July 17

Through My Eyes

Saturday July 17

(We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of turmoil in Lhasa.)

" A more pressing concern were the many refugees from Kham and Amdo who had recently arrived in Lhasa. The city was simmering. For the first time, there was overtly political flavour to the New Year festivities. Posters denouncing the Chinese went up all over the capital and leaflets were distributed. The people held public meetings and elected popular leaders. Never before had Tibet witnessed such a thing. Naturally, the Chinese were furious. They quickly arrested three men who, they said, were responsible for inciting anti-democratic crimes. But this did nothing to curtail popular reaction to their rule.

During the Monlam festival, leading Amdowa and Khampa businessmen began to collect money for a ceremony of Se-tri-Chenmo to be performed later in the year. This involves an offering to the protector divinities of Tibet, beseeching them to grant the Dalai Lama long life and prosperity. So successful was their fund-raising that the occasion was marked by the donation to me of an immense, jewel studded, golden throne. However, as I later discovered, this activity had another aspect. It also marked the formation of an alliance called Chusi Gangdruk, meaning 'four rivers, six ranges', the traditional collective name for the two provinces of Kham and Amdo. This organisation subsequently co-ordinated a widespread guerilla resistance movement.

After Monlam, preparations for the forthcoming inauguration of PCART, of which I was to chairman, continued apace. Within a few short months the Chinese, using Tibetan labour, built three large public buildings: a guest house for visiting Chinese officials, a bathing house and a municipal hall. This last was a modern, two-storeyed building with a corrugated iron roof, capable of seating about twelve hundred people in front of a raised platform and a further three hundred in a gallery above. It stood directly in front of the Potala.

In April 1956, Marshal Chen Yi, deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, arrived with his wife and a large delegation from Peking to represent Chairman Mao. I remembered Chen Yi from my visit to China. Personally he was a very nice man, although his reputation as a speaker was formidable. He once made a speech lasting a full seven hours. The Marshal appeared in Lhasa wearing a tie, of which he was very proud, though he did not seem to know how to wear it. And the shirt he wore could hardly contain his paunch. None of this bothered him, however: he was jovial, fond of luxury and not lacking in self confidence. His arrival in Lhasa signalled the start of an impressive show. The Chinese had laid on extravagant entertainments for him and there were many banquets and speeches held in his honour. When PCART was formally inaugurated at a meeting in the new municipal hall, the place was decorated with many flags and banners depicting Chairman Mao and his chief colleagues. A Chinese military band played and Communist songs were sung. It was all very festive. Chen Yi then made a (comparatively short) speech in which he announced that 'necessary reforms' would be introduced 'to rid Tibet of its backward situation', explaining that this was necessary to ' rid Tibet of its backward situation', explaining that this was necessary to bring the Tibetans up to the level of the 'advanced' Chinese nationality. There followed a succession of adulatory speeches made by Chinese and Tibetans alike, all praising Socialism and the Party and welcoming the presence of the Chinese in Tibet. I even had to make one myself, pointedly adding that I was sure that the Chinese would honour all their undertakings to introduce reform at the pace the people wanted and to permit freedom of worship.

The constitution of PCART provided for the creation of various new government departments to administer, for example, finance, education, agriculture, communications, medicine, religion and security. These were to be run mostly by Tibetans. Also the administration of Chamdo was to return to Lhasa. Together they comprised the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region. However, the rest of Kham and all of Amdo were to remain under the direct control of Peking. The Committee itself was to be comprised of fifty-one regional delegates. Only five were Chinese. At the same time, the Kashag and the National assembly were to remain, although it was clear that the Chinese intended to marginalise and eventually to do away with all traces of traditional government."

( Our Footprint Tibet book indicates the Chuzi Gangdruk refers just to Kham which is different from what the Dalai Lama indicates. I promise to add more tomorrow...)

*( please click here to read of the day with me )

* This is from the book Freedom in Exile The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth

Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Through my eyes

( Please see my spinning for you!)

( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day in our studio spinning for you and doing a bit more weaving. Then I headed out to the pump to clear it of sediment then headed up to the Grove to begin spraying again. With us working two as one pulling strongly together it went quite well although a wheel fell off Mom's wagon so I had to bring up another. This occurs fairly often as the steep slope puts a lot of stress on the hubs. Another spectacular but irritating crash as usual. It wasn't our warm and bright future day of course but it was beautiful up there! The Tenger were putting on a glorious show with lots of thunderclouds roving to and fro. After that I returned to our studio to work on our a land of Tibet. I'm reading a bit more about life in Tibet to bring to us in the poem. I'm going to put the pages up on our infosite; I'll put this up for now so we can rest.

And so, as always we'll continue two as one on to tomorrow

my one gentle beautiful patient swift dream bright

long dark mane in sunlight

so for now I bid goodnight...Simjah Nahngo!)


	Through My Eyes Saturday July 17 (We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of turmoil in Lhasa.) " A more pressing concern were the many refugees from Kham and Amdo who had recently arrived in Lhasa. The city was simmering. For the first time, there was overtly political flavour to the New Year festivities. Posters denouncing the Chinese went up all over the capital and leaflets were distributed. The people held public meetings and elected popular leaders. Never before had Tibet witnessed such a thing. Naturally, the Chinese were furious. They quickly arrested three men who, they said, were responsible for inciting anti-democratic crimes. But this did nothing to curtail popular reaction to their rule. During the Monlam festival, leading Amdowa and Khampa businessmen began to collect money for a ceremony of Se-tri-Chenmo to be performed later in the year. This involves an offering to the protector divinities of Tibet, beseeching them to grant the Dalai Lama long life and prosperity. So successful was their fund-raising that the occasion was marked by the donation to me of an immense, jewel studded, golden throne. However, as I later discovered, this activity had another aspect. It also marked the formation of an alliance called Chusi Gangdruk, meaning 'four rivers, six ranges', the traditional collective name for the two provinces of Kham and Amdo. This organisation subsequently co-ordinated a widespread guerilla resistance movement. After Monlam, preparations for the forthcoming inauguration of PCART, of which I was to chairman, continued apace. Within a few short months the Chinese, using Tibetan labour, built three large public buildings: a guest house for visiting Chinese officials, a bathing house and a municipal hall. This last was a modern, two-storeyed building with a corrugated iron roof, capable of seating about twelve hundred people in front of a raised platform and a further three hundred in a gallery above. It stood directly in front of the Potala. In April 1956, Marshal Chen Yi, deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, arrived with his wife and a large delegation from Peking to represent Chairman Mao. I remembered Chen Yi from my visit to China. Personally he was a very nice man, although his reputation as a speaker was formidable. He once made a speech lasting a full seven hours. The Marshal appeared in Lhasa wearing a tie, of which he was very proud, though he did not seem to know how to wear it. And the shirt he wore could hardly contain his paunch. None of this bothered him, however: he was jovial, fond of luxury and not lacking in self confidence. His arrival in Lhasa signalled the start of an impressive show. The Chinese had laid on extravagant entertainments for him and there were many banquets and speeches held in his honour. When PCART was formally inaugurated at a meeting in the new municipal hall, the place was decorated with many flags and banners depicting Chairman Mao and his chief colleagues. A Chinese military band played and Communist songs were sung. It was all very festive. Chen Yi then made a (comparatively short) speech in which he announced that 'necessary reforms' would be introduced 'to rid Tibet of its backward situation', explaining that this was necessary to ' rid Tibet of its backward situation', explaining that this was necessary to bring the Tibetans up to the level of the 'advanced' Chinese nationality. There followed a succession of adulatory speeches made by Chinese and Tibetans alike, all praising Socialism and the Party and welcoming the presence of the Chinese in Tibet. I even had to make one myself, pointedly adding that I was sure that the Chinese would honour all their undertakings to introduce reform at the pace the people wanted and to permit freedom of worship. The constitution of PCART provided for the creation of various new government departments to administer, for example, finance, education, agriculture, communications, medicine, religion and security. These were to be run mostly by Tibetans. Also the administration of Chamdo was to return to Lhasa. Together they comprised the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region. However, the rest of Kham and all of Amdo were to remain under the direct control of Peking. The Committee itself was to be comprised of fifty-one regional delegates. Only five were Chinese. At the same time, the Kashag and the National assembly were to remain, although it was clear that the Chinese intended to marginalise and eventually to do away with all traces of traditional government." ( Our Footprint Tibet book indicates the Chuzi Gangdruk refers just to Kham which is different from what the Dalai Lama indicates. I promise to add more tomorrow...) ( please click here to read of the day with me ) This is from the book Freedom in Exile The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. Through my eyes ( Please see my spinning for you!) ( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day in our studio spinning for you and doing a bit more weaving. Then I headed out to the pump to clear it of sediment then headed up to the Grove to begin spraying again. With us working two as one pulling strongly together it went quite well although a wheel fell off Mom's wagon so I had to bring up another. This occurs fairly often as the steep slope puts a lot of stress on the hubs. Another spectacular but irritating crash as usual. It wasn't our warm and bright future day of course but it was beautiful up there! The Tenger were putting on a glorious show with lots of thunderclouds roving to and fro. After that I returned to our studio to work on our a land of Tibet. I'm reading a bit more about life in Tibet to bring to us in the poem. I'm going to put the pages up on our infosite; I'll put this up for now so we can rest. And so, as always we'll continue two as one on to tomorrow my one gentle beautiful patient swift dream bright long dark mane in sunlight so for now I bid goodnight...Simjah Nahngo!)