First Foreigner in Lhasa since March 14

I have been in Lhasa for three days, arriving under special permission from the TAR Party government as the first foreigner to be allowed into the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) since the March 14 riots shook the city and drew the attention of the world. While the situation in Lhasa can be described as 'sensitive,' and destruction of property and loss of life from the riots significant, the city two months later appears to me to have a sense of normalcy and ease. What is apparent and rather sad is the absence of tourists whether foreign or Chinese. While the TAR has recently opened to Chinese tourists, the region will remain closed to foreign guests for several more months. The impact of this has been no more apparent than at our hotel, The Grand Tibetan, which has I would imagine around 500 rooms, but now is hosting only our party of six as guests.

The purpose of my trip to Lhasa has not only been to witness the city in the aftermath of the riots - there are still many burnt out shop fronts and shells of buildings - but to discover for myself what is meant by the term 'Tibetan culture' and its current welfare.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama over the last number of years has said that "cultural genocide" was taking place within Tibet as the result of modernization and the settlement of Han Chinese. I hold the Tibet Issue and the relationship between China and the West close to my heart, and I wanted to see with my own eyes the real state of Tibet.

It is difficult to appreciate the present day Tibetan Autonomous Region without physically traveling to Lhasa in order to see both the ancient and sacred sites situated on the High-Plateau, but also to witness the amount of development that has occurred since 1950. It is almost impossible to image that just 58 years ago, before Tibet came to be governed by the Chinese, it held one of the most repressive systems of feudal serfdom in history. A system that was based on a harsh disparity between the ruling religious-aristocratic class - of which successive Dalai Lama's were at the head - and the serfs, who were viewed as sub-human, sold or traded as slaves by a regime that exercised stringent and barbaric modes of punishment in order to maintain social control. If this system, existing from the 1600's until the late 1950's wasn't a crime against humanity I don't know what is.

In a conversation I had with a TAR Party official, the Director-General of the Cultural Department responsible for overseeing the restoration and protection of over 2300 ancient and sacred Tibetan sites, I asked him what had been the most significant change since his birth in 1950. He said that up until 1963 when the Chinese government took a more active role in regional development, there had only been one school in the entire area. After 1963, numerous schools opened up, and in time some of these schools turned into universities. In 2006 the TAR was said to have 890 elementary schools, 1,568 teaching centres, and a total student body of 329,500. His education, and his rise to Director-General - as opposed to pursuing either a life as a monk or a military officer due to his lower status - was made possible he said only by "the Communist Party."

This is what I have found most striking about my visit to Lhasa. The city itself is fully developed, no one is starving, the new generation of Tibetans is educated, and there is abundant economic opportunity. More importantly, and what contradicts the criticism of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is that there is a growing effort and awareness to preserve, enhance and promote Tibetan culture. When His Holiness uses the phrase "cultural genocide" it begs the question, which Tibet is he actually describing? It certainly is not the one I have seen with my own eyes. The TAR also contains three UNESCO world heritage sites that come with a seal of approval in respect to cultural protection that is not easily obtained.

Prior to my trip to Lhasa, organized by key TAR Party members I met with high-level officials in Beijing in order to discuss a strategy for the cultural preservation of Tibet as well as the promotion of Chinese culture within an international context. I prefaced these meetings by explaining that I felt that culture was at the heart of many of our conflicts today, and therefore cultural diplomacy could be seen to play a vital role in diffusing tensions within the TAR, and to help the West gain a greater understanding and appreciation of China.

This message was also conveyed to the Vice-Chairman of the TAR Party with whom I spoke at length about cultural preservation and the role of cultural diplomacy for Tibet. What has been evident from the dialogue and visiting various historical sites, as well as driving through the streets of Lhasa, is that Tibetan culture is well preserved and in fact flourishing, yet no one knows about it. Of course it has to be acknowledged that Lhasa like many other cities today faces the dilemma of modernization and globalization - on the one hand a requirement for development, and on the other the need to protect ancient local culture and a fragile environment. Yet in speaking with officials of the TAR, I can see that there is a real opportunity to mitigate this impact and to preserve the uniqueness and the beauty of Lhasa and Tibetan culture.

Since the March 14 riots and the criticism of the Chinese government by His Holiness I have actively made appeals to Heads of State and the western media to learn the facts about the demands of His Holiness as part of the 'Middle Way' approach. The key message these texts contained, and a message that is still applicable to the current negotiation between the envoys of His Holiness and the Chinese government, is that His Holiness is seeking political control of over 25% of China, extending Tibet beyond the borders of the TAR. I can assure you that this demand will face a brick wall from the Chinese due to its lack of pragmatism and good will. This message has also included an appeal to His Holiness to moderate his demands and to work with, not against the Chinese, for the reason that his constant negative criticism is fueling separatism and further destabilizing relations between China and the West.

We do not want, and in fact cannot afford, to turn China away from its current policy of a peaceful, gradual rise onto the world stage, towards a policy of aggression. Both the criticism of His Holiness and the criticism of western leaders of China over Tibet must end. It not only fuels antagonisms inside of the TAR, but it has caused a deep hurt and in fact a deep anger amongst not just the Chinese leadership, but the people. We all witnessed the protests against the popular French supermarket Carrefour inside of China. These protests were not ordered by the state but came from the swell and the sentiment of the people, hurt from yet another denouncement of China by a western leader and the Olympic games on account of His Holiness. This form of criticism is pushing the Chinese people to their limit, and we cannot afford to turn a generation of Chinese, who are in fact working towards greater openness and integration with the world, away from this path.

We must not allow His Holiness to further box China into a corner over the Tibet issue. This strategy, compounded with criticism by western leaders can only lead to further alienation and strained relations with China into the future. There is an urgent need to move away from Cold War thinking, one that saw the CIA support His Holiness to gain a strategic advantage, and find new ways to bridge between China and the West. Yes questions of human rights, transparency and the protection of the environment remain, but I can guarantee that the Chinese are in fact willing partners in dialogue on these issues.

The recent decision by the German Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier not to meet with His Holiness during his recent trip to Germany can be seen as a positive sign that some western leaders are starting to become aware of the delicacy of the Tibet Issue, one prefaced by a set of unreasonable demands by His Holiness. We must urge many other Heads of State and policy advisors to adopt this clear-headed position since it is obvious that if a similar demand - 25% of a nation's territory and de jure political independence of that territory - were issued to a western nation, it would be met with severe resistance.

In speaking with Chinese officials I have been told on numerous occasions how much they regret the Cultural Revolution. This attempt to overcome and move away from this period is not only seen in the amount of money spent on cultural preservation of Tibetan culture but the support and promotion of culture throughout the rest of China. It is truly astonishing.

To help with this effort of cultural preservation of Tibet and of China's many cultures, our Foundation (LTB Foundation) will be launching an international platform with the support of the Chinese government and the TAR party. This platform has been developed with the recognition that the problems facing China, the TAR and the lack of understanding and communication with the western world require a cultural solution. This platform will also be launched in order to address and further facilitate China's integration into the global system. We will announce this platform to the world in order to draw international support, and we will also use it as an opportunity to welcome and invite His Holiness to be a part of this process.

While visiting the Norbulingka monastery, I spoke with one monk who asked me what I thought about Tibet and about Lhasa. I told him I thought it was beautiful, it had beautiful culture, and beautiful scenery. He responded to me by saying that this was "not important." I responded, asking him what he felt was the most important. He told me it was the "people...you come to Lhasa for the people." Wise words indeed.

Comments

[Friendofthecause]

What does Blouin MacBain mean, China's "current policy of a peaceful, gradual rise onto the world stage"? Is she forgetting Burma, Sudan, Tibet?

Secondly, HH the Dalai Lama has never employed anything but grace, diplomacy and GOOD WILL in all his dealings with the Chinese government all these years. Is she suggesting he pack up the entire point of his existence just to make the Chinese feel better? The Chinese leader Hu Jintao does not even allow Tibetans to look at photos of HH the Dalai Lama, who is the Tibetans' spiritual and political leader, or utter his name. What kind of surge toward peace is that? Amazingly, and due in large part to the XIV Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Buddhist beliefs he so well represents, the Tibetans have put up with years of oppression and mistreatment. But also, even if Tibetans really wanted to fight back, they have no real way to defend themselves against the Chinese military.

Just because the Tibetans are suppressed and invisible does not mean they are not suffering and unhappy. How would anyone feel in their place?

Ms. Blouin MacBain, look behind the facade you saw so clearly during your three-day visit to the TAR, the facade that communist leaders helped paint for you, to the tragic facts of Tibetan history -- the 1.3 million killed by the Chinese, the hundreds of thousands displaced, the thousands tortured and imprisoned in Tibetan and Chinese jails. What does that speak to?

[underbelly02]

For whatever reason -- a personal sense of importance maybe? -- Louise MacBain is playing the shill for the Chinese government, or else has simply been gulled by their line out of ignorance, a party line which hasn't changed much since the PRC invaded Tibet in 1959. A few days in Lhasa under TAR escort ? how ridiculous. This article is propaganda plain and simple, and does not even approximate "journalism" - shame on you for publishing it as though it were.

[LexLuthier]

an analogy:

Kid goes to school, hangs out on playground. School bully comes along and takes kid's lunch money. Kid protests, gets beat up by bully. Protests again, gets beat up again. Along comes teacher. Kid protests to teacher. Teacher tells kid to stop being so unreasonable and complaining about bully, that's not nice. Kid eventually starves. Bully starts looking for next victim.

For the sake of all that is righteous, please educate yourselves about the plight of the Tibetan people and stand with them. There is no free press in China. There is no blogosphere. They need the help of free people everywhere to make sure their situation is not swept under the rug of time. PLEASE.

[ashen]

The China you think you know is not the China that exists.

There is a blogosphere. There is a very lively and rigorous press, that is not free, but it is not entirely controlled either.

Western press on Tibet is heavily influenced by messaging from HH Dalai Lama, who has been on the CIA and State Department payroll since the 50s.

We are caught between two warring propaganda machines when it comes to Tibet. Do as this writer did, and go see Tibet for yourself.

[LiveforPeace]

While a blogosphere does exist, it is still under the Chinese government's surveillance at all times. It's a good thing, seeing how the government still largely controls all other sources of information released to the public (And yes, it's a large portion. Visit http://www.cfr.org/publication/11515/media_censorship_in_china.html#2).

Why defend something you know is not correct to do? Why defend China's policies if you know it is ultimately disabling the people's views on the world and their culture.

If China has nothing to hide, then they should not be afraid to let everyone see what happens there. The government should not be afraid to take off the censorship for their own people.

I'd think twice before supporting something you also know little about. Just because you've visited a place, doesn't mean you know where that place was decades ago or what people have gone through there. I'm sure you can't imagine ... and neither can I.

The people of China are wonderful people. Wonderful. However what you are defending is the governement of China. And be it a different culture with different policies, there is a need for change. If you honestly want to deny that, I think you should try living among the impoverished of China.

[yexiaonan]

You seem to imply you are a Chinese-speaking "China expert" who knows China well - her history, culture and politics. What you should address is the China today, not 50 or so years ago
for then it was only a hundred years ago that China was being carved up by the western powers,
seventy years ago that her people were slaughtered by the invaders ...

You should appreciate that there has always been and is basic racial harmony among the many ethnic races in China;Tibetans included.. There is no denial that inequity and economic disparity continue to exist in China today. There is also no denial all people Tibetans included are far better off than 50 or so years ago.

Where did you get your "facrts" that 40 millions died of deliberate starvation, and millions are in concentration camp ...

Your "analogy" just doesn't fly. It is the "bully" who is providng "lunch money" to the "kid".

So, stop spreading pure fabricated lies. Come see China yourself if you have the heart to do so.

[LexLuthier]

I never implied that I am a "China expert." Chinese culture, wonderful as it may be, is not germane to this conversation. I have visited Hong Kong, but that was before IT WAS RETURNED TO THE CHINESE by the western power that had carved it up: Great Britain.

I don't know where you got the "starving and concentration camp" thing...in scrolling back through the thread, I see no mention of that from anyone. If it is there, I didn't say it.

My interest, my passion about this, comes from the fact that my very dear friend was born in Tibet in 1954. He had to be smuggled out of the country and has had to live in exile since then. Through him I have seen the truth. The Tibetans who stayed behind are not happy , I can assure you, and my heart aches for them.

PEOPLE OF THE FREE WORLD, PLEASE LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT TIBET AND HELP HER.

[LexLuthier]

In 1959, the Chinese army seized control of Tibet, a peaceful and sovereign nation. Many who resisted were brutally murdered. Monasteries were razed and their treasures stolen. The Dalai Lama had to be secreted out of Lhasa in disguise under cover of darkness. Fifty years later, the Tibetan people still revere him and some still are willing to lay down their lives advocating for his return.

It seems to me that idiosyncrasies in their usage of English give some of these commenters away as people of Chinese origin. I can understand their feelings; there are Americans, after all, who buy into our own government's explanation of its "liberation" of Iraq. What I cannot understand is Ms Blouin's purpose. The only explanation that would make any sense to me is that she is being paid for this by the Chinese government.

[yexiaonan]

Your version of Tibetan history is taken straight from the book of the TGIE. If you really have interest to learn of the Tibetan history, go to www.german-foreignpolicy.com. And of Dalai
Lama, google "Dorji Shugden" (among others).

Even more complicated is Dalai Lama's version of Tibetan Buddhism - Buddhocracy, the integration of religion and politics which was achieved through military subjugation of other
Tibetan Buddhist sects by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th Century which is basically against the fundamnetal doctrine of Tantra Buddhism, and resented and dissented by many other Tibetan Buddhists.

[emsique]

Thanks, Louise.
My wife is Chinese and I spend a fair amount of time there. It is easy for westerners to condemn the situation in TAR since the they are a fed a basic good vs evil story from both the left and right through our MSM and the blogosphere. The riots of March, in which Chinese people and businesses were targeted, were called demonstrations. People died in fires, including five shop girls who were burned in the clothing store they worked in.

What is going on in Tibet is very complex. Louise has provided information that has been sorely lacking in the reporting on Tibet and in the actions of our politicians.

[kusalarhetoric]

I was quite puzzled when the author noted sadness at the absence of Chinese tourists in Lhasa. “Why.” I thought, “Would any sentient being feel sad at the absence of karaoke-seeking baijao-swilling tourists in Tibet?” “Locusts” – a rather uncharitable reference to the sound made when Tibetans chant – is one of the most printable epithets Chinese use to describe a race of people and their culture which is decidedly not Han. How could anyone, with any sensitivity to Tibetan culture, wish for those poor beleaguered survivors more Chinese tourists?

And then it hit me. The author does not know of what she speaks. She goes on for 14 more paragraphs, apologizing for the wise and generally well meaning regime in Beijing, and castigating the Tibetan exile community for its excess, which, she assures us, will be forgiven if they are sufficiently contrite. There’s no space to rebut: Go to http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/ I will note she reminded me of a gentleman I met two decades ago in Dharmshala. Flush from several visits to China, full of Communist euphoria, he was primed to disabuse me of my capitalist sympathies, which he deduced from my appraisal of the current state of the Middle Kingdom. After an hour an a half, I shifted the language of the conversation to Chinese. “I don’t understand,” he protested. “That’s the point,” I countered. I suspect I would quickly switch to Chinese in a conversation with Ms. MacMain.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

Absolutely right. Despite its pleasantly bland tone, this isn't an objective account; it's a pro-Han bit of propaganda. I'm torn between calling Ms. McBain naive and even dim for sincerely buying into the line of c**p she was fed in Beijing before her trip, or calling her an opportunistic hack for knowingly parroting the P.R. of a genocidal juggernaut. I guess I'll leave it to her -- but for anyone else reading, check out Students for a Free Tibet and other pro-Tibet sites to at least hear a less rosy side. Tibet is an occupied, oppressed country; thousands of firsthand accounts contradict the tripe written above. http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/ -- and google; there are lots of others, and it's easy to tell the state Party line parroted by paid Chinese bloggers from the pro-independence line written by refugees and their supporters.

[Amalek]

i have tried twice before to ask if the author is a registered Chinese lobbyist.

Who paid for that trip to tibet?

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

That's a great question. I'd love to hear the author answer whether she paid for her hotel in Lhasa, whether any government officials picked up the tab for any meals, etc.

[edtastic]

I am really happy to see the first fair minded story about China and Tibet on Huffington Post. As a American living in China i came to appreciate the Chinese people and Goverment. China is authoritarianism done pretty well. Yes its hard for us to see past pro democracy propaganda but even the founders of the country were wary of the "wisdom of the masses". China is in large part rules by the will of the people. The responsive authortarian goverment combined with a fairly homegenious culture make for a powerful and peaceful allaince. TIbet should be proud to be in the care of a benevolent power rather than an exploitative one like America. Tibet was brought into modernity by China an ancient people that respect traditon without being held back by tradition. Chinese are extremly versitile in assimilating various cultral perspectives without fearing loss of their own. This open minded fearless appoach to the wider world is a cultural asset. The Chinese President spoke on it when he visited America.

I have lost my respect for peace protestors. Leaving the country has caused me to realize the extent that Western Culture is dominated by propaganda. The West in many ways less free in thought because of there lack of respect of other cultures. The Chinese are not being held back by this to the extent Americans are.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

"Chinese are extremly versitile in assimilating various cultral perspectives"

So are the Borg. And the Borg don't think they're doing anything wrong, either -- but that doesn't make it OK.

[kusalarhetoric]

You sound like you’re about ready to apply for Chinese citizenship. Problem? Oh, you can’t get citizenship in China unless you’re ethnically of Chinese descent. What do you get when you cross ethnic chauvinism with authoritarianism?

Upwards of 40 million were deliberately starved to death in order to achieve the homogenization you witness and applaud today. That’s not counting the many millions of others who perished in concentration camps, etc. You celebrate contemporary Chinese culture for being in touch with its past, yet seem blissfully unaware of how this dynasty has destroyed all connections with its past except for those few connections which are thought to enhance the power of the CCP, and even those are subject to revocation. One suspects you have little knowledge of ancient Chinese history, and marginal, if any, knowledge of recent Chinese history. This is not of course a problem, but a vaugue awareness of it might constrain you from making learned statements about things Chinese. If you’re having a good time there, let it go at that. Leave the analysis for those who study, read, and closely observe. If you want a foil for comparing what you feel to be the corruption of your own culture, try something more proximate, where you at least know the language and a bit more of the history.

[zjemi]

Thank you, Ms. McBain. I've heard Nepalese Tibetans bemoan the fact that Mandarin Chinese rather Tibetan is taught in the schools, and I think what a stupid idea it would be to teach Spanish rather than English in Texan schools. What are they thinking?

There was much that was bad, very bad, about Tibetan culture. Let's preserve the good parts and continue to reform the bad parts. Yes, let's free Tibet from its horrible past.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

It's more like forcing kids to learn English at schools in Mexico. Tibet is not China -- it's Tibet!

[ashen]

Actually Tibetan is taught as well, at least in some parts of Tibetan speaking China, alongside Mandarin.

The challenge is that for many Tibetans outside the TAR, they don't even speak Tibetan -- they speak other regional dialects. So both Tibetan and Mandarin need to be taught.

And if the Chinese were not teaching Mandarin, the lingua franca of a highly multilingual nation, they would be accused of disenfranchising the Tibetans by not allowing them to participate in the greater economy.

BTW, Tibetans under the Dalai Lama had a THREE percent literacy rate. This is because the vast majority of the people were serfs -- slaves. They were considered property of the non-working, monastic elite.

Today the literacy rate is 87 percent.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

If anyone's wondering why the poster is the first Westerner the Chinese government allowed into Lhasa, this post explains it -- the Chinese couldn't have found a better Western apologist for their policies. Tibet is flourishing economically? Which Tibet -- the Han Chinese immigrants who hold all the good-paying jobs as butchers, taxi drivers, etc. or the ethnic Tibetans who are still excluded? Education is widely available -- is that why no one is allowed to guide on Everest unless they can pass a test in Chinese, which excludes the rural ethnic Tibetans who actually know how to do it? Tibetan culture is being preserved -- in museums? Every monastery has a Communist administrator who approves or disapproves its teachings -- why not mention that? Every monk and nun is ordered to denounce the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader -- why not mention that? The Chinese government kidnapped and presumably killed the Panchen Lama IDed by the D.L., then appointed its own and ordered all Tibetan Buddhists to worship him -- why not mention that? The (atheist) Chinese government has made it illegal for lamas to reincarnate without government approval -- why not mention that?

[peacethroughnonviolence]

I'd like to second that appreciation. What you describe was exactly my experience in the region. I could not agree more with the monk who articulated the importance of the region's people above all else. After all, that's what I feel is important about my own home, and what I've found to be important in the places I've visited on my limited travels.

There is certainly a middle road to be walked. The TAR's feudal system was in some ways dreadfully oppressive and, in others, incredibly enlightening. I would say the same about Han Chinese culture, including their current system of capital-ized communism.

I am convinced that the best way to stand for human rights is to create dialogue. There are many ways to this end, from protest to conciliation. Creating the table at which this process may sit is, in my mind, very worthwhile. I applaud your efforts, and wish you and all parties involved great success.

[yexiaonan]

Wish those who blindly advocate support of Dalai Lama would firstly understand what are his political demands, and secondly see the Tibet of today.

The underlying "problem" of the Dalai Lama is the fundamentalism of Buddhocracy - the seamless integration of religion and politics - that being the central ideology of the Dalai Lama's "variant" of the Gelugpa Sect of Tibetan Lamaism which was first achieved by the 5th Dalai Lama through military subjugation of the other Tibetan Buddhist sects.

Buddhocracy fundementally contradicts the most basic tenet of Buddhism whose aim is to achieve selflessness. Thus, a "god-king" is, in the context of Buddhism, a contradiction in terms.

The "Middle Way" demand is for an "autonomous" Tibet where the Dalai Lama is the absolute monarch, all government functionaries to be appointed by him, and the central government of China will have no say in the "internal affairs" of Tibet. This is tentamount to the creation of a state within a state.

In this Buddhocracy system, there is no tolerance for dissent. This is the underlying cause of schism between Dalai Lama and the followers of Dorji Shugden of his own Gelugpa Sect protesting while he was visiting in the UK.

The Tibet Issue ultimately comes down to the choice of reverting back to the feudal monarchy system or development and modernization including many of its shortcomings and inequities which need to be "minimized". This should be the choice of the Tibetans within China's adopted path of socio-economic evolution.

[Jonahson]

I really appreciate people like you, Ms Louise, to make an effort to find out what is happenng. Perhaps when more positive answers come out of Tibet it may help the Dalai Lama to understand the whole situation better. It may even help the government in exile to tone down their demand so that reconciallation can take place. When peace prevails, much can be done and need to be done to help the World to look after their most valuable assets, the Earth, and to promote peace among its human inhabitants. Instead of spreading bad vibes against each and poisoning the young people's mind t is better to make peace. If you cannot bring peace to your own people how else are you going to bring peace to other parts of the quarelling World? The Buddha teachings is to lead by examples and through practice for the good of human kind. It is easier to speak about the Dharma for hours or even days but it take a life time to even practice a single stanza of the Sutra.
How can starving people at the extreme end of suffering realize the Dharma, even the Buddha point to this as extreme. Walk the middle path.

[LexLuthier]

My first comment was blocked. May I just say then that if Canada were invaded and annexed by the United States, I would advocate on your behalf Ms. Blouin, not on that of your oppressor.

[Clairvaux]

Free Tibet --