"What is Happiness?" By Woeser

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by Woeser that was originally written for Radio Free Asia on February 16, 2010 in Lhasa and posted on her blog on February 22, 2010.

This is the first time Woeser has returned to Lhasa since her brief stay in August 2008 that ended in several hours of detention and an unexpectedly rapid return to Beijing.

In her blogpost, Woeser refers to the annual Tibetan New Year gala in Lhasa that is broadcast on TV. The gala is typically an extravagant spectacle of a show, comprised of special guest performances, songs, dances and comedy sketches. This year, the theme of the gala was 'happiness', hence the title of Woeser's blogpost. For High Peaks Pure Earth readers who have never seen this gala before, a hard-working YouTube user has uploaded the gala in its entirety in 52 parts (!) here.

In the blogpost, Woeser also mentions young Tibetan poet from Amdo Gade Tsering (sometimes the spelling Gadai Tsering from the Chinese pinyin is used). Gade Tsering's popularity amongst Tibetans has been demonstrated through the plethora of votes he received during the online poll "2009 Tibetan Personality of the Year".

"What is Happiness?" By Woeser

What is happiness? For me it is going back to Lhasa, where I have been away from for a long time, eating tsampa my mother kneaded, embracing my bright-eyed little niece, polishing the purified water bowl in the family altar room or enjoying the balmy sunlight on the balcony, being watched by the family’s shepherd dog, whose barking almost makes one go deaf. Happiness can also be found in the nights of the cold season, falling asleep to the authentic fragrance fromMindroling Monastery…at these moments I felt happiness, the simple happiness of someone living far away from home.

The young poet, Gade Tsering, who lives in Amdo, recently wrote about happiness in one of his poems. The title of the poem is “I am Tibetan”. He didn’t only write: “in this despotic winter, I composed this poem”, having lost both his parents, he also wrote: “I encountered my parents in my dream, it was a moment of happiness. I truly believe that at that instant, it really didn’t hurt”. This bilingual poet also wrote: “when I spoke my mother tongue, I truly believe that at that instant, I felt peaceful, and experienced happiness”. This is a feeling that derives from life experience; this kind of happiness is personal, with tears in one’s eyes.

On the first day of the Losar Year of the Tiger, when I went to Jokhang Temple to pay homage to the Buddha, the sky was still dark before daybreak. I hadn’t thought that the religious crowd praying to Buddha would be that large; there was a jostling and long-winding queue, I simply cannot describe how many Tibetans there were from near and far.

I don’t know from what time they had gathered together at this place, step by step approaching the comforting and popular Jowo Rinpoche. Based on my past experience that I would always spend the New Year’s eve at the Jokhang, I have often seen such scenes of an excited mass of bobbing heads, of moving human shadows, of thundering human voices, with the Jowo Rinpoche, having experienced many vicissitudes of life, watching the devout crowd in golden radiant light. True, this is a moment of happiness. Witnessing such a scene, one could even see affection on the faces of the most heartless people; they would even hide the daggers, which they carried in their hands behind their backs.

But this time, I could only experience such scenes in my memory. I had already queued for almost 4 hours, but the first gate of the Jokhang was still far away and I had something to do at home, so I could only turn back half way. Anyway, I had already felt the pulsation of my fellow people. Yet, I am not talking about those old and young people wearing sheepskin gowns, woollen clothes from Tibet or fashionable clothes from the metropolis, I am also not talking about those herdswomen in front of me who braided their hair into many small plaits, I am talking about those people who are dressed in green and dark blue army uniforms and those who wear plain clothes but are assigned special tasks. There are so many of these people, is it to the extent that every person praying has one armed police closely watching and guarding over them?

However, for example, the Tibetan New Year’s celebration broadcast on TV a few days ago, was nothing but red. All programmes were excessively conveying one main message: happiness. Of course this happiness was also red, the red of the Five-Starred red flag, it was China Red. Moreover, on and off the stage, the rosy cheeks of the hosts and the actors, of the officials and the carefully selected audience were beaming with happy smiles, simply creating an atmosphere of happiness that Tibet has never before experienced in its history. One of the performances gave people goosebumps of happiness. A group of actresses wearing Tibetan dresses was facing a group of actors singing with great affection: “Ya, laso, the smiling faces of the soldiers...” The charm of the full femininity of the performance flooded the entire city of Lhasa with a false sense of happiness, but in reality it can’t endure even a gun held in one hostile soldier’s hands.

Hasn’t this happiness befallen us through the shadow of weapons? Can this happiness really exist simply by forcing people to speak it out? I have previously discussed these topics with my religious teacher. He calmly said in the manner of a practising Buddhist: “real happiness is inner happiness, and inner happiness cannot be obtained through money, it can neither be obtained through lies and even less through the oppression with weapons.” He paused, straightened his robes and continued meaningfully: “however, happiness is what everybody is striving for.”

Lhasa, February16, 2010

"A Year in Tibet: Not At All Unexpected ‘Foreign Publicity’" by Woeser

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by Woeser originally written for Radio Free Asia on August 12, 2009 and posted on her blog on August 19.

Above: Screenshots advertising "A Year in Tibet" from China Tibet Information Center  

Above: "A Year in Tibet", BBC and CCTV versions

"A Year in Tibet: Not At All Unexpected ‘Foreign Publicity’" by Woeser

Recently, from CCTV to the Nanfang Zhoumo (Southern Weekend newspaper), the Chinese media were full of praise for a documentary titled “A Year in Tibet”. One critique was particularly thought-provoking calling the documentary “unexpected ‘foreign publicity’”. Here, ‘foreign publicity’ refers to propaganda targeted at foreigners and even though it was written in quotation marks, I couldn’t help but immediately think of the Chinese Department for External Propaganda.

As a matter of fact, there are two different versions of this five episodes long documentary: the BBC version and the CCTV version; the associated book also exists in English and in Chinese. I watched the BBC documentary and read the Chinese edition of the book. I noticed two particular points about the documentary: firstly, there is a slight difference between these two versions. It is said that every episode of the CCTV version is 12 minutes shorter than the BBC one and some of the commentary has also been modified. Secondly, although both versions differ from each other, the Chinese media have credited the CCTV version with some of the same comments the BBC version received, for example the remark: “obtained the West’s and the Dalai Lama’s approval”.

Now, what is the main effect of editing out 20% of each episode? And in terms of conveying certain contents, how was the commentary modified? Moreover, can these things really be regarded as insignificant? Judging from my experience and knowledge of living in China, I believe that one should by no means ignore such details. It is just like what the Chinese independent intellectual Ran Yunfei said when he criticised the claim that China had so-called “independent think-tanks”: “in a country with strict thought control and without freedom of speech, an independent think-tank cannot exist, there only exists a ‘septic tank’ that only praises the government, glossing over and covering up its own defects and blemishes – I believe that it should be mere common knowledge and the most basic judgement to recognise this Chinese reality. However, if one says things contrary to the reality, then one must either be really blind, or rather consciously choose to be selectively blind.”

One does not even have to refer to only films on sensitive topics such as Tibet; for instance, taking the volume “Modern Chinese History” written by an historian residing in the US as an example. When it was published in mainland China, although it was claimed that only “appropriate and cautious editing work had been carried out”, compared to the original edition published in Hong Kong, a great number of parts had been either obliterated or modified, even to the point where scholars teasingly called it “one country, two editions”. I spoke to Shuyun, the producer and director of “A Year in Tibet”, and during the recent phone conversation, she implicitly expressed her sense of being helpless about some parts being deleted, and with regards to the Chinese edition of the book, she admitted to me in a letter that “in the published version, some parts that touched my deepest emotions have unfortunately been obliterated.” I expressed my understanding, but now I think, this sort of understanding in itself cannot be normal, knowing that it has clearly been edited, how can one then claim ownership for the reviews, which the English version received?

Two years ago, Shuyun told me about the film, which at the time was still in the making. She also mentioned that the China Tibetology Research Centre, which is a subdivision of the United Front Department of the Party Central Committee, would be involved in the project from the beginning to the end. To be honest, when such an evidently dubious academic department with very explicit ideology is involved, I very much doubt that the documentary can hold a very high level of impartiality, authenticity, and objectivity. Even such a work unit as the editorial bureau of the magazine “Tibetan Literature”, I know that every time they make their way to the countryside to collect folk songs and tales, every department has to give the green light. Thus, it will be more so for a production unit coming from Beijing, which also has the China Tibetology Research Centre in the background. How can an artwork created under such conditions really possess any independent spirit? It is hardly surprising that in the book “A Year in Tibet” we encounter one particular feature: an elderly Tibetan asks the production unit of the documentary for a favour, he wants his son who is a ngakpa (a tantric practitioner) to become a member of the county’s CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) National Committee. This is to show that the production unit “and the county’s leaders are very familiar with each other”.

Also, when they film the “Han Panchen Lama” recognized by the Chinese government or when she portrays him in the book, it seems that the film and the book wants to show the Tibetan people’s strong belief in him. There are indeed many Tibetans who take a khatag and queue up to have this little child bless them by touching their heads, but they only do this because apart from being able to obtain a reward from the authorities in form of an extra allowance, they might also be faced with disciplinary warnings of severe punishment if they don’t do it. Were the filmmakers actually aware of all these essential and important factors? In view of this, it is also hardly surprising that, as it is reported in China, the film’s supervisor, also the Vice-Director General of the China Tibetology Research Centre, Gelek, admits that “A Year in Tibet” is successfully carried out 'foreign publicity' by the respective government departments in charge. Also, the documentary fits in with the Chinese Propaganda Department’s line from a few years ago: when the Chinese Propaganda Department held a discussion in response to “the Dalai Clique has long established public relations and has engaged in distorting publicity [in the west], one Ph.D. holder said: “Publicity materials should be written for the foreigners to read, thus, we have to ponder over the Westerners’ way of thinking and language habits. We need to penetrate their language system so as to say whatever we want to say.”

Tibetan Bloggers Lament

The Tibetan blogs are now coming alive with posts and there is a great deal of excitement and celebration about the return of the websites.

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated two posts, one is a short report criticising Tibetan cadres and a longer post presenting an interesting critique of Losar (Tibetan New Year) celebrations that was broadcast on TV.

It is interesting to note the recent changes in content of the songs and comedy sketches. However, we are not sure whether the blogger is referring to the Qinghai or TAR New Year's Eve broadcast. The Qinghai broadcast can be seen on YouTube here.



'Tibetan Cadres Working for the Chinese Government'
http://www.tibetabc.cn/u/nba2007/archives/2009/2009323223345.html

Most of the Tibetan officials in the Chinese government use their posts and power to insult people of their own race and become servants to others.

Taking pride in this kind of work, selling land and closing companies are becoming evident: the sale of the of weaving factory by official Rinchen Gyal of Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and the sale of the Tibetan Middle School's land by school head Benta.

Aren't we allowed to voice our protest about these things.



'Patriotic Education'

Comments on the New Year's Eve TV Show by Nyal Mechag (gnyal me lcags)
http://www.tibetabc.cn/u/niexuedawa/archives/2009/200932310106.html

Because of my great interest in listening to music and watching dance on TV, I liked to enjoy the New Years Eve Show on TV. As usual I was eager to watch the TV show with high expectations. However, I did not expect that this year’s TV show would leave so many uncomfortable feelings in my heart. The prevailing content of patriotic education wrapped the theme of the whole show from the beginning to the end. The main theme of the show was supposed to praise the outcome of good policies and the improvement of living conditions after the so-called peaceful liberation and democratic reform in Tibet. One thing we should keep our mind on is that there is hardly a piece of the show that does not contain an element of patriotic education. It seems that the wounds in the hearts of the people from the Cultural Revolution have disappeared completely.

As a matter of fact, there are ample things in Tibet which we should appreciated. There are also many problems that should be addressed before the public. Being writers of lyrics and plays, it is not the right way to act like a one-eyed cow eating the grass and telling only one side of the story. Those folks who claimed themselves as the advancers, mouthpiece of the masses and the engineers of human souls have already forgotten their obligation of telling the truth. They are trying to escape from reality. This is a huge tragic moment in our history.

Language and script are the soul of a nation. It would be the great loss of a nation if its language is not preserved and widely used by the people. If a nation cannot carry on its culture by using its own language, then the nation will eventually die out and what will remain behind is just an empty name. My heart suffers tremendously by the fact that Tibetans are forced to use an alien language while having their own language.

It is unquestionable that TV shows in Tibetan areas should target the Tibetan audience so that more and more programmes in Tibetan language can be shown. On the contrary, this year’s TV show displayed even more songs and short sketches in Chinese than in the Tibetan language. I consider this an abuse of the Tibetan language. I describe the people who were involved in the performance as a group of folks who were beating up his or her own head by neglecting their own language.

Tibetans are becoming miserable people now. Although our body is nourished by the circulation of the blood of the red-faced people, and our bone marrow is made of mountain snow, unfortunately we are encouraging our children to learn Chinese, as well as English, instead of our Tibetan language. Many people who are Tibetan are so proud of altering some Chinese words and mixing Chinese words when they speak publicly.

We Tibetans compromise our own interests all the time. For instance, at the New Year’s Eve TV show, all the singers, namely Yadong, Yongdrong Gyal, Tanzin and Tsering Samdrub sang their songs in Chinese and 80% songs of the TV show were sung in Chinese. It was even worse to see an entire short TV sketch written in Chinese which intentionally prejudices Tibetan language, makes fun of Tibetan words and harms the beauty of the Tibetan language. It is worth quoting a statement from the short TV sketch here: “As a Tibetan, it is shameful not to speak Chinese”; they tried to translate this TV sketch into Tibetan to convince people, but the audience found that it was nothing more than a meaningless stage farce in the end.

One of the sad things about the sketch is that the author of this TV sketch is a well-known Tibetan writer from the region. This guy has no sense of responsibility for his nation. I consider this kind of person, nothing more than a criminal who tramples on the language of the Tibetan nation.