

The Dalai Lama has written or co‐authored more than one hundred books. Below is a small 

selection. 

My Spiritual Journey, Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama, and Sofia Stril‐Rever, 2010 

Toward a True Kinship of Faiths, the XIV Dalai Lama, 2010 

The Middle Way ‐ Faith Grounded in Reason, H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Thubten Jinpa, 

2009 

Leaders' Way ‐ Business, Buddhism and Happiness in an Interconnected World, H.H. The Dalai 

Lama and Laurens van den Muyzenberg, 2009 

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Happiness, Life and Living, H.H. the Dalai Lama, compiled by 

Rajiv Mehrotra, 2009 

Art of Happiness in a Troubled World, the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, 2009 

Emotional Awareness, H.H. the Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman, 2009 

Becoming Enlightened, H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, 2009 

In My Own Words ‐ An Introduction to My Teachings and Philosophy, H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited 

by Rajiv Mehrotra, 2008 

Freedom in Exile, H.H. the Dalai Lama, 2008 

Dalai Lama at MIT, H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by Anne Harrington and Arthur Zajonc, 2008 

Mind in Comfort and Ease ‐ The Vision of Enlightenment in the Great Perfection, H.H. the Dalai 

Lama, 2007 

Activating Bodhichitta and a Meditation on Compassion, H.H. the Dalai Lama, 2006 

The Universe in a Single Atom ‐ The Convergence of Science and Spirituality, H.H. the Dalai Lama, 

2005 

Widening the Circle of Love, H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, 2005 

Lighting the Path, Teachings on Wisdom and Compassion, H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by 

Geshe Tubten Jinpa, 2005 

Path of Wisdom, Path of Peace ‐ A Personal Conversation, H.H. the Dalai Lama and Felizitas Von 

Schoenborn, 2005 

The Wisdom of Forgiveness, H.H. the Dalai Lama, and Victor Chan, 2005 

Many Ways to Nirvana, H.H. the Dalai Lama, 2004 


51

BOOKS BY/ABOUT THE 14 TH DALAI LAMA 

The Wisdom of Forgiveness, H.H. the Dalai Lama and Victor Chan, 2004 

Destructive Emotions, H.H. the Dalai Lama and Daniel Goleman, 2004 

The Compassionate Life, H.H. the Dalai Lama, 2003 

The Essence of Happiness: A Guidebook for Living, Tenzin Gyatso (The XIV Dalai Lama) and 

Howard C. Cutler, 2002 

Ethics for the New Millennium, H.H. the Dalai Lama, 1999 

The Wisdom Teachings of The Dalai Lama, Edited by Mathew Bunson, 1997 

The Dalai Lama: Policy of Kindness, Edited by Sidney Piburn, 1990 

Kindness, Clarity and Insight, Tenzin Gyatso (The XIV Dalai Lama), 1987 

My Land, My People, Tenzin Gyatso (The XIV Dalai Lama), 1962. 

There are hundreds of books written about the Dalai Lama, this is just a small smattering. 

Tragedy in Crimson: How the Dalai Lama Conquered the World but Lost the Battle with China, Tim 

Johnson, 2011 

Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World, 

Robert A. E. Thurman, 2008 

Escape from the Land of Snows: The Young Dalai Lama's 

Harrowing Flight to Freedom and the Making of a Spiritual 

Hero, Stephen Talty, 2011 

The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Dalai Lama, 

Pico Iyer, 2008 

The Dalai Lama, Christopher Gibb, 1990 (For grades 7 and 

up) 

My Tibet, Photographs by Galen Rowell, Text by the Dalai 

Lama, 1990 

The Dalai Lama: Secular ethics 

embraces the principles we share as 

human beings: compassion, 

tolerance, consideration of others, 

the responsible use of knowledge 

and power. These principles 

transcend the barriers between 

religious believers and nonbelievers; 

they belong not to one 

faith, but to all faiths. 


52

PICTURE BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS 

Picture Books for Young Readers 

The Chiru of High Tibet: A True Story, Jacqueline Briggs Martin illustrations by Linda S. 

Wingerter, 2011 

Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World, Naomi C. Rose, 2009 

Tenzin's Deer, Barbara Soros, 2005 

Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas, Naomi Rose, 2004 

Clear Sky, Red Earth: A Himalayan Story, Sienna Craig and Tenzin Norbu, 2004 

Greater Tibet: Where Earth Touches the Heavens, Jimmy Lam, 2004 

All the Way to Lhasa: A Tale from Tibet, Barbara Helen Berger, 2002 

I Once Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told, Jeanne M. Lee, 1999 

Spirit of Tibet: Portrait of a Culture in Exile, Alison Wright, 1998 

Tibet Through the Red Box, by Peter Sís, 1998 

Our Journey from Tibet, Laurie Dolphin, 1997 

The Little Lama of Tibet, Lois Lraimondo, 1994 

Hero of the Land of Snow, Sylvia Gretchen, 1990 

The Mountains of Tibet, Mordicai Gerstein, 1989 

Where is Tibet?, Gina Halpern, 1992 

Books About Water 

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, Rochelle Strauss, 2007 

A Cool Drink of Water, Barbara Kerley, 2006 

Mountain Dance, Thomas Locker, 2002 

Water Dance, Thomas Locker, 2002 

A Drop Around the World, Barbara McKinney, 1998 

A Teacher's Guide to a Drop Around the World: Lesson Plans for the Book 

Bruce Malnor and Carol Malnor, 1997 


53

SELECT BOOKS FOR EDUCATORS 

There are many excellent books written about Tibet. Listed below is an eclectic sampling. We have not 

added books by the Dalai Lama, see extensive list on page 51‐52. 

Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World, Robert A. E. 

Thurman, 2008. “The Dalai Lama matters on the world plane…he brings ethics and spirituality into 

politics.” 

The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Pico Iyer, 2008. Perceptive exploration 

of the Dalai Lama’s ideas as a politician, scientist, and philosopher. 

The 14 th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography, Tetsu Saiwai, 2008. A manga(!) biography. 

Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China’s 100 Questions, ed. Anne‐Marie Blondeau & Katia Buffetrille, 

2008. Excellent resource for the classroom. 

Tibetan Portrait: The Power of Compassion, Phil Borges, 1996. This Seattle‐based photographer’s work is 

truly moving. 

The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet’s Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India, Rodger Kamenetz, 1994. 

Thought provoking personal journey. 

Prisoners of Shangri‐La Tibetan Buddhism and the West, Donald S. Lopez, Jr., 1998. Discusses both 

positive and negative misconceptions of Tibetan Buddhism. 

My Journey to Lhasa, Alexandra David‐Neel, 1986 (1927). Astounding journey by an extraordinary 

woman! 

Trespassers on the Roof of the World, Peter Hopkirk, 1982. Exciting armchair travel as you follow “colonial 

interlopers” in their quest for the legendary Lhasa. 

Seven Years in Tibet, Heinrich Harrer, New York, 1954. Curl up now and start this adventure across the 

Himalayas! Sneak preview: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/05/tibetans/harrer‐text 

The Snow Lion and the Dragon, Melvyn Goldstein, 1999. Unsentimental historical summary of the Tibet 

Question. 

The Book of Tibetan Elders: The Life Stories and Wisdom of the Great Spiritual Masters of Tibet, Sandy 

Johnson, 1996. “An insight into the traditions and teachings of great Tibetan spiritual masters, against 

the oppressive background of the Chinese Communist regime.” 

Ama Adhe: The Voice That Remembers The Heroic Story of a Woman’s Fight to Free Tibet, Adhe 

Tapontsang, 1997. A terrifying and inspiring story. 

The Struggle for Modern Tibet: The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering, Tashi Tsering, Melvyn Goldstein, 

William Siebenschuh, 2000. Remarkable, unbitter story filled with of twists and turns. 

To a Mountain in Tibet, Colin Thubron, 2011. Absorbing travel memoir. 

Three award‐winning children’s book beautifully illustrated by Demi (Carnation, Washington 

resident) entitled: The Dalai Lama, Buddha, Buddha Stories. 


54

SCHOLARLY JOURNALS/BLOGS/PORTALS 

Note: Some of these sites give links only to back issues. 

JOURNAL OF THE TIBET SOCIETY 

http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/journals/jts/ 

The Journal of the Tibet Society is a publication of the Tibet Society, founded and incorporated 

as a non‐profit organisation in 1966. 

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUDDHIST STUDIES (JIATS) 

http://www.thlib.org/collections/texts/jiats/ 

JIATS is an online, scholarly, peer‐reviewed journal. JIATS is an official publication of the 

International Association of Tibetan Studies (IATS), which convenes the world’s major 

conference for Tibetan Studies, the results of which are published in the Proceedings of the 

International Association of Tibetan Studies (PIATS) series. 

TIBET JOURNAL 

http://www.tibetology.net/ 

The Tibet Journal is a quarterly publication of the Library of Tibetan.Works & Archives (LTWA) 

devoted to the presentation of scholarly and general interest articles on Tibetan culture and 

civilization by Tibetans and non‐Tibetans. Back issues here: 

http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/journals/bot/ 

JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES (JAS) 

http://www.aasianst.org/publications/JAS.htm 

JAS publishes the very best empirical and multidisciplinary work on Asia (with features on 

Tibet), spanning the arts, history, literature, the social sciences, and cultural studies. Experts 

around the world turn to this quarterly journal for the latest in‐depth scholarship on Asia’s past 

and present, for its extensive book reviews, and for its state‐of‐the‐field essays on established 

and emerging topics. Free online journal with membership to Association for Asian Studies. 

BULLETIN OF TIBETOLOGY 

http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/journals/bot/index.php?selection=0 

The Bulletin of Tibetology is published bi‐annually by the Director, Namgyal Institute of 

Tibetology (www.tibetology.com), Gangtok, Sikkim, India. 

CHINA’S TIBETOLOGY 

http://www.tibetinfor.com.cn/english/zt/TibetologyMagazine/index.asp 

China's Tibetology English edition is a state‐level academic publication, sponsored by China's 

Tibetology Research Center and published by China's Tibetology Publishing House. China's 

Tibetology will focus on its academic features and create an academic atmosphere of 

democracy, unity, harmony and activity. The aim of this publication is to develop and flourish 

the undertakings of Tibetology research in China, and high‐level academic Tibetology theses 

will be published in this publication. 

CHINA TIBETOLOGY NETWORK 

http://219.239.12.26/index.php 

Extensive site focusing on journals, essay, culture, literature, religion, meetings, publications, 

short video, etc. 


55

SCHOLARLY JOURNALS/BLOGS/PORTALS 

EARLY TIBET 

http://earlytibet.com/ 

This site is an evolving resource for the study of the history of Tibet, mostly from the “early” 

period of the 7th to 10th centuries, but with occasional forays into more recent events. The 

main content of this site comes from my own research notes, questions, and unfinished 

enquiries. My main sources are the Stein collection at the British Library and the Pelliot 

collection at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. These, among the most important 

collections of early Tibetan manuscripts, were excavated from several sites in Chinese Central 

Asia. Sam van Schaik is based at the British Library, where he runs a British Academy‐funded 

research project on Tibetan Chan (or Zen), as part of the International Dunhuang Project. 

THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST RESOURCE CENTER BLOG 

http://blog.tbrc.org/ 

Official blog of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center. 

SHADOW TIBET 

http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/ 

Blog by Jamyang Norbu, a Tibetan political activist and writer, currently living in the United 

States, having previously lived for over 40 years as a Tibetan exile in India. 

TIBETO‐LOGIC 

http://tibeto‐logic.blogspot.com/ 

Historian Dan Martin: “more‐or‐less monthly musings on mainly antiquarian Tibetological 

topics of interest to those who like me somehow find something interesting in them.” 

JONANGPA.COM 

http://www.jonangpa.com/ 

The official blog of the Jonang Foundation it provides regular commentary on various aspects 

of the Jonang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Content on the Jonangpa.com blog is presented 

in the form of notes and musings on Jonang history, zhentong philosophical thinking, tantric 

Buddhist art and practice, Tibetan literature, and contemporary issues that concern the 

Jonangpa. 

TIBETAN LANGUAGE AND CHINESE LANGUAGE BLOGS 

https://collab.itc.virginia.edu/access/wiki/site/881b357c‐7a1a‐49ce‐80b5‐ 

009e07d50d63/blogs.html 

See this site for access to numerous “Tibetan language blogs on Tibet consulted by Tibetans” 

and “Chinese language blogs on Tibet consulted by Tibetans.” 


56

TIBET ADVOCACY/CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS 

Note: There are numerous Tibet advocacy and cultural organizations based around the 

world. These are just a few. 

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF CENTRAL TIBETAN ADMINISTRATION 

www.tibet.net/ 

The Charter of the Tibetans in Exile is the supreme law governing the functions of the CTA. It 

was drafted by the Constitution Redrafting Committee and referred to the Tibetan Parliamentin‐Exile 

for approval. The parliament, in turn, adopted the Charter on 14 June 1991. Based on 

the spirit of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Charter guarantees to all 

Tibetans equality before the law and enjoyment of rights and freedom without discrimination 

on the basis of sex, religion, race, language and social origin. It provides for a clear separation of 

power among the three organs of the administration: judiciary, legislature and executive. 

Before the Charter came into being, the Central Tibetan Administration functioned roughly 

along the lines of the draft democratic constitution for future Tibet, promulgated by His 

Holiness the Dalai Lama on 10 March 1963. 

THE OFFICE OF TIBET 

http://www.officeoftibet.com/ 

The objective and functions of the Office of Tibet in Africa include: Providing information 

concerning the plight of Tibetan people both inside and outside Tibet; Raising awareness & 

seeking support for Tibetan freedom struggle and the Central Tibetan 

Administration; Promoting cultural, educational and religious exchanges between Tibetan 

people and the people of Africa; Disseminating information on valuable thoughts and teachings 

of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Peace, Non‐violence, Love and Compassion, Environment, 

Universal responsibility and Inter‐religious harmony; Co‐ordinating and organizing visits of His 

Holiness the Dalai Lama to the continent of Africa; Providing general information to African 

people wishing to study Tibetan language and culture or visit Tibetan settlements in‐exile in 

India and Nepal; Providing information to African journalists and media on important issues 

related to Tibet, dialogues held between the Envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the 

representatives of the government of People’s Republic of China; Providing regular information 

updates on situations and conditions of Tibetan people inside Tibet to all the Governments of 

African States having missions established in Pretoria; Maintaining close relations with 

Buddhist Centres, Tibet support groups in Africa. 

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET 

http://www.savetibet.org/ 

The International Campaign for Tibet proudly celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2008. For more 

than two decades, we have called the world's attention to the injustices and brutality being 

suffered by the people of Tibet. We've shone a spotlight on China's repressive authority and 

intervened on behalf of political prisoners. We've worked with and been guided by His Holiness 

the Dalai Lama, and have provided support to Tibetans in exile. 

TIBETAN YOUTH CONGRESS 

http://www.tibetanyouthcongress.org/ 

The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) is a worldwide Organisation of Tibetans united in our 

common struggle for the restoration of complete independence for the whole of Tibet, which 

includes the tradition three provinces of U‐Tsang, Do‐toe, and Do‐med. An independent 

Organisation, with a written constitution and its own plans and programmes, TYC has emerged 


57


as the largest and most active non‐governmental Organisation of Tibetans in exile. It has more 

than 30,000 members worldwide. ATYC does not subscribe to any particular political ideology 

nor to any particular religion or religious" sect. Being a national movement, activities of TYC is 

not restricted just to its members, but. also receive the active support of all Tibetans ‐ young 

and old, men and women, monks and lay, Furthermore, TYC commands a targe following 

inside Tibet. 

TIBET JUSTICE CENTER 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/projects/ 

Tibet Justice Center has provided key support to the advocacy of the Government‐in‐Exile 

before the United Nations and individual project page image1governments, and the work of 

Tibet support groups around the world. We helped establish the Tibet Bureau in Geneva, the 

main base for the Tibetans' U.N. work, and today we help prepare the Government‐in‐Exile's 

major position papers on human rights issues for submission to U.N. bodies. These have 

recently included briefs on Women's Rights, Torture, and Racism. 

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF LAWYERS FOR TIBET (ICLT) 

http://www.tibetjustice.org/ 

Through legal action and education, ICLT promotes human rights, environmental protection, 

and peaceful resolution of the situation in Tibet. ICLT is supported by attorneys and other 

concerned individuals and organizations. 

THE TIBET FUND 

http://www.tibetfund.org/ 

The Tibet Fund’s mission is to preserve the distinct cultural and national identity of the Tibetan 

people. For 27 years, under the patronage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Over the past 28 

years, The Tibet Fund has worked closely with the Central Tibetan Administration to address 

the health, educational, cultural, economic and community development needs of the refugee 

community. While the Fund has steadily increased its program support to more than $5.5 

million annually, the arrival of thousands of refugees each year is placing a severe strain on the 

existing settlement system. The Tibet Fund will continue to focus its efforts on strengthening 

the exile community, for it is here that Tibetan culture and national identity are being 

sustained. 

TIBET HOUSE 

http://www.tibethouse.us/ 

Tibet House US is dedicated to preserving Tibet’s unique culture at a time when it is confronted 

with extinction on its own soil. By presenting Tibetan civilization and its profound wisdom, 

beauty, and special art of freedom to the people of the world, we hope to inspire others to join 

the effort to protect and save it. 

HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA 

www.hrichina.org 

Human Rights in China (HRIC), founded by Chinese students and scholars in March 1989, is an 

international, Chinese, nongovernmental organization with a mission to promote international 

human rights and advance the institutional protection of these rights in the People’s Republic 


58


of China. HRIC’s board and staff include Chinese, North American, and European individuals 

devoted to fostering greater space for democratic reforms and social justice. 

CONSERVANCY FOR TIBETAN ARTS AND CULTURE 

http://www.tibetanculture.org 

The Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture is dedicated to the preservation of Tibet’s living 

cultural heritage in Tibetan cultural areas and communities around the world. CTAC works with 

leading institutions, scholars and others in support of their efforts to preserve Tibetan culture. 

U.S. TIBET COMMITTEE 

http://www.ustibetcommittee.org/ 

Since 1977, the U.S. Tibet Committee (USTC) has worked to further the Tibetan people's 

nonviolent struggle to restore independence to Tibet. At the grass roots level, our commitment 

is to educate Americans on the occupation of Tibet, and to mobilize them into action against 

this injustice. 

COMMITTEE OF 100 FOR TIBET 

http://www.c100tibet.org/Home.html 

Founded in 1992, the Committee of 100 for Tibet (C100) is a unique organization in its 

composition, strategy and uncompromising support of the Tibetan people in their peaceful 

struggle. In addition to pursuing its own projects, the C100 actively endorses and contributes to 

the work of other key organizations supporting Tibet and the Tibetan people. 

STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET (NATIONAL OFFICE) 

http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/ 

Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) works in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for 

freedom and independence. We are a chapter‐based network of young people and activists 

around the world. Through education, grassroots organizing, and non‐violent direct action, we 

campaign for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom. Our role is to empower and train 

youth as leaders in the worldwide movement for social justice. 

THE OFFICE OF TIBET (NEW YORK) 

http://tibetoffice.org/ 

Over the years, its responsibilities have increased to include the following major activities: 

Looking after the welfare of around 15,000 Tibetans living in the US and Canada and supporting 

their efforts to pass down the knowledge of Tibetan language and culture to the younger 

generation; Coordinating and preparing visits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas; 

Raising awareness of the plight of Tibet in the United States, Canada and Latin American 

countries in order to mobilize the support of governments and peoples of these countries for a 

peaceful and negotiated solution to the Tibetan issue; Proving information and guidance on 

specific requests to Americans, Canadians and Latin Americans wishing to study the Tibetan 

culture or to visit Tibetan exile communities in India and Nepal. 

THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET (WASHINGTON, DC) 

www.savetibet.org 

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) works to promote human rights and democratic 

freedoms for the people of Tibet. ICT does the following: Monitors and reports on human 

rights, environmental and socio economic conditions in Tibet; Advocates for Tibetans 


59


imprisoned for their political or religious beliefs; Works with governments to develop policies 

and programs to help Tibetans; Secures humanitarian and development assistance for 

Tibetans; Mobilizes individuals and the international community to take action on behalf of 

Tibetans; and promotes self‐determination for the Tibetan people through negotiations 

between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama. 

INTERNATIONAL TIBET INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT 

http://www.rangzen.com/ 

Our objectives are to: Articulates a concrete vision of Tibet as an Independent Nation; 

Promotes the use of documentation that advocates using Independence as the primary focal 

point for activities relating to the Tibetan cause world‐wide; Demands that the voice of 

Tibetans for Independence be heard by government and non‐governmental agencies worldwide; 

Encourages the collective, coordinated participation of all Tibetans and their supporters 

to develop and implement strategies for economic, legal, and political action. 

RANZEN ALLIANCE 

http://www.rangzen.net/ 

The Rangzen Alliance is a movement of committed Tibetans and friends, world‐over, who have 

joined together to provide a common platform of action for the realization of three goals: 

The restoration of Tibetan independence; The return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet as 

the sovereign head‐of‐state of an independent nation; The establishment of a fully democratic 

system of government in exile Tibetan society and in free Tibet – based on the rule of law and 

the primacy of individual freedom. 

THE TIBETAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY 

http://www.tchrd.org/ 

TCHRD is the first Tibetan non‐governmental human rights organization to be established in 

exile in India. Founded in 1996, TCHRD is registered as an NGO under Section 2 of the Indian 

Societies Registration Act, 1860 and is based in Dharamsala, North India. 

CANADA TIBET COMMITTEE (CTC) 

http://www.tibet.ca/ 

The CTC offers concerned Canadians an opportunity to work with their Tibetan friends to 

promote public awareness. Our founding members laid out basic principles which form the 

framework for the organization today. These principles include: the commitment to nonviolence, 

a spirit of volunteerism, the inclusion of Tibetans in the decision‐making process and 

the goal of Tibetan independence. 

THE FREE TIBET CAMPAIGN 

http://www.freetibet.org/ 

Free Tibet stands for the right of Tibetans to determine their own future. We campaign for an 

end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the fundamental human rights of Tibetans to be 

respected. Founded in 1987, Free Tibet generates active support through public education 

about the situation in Tibet. We are independent of all governments and are funded by our 

members and supporters. 


60

PRO‐TIBET SOURCES OF NEWS 

NEWS RESOURCES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET 

http://www.savetibet.org/media‐center 

Media Center provides daily news, policy resources, press watch, etc. 

TIBETAN BULLETIN ONLINE 

http://www.tibet.net/en/tibbull.php?bullissue=current 

Tibetan Bulletin is an official bi‐monthly journal of the Central Tibetan Administration of His 

Holiness the Dalai Lama. 

TIBET SUN (EVERYTHING TIBET) 

http://www.tibetsun.com/ 

The site will not only help bring more awareness to both Tibetans and non‐Tibetans about 

Tibetan news and issues, it will also help make the Tibetan presence on the web more 

prominent. We will also strive to bring Tibetan journalism to new heights. 

TIBETAN REVIEW 

http://www.tibetanreview.net/index.php?id=68&type=p 

Tibetan Review is an editorially independent monthly publication in English of news and views 

and other informative and stimulating features. It is not funded by any government, nor is it 

affiliated or related to any interest group. It is more than anything else a readers' magazine 

founded in 1967 and currently based in New Delhi, India. 

VOICE OF TIBET 

http://www.vot.org/ 

Voice of Tibet’s main objectives are to provide a channel for unbiased information and news to 

the Tibetans living under Chinese oppression in Tibet, to help preserve the threatened Tibetan 

culture, to educate the Tibetans in internationally acknowledged human rights, to inform about 

democracy and the democratic institutions of the Tibetan exile community, and to help prevent 

conflicts and discrimination. Another main objective is to improve communications within as 

well as between the Tibetan exile communities. 

TIBET ONLINE 

http://www.tibet.org/ 

Tibet Online is operated by the international Tibet Support Group community, providing 

information on the plight of Tibet and serving as a virtual community space for the movement. 

This movement is dedicated to ending the suffering of the Tibetan people by returning the right 

of self‐determination to the Tibetan people. 

RADIO FREE ASIA (RFA) 

http://www.rfa.org/english/ 

RFA is a private, nonprofit corporation that broadcasts news and information in nine native 

Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. The purpose 

of RFA is to provide a forum for a variety of opinions and voices from within these Asian 

countries. Our Web site adds a global dimension to this objective 

THE TIBET CONNECTION 

http://www.thetibetconnection.org/ 


61

PRO‐TIBET SOURCES OF NEWS 

Each month, we feature news stories, interviews, documentaries and helpful insights. We seek 

out notable and intriguing guests and stories and provide an informative and engaging forum 

for discussion. We hope that our program helps listeners to understand the unique experience 

and legacy of Tibet and to provide a conduit between Tibet and the rest of the world. 

TIBETAN POLITICAL REVIEW 

http://sites.google.com/site/tibetanpoliticalreview/ 

www.tibetanpoliticalreview.org 

An online journal dedicated to constructive discussion of the important political issues facing 

the Tibetan nation. 


62

NEWS FROM A CHINESE PERSPECTIVE 

THE CHINESE EMBASSY (WASHINGTON, DC) 

http://www.china‐embassy.org/eng/ 

CHINA TIBET ONLINE 

http://en.tibet.cn/ 

China Tibet Online is a key national‐level website dedicated to providing updated stories on 

TAR and other Tibetan‐inhabited areas. 

CHINA TIBETOLOGY NETWORK 

http://219.239.12.26/index.php 

Extensive site focusing on journals, essay, culture, literature, religion, meetings, publications, 

short video, etc. 

XINHUANET NEWS AGENCY 

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/ 

The largest news agency in China, includes 107 bureaus world‐wide. 

CHINA NEWS DIGEST INTERNATIONAL 

http://my.cnd.org/modules/news/index.php?&sel_lang=english&storytopic=2 

China News Digest International presents this site on timely and balanced news coverage on 

China and China‐related affairs. 

CHINA DAILY 

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ 

The China Daily is an English‐language daily newspaper. State‐run publication established in 

1981 and has the widest print circulation of any English‐language newspaper in the country. 

PEOPLE’S DAILY ONLINE 

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ 

This party newspaper was established in June 1948 and is considered among the most 

influential and authoritative newspapers in China. 

CHINA TODAY 

http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/ctenglish/index.htm 

A monthly magazine published in several languages, including Chinese, English, French, Arabic, 

and Spanish. Started in 1949. 

CHINA YOUTH DAILY 

http://www.cyol.net/english/intro/daily.htm 

China Youth Daily is a popular official daily newspaper and the first independently operated 

central government news media portal in the People’s Republic of China. It has been operated 

by the Communist Youth League since 1951. 

FAMILY PORTRAITS OF 56 ETHNIC GROUPS IN CHINA 2010 

http://www.chinahush.com/2009/12/06/family‐portraits‐of‐all‐56‐ethnic‐groups‐in‐china/ 

This website shows all 56 images included in the publication Harmonious China which features 

formal photographs of 56 ethnic groups in China which was published in 2009. 

NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATION OF THE PRC 

http://en.cnta.gov.cn/ 

Chinese site promoting tourism in the PRC; includes information about Tibet. 


63

NGOS WORKING IN TIBET 

HEART IN TIBET 

http://heartintibet.org/ 

Heart in Tibet is the first stop for individuals seeking ways to help the Tibetan people. On 

this site you will find videos, photos and contact information from over 150 Tibetan 

charitable aid organizations. These groups provide aid in the areas of education, health, 

community development and cultural preservation. Aid Organizations are grouped into the 

following categories: 

Community Development 

Cultural Preservation (Art, Music, Architecture, Language) 

Educational Organizations (Schools, Orphanages) 

Health Care 

Multiple Goals 

Religious 

TERMA FOUNDATION 

http://www.terma.org/ 

Founded in 1993 as the Tibet Child Nutrition Project (TCNP), the Terma Foundation now 

implements public health programs including nutrition, education, primary and preventive 

health care, acknowledging traditional belief systems, and integrating low‐tech, low‐cost 

western technology where appropriate. Terma's work in the TAR and adjacent ethnic Tibetan 

areas of the People's Republic of China is carried out by a multidisciplinary coalition of Tibetans, 

Chinese, and westerners in successful cooperation with PRC nationals and local health 

authorities. Terma is the longest‐running U.S.‐based NGO working in the TAR. 

TIBET AID PROJECT 

http://www.tibetanaidproject.org/ 

Tibetan Aid Project rebuilds, preserves, strengthens, and perpetuates Tibet’s cultural and 

spiritual heritage for the benefit of the Tibetan people and all humanity. Funding the 

production, shipment, and distribution of sacred texts, art, and prayer wheels for donation to 

institutions and individuals in the Himalayan region. 

JATSON CHUMIG SCHOOL AND ORPHANAGE 

http://www.jatsontibet.org/ 

The Jatson Chumig Welfare Special School in Lhasa, Tibet, is a non‐profit, NGO, charitable 

institution run by Tibetans for handicapped, orphaned, and destitute children of Tibet. Since 

our founding in 1993, the school has been providing these children with a supportive, nurturing 

home (housing, food and clothes) and a basic education of six years. We also provide vocational 

job training, as well as entrance into middle school, high school and the university. It is our goal 

to give these children a future where there otherwise would not be one. 

THE WAKA ORPHANAGE SCHOOL 

http://www.wakaorphanage.org/ 

The Waka Orphanage School was established in September 2004. Its objective is to take care of 

Tibetan orphans or children from poor single parent families and sponsor them to go to school. 

We put strong emphasis on learning of Tibetan culture, history and language. Children live 

together in the housing provided and attend the same school. The school is located at the Waka 

village at about 80 km northwest from Zhongdian, the capital of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous 

Prefecture in Yunnan Province of China. 


64


CHUSHUL HOME 

http://www.sacredearthfound.org/chushulhome.shtml 

Orphanage that provides love and support to children of Tibet. 

BOULDER‐LHASA SISTER CITY PROJECT 

http://boulder‐tibet.org/ 

Boulder‐Lhasa Sister City Project (BLSCP) is a non‐profit 501(c)(3) public charity formed in 1986 

in Boulder, Colorado, which develops and implements non‐political exchanges of mutual 

benefit with Lhasa, Tibet, including surrounding areas, in health care, education, environmental 

protection, science & technology, agriculture & animal husbandry, and culture & art. Boulder is 

Tibet's only sister city in the United States. 

TIBET POVERTY ALLEVIATION FUND 

http://www.tpaf.org/ 

TPAF is a non‐political, non‐sectarian, U.S. non‐governmental organization with its 

headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. TPAF was established in 1998 to provide 

employable skills training, microcredit, health education and other assistance to enable 

Tibetans in China to improve their incomes and general well‐being. In 2008, an independent 

evaluation concluded that TPAF support over 10 years valued at more than $7,354,000 

improved the livelihoods and health of more than 100,000 people in 98 villages of the Tibet 

Autonomous Region. 

TIBET AID: RURAL TIBETAN SCHOOLS PROJECT 

http://www.tibetaid.org/gargon.htm 

The Rural Tibetan Elementary Schools Project serves children in remote rural villages on the 

eastern Tibetan Plateau. These rural villages are very poor farming and nomadic communities 

and had no schools at all until recently. 

TIBET HEALING FUND 

http://www.tibetanhealingfund.org/ 

Tibetan Healing Fund (THF) is a not‐for‐profit humanitarian organization established to 

improve primary healthcare and education for rural Tibetan women and children in the Tibetan 

regions of P.R. China. THF was created in response to the needs expressed by Tibetan 

communities in P.R. China and the vision of Dr. Kunchok Gyaltsen, a Tibetan medical doctor 

and Buddhist Monk. 

THE PLATEAU MUSIC PROJECT 

http://plateaumusicproject.org/ 

Grass‐roots preservation of the Tibetan Plateau's diverse musical heritage. 

TIBET HERITAGE FUND 

http://www.tibetheritagefund.org/ 

Tibet Heritage Fund is an international non‐profit organization committed to preservation of 

architectural heritage in general and Tibetan heritage in particular, and to improvement of the 

lives of people living in traditional and historic settlements through sustainable development. 

THF also promotes environmentally and climate sensitive architecture. 


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TIBET ORAL HISTORY PROJECT 

http://www.tibetoralhistory.org/index.html 

The goal of the Tibet Oral History Project is to document the life stories of Tibetan elders living 

in exile, and to disseminate that information through print, broadcast media and the Internet 

for the purposes of education and preservation of the culture and history of Tibet. 

Noteworthy NGOs working in Tibetan areas (mentioned in the “Environmental Issues”) 

THE MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE 

http://www.mountain.org/himalayas 

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: TIBET 

http://www.wwfchina.org/english/loca.php?loca=79 



THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: CHINA 

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/asiapacific/china/ 

INTERNATIONAL RIVERS 

http://www.internationalrivers.org 


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LOCAL TIBET‐RELATED ORGANIZATIONS 

SEATTLE FRIENDS OF TIBET 

http://www.seattlefot.org/ 

A Tibet Support Group based in the Pacific Northwest. Our objective is to spread awareness on 

the current issue with Tibet under the totalitarian regime of China. We pray that the Chinese 

officials will respect the human rights of all Tibetans, especially for all political prisoners. 

SAKYA MONASTERY OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM 

http://www.sakya.org/ 

Sakya Monastery provides access to the Buddha’s teachings and guidance in a community of 

practitioners. We offer a wide variety of classes on Tibetan Buddhism spiritual practices, 

philosophy and culture. Sakya Monastery provides a place to learn from highly qualified Tibetan 

Lamas in a beautiful traditional setting. We are blessed to have His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen 

Sakya as our Head Lama. He is supported by Her Eminence Dagmo Kusho Sakya, Tulku Yeshi, 

our sangha of monks and lay practitioners, and our Board of Advisors. 

TIBETAN ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON 

http://www.washingtontibet.org/TAW/ 

The Tibetan Association of Washington is a non‐profit organization of Tibetans in the State of 

Washington. It strives to preserve and promote the unique Tibetan Cultural tradition within the 

Tibetan Community and further the just cause of Tibet. The Tibetan Association is committed 

to the principle of non‐violence and supports the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the 

temporal and Spiritual leader of Tibet. It recognizes the Tibetan Government in Exile, based in 

India, as the legitimate government of Tibet. 

TIBET EDUCATION NETWORK 

http://www.GlobalSourceNetwork.org/ 

Global Source was founded to serve the educational community by cultivating teacher 

leadership, enhancing curriculum, and building learning communities around important issues 

in K‐12 education and crucial issues facing humanity and the planet. We help teachers better 

meet the needs of students as engaged scholars, stewards and citizens. Global Source 

Education provides teachers with best practices for instruction and assessment. Our programs 

focus on ways to bridge the classroom and community. 

DHARMA FRIENDSHIP FOUNDATION (DFF) 

http://www.dharmafriendship.org/ 

From 2005 to the present, Yangsi Rinpoche has guided DFF, generously offering public 

teachings and empowerments as well as an annual two week Mahamudra retreat. Much as 

Atisha brought the pure Dharma teachings from India to Tibet in the eleventh century, 

Rinpoche has worked closely with the DFF Board and the broader community, to continue the 

task of planting the Dharma in American soil, and in the hearts of its people. 

NORTHWEST DHARMA ASSOCIATION 

http://www.northwestdharma.org/ 

The Northwest Dharma Association was founded to support Buddhist teachings and 

community in the Northwest. NWDA seeks to fulfill its mission by maintaining an informative 

website, publishing the NW Dharma News, and sponsoring events of interest to Buddhists of 

multiple traditions. 

TIBET HEALING FUND 

http://www.tibetanhealingfund.org/ 


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LOCAL TIBET‐RELATED ORGANIZATIONS 

Tibetan Healing Fund (THF) is a not‐for‐profit humanitarian organization established to 

improve primary healthcare and education for rural Tibetan women and children in the Tibetan 

regions of P.R. China. THF was created in response to the needs expressed by Tibetan 

communities in P.R. China and the vision of Dr. Kunchok Gyaltsen, a Tibetan medical doctor 

and Buddhist Monk. 

NORTHWEST TIBETAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 

http://www.nwtca.org/ 

Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association (NWTCA) was established in 1993 to create a spiritual 

and cultural home for the Tibetans living in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Our main 

objective is to preserve and promote the rich ancient culture and tradition of Tibet. NWTCA 

organizes various programs and events for Tibetans, while interacting with the greater 

Northwest community to promote awareness about the Tibetan culture and reinforce His 

Holiness the Dalai Lama's message of global peace and compassion. 

BO. M. KARLSSON FOUNDATION 

http://bomkarlsson.com/about.html 

We believe that by helping one individual at a time, we can make a positive change in the world 

and have a meaningful connection with that individual. The women we support awakens us to 

our global connectivity and the universal desire for peace and goodwill… As we support women 

in their educational pursuits, our desire is that this also helps them build character and strength, 

making them self‐reliant, confident, and productive citizens in their own country.” 

EAST ASIA RESOURCE CENTER 

http://jsis.washington.edu/earc/ 

K‐12 teachers in all stages of their careers will find that the East Asia Resource Center is a great 

place tolearn more about China, Japan, and Korea. Year‐round programming includes: one‐day 

workshops onEast Asian art, culture, and history; the National Consortium for Teaching about 

Asia (NCTA) seminars; intensive summer institutes in Seattle; and more. 

EAST ASIA CENTER 

http://jsis.washington.edu/eacenter/ 

The University of Washington’s East Asia Center promotes teaching and learning about China, 

Japan, and Korea across disciplines, across campus, and in the community. Founded in 1964, it 

is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and designated as a National Resource Center. 

SEATTLE ASIAN ART MUSEUM (SAAM) 

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/visitSAAM.asp 

SAAM hosts both permanent and changing exhibits. Located at the Volunteer Park venue, the 

Ann P. Wyckoff Teacher Resource Center (TRC) is a free lending library for educators. Located 

in the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the TRC offers over 4,000 resources on the Seattle Art 

Museum collection and covers all art disciplines. The TRC materials includes curriculum guides, 

CDs, books, videos, and more. 



Founded in 1981, (in Seattle) the Snow Leopard Trust is the world's leading authority on the 

study and protection of the endangered snow leopard…. The snow leopard's range 

encompasses 12 mountainous Central Asian Countries. The Snow Leopard Trust currently has 

programs in five of them: China, India, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, and Pakistan. 


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The Question(s) of Tibet - World Affairs Council

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