TIBET'S LAST CARAVAN WITH TRANSPORTING SALT(Ⅱ)

After a gap of four days, we came across the caravan again. We picked an optimal point and took a picture of the marching caravan with the snow-capped mountain as its backdrop. While the caravan was plodding along, Galsang Wangdui was not idle, as he was busy in twisting wool into strings with a 1/3rd of a meter-long stick until they became strong ropes. When we finished photographing the caravan of Galsang Wangdui, we advanced ahead to locate the caravan. Soigya was shuttling among the cara…     

LUNCH ON THE TALL MOUNTAIN

正Although Mt.Dzongla is situated 4,481 meters above sea level and is also where the No.317 national highway passes through,the peak itself is actually a rather flat terrain.Crossing over the bealock,we saw about a dozen local people dressed in traditional clothes as they sat across a mountain hill,their heads capped with identical hats.As I came up and greeted them,I noticed that there was a large,flat saucepan with boiling black tea inside in     

SCENES IN NGARI

<正>My first pilgrimage to a holy mountain was paid in 2002 to Mt.Niuxin,known as Ami Dongsor meaning the God of All Mountains in the Tibetan language,located in the Mt.Qilian,Qinghai Province.At that moment,I was shocked by the stately holy mountain.A man who gets in close contact with a mountain shares a mutual silence in the end.This silence is for the sake of contemplation and meditation,rather than simple sightseeing.My     

NEWS IN BRIEF

After crossing a wooden bridge covered in dust, we arrived at a transportation station and post office built of wooden boards and sheet iron. This was Wanwo,and we had lunch there.     

Tang Stele at the Snowy Foot of the Mountain - A Series of Archeological Trips in Gyirong County

At the northern flank of the downtown of Gyirong County, a mountain valley heads from south to north directly to Mt. Mala. Overlooking the valley to the north, the snowy mountain range pops into view. In the past the valley was the traffic artery for the Gyirong to communicate with the outside world. After the 1960s, Gyirong built its modern road. This valley was naturally erased from people＇s memory. On the way out of the valley two mountains, opposite to each other, are facing the extensive Gyirong basin. One of the mountain precipices features a small platform, known as ＂Ngawang Gyaye＂ （meaning ＂the name of the father＂）. Twenty years ago, it was at this point that I, with my fellow members of an archeological study, found the well-     

GIVING OUT BUTTER

<正>"Hello!"Aunt Sonam called to us,carrying her grandson on her back.Her full-throated greeting resounded through the air.If we did not heed her,her waving arm would drop solemnly like leave wilted by the sun.Every villager here is warm like that.After climbing up the singletrunk ladder in Aunt Sonam's home,the first thing you see is a barrel for churning butter with a diameter     

AN ANCIENT NINE-STOREY TOWER IN THE SAMKHAR GUTHOK MONASTERY——An Archeological Study in Lhozhag

Samkhar Guthok, a famous and historic monastery, is situated in a mountain valley in Sai Town of Lhozhag County where it is an isolated paradise surrounded by thick forest and a splendid landscape. In order to take a panoramic picture of the sunrise over the Samkhar Guthok Monastery, the archeological team got up very early, accompanied by Lozang, the director of the Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs for Lhozhag County, and climbed to the top of a mountain where the ancient monastery could be easily seen from above. The view before us was unique and magnificent.     

LETTERS SENT FAR AWAY

正I was 13 years old in 1985 when I was selected as one of the first students to go to school in mainland China.I passed my exams and was sent to a province in the northeast to finish my education,and a great number of vast mountain ranges and rivers separated me from my mother.     

Anecdotes Regarding Humans and Bears in the North Grassland of Tibet

There are many anecdotes and legends amongst Tibetans concerning encounters between human beings, bears and marmots. One of them tells of the merciful old monkey who married an ogress and she gave birth to three brothers. The elder one was a bear with a white chest. He lived on a mountain summit and looked strong and brave. The youngest was a yellow marmot with four short legs that enabled him to move easily in and out of an underground hole. The second one was human being, and treated as the family treasure because he was smart and ingenious. Naturally, he became the family master.     

Beyond Naiduila Mountain

Editor＇s Note： On July 6, 2006, Naiduila. a mountain pass connecting Tibet＇s Yadong County and Sikkim. was unusually busy attracting much attention from the wodd media. On that day, Sino-Indian border trade, halted for as long as 44 years, was formally reopened. The reopening of Naiduila mountain pass symbolizes a new start for both China and India in their steadily improving relations.     

On the Relationship between the Central Government and the Local Government of Tibet in the Late Qing Dynasty

After the Opium War in 1840, China was more and more semi-colonized. Around the turn of the 20th century, the national strength of the Qing Empire was quickly weakening. As a result, the Qing Court exercised a weaker rule over Tibet, and its political relationship with Tibet was consequently affected. On the problems of how to resist foreign invasions and how to handle Tibet's internal affairs, the Qing Court and     

Tenzin Dances with Geese

Intoxicated by the charming snow-capped mountain peaks surrounding the lake I relaxed,I took out my camera and started to shoot.Suddenly,a beautiful song was carried to me on     

Home Visits

Once the work team had settled in, we started visiting the villagers in their homes to get the lay of the land. There are four unincorporated villages in Yerpa： Gogo and Yulo are downstream on the east bank of Nujiang River; Sengo, the one in the middle, is the seat of the village committee, and Dangran Village, a hour＇s walk from Sengo （upstream and to the west） is the smallest and most remote. Accordingto old statistics, there was a population of 489 in the 78 households in Yerpa Village. That made it a relatively big administrative village. It is also typical of the eastern river valley region of Tibet, with features such as deep valleys, steep mountains, a widely dispersed population over a wide area, the shortage of arable land, a dry climate and lack of transport facilities. Currently a road runs past the village but there is still no electricity, telecommunications, schools, medical services.., or safe drinking water. In the past people had to use a cable slide to cross the Nujiang River and then walk another 10 kilometers to get to Junyong Village in Dombang Township of Dzogong County. In order to continue on to the county seat of Dzogong there was another steep mountain to climb. On looking up from Yerpa Village, the highway was like a thread hanging from the clouds. The villagers used to climb Khekela on the other side of Nujiang River to reach Temtok Town of Dzogong County. Our legs almost gave way just from looking at that narrow trail. But the villagers had to rely on it to go to the nearest town for selling produce and shopping. Sometimes they would return on the same day. Our visit started from the village of Dangran. Since it was farthest from where we were, we decided to tackle the hard stuff first. Dangran Village had sent several horses and mules to us so we could use them to carry our gifts, plus a bottle of cooking oil bought in the county seat, for each family. On the gravel road that doubled as a water channel, the horses were fine but the mules liked to head for the thorn bushes by the roadside.     

The Wildlife and the Local Residents in Barling Town of Changtang Natural Reserve

The clear,tranquil,turquoise-colored Chixiang Tso Lake lies in a picturesque land.About noon,the sunlight sparkles on the lake.One of the vehicles' coming to a stop inside the government compound of Barling Town,we finally feel comforted by observing the serene and blue-colored lake.After half a day of traveling,at last we can relax.     

The Wildlife and the Local Residents in Barling Town of Changtang Natural Reserve

The clear,tranquil,turquoise-colored Chixiang Tso Lake lies in a picturesque land.About noon,the sunlight sparkles on the lake.One of the vehicles' coming to a stop inside the government compound of Barling Town,we finally feel comforted by observing the serene and blue-colored lake.After half a day of traveling,at last we can relax.     

Kegyia Village of Ngari Today

After leaving the Burangcounty seat, we headed forKegyia Village, the lastcommunity that we investi-gated in Ngari. It is a Tibetanrural area with relatively concentrated pop-ulation and has a traditional cultural envi-ronment with a monastery as its center.Transport links are good so it is possiblereach the border with Nepal directly.Kegyia lies 11 km southeast of BurangCounty in the Ngari district with a popula-tion of 650 and is the site of the townshipgovernment is at Kegyia Village.K…     

HISTORY ENGRAVED ON THE STONES-Tubo Stone Inscription in Lhodrak——The 2~(nd) Record of Archeological Studies in Lhodrak

<正>Lhodrak Town is a small town on the border of the Tibet Autonomous Region(TAR) in China.This is a peaceful and beautiful town stretching from east to west along the Lhodrak River between a mountain and the river.The Xungqu River of Lhodrak runs day and night from the town to the distant border.The end of the downtown of the county seems to be the end of the access.Nevertheless,a single road suddenly appears before you,zigzagging to the village and surrounded by rich forest.In the morning when the fog is still lying on the land,we have     

Body Rainbow

Chapter Four The next morning, Phubu was awoken up by a group of monkeys fighting over peas and barley in the field. It was broad daylight. The long calls of the so-called ＂slow birds＂ came from afar. Phubu looked over to the bed to check on Phnmo and saw her sitting cross-legged and chanting sutras. Phumo saw him get up, so she got off the bed, took out a handful of dried apricots, opened the door, and threw them to the monkeys who, instead of running away when they saw her, came up to her chattering. Fearing that they would climb up and steal things, Phubu drew them away. The morning sun rose from the mountains by the Nujiang River in the east. After a good night＇s sleep, Phumo felt much better and had a nice breakfast. After the sun had reached the whole valley, they set out. Phubu carefully dowsed the fire in the stove and cleaned the Tsampa crumbs off the stove. He made sure everything was in order before leaving after fastening the door to prevent those cunning monkeys from entering and making a mess there. Having finished this, Phubu then put the ladder away in the barn on the ground floor to shield it from sun and rain, put the bags on his back and ran after Phumo. Other than a short fur jacket, Phubu was dressed in modern Chinese-style clothes that were more convenient for walking, but Phumo did not want to give up her a cumbersome long dress. Phubu was determined to make her put on the pants he prepared for her once they reach the paved road, otherwise when they start prostrating, she would most likely trip over her long dress, and bave a nasty fall. Phubu soon caught up with Phumo. She walked rather briskly through the forest with a stick picked up from by the road. They breathed in deeply the fresh air of the forest in the morning.., and gained strength from it. Phumo said, ＂Now I＇m feeling much better. I want to start prostrating.＂ Phubu objected, ＂Wait a minute. Haven＇t we already agreed on it？ We don＇t prostrate on Dosenla Mountain. The mountaintop is covered with snow now. It is hard to find a spot to spend the night up there. We＇d better get to the township today.＂ Phumo thought for a while, and agreed. They crossed the forest and climbed up to an alpine meadow. On a gentle slope facing the sun, lots of marmots were standing straight, basking in the sunshine. When the two of them got close, the marmots quickly jumped back into their burrows. Phumo and Phubu carefully avoided the holes on the snow-covered ground, and reached the mountaintop. Dosenla Mountain has a long ridge. The peak in the east is called Dosen and the one sitting five kilometres to the west is Doshong. Once they were on Dosen, a strong west wind blew straight at them. Phumo staggered, Phubu held her, and they rested in the sheltered side by the Mani stones on the peak. Phubu took out his thermos, a gift from a Chinese friend of his in Lhasa. He poured hot tea into the cap, and they enjoyed the heart-warming drink. Phumo took out the prayer banners from their luggage and was about to hang them with other prayer banners on the peak. Phubu stopped her, ＂We＇ll be passing by many mountains. If you start hanging them now, we won＇t have enough for later.＂ ＂I＇ll leave them at the right places. There＇s no such thing as ＇not enough＇.＂ Phumo replied. Phubu had no choice but to help Phumo hang the banners in the strong wind. ＂Let＇s not hang the wind-horse banners here, at least wait until we get to Doshong.＂Phubu said. ＂OK.＂Phumo strode forth. The small path from Dosen to Doshong winds along the high mountain ridge. If looked at from afar, Phumo and Phubu were like two moving exclamation marks. Then some ellipsis points appeared behind them. Those were the three sons of Gar Phuntsok of Sengo Village. They went up the mountain to collect logs, and were now coming back down. They were going to build new houses in the winter. ＂A hard trip, isn＇t it？＂ said Sonam, Gar Phuntsok＇s eldest son, when he caught up with them. Phubu didn＇t react, so Phumo answered in haste, ＂No problem＂ Not knowing what else to say, she asked, ＂Carrying logs＂ ＂Yep,＂ Sonam said, ＂Patri and his company have gone for over two months. What kept you so long＂ Sonam and his brothers had been working at their county seat; they did not know what was going on in the village. ＂We just finished the farm work at home.＂ Phumo replied. Sonata and his brothers were famous for their good looks in the village. They got that from their beautiful mother. Sonam used to be Phumo＇s childhood sweetheart, a fact the narrow-minded Phubu had never let go. The Sonam brothers were all married and had children now, but rumour had it that they were getting a divorce, because their wife was a tough woman who ran a tight ship     

Taking Pictures for the Villagers

The township sent out a notice that all villagers should be photographed as part of the datacollection effort for the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme （NCMS） and it was hoped that the work team could help carry this out. We all wanted to help, but knew that it would not be easy. It was during a busy farming season, so it was difficult to gather the villagers （most of whom were busy working in the fields）. First we set up a simple photography studio in the village committee. The only piece of equipment we owned was a tripod and we used the bare wall of the committee building as a backdrop for the photos. As the day drew to a close, the villagers came in twos and threes, most of them straight from the fields. Then facilities for villagers to freshen-up were provided, including a basin of water, towels, and comb for them to tidy up before the shoot. But the villagefolks were often too shy to wash up in front of us, and even after our gentle persuasion, they would just splash some water on their faces. Sometimes, we, the photographers, had to help them with their hair and general appearance. Fortunately, they were completely at ease with that.     

HISTORICAL TESTIMONY FROM TIBETAN PREHISTORIC AGRICULTURE - AN ARCHEOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE TRANGO RUIN IN LHOKA PREFECTURE

<正>Suddenly the sealed asphalt road disappeared.The off-road vehicles drove along the north bank of the Yarlung Zangpo River in a mountain valley.In the distance,we could see the undulating mountain ranges changing shape as our vehicles moved along the riverbank.Gedun explained that those were the mountain ranges of Gokhlariju Mountain.