"No Matter Where I Am, You Appear Before Me": A Song And a Poem About An Absent Parent

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a Tibetan song and a poem by a Tibetan blogger, each about missing an absent parent.

The first translation is of the song, "Longing", a very popular old song by perhaps the most famous singer in Tibet today, Yadong. Regular High Peaks Pure Earth readers may also remember "Mentally Return" that had Yadong team up with three of his students to sing about Tibetan unity. The song is directed to an absent Mother. Missing a parent is a familiar trope in Tibetan popular songs and writings and is often interpreted as a veiled reference to the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, who turns 76 today, is seen as a parent figure by Tibetans. Common allusions to nature such as the sun, clouds and stars can also be interpreted in this way. For a more recent song that can be interpreted in this way, follow this link to an English subtitled video of a rap by Dekyi Tsering titled "Father".

Highlights from TibetCul on High Peaks Pure Earth

TibetCul's Logo

*UPDATE: March 30, 2011* High Peaks Pure Earth is happy to report that TibetCul is now back online. The founder of TibetCul, Wangchuk Tseten, wrote the following on his blog on March 29, 2011:

Interestingly, TibetCul mysteriously came back online on the afternoon of March 25. We still do not know the reason behind the authorities closing and re-opening the site. 

Below is the full text of our blogpost as uploaded on March 23, 2011.

“Waterfall of Youth - Dhondup Gyal” Music Video by Yudrug (Green Dragon)

"Waterfall of Youth - Dhondup Gyal" by Yudrug (Green Dragon) 

from HPeaks on Vimeo

Fear and Discrimination in Lhasa

High Peaks Pure Earth has noticed several status updates and anecdotes by Tibetans on social networking sites recently that give an insight into everyday life for people in Lhasa.

Previous posts on High Peaks Pure Earth that deal with the issue of discrimination against Tibetans include examples of Tibetans not being allowed to stay in hotels in Beijing or needing to be reported in public hostelries and baths. 

Tibetan Singer Tashi Dhondup Released From Prison

High Peaks Pure Earth is pleased to read the news reported by Radio Free Asia on February 8, 2011, that Tibetan singer Tashi Dhondup has been released from prison. Readers may remember the videos we posted last year from his album "Torture Without Trace".

Another Song About Tibetan Unity: "Telephone Rang" By Lhakyi

Screen Title of the music video for "Telephone Rang"

Following on from our earlier blogpost featuring two music videos about Tibetan unity, High Peaks Pure Earth has translated "Telephone Rang", another song on the same topic, this time by a Tibetan female singer called Lhakyi.

The singers of "Mentally Return" and "The Sound of Unity" sang about the unity of Tibetans from all three provinces of Tibet, U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo. In the song "Telephone Rang", Lhakyi imagines a day when Tibetans in Tibet are informed, through a phone call, of the return of His Holiness (also referred to in the song using various metaphors) and thus a day when Tibetans inside and outside Tibet are reunited.

"Tradition of Protest" - Woeser's Article for Index on Censorship's Music Issue

Cover of "Index on Censorship"
Issue dedicated to freedom of musical expression

Two Songs About Tibetan Unity: "Mentally Return" and "The Sound of Unity"

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated two songs about Tibetan unity. "Mentally Return" was first performed in Rebkong in July 2006* for a large-scale outdoor performance by the giant of Tibetan music today, Yadong, and his three most well-known students, Kunga, Tsewang and Gangshung. "The Sound of Unity" is new from July 2010 and it is performed by the Amdo singer Sherten, also a big name in contemporary Tibetan music.

Torture Without Trace: Five Songs by Detained Tibetan Singer Tashi Dhondup

High Peaks Pure Earth presents five music videos by Tibetan singer Tashi Dhondup (also sometimes spelled Tashi Dondrup) from Amdo. According to this report by Radio Free Asia from March 5, 2010, Tashi Dhondup, 30, was sentenced to 15 months of re-education through labour for "separatist activities" related to his music on January 5, 2010.

News of Tashi Dhondup's detention on December 3, 2009, had been reported by media, including this short article in The Times and here at High Peaks Pure Earth we had also been monitoring news of his arrest.

On December 8, 2009, the International Campaign for Tibet released a report and gave the following details about his arrest:

Tashi Dhondup was detained last week at gun-point while his wife wept and grabbed one of the police officer’s legs in an attempt to hold him back.

A popular singer in Amdo, Tashi Dhondup became well known for his song "1958 - 2008" that compares two "terrifying" periods for Tibetans. This song spread amongst Tibetans via the internet and mobile phones and was written about by Tibetan writer and singer Jamyang Kyi on her blog as far back as February 12, 2009. Jamyang Kyi wrote:

I arrived in Ziling (Xining) yesterday and I learned that a young boy name Tashi Dondrup of Mongol origin has produced a CD named "Songs of 2008" but he was arrested before distributing it into the market in December 2008. I was told that his song has been posted on the internet and widely downloaded on to cell phones and is now distributed amongst the Tibetans.

Tashi Dhondup had been detained in September 2008 because of that song and the ICT report tells us "He was detained and beaten for over seven days by police in Xining".

Here is the High Peaks Pure Earth translation of the song "1958 - 2008", for slower internet connections listen to the mp3 below the video:

"1958 - 2008" by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo

"1958-2008" by Tashi Dhondup by hpeaks

"1958 - 2008"

 Hey!
The year of 1958,
is when the black enemy entered Tibet,
is when lamas were put in prison.

That time was terrifying
That time was terrifying

Hey!
The year of 1958,
is when Tibetan heroes were put in prison,
is when innocent Tibetans were put in prison.

That time was terrifying
That time was terrifying

Hey!
The year of 2008,
is when innocent Tibetans were tortured,
is when the earth destroyed people's lives.

That time was terrifying
That time was terrifying

The Radio Free Asia report tells us that Tashi Dhondup was detained again in Xining after thousands of copies of his CD "Torture Without Trace" started to be sold in Amdo. Court documents obtained by Radio Free Asia say that Tashi Dhondup and "some other associates copied about 3,000 CDS and distributed them in 11 counties in Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu”.

This is the CD cover of "Torture Without Trace":

 CD cover of "Torture Without Trace" by Tashi Dhondup

The full track listing reads:

01: Waiting With Hope

02: Western Land of Scholars

03: Torture Without Trace

04: Unable to Meet

05: For That I Shed My Tears

06: Pain of Missing

07: Let's Go

08: Unbearable Fate

09: No Escape

10: Tibet Has Good Karma

11: No Regrets

12: Think

13: A Sad Life

Four tracks from "Torture Without Trace" with full English translation are below, including the title track, in video and downloadable mp3 form. For High Peaks Pure Earth readers who wish to see more of Tashi Dhondup's music videos, all thirteen music videos from "Torture Without Trace" have been uploaded on YouTube and can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/sonam0tenzin

Chinese translations of Tashi Dhondup's songs "Waiting With Hope" and "Torture Without Trace" are available on Woeser's blog: http://woeser.middle-way.net/2009/12/blog-post_07.html Woeser also wrote an excellent essay titled "What Kinds of Songs Are Reactionary Songs?" in early 2009 which is worth another read as background to Tashi Dhondup's situation.

Finally, High Peaks Pure Earth is very grateful to Bhuchung D. Sonam of Tibet Writes for his translations of the songs "Torture Without Trace", "No Regrets", "Unable To Meet" and "For That I Shed My Tears" and for allowing us to use and publish them. A big thank you also goes to the translator of "1958 - 2008"!

"Torture Without Trace" by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo

"Torture Without Trace" by Tashi Dhondup by hpeaks

Torture Without Trace

First, a sad tune for my brother hasn't returned from afar
Second, the pain because there is no harmony for people
Third, the occupation and denial of freedom for Tibetans

This is all torture without trace

First, the regret as our ancestral wealth is lost to outsiders
Second, the pain that we aren't the owners of our resources
Third, the practice of sterilisation to wipe out our race

This is all torture without trace
This is all torture without trace

First, the hurt from being denied my parents' love
Second, the failure to hear the inner voices of my people
Third, the grief that our mountains are belittled

This is all torture without trace

Third, the grief that our mountains are belittled

This is all torture without trace

"Unable To Meet" by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo

"Unable to Meet" by Tashi Dhondup by hpeaks

Unable To Meet

When I think about it I am unfortunate
I am unable to meet the Precious Jewel
Even though I wish, I have no freedom
If I think about this I am unfortunate

When I think about it I am unfortunate
I am unable to wave the Snow Lion Flag
Even though I wish, I have no freedom
If I think about this I am unfortunate

When I think about it I am unfortunate
I am unable to sing a song about loyalty
Even though I wish, I have no freedom
If I think about this I am unfortunate

Even though I wish, I have no freedom
If I think about this I am unfortunate

"For That I Shed My Tears" by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo

"For That I Shed My Tears" by Tashi Dhondup by hpeaks

For That I Shed My Tears

My lama, the compassionate one
Has gone into exile from Tibet
It pains my mind no end
And the tears fall from my eyes

Courageous patriotic martyrs
Have sacrificed their lives for Tibet
It pains my heart thinking of them
And the tears fall from my eyes

Tibetans are denied freedom
And beaten up for no reason
It pains me thinking of this
And the tears fall from my eyes

It pains me thinking of this
And the tears fall from my eyes

"No Regrets" by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo

"No Regrets" by Tashi Dhondup by hpeaks

No Regrets

Some say I am bad
Some people say I am good
I can be good and I can be bad
But this suffering in me
for not being able to see my lama
I will tell the people of Tibet
For which even if I am killed
I have no regrets

Some people say I am bad
Some say I am good
I can be good and I can be bad
About the Tibetan martyrs
I will sing for the rest of my life
For which even if I am killed
I have no regrets

Some people say I am bad
Some say I am good
I can be good and I can be bad
Tibet has no freedom I sing
And I'll sing it throughout my life
For which even if I am killed
I have no regrets

I have no regrets

"New Generation" - Hip Hop Music Video from Amdo

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a new hip hop music video from Amdo. The group who call themselves Yudrug in Tibetan, Green Dragon in English and Qinglong in Chinese, are from Machu in Amdo and they released their new track on their blog on February 5, 2010, as a gift to fans for Tibetan New Year. The video was subsequently quickly re-posted on other Tibetan blogs.

Although they call themselves "green dragon" in English, Yudrug is actually a name of a type of horse. This horse is very popular in Machu and considered a jewel, a source of wealth, as clearly stated in one of their previous songs.

Interestingly, no individual credits are given for the song, it is presented completely as a group effort. Even where the name of the lyricist should be, there is just the description “strong-willed”. The beginning of the video, below the song title, tells us that the song is "…for the hard-headed people out there".

The group however do appear to be very professional, as can be seen in their meticulously edited video and good sound quality. In the past, they have given due credit to the song composers, even crediting well-known Nepal based exile Tibetan singer Tsering Gyurmey for a cover of his song "Dream" that they recorded.

This bold new style of musical expression heard in "New Generation" has been quite controversial in Tibetan cyberspace with Tibetan bloggers praising Yudrug for their outspoken lyrics but some also criticising Yudrug for adopting a style that is seen as “too western”. Whatever your musical taste may be, the song is undeniably powerful and energetic with a rousing chorus:

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

In an earlier blogpost, High Peaks Pure Earth commented on the upsurge in online activity about asserting Tibetan identity.  “New Generation” by Yudrug demonstrates that this pride in Tibetan identity has translated to music as well. Furthermore, this pride is imbued with elements of cool and confidence. In fact, this “coolness” that Yudrug have was the initial inspiration behind a Tibetan blogger’s blogpost of August 2009 titled “Be Cool, Be Tibetan”, where he stated:

The Yudruk phenomenon shows not only that Tibetans can be cool, but that it is cool to be Tibetan. This is a radical shift. But not only does it show a kind of Tibetanness that is on the cutting edge of cool. It also makes it clear that a Tibetan image can be created and exist entirely outside of the Chinese imagination. This is a kind of Tibetanness that was made by and for Tibetans.

High Peaks Pure Earth would like to thank our own "Green Dragons" firstly for drawing our attention to this video and also for their help with this difficult translation. Thank you.

"New Generation" by Yudrug (Green Dragon) from HPeaks on Vimeo.

Below is the mp3 track along with the lyrics to “New Generation” in full:

New Generation by Yudrug (Green Dragon) by hpeaks

"New Generation" by Green Dragon
…for the hard-headed people out there
Lyrics: "Strong Willed"
Composition: Green Dragon
Vocals: Green Dragon and Blue Moon

The noise of vehicles has woken us
Among the crowded tall buildings
Our dreams and belongings have all been packed

See the polluted sky and know
We can't afford to wait for tomorrow's sunrise
Now wake up...

It's already time to walk on the road
It's time to walk, time to think
Our bare shoulders wet with sweat
Our long hair tangled by the wind
Our faith and lives are adorned by freedom
Our collective path is determined by individual choice
As much sweat as you shed
That much result shall you reap

So said our great forefathers
But our forefathers are long gone
We don't have to keep quiet

The owner of karma has left me like a toy
With strength and talent I need to somehow respond
Even the old lady neighbour says I'm spoiled
With power and ability I'll prove them all!

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

At one time I thought that love was everything
Then love turned me into nothing
A girl I loved so much
Has given me a very beautiful gift
Now I haven't lost her
The dream of love has not been lost

Deceit and cunning!
In a society where people are deceived by money, fame and power
Will I ever find a meaningful love?
Will i ever find a definite pledge?
Who among us will?

We are caught up in our thoughts of pain and of mere fashion
We wrote our own darkness and we're scared of living
We embody the pride of youth and search for future aspirations with full willpower

Search!
Search!

We are the new generation of today

As I achieved what I wanted to achieve
My dreams don't waiver in the night
As I said what I wanted to say
I didn't turn into a mute
I did it for me only!

As I achieved what I wanted to achieve
My dreams don't waiver in the night
As I said what I wanted to say
I didn't turn into a mute
I did it only to represent myself!

Get used to me!
I am the decadent breath of your uncontrollability

Get used to me!
I am under your limitless uncontrollable watch

Get used to me!
I am the manifestation of today and the substance of tomorrow

I am very light, in your imagination
I am very small, in your vegetable patch

Does your advanced theory wish to blow up my head?
Does your forced bullet wish to shoot through my heart?

I am just an old and damaged vehicle
The horse of time departed early morning
The small flame under your saddle
The blood and bodies frozen in the ice are bound to fade

We are the sharp wisdom that your speeches and lectures haven't reached
We are the smooth darkness that your flame and power hasn't absorbed
We are the response with playfulness that makes your heart ache
We are the infection and fright to your livelihood!

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

Our story has not ended here
It's just the beginning
We never fall asleep but are awake forever

Get used to dreaming
Get used to unlawful damage and uprisings
Get used to this way of living
Get used to moving forward

To our beloved and proud new generation

Translation: High Peaks Pure Earth

Update on Tibetan Singer Tashi Dondrup

According to an article published today in The Times newspaper:

"Chinese authorities have arrested a popular young Tibetan singer, accusing him of composing subversive songs. 

Tashi Dondrup was detained yesterday afternoon while in hiding in the western city of Xining, capital of Qinghai province, where he had taken refuge after the authorities banned his music."

The Times article was also posted on Woeser's blog today with Woeser writing the same information in Chinese and also posting a link to Tashi Dondrup's music videos on a Chinese YouTube type website called Tudou: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/5TylQff3Cy0/

In February this year, High Peaks Pure Earth translated a blogpost by Jamyang Kyi about Tashi Dondrup that she had written on February 11 in which she recounted hearing that a singer named Tashi Dondrup had been arrested. However, the blogpost created confusion as bloggers left comments saying that Tashi Dondrup had been seen in Xining.

Today's Times article clears up the confusion.

Above a Tashi Dondrup music video on Chinese wesbite 56.com that pays tribute to the Dalai Lama whilst showing an image of the X. Panchen Lama on screen. (NB this video will only display correctly using Internet Explorer)

A Song from Prison

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated the lyrics to a song that were originally written in Tibetan in May 2008 by a monk from Lhasa's Drepung Monastery during his incarceration in Gormu (Golmud) in Qinghai Province.

Following the protests in Lhasa that started on 10th March 2008 and the subsequent unrest all over Tibet, Radio Free Asia reported that 675 Tibetan monks from Lhasa's three main monasteries were put on a train from Lhasa on April 25th 2008 and transported to a military detention centre in Gormu. The Times put the figure of detained monks at over 1000. The monks were mainly from the three seats of learning in Lhasa that the poem refers to - Sera, Ganden and Drepung monasteries.

The verses are written to the tune of popular a Amdo folk song called 'Shertan' and are full of sadness and grief. The lyrics use the common metaphors of referring to the Dalai Lama as the triple gem and the sun.

Listen to the song 'Shertan' here.

A Chinese translation along with photos of the deserted monasteries are here on Woeser's blog.

The verse in the original Tibetan was posted on the major Tibetan-language diaspora website Khabdha and can be found here.

The verse in the original Tibetan as posted by Khabdha.org

The three seats of Sera, Drepung and Ganden,
Are struck by the vapour of the poisonous snake,
Because of this sea of adverse circumstance,
There’s no right to diligently study the scriptural texts.

O Triple Gem! Kindly guide and protect us!
O Triple Gem! Come forth with speed.

Since the chance for the Mandala of the trichilliocosmic Sun,
Shining through the windows of the prison cell,
Is well-nigh impossible,
The weary gloom of anguish has set in.

O Sun! Come forth with speed!
O Sun! We cannot wait much longer!

My karmic destiny shaped in past lives,
Has rendered this youth a victim of circumstance.
In the Three Seats of learning of the U-Tsang region,
There’s no freedom of movement.

O Karmic Destiny!
Grant us good fortune!

Highlighting the well known state of affairs,
We await freedom of movement!

What kinds of songs are “reactionary songs”? by Woeser

High Peaks Pure Earth is posting a translation of a post from Woeser’s blog that was posted on 13th January 2009 titled “What kinds of songs are 'reactionary songs'?”.

It is through sheer coincidence that whilst reading Woeser's post and thinking about what she wrote, High Peaks Pure Earth received news that the well-known Amdo singer Tenzin, who owns a music shop in Lhasa had been detained by the police and accused of downloading "illegal music”.

Tenzin, musician from Amdo

We are not sure of the exact date of his detention. Our source says he was detained on 22nd January. It is unlikely a person would be detained for selling pirated music, in such a case, authorities would only impose fines. Therefore this is not an anti-piracy campaign; here “illegal music” refers to songs that are mentioned in Woeser's article below.

High Peaks Pure Earth readers can view a youtube video here of Tenzin singing with Dr Anna Morcom, enthonomusicologist from Royal Holloway College, University of London. If readers are interested, Dr Morcom wrote an article on the Tibetan music industry for the Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies.

Woeser's articles highlights the fine line artists in Tibet have to tread for their creativity and artistic expression. Woeser's article mentions Tibetan folk singer Dolma Kyi who was detained last year and also another singer from Amdo, Lhundrup. For more information about this group of artists who were all arrested last year, read an article here that was published in the LA Times on 8th June 2008.

During the winter of 2006, in Lhasa, the most popular song was “Ama Jetsun Pema”…The first photo is a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with his younger sister Jetsun Pema. The second photo is of Ama Jetsun Pema with the children of the Tibetan Children’s Village.

What kinds of songs are “reactionary songs”? by Woeser

“What kinds of songs are 'reactionary songs'?”, this was a question that a journalist from The Times asked me a few days ago.

Her question was related to the following –
Not so long ago, Lhasa’s deputy police chief had announced in a press conference that they had just detained 59 rumour-mongers who had been “inciting ethnic feelings”. Their method of rumour-mongering: “illegal downloading of reactionary songs from the internet in CD, MP3, MP4 and other electronic formats, for sale to the public.”

For a moment I didn’t know what to reply. I remembered an incident that had occurred in Lhasa at the beginning of 2006 that was related to a song. If I told her that this song was a banned “reactionary song”, wouldn't this sound incredulous to a Western person from a “rangwang lungba” (Tibetan for “free country”)? The song that I was thinking of has two names, one name is “Ama Jetsun Pema” and the other is “Amala” (mother). Many Tibetans will immediately know what kind of song this song is after hearing my explanation.

I was in Lhasa at that time. One day around noon, a friend excitedly took me to a stall in front of the cinema that was selling pirate versions of various CDs. He let me stand there and look at the poor quality VCD players and the dust covered TV screens on the open shelves playing a song:

“Even the orphans who are in exile in an alien land,
still have Ama Jetsun Pema [care for them] who is as compassionate as the Buddhas.
She cherishes us and warms [our hearts] just like our mothers,
She is the mother of the world, to whom our debt of gratitude is as heavy as a mountain.
The children of the Land of Snows have been taken care of by you throughout their entire life,
You have endured all sorts of hardship for the sake of the children of the Land Snows.
How can we forget you, whose kindness to us is as deep as the deepest sea.
All the children of the Land of Snow pay tribute to you, Ama Jetsun Pema.”

“It is our Karmic fortune, people of the Land of Snows, that you arrived in the Land of Snows,
You use all your energy to benefit the children of the Land of Snows, regardless of days and nights.
She is the mother of the world, to whom our debt of gratitude is as heavy as a mountain.
The children of the Land of Snows have been taken care by you throughout their entire life.
In order to realise your wishes and your expectations,
We, the children of the Land of Snows, will remember forever.
We pray for your longevity, the mother of the Land of Snows, Ama Jetsun Pema...”



The picture on the outdoor TV set was clear. The singer was a young person singing in Lhasa dialect, he was standing on what looked like a stage in a school and was introducing himself as someone who had escaped into exile from Lhasa to Dharamsala. His singing was very heartfelt, as though he was missing his own mother and exerting all his feelings onto a woman who had nurtured countless children in exile who were seeking an education and whom everyone referred to as “Amala”, moving people to tears. The mother who appeared in the song was a compassionate looking woman, wearing a chuba (Tibetan for Tibetan dress), grey hair at the temples, she is the younger sister of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jetsun Pema.

The winter sun shining down on Lhasa was very warming. Shoulder to shoulder, the stalls were closely laid out one after another, each one reverberating with the sounds of popular songs, Tibetan songs, Chinese songs, English songs, Hindi songs, the bustling crowds all blended together and gave the impression of a very lively place. To see the image of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s sister smiling and rushing around in broad daylight, how dangerous this was. It should be known that for over a decade (not counting the period from 1959 and the Cultural Revolution) that in Lhasa, the Dalai Lama was the very symbol of a ‘separatist’, his photo could not be possessed, his recordings could not be possessed and everything else that had anything to do with him, unless it was something insulting and critical. Along with the Tibetans all around me, we were all glued to the screen with tacit understanding. All kinds of feelings were stirring up inside us as we listened to the song. It’s quite strange that so many Tibetans all know who Ama Jetsun Pema is, how come all the uniformed and non-uniformed officials on the street don’t know? I listened to the song again at least three times before buying several CDs from the Chinese Muslim vendor, still wanting to listen to the CD more.

In Lhasa, the open sale of pirated CDs takes place mainly in the old town, sun island (Taiyang dao) and the Tianhai night market in western suburbs. The vendors are mostly Chinese Muslims and the customers are mostly Tibetans, so basically most of the CDs and films on sale are in Tibetan. All are pirated discs and the prices are low, one disc costs between RMB 3-5. In the past, I have bought “Tom & Jerry” and “Journey to the West” from them in Tibetan, and the quality of these discs are not that bad. Over the years, the Chinese Muslim vendors have learned extremely well what kinds of songs Tibetans like. Thus, they cater to the Tibetans’ likes and provide discs for sale in a steady stream. For instance, the discs of the song Ama Jetsun Pema sold very well. How well? They almost sold out at once. Consequently, the Chinese Muslim vendors would burn more copies, then sell them again. Even if you just look toward their stalls a couple of glimpses when you were passing by their stall, they would come to you and say in a low voice: at my stall we have Ama Jetsun Pema.

Take me, for example, in the past, even though I knew the names of His Holiness’ siblings, I’m afraid to say that I knew the most about the oldest brother of His Holiness, Taktser Rinpoche and the second oldest brother Gyalo Dhondup. This was because I had read Taktser Rinpoche’s book and I had heard that Gyalo Dhondup had held talks with Deng Xiaoping. However, when it came to Jetsun Pema la, ---- honestly, after listening to that song, I had the feeling that it was hard for me to call her Jetsun Pema. I would rather call her Ama Jetsun Pema as sung in that song. It is indeed easy to call her Ama Jetsun Pema, and I feel it is respectful to call her this way.
I can safely say it is the common felling shared by many Tibetans. I knew very little about her before, but I know now that “Ama Jetsun Pema” has been working for decades in schools established by the exiled Tibetan communities in India and in the Tibetan Children’s Village, with her heart and soul. Her painstaking efforts are more than enough to leave a lasting reputation in the world.

Once, I went to a Tibetan restaurant and was waiting for friends when I saw that song being played on the TV. I’m not saying that that song was being broadcast on TV, that would be too strange. It was the Tibetan staff member who was playing the song on the VCD player and little by little was learning how to sing the song. It was not yet dinner time and two uniformed policemen were sitting around the stove drinking tea. I looked at them surprised and was worried that they might hear what was being played but they were sitting as though they hadn’t heard anything. They were both Tibetan, they were chatting to each other in Tibetan, how could they not have noticed that the song was in praise of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s sister?

However, after a while, I heard that that song had been ‘exposed’, labeled as a ‘reactionary song’ that had to be dealt with, it was said that some old retired cadres had ‘uncovered’ the song and that several Chinese Muslims had been arrested, it was also said that a Chinese Muslim had confessed that a Tibetan had given them money to make copies, it is said…. For a while, Lhasa was bristling with talk about this in the sweet tea houses, on the street and in homes. But that song had already been popular in Lhasa for three or four months, whatever impression that it had to make had already been made and most Tibetan homes had already seen a copy of the Ama Jetsun Pema CD.

I also know that the melody of the song comes from the song by a Hong Kong pop singer but it was not an original song by this Hong Kong singer, rather the tune originally came from a Japanese singer. In other words, it appears that the sad melody was imported from Japan to Hong Kong, then imported from Hong Kong to mainland China and then imported from mainland China to Lhasa, and then imported from Lhasa to Dharamsala, from Dharamsala again back to Lhasa… it may sound very complicated but in fact this had been a very quick process and the lyrics had emerged in three languages: Japanese, Chinese, and Tibetan. If that original composer only knew, that the song that he wrote simply about a man’s love for a woman transformed into a song about homesickness and the longing and pain of exile, creating a song with a totally different meaning and it ultimately became a banned ‘reactionary song’ – how would he feel about that? In the autumn of 2007, I was on a train leaving Lhasa and the familiar melody of the song suddenly came on, the singer was of course the one from Hong Kong, and I sang along with it but the words I was singing were,

“Even the orphans who are in exile in an alien land,
still have Ama Jetsun Pema [care for them] who is as compassionate as the Buddhas…”

In fact, it is impossible to ban this song. Or put it in another way, it is common that “reactionary songs” which are prohibited by all means can not be banned, and the songs which are not reactionary will not impress as deeply upon everyone’s mind as those “reactionary songs” do. Even if those songs are sung on TV, on radios, in the squares, on the trains, and even if they are printed on the songsheets in Karaoke bars, or they are included in the ringtones for mobile phones, they are quite awful and they are purely for self-consolation. One such typical song is the song which portrays the Qinghai-Tibet railway as “the celestial road to heaven”.

Which songs are included in the list of “reactionary songs”? I can not even count them. When I think this over, it seems that there are quite a lot of “reactionary songs” we have either listened to or know how to sing. For example, in 1987 the song about Tibetan compatriots was rather popular. It’s lyrics are as follows: “We Tibetan compatriots are ones who are of the same descent. Tibetans from Amdo, U-tsang and Kham and Tibetans of the five religious schools. Let’s unite together, we go back to Tibet together. Tibetan compatriots from Amdo, U-tsang and Kham, let’s unite together. Though the religious schools are different, yet the goal is the same. Let’s unite together, and let’s go back to Tibet together…” It is said when Tibetans who were arrested during the riots at that time were paraded through streets in trucks, Tibetan men and women defiantly sung this song with spirit, holding their heads high. In 1989 the lyrics of another popular song are “ Lhasa was not sold, and India was not bought. It is not that the Dalai Lama, the Wish Fulfilling Jewel, does not have a home, there is his dharma throne in the high Potala Palace…”，it is said that at a gathering of the TAR Academy of Social Sciences, Tibetan cadres were drunk and were singing this song, choking back their sobs. At the beginning of the 1990s, the popular song was Chorten Karpo, whose lyrics are “no matter when the sky is filled with dark clouds, your pure white figure illuminates the devoted hearts…”; what was popular at the end of 1990s was “Younger Brother with Deep Feeling”, the lyrics are “who dispelled your sheep flock, and left you to guard the last home…”. I heard the popular song last year was “Sadness” (which is also translated as “Moved”): “ In Amdo and Kham the Lama’s teachings spread continuously. I who lie alone can not listen to your teachings. I am sad because I can not see my Lama. Oh, my Lama, how sad I am for not being able to see you…”

Furthermore, the special collection of songs entitled “Return of the Tsangpo”, produced by Tibetans in Amdo and Kham, were labeled as “reactionary songs” and were seized and destroyed. The song writer and composer were arrested because of this and some of them are still in prison. Dolma Kyi, a Golok Tibetan, was arrested at the end of March in 2008 because she herself sang songs longing for the Dalai Lama in the Nangma singing hall and had allowed other singers to sing such songs. Lhundrup, another singer who was arrested together with Dolma Kyi, sang the following lyrics on the record he produced: “The sun and the moon are not here any more, our hope has gone afar. Is this the karma of we Tibetans?” The “sun” and the “Moon” are concealed analogies for the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. Apart from the song entitled “Going back to Tibet” in 1987, the rest of them were songs written in Tibet.



Yes, the songs written outside of Tibet have bigger impact, but it is also easier for them to be banned. My favorite song is Chak Sum Tsal (Three Prostrations) and it might be on the blacklist as well. The lyrics of the second section of the song are as follows: “Tibet, my hometown; Tibetans, my compatriots. Before my life ends, I won’t leave until I have prayed three times. If I return to the world again, I wish I would be born in my hometown Tibet again. Oh, take off my fox-skin hat, and prostrate to you three times!” This has also been the most popular song in Lhasa for the past two years, and what is interesting is that the retired cadres are singing the song while playing mahjong. They are all fans of Phurbu Namgyal, the Tibetan singer in the U.S.

When I consider the situation carefully, I find out that for many years every years quite a lot of “reactionary songs” on average have emerged, then they will be banned by all means. We are all too accustomed to consider this as strange. But this time they arrested 59 people at one time, and I heard most of them were students. All of them were labeled as “rumour mongers” on a large scale. What is the motive for doing so? Are the authorities really mad at Tibetans for loving “reactionary songs” so much that they have to arrest a group of people, otherwise, it would not have the effect of punishing them as a warning to others? Or is it the case that they can not find “Tibetan separatists” any more and downloading songs which miss His Holiness and miss one’s hometown has become the felony? Or is it the case that the hungry ghosts in the six realms, who are making a living on “anti-splittist” activities, are creating some enemies to the great party with new tricks.



I have to tell you another story related to a song. The story is about the well-known song entitled “Beautiful Rigzin Wangmo” which has been mistaken as a Tibetan folk song. That is a song which can be performed on TV and can be sung outside of one’s home, and one can sing it without too many worries. Furthermore, the song has already become the signature song for the well-known “government sponsored” singer Tseten Dolma. Among all the singers who are as numerous as yak hairs, Tseten Dolma is the only one who transformed herself from “a liberated serf” to an official with the rank of a deputy provincial governor through singing songs and it seems that she really likes the song entitled “Beautiful Rigzin Wangmo”. In almost all the special collections distributed officially, this song has always been included. But does she really know that this song, in fact, is not a Tibetan folk song? Does she really know who the songwriter and composer of this song is? Though the lyrics were written by the Sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso, the greatest poet in Tibetan history, and many of his poems are sung among the people and belong to ancient Tibetan folk songs. But this song is different because the composer is not an anonymous artist of the past, instead he is a Tibetan in exile named Thubten Samdub, who was in Dharamsala some years ago and now is living in Canada. He has been working hard for the Tibetan cause. In accordance with the Party’s standards, he should be one of the “splittists”. It is rather preposterous that the song loved by Tseten Dolma, the representative of the party in Tibet, who has sung the song many times, turned out to be composed by a reactionary Tibetan in exile.

Furthermore, in the 1970s, the talented Thubten Samdub was still a young man. Though he experienced numerous hardships as somebody in exile, he was also at his prime of life. The beautiful maid named Rigzin Wangmo who appeared in Tsangyang Gyatso’s poem became the symbol of love, thus, the song came into being, and its melodies are extremely beautiful.

It is probably not long after the end of the Cultural Revolution that the song sung and played by Thupten Samdub spread to Lhasa where people just began to respite from the great catastrophe. The situation of the time was that it was the first time that Tibetans in Tibet and abroad were allowed to have some formal exchanges. Whilst some went to visit their relatives in India, others came back to Lhasa to visit their relatives. In the process of getting in touch with each other, the traditional culture preserved by Tibetans in exile and the modern multi-cultures with styles of the alien land created by Tibetans in exile has deeply fascinated Tibetans in Tibet. For Tibetans in Tibet who have been tortured by the revolutionary songs such as “Liberated Serfs Singing Songs”, the songs created by Tibetans in exile are original, novel, cordial and moving. Thus, the degree to which these songs are welcomed and the speed they have been spread is just like how the “decadent music” by the Taiwan singer Deng Lijun was received by the Chinese in the beginning of the period when China opened to the outside world: just like Deng’s music has the effect of thunders over the Chinese people and appeals to them greatly.

Soon “Beautiful Rigzin Wangmo” became popular in Lhasa. What is interesting is that Tseten Dolma, who had sung “Bitterness has Turned to Sweetness after the Communist Party Came” her whole life, liked the song and started to sing it. I do not know whether it was a deliberate act or if it was out of sheer ignorance that nobody has ever mentioned that the composer was a Tibetan in exile, on the contrary, they packaged it as a “Tibetan folk song”. As a result, after a long passage of time, the truth has been buried, who is Thubten Samdub? Up to now, the rock band called “Namchag” formed by young Tibetans in Lhasa also sang the old song which is very much a folk song, furthermore, they reinterpreted Rigzin Wangmo by means of rap music. In their song, the beautiful Rigzin Wangmo changed and she became like many Tibetan girls on the streets of Lhasa who are vain and who can only be satisfied with material goods and money.

In fact, the history, the evolution and the vicissitudes of these songs, which have the imprints of the various historical periods, happen to be the epitome of today’s Tibet which has gone through earth-shaking transformations. If we need to record in detail and research carefully, it would be a project of one or several books. It is obvious that my article might list one and omit thousands, and only portrays through stories the “reactionary songs” I have encountered and understood in my own past.

Recently, I learned from the internet that another “reactionary song” related to Tibet has been exposed again. But the origin and development of the song greatly surprised me, because this song is not a Tibetan song, and the singer is not Tibetan either. Instead, the singer is the Taiwanese singer Tao Zhe who has thousands and thousands of fans in China. To tell the truth, though I know of him, I have never listened to his songs before. It is only because I saw the news that I especially searched for his “Tibetan independence” song on google and baidu search engines. It is rather difficult to search for it, and most of them have already been deleted. This greatly aroused by curiosity and I felt that I had to find the “Tibetan independence song” named “Not The Same”. It took me quite a long time to finally find it, and I can not only listen to the song, but also read the lyrics as well. It turned out that the “Tibetan independence song”, which is portrayed to be so frightening, in fact, is because of one sentence, and it is hard to find it as it is hidden in many sentences. The sentence is “ the Dalai Lama is uniquely great, and he is the hero of the mankind” In front of the Dalai Lama, there are many names such as Gandhi, Disney, Laozi, Brando, Freud, Confucius, Chaplin, Picasso, Einstein and others, but, consequently, they were all branded too much trouble and became the allies of “Tibetan splittists.”

It is actually an honour for Tibetan singers or composers if their songs are labeled as “reactionary songs”. But for Tao Zhe, who is living in the democratic society of Taiwan, when it was learned that because the name of the Dalai Lama appeared in his old song sung in 1999, his song was judged to be related to “Tibetan independence”. His discs had to be taken off from the shelves, his songs were removed from the ringtones, and all his songs might even have been completely banned. What does he think of this incident? I learned from the news on the internet that his record company disappointedly denied that they deliberately spread the “Tibetan independence song’, claiming it was because of carelessness that the baneful influence was spread.

As far as His Holiness the Dalai Lama is concerned, many times he has earnestly reiterated that what he seeks is not independence, but a high degree of true autonomy. In addition, he has honestly pointed out many times though the Chinese government is not sincere, yet he still has faith in the Chinese people. However, in today’s China, his name is equivalent to “separation”, then it is equal to being guilty of the most heinous crimes. Besides being reprimanded by the shrewd and astute Chinese officials as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, he is also reviled without any respect by countless young Chinese. Oh, His Holiness is the reincarnation of the Lord of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara), who is compassionate and who will not mind this. But Tibetans will mind this, at least, Tibetans will lose their confidence in the Chinese people because of the bone-piercing pain.

What I would like to point out here is that I once wrote some lyrics as well, and they are being translated into Tibetan. Later they will become songs. I will not mention who the singer of my songs will be for the time being. I need to clarify the lyrics of one song as follows, and based on the lyrics will this song be considered to be another “reactionary song” soon? I would like to explain that in the lyrics “Yeshe Norbu” means “wish-fulfilling jewel”, “Kundun” literally means “appear in front of one’s eyes as soon as one evokes him”, “Gongsa chog” (gong sa mchog) means “His Holiness”, and “Gyalwa Rinpoche" (rgyal ba rin po che) refers to “the Dharma King”. All these appellations are honorific titles for His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tibetan.

On the road,
Oh, on the road,
I am moved to tears.
Holding in my arms the most beautiful flower in the world
Before it is withered,
Rush quickly
Only to present it to an old man in maroon

He is our Yeshe Norbu
Our Kundun
Our Gongsa chog
Our Gyalwa Rinpoche

On the road,
Oh, on the road,
I am moved to tears.
Holding in my arms the most beautiful flower in the world
Present it to him, present it to him.
A wisp of a smile
These bind the generation tight.

Beijing, January 1, 2009

(Note: I would like to thank Dolkar la and Dawa Tsering La for translating the meaning of the lyrics of a few Tibetan songs）

This article was first published on “Democratic China” (http://minzhuzhongguo.org/Article/sf/200901/20090112085516.shtml)

These two photos were taken in front of the Tibetan Hospital in Lhasa three years ago.

This is a record by Lhundrup, who was arrested in April, 2008. His current situation is unknown.

This is the Taiwanese Singer Tao Zhe, who was found to have sung the so-called “Tibetan independence” song.

"Raping Tibetan Music is Prohibited" by Tashi Dondan

When the singer who sang the Golden Mountain of Beijing attended the “Forum of Tibetan Music” in Chengdu, she tactfully criticized the phenomenon that some ethnic music have overly relied on “packaging” and have followed the path of popular music.

It is true that we need to emphasize the importance of the national element. I really hope that the one who made the above comment is Yadong or somebody else, but not her. I always hope that people will examine themselves first before they criticize others. It is indeed laughable if the “pot calling the kettle black (literally “ the one who fled fifty paces laughed at the other person who fled a hundred paces and called him coward), but it will make people angry when “the one who fled one hundred paces laugh at the other person who ran away for fifty paces”. Up to now I still do not understand how much national element there contains in the songs sang by her, and I even doubt whether her songs can be called music. I would rather hum the popular songs in our mother tongue than listening to those songs which bootlick others.

It is perhaps because I do not feel the happiness of those “liberated serfs”, after all I was born in the so-called era of happiness. My father once said to me, “you will be a person who will know how to fight for your freedom.” I think even if I was born in an “unhappy” era, I would still be able to strive for the freedom for myself and for people I love.

I fully understand it is rather “malicious” for me to put forward such a hypothesis about the past, but it coincidentally caters to the world view of some non-sense experts who do not respect history. Such songs as “the Mystical Heavenly Path” and “Oh, the Beautiful Qinghai-Tibet Railway” sang in the Tibetan New Year Party” sponsored by Tibet TV Station in 2006 made me disappointed at Rongdrong Ergya, and I do not exude tenderness and ‘love” for Han Hong any more. I believe that is not [real] music, and the music itself is not like this. Though it is beautiful to sing praises of the happiness, it will definite cause people to doubt the nature of the music if such songs enrage the audience so much that they will even shout abuse or get into a free-for-all.
I am risking my life to take the liberty to say the following word --- I would rather see Tibetan songs being completely sinicized and even its lyrics are in Chinese than listening to political songs of yours. “People should not be so shameless!”

2. It is not possible to bring about the transformation of Tibetan music into ethnic music simply through criticizing it. Nevertheless, in all fairness, “commenting on it” also has some impact. It is just like those people who urgently appeal to “preserve Tibetan culture, even though they have not done any significant things to preserve Tibetan culture in real life, yet their comments have also had some impact on people who take real actions. Lu Xun once said, “ There was originally no path in the world, it becomes a road after people have treaded on it. As the popular saying goes “Rome is not built in one day”, I think it takes time to preserve Tibetan culture and to transform Tibetan music into ethnic music. We need people to step forward and discuss such issues, but we need more people to actually work to improve the situation.

For example, when the “Vajara” band and the “Nine-Eyed Stone Zig” band sang some classic folk songs, these songs become eternal again, and it enables more people to remember the lyrics. Another example is the beautiful folk song known as Aku Palma in Amdo. I have four versions of the same song: the Guitar, pure dranyan (lute), rocking roll and Indian styles. Once an older brother sang for me Aku Pelma without accompanying in music, and I recorded the song with a tape recorder. Whenever I have a free moment, I will listen to it. Without accompanying music, it has some noises as well, but it is very beautiful. Many times I imagine that I was born on the grassland of the Snow-land for my previous life as well. The grassland near the lake of Korkornor, where there are black tents and white lambs beautiful as clusters of stars, has supported my ancestors, my family and me. Here we praise though songs the beautiful grasslands, lakes, mountains and brave eagles. But those who sing praises of the railway will never understand such happiness.

I believe as long as there is still one person who is producing Tibetan music, I am sure he will influence a large number of people to follow his footsteps. The reason is rather simple: as long as you plant a seed in another person’s heart, one day it will definitely take root and sprout.

3. A philosophical view considered to be the truth holds that every person has its own world. I think I do not have the ability to have all Tibetans to be fond of Tibetan music, after all, each follows his own bent. Even if I have such ability, I will not demand those who are fond of popular music to produce ethnic music. If I do so, am I not the same as those hooligan politicians?

A friend wanted to translate the song “Life” by the rock band “Vajara” into Chinese, but the result of his translation is rather plain: some couples get along very well with each other some children have great suffering…” It is apparent that the style and subtleness of the song was lost in the process of translation. Each culture has its own unique feature and flavor, indeed it is not a good idea to “rape” each other.

Tibetan music is powerful. I hope that those beautiful folk songs can be preserved, and also hope that the mainstream of Tibetan music are the ones with our unique ethnic features.

Many Tibetan singers have fallen into an indescribable vicious cycle. I can not define the style of their music, but it is definitely not Tibetan music.

Hope some people who produce music can hear my voice.

Wish Tibetan music would become more beautiful.





Comments
(1) 2008-1-27 18:33:00 | By: the Angry Tsampa

What you said is really classical. I strongly support you!!! What they raped is far more than our music.

(2) 2008-1-25 14:36:00 | By: by Tashi
We, the new generation of Tibet, are proud of the Vajara band. Only they are willing to express our innermost thoughts, and they have generated sympathetic responses from us. We will always support them, and similarly we will do our best as well.

(3) 2008-1-21 14:50:00 | By: visitor LPGs38

As the popular saying goes, human is like iron, but food is like steel.
This world is so cruel! If one has enough money, who would be willing to be an escort girl? I want to puke when I see those men. But what else can I do? I do not want to die of hungry. Are you going to give me money?
(4) 2008-1-15 18:13:00 | By: zhaxiluozhu (Tashi Lodro)

I really like the Vajara band. They are doing their best to create their own songs, but there are not many people who appreciate them.

(5) 2008-1-6 15:46:00, By: zuqiuwoaini (football, I love you)
Just like the sisters (Aja), they only know how to sing the old songs again, and they are not creative, but still they are so famous.

(6) 2008-1-4 17:17:00 | By: Tsedron
I strongly support it.

(7) 2008-1-2 22:10:00 | By: Gonpo Tashi

I support you, the owner of the blog.

(8) 2007-12-31 12:47:00 | By: tibetst
What you said is great. These are all problems. We need somebody like the owner of the blog to point out the problems to us. This is a happy event, and we should support it. At this time we can not say “I do not know what you have done for your nationality?”, what we need to do is to respect other’s effort. I do not know whether the one who says that “do you feel like you are living in a world of freedom in New York” has ever done anything for his nationality. But aren’t those who have brought up these issues doing something for our nationality? Can it be that one has to do something for his own nationality before he point out the problems and mistakes?

(9) 2007-12-30 8:47:00 | By: Repa
http://tseringdhondrup.tibetcul.com/182.html
Dear owner of the blog, Please make your invaluable suggestions for our column “Think about Tibet in One Hundred Years Later”

(10) 2007-12-30 8:26:00 | By: Repa

The blog owner’s opinion is right. As a singer, the most important thing is to have his or her own ideas, and Tseten Drolma lacks this. I am not blaming her for lacking her own thought. It is probably that a certain historical period has produced a generation of people like her. Well, she did not know about it during the “Cultural revolution”, but she should realize her error and repent now. I hope that is the case. As a poet, a writer, a musician and a singer, the key is to have his or her own thought, otherwise, he or she will either be cursed by posterity or his or her name will be remembered for generations after generations. It is a pity that these has such a beautiful voice, and it is really a pity and it is a waste of talent for her to sing those garbage songs.


(11) 2007-12-28 14:03:00 | By: The love in the Grassland
“If one wants to save others, please save oneself first!” Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! Please take care!

(12) 2007-3-27 19:36:00 | By: Wanzi (Pill)
I strongly support it.

(13) 2007-3-22 13:53:00 | By: Xueyi (Snow Ant)
I suspect that Hanhong does not even speak Tibetan, otherwise, why hasn’t she sung Tibetan songs?

(13) 2007-3-22 13:46:00 | By: Lala

I strongly support it.

(14) 2007-3-21 18:01:00 | By: lantian (blue sky )

It is really understandable that you worry about Tibetan music. Many times we also have similar thought about it. But your way to express it is a little bit too extreme. Indeed there are many problems for Tibetan music, and one of the problem is what course to take. However, to be honest, those singers you criticized are not the arch-criminals as you portrayed. They are singers produced at a certain historical period, and under the circumstances, some made their choices which are meaningful, but sometimes they had no choice.
If we truly compare what they did is right or wrong, to be honest, they did things right more than they did it wrong. I think we should at least show them the respect they deserve. Furthermore, we should not associate the carnal questions of right and wrong of the nationality with the specific jobs of these singers. In my opinion, the real reason is not them, it is the circumstance of a certain era and the fate determined by this environment. The improvement and progress of the fate, in fact, is related to every one of us. As far as art is concerned, it is not just the singers, the more important reason is the professional groups which produce music.

The reply of the blog owner:
I want to let you know that many times I blame myself for not doing enough, not doing a lot or not doing well enough. Why do I do that? It is all because I am a Tibetan. Tibetan regions are in such dejected states, and I believe this has something to do with me and with all Tibetans. We can term it as responsibility or the historical commitment. We must should our responsibilities.
Then when we talk about Tibetan music, who should I find to be the scapegoat? Is it possible that singers are not the ones whoa re responsible for it? Whatever the groups behind the singers want them to sing, they will sing it. This is precisely the problem. Facing the choice between their job prospect and the dignity of the nationality, they chose their job prospect! Everybody ahs his own thought, and nobody is so stupid, therefore, their current music is their choice. No matter whether they made the choice as they were helpless and had no other choice, the reality is this.

Thank you for your suggestions which have enabled me to see the other side of the issue.

Thanks!

22 December, 2006

Translated from Chinese
View the original here

Blog thread: The Embarrassment of Language

One of main themes in Tibetan internet forums are discussions on the status of the Tibetan language. This thread of forum postings gives a good examples of concerns of Tibetan internet users. Translated from Chinese, the original URL http://www.tibetcul.net/bbs/dispbbs.asp?boardID=16&ID=6355&page=1 is no longer valid.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Promoting the Standard Tibetan language was started by the 'Hand of the Sun' (Yangguang zhishou) with a post entitled “The Embarrassment of Language (yuyan de ganga)” on June 29, 2005. He discussed the difficulty for Tibetans to communicate with each other because of their different dialects, and appealed to Tibetan intellectuals to educate the next generation of Tibetans to be adept at not only Tibetan language and culture, but also English and Chinese. Some people support the idea of promoting Lhasa dialect as the standard Tibetan language so that Tibetans can communicate, but, in their opinion, this does not mean that people will stop using their own dialects. Some explained why there are difficulties in communicating with the various dialects, arguing that the lack of communication among the various dialects led to the differences among the dialects. The one who started the thread commented that the problem of communicating among different dialects is neither caused by the lack of communication nor by the backwardness of the communication, in his opinion, it is because a lot of Tibetans who speak the same dialects do not talk to each other in their own dialects, and many times when they do, they mix Tibetan with Chinese.

• The “Shepherd of the Land of Snow” maintains that though there are many Tibetan Studies institutes and many representatives of People’s Congress, nobody has worked on Standard Tibetan language. He thinks it is important for the three Tibetan areas to be united so as to resist the further disintegration and nibbling away of Tibetan nationality.
  
  
• One person argues it is a good idea to learn Standard Tibetan language, but they think it would be hard to implement it since students have to learn Chinese and English. (This person turned out to be Han Chinese) The “Shepherd of the Land of Snow” refuted him saying that it would be a good idea to have the standard Tibetan language for Tibetans who are learning Tibetan in school, just like there is Mandarin for all Chinese who are learning Chinese no matter where they are from.
  

Later, they debated about one’s views of history.

• The Han Chinese said that he always thinks that Tibet is part of China, and cares about the concept of the family of the Great Chinese Nation. The “Shepherd of the Land of Snow” said that it is better to leave the view on history to a later generation, but he thinks it is abnormal that a Tibetan could not survive without knowing Chinese. He argues it is even more impractical for Tibetan nomads and farmers to learn to communicate with Mandarin since they do not speak Chinese at all, thus it is more practical to promote the standard Tibetan among them. He complained that why could the Chinese people or the government not tolerate the Tibetan wish to be different and unique from the Chinese since most Tibetans have acknowledged that Tibetan culture is part of Chinese culture.
  
  
• One Tibetan from Amdo who is living abroad said that, from his personal experience, it is possible for people to learn and communicate in Lhasa dialect no matter where they are from. Another also agrees with him, maintaining that there are more advantages than disadvantages to promoting standard Tibetan language. What he worries is that there is no support for promoting the standard Tibetan language: after the Tibetan language has been seriously affected, one is worried that before one has the chance to promote the Standard Tibetan language, Tibetans do not even know how to speak their dialects.
  
  
• One person calling himself the “descendant of the Great Tubo (Great Tibetan Empire) maintains that no foreign languages can take the place of one’s mother tongue no matter whether one’s nationality is strong or weak. He refers to the last class. He thinks both Chinese and English are foreign languages, so before one learn these alien languages, one should learn one’s mother tongue as a pre-condition. He used the example that Chinese are calling on overseas Chinese to learn Chinese, arguing they do so not because English is not practical.
  
  
• “Repa” commented that it is ironic for Tibetans who are educated in Chinese to be considered to be the elite of Tibet when they know little about Tibetan language and literature. He argues that the reason one can not communicate with other Tibetans is because one knows so little about one’s own mother tongue. He said that Tibetan scholars from monasteries are adept in the traditional Tibetan culture and can communicate with each other any ideas in Tibetan. He argues that it is reasonable and the right thing to do for Tibetans to rely on Tibetan language, and for the Chinese to rely on Chinese language.
  
  
• The famous Amdo singer Dechen Wangmo also commented how difficult it as for her to learn to speak Tibetan even though she is from Rebgong, the Tibetan cultural centre. She said that she could not sing in Tibetan since music CD producers thought there was little market for Tibetan songs. Later she started to add more and more Tibetan songs to her CDs, and this also led to more and more Tibetan singers to start to sing in Tibetan.
  
  
• “The Yak Whose Horn Was Hurt” said that the issue of standard Tibetan language has been discussed for many years, but it has not been solved up to now. It is apparent that there is no use relying on the government to solve the problem. In his opinion, there are a few subjective and objective conditions to promote the standard Tibetan language:
  
  (1) With the arrival of the information age, there are more and more exchanges between Tibetans in Tibet and abroad. In addition, more and more Tibetan intellectual elites and youth have started to face and solve the issue of the future of Tibetan nationality. This has provided the condition that it is more possible to promote the standard Tibetan language than any other time before.
  
  (2) The spread of media, including videos, in the Tibetan areas, made it possible for Tibetan language to be well beloved by Tibetan masses. This is shown in the following aspects:
  
  First, one of the important components of TV programs in Tibetan areas is the video series dubbed in Tibetan language.
  
  Second, there have appeared more and more Tibetan film-makers who have started to make films in Tibetan.
  
  Third, the older generation of Tibetan singers represented by Yadong and Dechen Wangmo have come to their senses and started to sing Tibetan songs again. In addition, the parties featured Tibetan language songs sponsored by the local governments or non-governmental organizations or groups in Tibetan areas in Qinghai and Gansu Provinces were well received by the Tibetan masses. As a result, many confused singers (including some Chinese singers) have started to sing in Tibetan language one after another.
  
  Fourth, the Qinghai-Tibet railway is the biggest aid to Tibet, however, as far as entire China is concerned, we have to wait to see whether it is fortune or misfortune. Yet while many Chinese would go to Lhasa, at the same time Tibetans from every corner of the Tibetan areas can also take the train to go on pilgrimage to Lhasa. This will provide a bridge for Tibetans who have not been able to exchange widely with each other to communicate. This bridge will naturally be beneficial to the promotion of the standard Tibetan language.
  
  Fifth, Tibetan Buddhism and its numerous scriptures and any other records about Tibetan culture are the historical foundation and long-lasting motive force for the standard Tibetan language.
  
  Last, the most important factor is the internet, which is the best platform to conduct theoretical study of the standard Tibetan language and how to implement it. Some intellectuals have used their salaries to cheer for the promotion of the standard Tibetan language. Then what should we do? We should do so ourselves.....
  
  
• The person with the screen name Alibaba called those who were born in 1980s, including himself as the “generation of embarrassment.” In his words, Tibetans who were born in the 1980s have suffered little upheaval. At that time China made progress in every aspects, and its rule over Tibet was also stable. A great number of Tibetan children were sent to study in inland China, where they received four-year education and some have even studied for as long as thirteen years. A Tibetan child, whose character has not formed yet and whose moral quality has not been independent yet, is sent to inland China with rich Han Chinese culture. First of all, he is assimilated in terms of language, and gradually it become a habit to speak Chinese. The assimilation of language is based on the assimilation of one’s way of thinking. “Man of noble character” (junzi) and so on is the entrenched Chinese way of thinking, which is originated from the Confucianism, and it is the Chiense culture and its religion. But it is accepted by Tibetans whose way of thinking is Buddhism. Consequently, when those children of the time went back to Tibet, they not only mixed Chinese when they spoke Tibetan, but also can recite a great number of Chinese proverbs and common sayings, and some who were really good will even refer to the Analects of Confucius. It is a good thing that they are so knowledgeable, but the problem is that very few people among them who can remember the most famous Tibetan proverbs. Han Chinese is a nationality who attaches great importance to reality. The reason why we say Han Chinese is a clever nationality is that it has a series of survival culture. Though the Analects of Confucius, the Art of War by Sunwu, Outlaws of the Marsh (Water Margin) and Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi) all touch upon moral and virtues, but they mainly teach people how to keep oneself safe in the fierce competitive and harsh living conditions.
  
  Nowadays all Tibetans who were born in 1980s are similar in the following ways: they speak Tibetan mixed with Chinese phrases, write Chinese, and they do not read or write Tibetan, or even when they do, they seldom use it. They had little religious faith, and they do not care much about Tibetan customs or taboos, and they know very little about Tibetan history. In terms of blood (lineage), these Tibetans are really Tibetans, but in terms of their languages and way of thinking, they are either sinicized or westernized – what a awkward generation! Now we should not look back to find who is responsible for the appearance of such an awkward generation, but as a member of such a generation, can we calm our mind to think what we can do? At least what we can do is to make ourselves more like Tibetan in terms of culture.
  
  
• “The Eagle of the Land of Snow” (Xueyu Xiongying): I am very moved to read the above two postings. What sister Dechen Wangmo said is true, though our hometown Rebgong is a place where Tibetan culture is relatively rich and flourishing, but after many local Tibetan youth have learned Chinese and have gone to Chinese middle schools, they look down upon their own national culture, and they lost their sense of national identity. When people talk to them in Tibetan, they will reply in Chinese. They will criticize Tibetan ways and have many reasons for doing so. What is the use to have so many reasons. When it was about the Folk Festival of the Sixth month (of the lunar calendar), I accompanied a few teachers from Lanzhou to attend the festive, and we stayed at the Huangnan Hotel. The next day when we went to have dinner at a Chinese Muslim restaurant called Taishan, there were a few Tibetan Ph.D. candidates and a few foreign missionaries in the restaurant, too. At that time when the teachers and I were singing Tibetan songs, they were talking to the foreigners in English and waited on them. I was very angry, and sang the song called “Do not forget your mother tongue” by Lewa Namkha, then they left. Ah, now these problems become more and more serious. In fact, everybody talks about solving these problems very beautifully, but very few people actually do any real things. At least, at that time when established a small-scale Tibetan Student Website, at the beginning everybody said that they would help, but later there was not even one who sent any reference materials for us. As a result, our plan failed. But as long as we are strong and determined, I believe one day we will be able to build up a website which is useful for all Tibetan students.
  
  
• “The Eagle of the Land of Snow” posted again: After all, do you all know how to read and write Tibetan, do you know how to speak Tibetan. If you do not, then you do not have the right to talk about the standard Tibetan language. Your descendants will probably not be Tibetans any more. It all because they are influenced by you. In fact, it is not because of the environment. If you really want to learn Tibetan, you can start to learn it now as nobody is stopping you from doing it,and I can also help you. I think the problem is you yourself.
  
  
• Palden Tsering: I support the proposal to base the standard Tibetan language on Lhasa dialect since Lhasa is the economic center of Tibet, thus, there are more people using Lhasa dialect. Plus, people in the international Tibetan Studies circle also communicate with each other in Lhasa dialect… We should not wait for the opportunity to open the door to the standard Tibetan language, should we wait until the Tibetan language disappear? Therefore, we are making effort to publish books mainly base on the Lhasa dialect to promote the standard Tibetan language. Though this will be a long process, there will be a lot of difficulties, but we will continue our effort.
  
  
• Tim: Those around you who speak Tibetan will be your teacher. If you learn, then you know, otherwise, you will never know.
  
  
• "The Three Ounce Wine Cup”: Indeed, there should be a standard Tibetan language. Look at those Chinese from Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang who can speak Mandarin even though they have a stiff tongue, they basically have no problem communicating with each other. How about us? Even Tibetans from a small area, for instance Tibetans from Tawo meet a Tibetan from Batang, if you speak your own dialect, the only thing you can do is to compare whose teeth are whiter, let alone when Tibetans from Amdo, Kham and Lhasa meet.
  
  
• Dasang (The title of his posting is “Promoting the Standard Spoken Tibetan and Tibetan Written Language) It is imperative to promote standard Tibetan language. In my opinion, the central purpose for promoting the standard spoken Tibetan is as follows:
  
  1. It is to inherit and promote the outstanding Tibetan culture, and to perfect the vehicle for dissemination of Tibetan culture.
  
  2. It is for the purpose of facilitating people in all Tibetan areas to communicate in Tibetan so as to ensure the Tibetan language to develop faster and better. But this plan must be based on the condition that “many people use spoken Tibetan language, no matter what dialect they speak.” Therefore, to raise the popularity index of spoken Tibetan is the foundation for the standard spoken Tibetan. In other words, one has to strive for the legal status of spoken Tibetan language before promoting the standard spoken Tibetan. In 2004, Yushu Prefecture launched the movement advocating using and valuing Tibetan language proposed by local Tibetan language teachers and led by Yushu Prefectural People’s Congress. At that time, the plates for all the shops and the heading of all the official documents were all written in both Tibetan and Chinese. The constitution of the People’s Republic of China endows us minority nationality regions the right of autonomy and the right to use the minority nationality’s native language. One has to rely on the native language of the minority nationality to improve the quality of the native people, to ensure them to master scientific knowledge and to improve their work skills. Following the principle of “holding power to serve the people and establishing the party to serve for the public good,” the government in minority region should shoulder the responsibility to promote the native languages of the minority nationalities. As people’s representatives, they should take people’s concerns and aspirations into consideration, and boldly make proposals to further their welfare. As far-sighted Tibetans, we should also encourage them to make proposals legally so as to ensure the legal status of Tibetan language goes hand in hand with the extensive use of the Tibetan language in society. Thus, it is more valuable to promote the standard spoken Tibetan
  
  
• Wangla: I believe many people hold similar views like yours and have gone through similar hardships like you have (referring the “Hand of the Sun” who posted the earlier posting). I am a student studying in inland China, and we Tibetan students mainly communicate with each other in Tibetan mixed with many Chinese phrases as you described above. I remember when I was studying in Beijing High School, one of my classmates commented that this kind of language is the language of the Tibetan classes in inland China, but now I find out that the kind of language is spoken by not only the students in all the Tibetan classes in inland China, but also by people in all the Tibetan areas, including TAR and other regions. In fact, overseas Tibetans also speak Tibetan mixed with English words. Once I ran into a Tibetan acquaintance who went to study in India earlier. She does not know Chinese, certainly we talked to each other in Tibetan. But she mixed a lot of English words. She is accustomed to using “bank”, “computer” and “office” in our conversation. I think it is not objective and is very biased if one invariably require people to speak pure Tibetan without taking into consideration the hidden reasons. What is important is the condition for speaking pure Tibetan. It is very difficult for us to communicate with each other in pure Tibetan if there are not a basically complete Tibetan terms to use. When we carry on a conversation requiring us to use special terms, since there are not any Tibetan terms available to us, we have to use either Chinese or Tibetan. I feel that while we promote the standard spoken Tibetan language, it is also important to improve and make various special terms available to the public. Therefore, those who study Tibetan language, they should not confine themselves to the world of Tibetan language, they should also learn about other fields. In addition, the experts and specialists should make great effort to formulate a complete set of Tibetan special terms and to promote the use of these terms. Meanwhile, all Tibetans should work together to promote the use of the standard spoken Tibetan. In this way, then our goal will be reached soon.
  
  
• Ghost of Asia (Xiya-er Youling): My classmates and I have reflected upon the issue of the standard spoken Tibetan language and discussed it many times, but I feel the most crucial condition for promoting the language is the support of the national policy as well as the economic support. If we lack either one of these two conditions, even if we have the standard spoken Tibetan, it will be very difficult to promote the language. Or we can say that the standard Tibetan language might be killed in its ‘cradle.” When I think about it, I feel rather worried.
  
  
• Tsenang Wangmo: It is not that easy to promote the standard spoken Tibetan. This is only a beautiful wish. Over 60% of Tibetans speak Amdo dialect. Plus the spread of any language needs to have the environment. I do not think it is feasible for one to go all the way to Lhasa to learn the Lhasa dialect. Though Lhasa is the place I look forward to visiting, I am used to communicate with people in Amdo dialect, it is impossible for me to change it, unless I live in Lhasa for a long period of time. This is just my personal opnion.
  
  
• The Sheep by the Lhasa River (Lasa Hebian de yang): When we read a Tibetan book together, we can all understand tacitly, but as soon as we start to talk to each other, we find the other party is an “alien". It is very awkward that we can only talk to each other in Chinese. I remember that on a train in Qinghai we were so excited to see our compatriots ---- nomads from the Qinghai Grassland. We were very moved to see them, but we could not express our excitement in language, so we had to express it with local product from our hometown as gifts for them. It is funny that the translator between us is a Han Chinese Muslim. In Shigatse there is a popular saying: there is no need to use standard spoken language for nomads. We should not use Chinese as our standard spoken language. As for how to promote the standard language specifically, I am willing to support the movement and make effort to promote it. No matter what dialects from the Tibetan areas, if we pay more attention to and make effort to learn it, perhaps naturally it will become our standard spoken language.
  
  
• Sanggye: Religion is the hindrance, and it is the biggest problem for the Tibetan language. Sixty years ago how many schools were there in the entire Tibetan areas, and how many common people received education? How many Tibetans know the Law of the Universal Gravitation by Newton? But at that time there was no lack of talented persons in China! Let alone in the world! Religion determined that only in monasteries one could receive good education, but how about the others? They were all illiterates. One should know that majority of people would not become monks or nuns! The biggest problem is that people have not received education. If students in the past had already realized the problem, then perhaps our generation would not spend time to discuss the issue, instead, we will focus on how to safely and reasonably develop the resources in Tibet.It is true that language should be promoted from the schools, isn’t it? I am not saying religion is not good, here I am talking about the problem religion posed for the education of all people. Only if we correctly face history can we make any progress.
  
  
• Mchod: The problem is not the religion, but it is the people. What hinder the society is not the religion, but some people. Every country in the world has its own religion or religions, and they are equal in this sense. But, why they develop differently and they are so unequal? I think the problem lies in people themselves.