Travelling to
Tibet? 
SHOULD YOU GO?
Should you go to Tibet? Should you put money in Chinese coffers, thus indirectly
subsidising Chinese military bills in Tibet? Most of the tourist business is in the hands
of the Chinese -- and some of the travel agencies are run by the military. There is the
thorny question of lending legitimacy to Chinese government operations by visiting -- but
more important for the Tibetans is the moral support they get from visitors. Your mere
presence in Tibet provides a "buffer zone" in an ugly situation between Chinese
and Tibetans.
Tourists love monks. This is one of the great anomalies of tourism in Tibet: the
monasteries are kept open and operating because of tourist demand to see them. Apart from
Himalayan landscapes, the main tourist "attraction" in Tibet is in fact its
monks and monasteries, its Buddhist rituals and sutra-chanting. The Chinese really have no
difficulty with this -- they simply cash in on it. Apart from making a buck out of
Buddhism, the Chinese have absolutely no interest in Tibet's rich culture, its religion or
its language. If you go, you line the pockets of Chinese travel agents, hoteliers and
airline agents, but if you stay away, you isolate the Tibetans.
What to do? The position of the Tibetan exile leadership is to encourage tourism. When
asked about this ethical -- to go or not to go -- Nobel Peace Prize laureate the Dalai
Lama responded "yes, go to Tibet, go and see for yourself." He knows that any
Western visitor to Tibet will learn of conditions there and of the aspirations of Tibetans
-- and cannot fail to be moved by the experience, and will keep the Tibetan issue alive.
EXCERPTED from Tibet Travel Adventure Guide by Michael Buckley, copyright Michael Buckley 1999, all rights reserved; reprinted by permission
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Precious
Jewels of Tibet:
A Journey to the Roof of the World
by Jane Bay
Paperback (1998)
In her compelling memoir of personal transformation, Jane Bay takes us on a pilgrimage to India where we meet Tibetans, both exiles and those now suffering under Chinese oppression, and experience with her the liberating lessons of impermanence, compassion, commitment, and love. In this inspiring story, Bay's own metamorphosis is inextricably linked with the heroic struggle of the Tibetan people, and the Buddhist faith that is the source of their strength -- and her own.
Trekking in Tibet
by Gary McCue
Paperback (1991)
General information (phrases, dogs, photography, the "trots"..), route
descriptions, maps, natural history, culture, photos.
Annotation copyright Book News, Inc.
Portland, Or.
For centuries, Tibet has been the prize destination of determined explorers from England, Russia, and many other countries attempting to claim her for their own. Now, the widely acclaimed author of The Great Game presents a compelling history of the exploration of Tibet from the 19th century up to the present day.
Excellent coverage of the first outside researchers to visit Chinese Turkestan (Xinkiang) in hundreds of years. These were men who braved extreme hardships to explore one of the world's most desolate places, the Taklamakan Desert. Hopkirk avoids a blanket condemnation of those who removed to other countries the old Buddhist wall paintings/manuscripts/etc., noting that at least some of it would have been ruined had it stayed -- and had been ruined. Hopkirk also follows up on some of the interesting side issues: were the Japanese "archeologists" really spies, for instance. And he brings the reader up to date on what happened to the old treasures and where they are now, noting that much of what was once buried in the Taklamakan is now buried in storage at the British Museum. This is not a large book but I suspect a lot of research went into it. Concise, informative, and entertaining.
From the Author
The finds and relics of my extensive explorations include antiquities, silk paintings,
manuscript remains in Sanskrit and Prakrit, Kharoshti Documents, ancient textiles, remains
of the prehistoric pottery and porclain, Coins, tapestries, stone implements, Chinese
paintings found in tombs and caves. I have also narrated geographical and anthropological
details of the region. It proves to the present day scholars the fact that the growth and
development of civilisation had a very close link between China and India on the one hand,
and between China to Mongolia, Russian Turkistan, Pamirs, Kashgar and upper Oxus down to
Bokhara and Samarkand on the other hand.
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