Lives on the Snowy Plateau

This new volume comprises more than 30 articles and 50 color photos. It is divided into four parts – “Families in Tibet”; “Backbone of the Snowy Land”; “The Second Homeland”; and “Spiritual Home.” It contains no thrills, fictional plots, or melodramatic conflicts. Like a documentary, it factually records the lives of different groups of people.

“Families in Tibet” is about everyday people in Tibet. Some were originally serfs who lived in extreme misery, but who now enjoy a life of plenty with their children and grandchildren. This section has stories about the residents of Yumai – a forest ranger in Nyingchi, an artist who uses a fountain pen to make sketches on Barkhor Street, and an elderly man who lived abroad for 35 years before resettling in Lhasa. Although their experiences may seem nothing out of the ordinary, they reflect the everyday lives of Tibetan people of different backgrounds.

“Backbone of the Snowy Land” depicts extraordinary individuals within varied fields. They include a doctor working on the steppe of northern Tibet, the first Chinese to scale the summit of Mount Qomolangma (Everest) from its northern slopes, a retired official who has witnessed the leapfrog development over the last 60 years of local education, a village head who led rural residents in shaking off poverty, and entrepreneurs and young soldiers stationed along the border. Their inspiring stories reflect the pride and satisfaction they feel in helping to develop their homeland.

“The Second Homeland,” much as the title suggests, is about those coming from all over the country to assist in the development of Tibet. A railway builder, a road maintenance worker, and a teacher in a village school, all are non-natives, yet feel a strong attachment to the land, having devoted their youth and energy to building Tibet into a better place.

“Spiritual Home” focuses on devout Tibetan Buddhists and the inheritors of Tibetan culture. Among them are lamas who renounce worldly concerns and commit to serving their gods, and a King Gesar storyteller, who wrote a sequel to the classic known as the “Homeric Epics of the East.” Each in their own way contributes to the construction of a new Tibet, and in its course demonstrates the power of faith.

The authors of the book are all senior reporters. They focus on the fine details, and take a documentary approach to recording these stories, transposing relatively abstract matters into real and convincing content. This enables readers to take a panoramic view of the real lives of people living and working in Tibet, and of their inner conflicts and struggles.

For international readers who have little knowledge about Tibet, this book, through its lively narratives, shows them the authentic Tibet, past and present. It also raises many scenarios of Tibetan culture, modern history and especially contemporary life. This book is a microcosm of present-day Tibet that encompasses all aspects of local life and society.

LI CHENXI is an editor at New World Press.