An Essay on the Tradition of Tibetan Tea

One day, I was searching the Internet to find a gift for a distant friend. As I browsed lists of teas, immediately I foundsomething that has been regarded as a necessity of life since I was young and nowadays had been packaged as an attractive gift or collectables. It is the Tibetan tea.     

We Want to Do the Same Thing

At first, Liu Yuan gave me the impression that she must be a ＂health nut＂ because at the dining table, she drank neither wine nor other beverages, just tea. She started her meal with vegetables and finished it with meat. I asked her what she had studied and, as expected, she answered ＇medicine＇. I continued by , asking her how to refuse a toast.., and she gave me the simple response： ＂insist＂. As we returned to Songpan from Hongyuan and Ruoergai, Lv Qiang, Director of the New Lotus Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus Base, Liu Yuan and her two post-graduate students had been waiting for us in the Chuandrnp Monastery for some time. Soon, we were taken to the base. It should have been Lv Qiang that hosted the meeting but Liu Yuan interrupted now and then, trying to introduce their common ＂treasures＂ by herself： F.unibracteata Hsiao et K.C.Hsia, F.unibraeteata Hsiao et K. C. Hsiavar. wabuensis （S. Y. Tang et S. C.Yue）, Z. D. Liu, S. Wang et and S. C. Chen, Rheum offieinale, Notopterygiumincisium Ting, and so on. Her quiek temper, wit and speech led me to suppose that she must walk and work very fast. When we finally had an opportunity to sit down together and In 2002, Liu Yuan was awarded a PhD in Chinese Pharmacology by Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. At that time, the Southwest University for Nationalities was trying a project to ＂recruit talent＂. Among the 238 people who were accepted that year, she was the only PhD candidate and received a ＂settling-in＂ allowance of 30 thousand Yuan as and a scientific research fund of another 30 thousand. While nursing her three month-old daughter, she took the position of adviser for two classes and studied in the meanwhile. That year, she published a dozen thesis, such as Thin.layer Chromatography of Three Ligusticum Species： Naixiong, Shah Chuanxiong and Chuan Xiong （L. Wallichii）. In 2003, in spite of a normal procedure, she was appointed Associate Professor by the university and initiated a precedent amongst the teachers that someone could be Associate Professor just one year later after graduation as a PhD. She was then aged 35. In the same year, Liu Yuan began to give lectures on Medicinal Plants and Traditional Chinese Medicine. ＂I prefer to be a teacher, because I like the feeling of standing before a class. I can give my students all that I know. Maybe sometimes they cannot understand a thing I say, but my enthusiasm and my love for what I teach will affect them, and lead them into study. For a teacher, it is the greatest satisfaction and achievement＂ Both her courses include content to identify primitive medicines so Liu Yuan was not satisfied to only teach in a classroom： she therefore decided to take her students out for a practice class.     

THE RELIGION—the Gthen Way of Exessian of the Human,Ghast and Dininity

In the outer circle of the Barkor Street,Lhasa City of Tibet,a gallery named as＂Art Gallery of Traditional Handcrafts＂is located,specializing by making clay sculptures and masks. Surprisingly,two artisans have the same name as Penpa who are working for this gallery.For the sake of easily identifying them, people are used to calling the elder one as senior Penpa,and the young one as junior Penpa.Their common perspective might be that they both have already worked for making masks for 12 years.They,by     

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.     

棕熊扎西和卓玛的故事

June 22,2011,as I stood near Yushu Airport in the midst of lofty mountains,I had the opportunity to take the thin air of the highland once again into my nostrils.All of a sudden,my eyes fell upon a group of paramedics moving a stretcher and rushing toward a waiting plane.I heard later that the man on the stretcher had been attacked by a brown bear when he was out in the field digging around for caterpillar fungus.He was being airlifted to Xining,the capital of Qinghai.     

KHAMPA'S “STANDING BUSINESS MARKET” AT THE TROMSIGKANG MARKET

<正>Abogyalyu,a Khampa Businessman It has been almost thirty years since I first became acquainted with Abogyalyu.That was during a visit to Kunming when I acted as a casual interpreter for him.I was asked to meet him in his luxury hotel room in a booming part of the downtown     

A Thousand-Year-Old in Nyomo Town

On hearing several times that there is a thousand-year-old walnut tree in Nyamo Town in Shigatse, I was curious, as I had never heard of a thousand year old tree in my life, except for cypress and ginkgo in my hometown. I have not had a chance to have a look at it but heard lots of both legends and true stories about this tree. In awe and expectation, I paid a visit to see the thousand-year walnut tree. I remember in my hometown there is an old tree which people referred to as the ＂divine tree＂. Every time 1 visited this divine tree, my heart was always in awe. I even dared not to get too close and only watched it from a distance because I was afraid of giving any offense to the holy tree. People say every divine tree would change to another kind. But in my memory, since I was a child, I did not see any trees change species, which I actually found disappointing.     

Circles AND CYCLES

正Coming to Tibet I came to Tibet in the normal way,that is,the normal way for many of the workers and students coming to Tibet:42hours on a train from Chengdu to Lhasa.Also,like many of the workers and students,I had a ticket for a hard seat.     

WHERE DOES THE SOUL GO?

Ngari, tucked away at an elevation of 4,500 meters, is known for its remoteness. In July 2002,I was offered a chance to revisit the remote area for the first time in 10 years.1 went there mainly out of a desire to return to the great nature. Like many others, I yearned for a chance to escape the workaday life and seek the opportunities offered by a region that has barely been touched by human beings.     

An Interview with Professors Tang Cheng and Yue Hua

On the morning of May 16th in the Village of Jarlama, in the Township Village of Achok in the County of Hongyuan, our interview team finally found Professor Tang Cheng and his team members. They are experts on veterinary medicine from the School of Life Sciences and Technology in theSouthwest University for Nationalities. Threes days before, Professor Tang Cheng received a call from the prairie to Chengdu Campus and was told that a group of yak calves had diarrhea. As soon as he put down the phone, Professor Tang began to organize his students, packed experimental equipment for them, and drove for the highland. Before we arrived at Hongyuan, they had been working on the plateau for two days.     

An Antelope of Fashion

I first encountered chiru during a wildlife survey in Qinghai in 1985.At that time,I was only aware that they lived on the high Tibetan Plateau,most of them between 4300-5000m in elevation and that they were confined to China,except for a few that strayed into India.     

Tibetan Mastiffs in Yushu

A Tibetan Mastiff-Tanggya When I was a teenager,my family had a baby mastiff.Because a lock natural of white hair decorated the mastiff's chest,he was given the name"Tanggya".I remember Tanggya was a big dog when I was still a little girl. Whenever he stood on his hind legs,he seemed as tall as my father.When guests came to visit,he always jumped on them and barked constantly. Only my father could briefly calm him down,and nobody amongst our siblings dared to get close to him.Tanggya was never released u...     

DORJE SHUGDEN PRACTITIONERS' SEGREGATION BY THE DALAI LAMA——A REPORT FROM ROME

<正>December 17,2014I,as a stonemason from Tibet,for the first time,am visiting the ancient city of Rome,Italy known for thousands of massive,impressive marble and granite stone structures.We saw the Vatican,the Basilica and then to the Coliseum and many others.The stone work and art here with     

The LAST SWIFT COURIER CHIKYA

<正>The information revolution has brought changes to the traditional lives of Tibetans and makes communication with outsiders very much more convenient for them.It can be seen as a revolution in communication.But recently,I have     

The Authentic Record of the Livelihood of Tibetans Living on the Snowy Plateau-The documentary ＂A Year in Tibet＂ Attracts Worldwide Attention

＂This year, I have seemingly become a famous movie star as my name is well-known amongst many overseas tourists traveling to Gyantse. It is incredible to me that this documentary series had such a great influence after being broadcasted all over theworld. I remember the time when Sun Shuyun （the director of the documentary） came to invite me to be the main character of the documentary and be followed everyday with a camera behind me. To some extent, I did feel frustrated during that particular period.＂     

SHEEP, GOATS, PIGS, CALVES AND DUCKS IN THE HOUSE OF THE LADY IN GIRSU （2400 B.C.） —— STUDIES ON OLD SUMERIAN ARCHIVES FROM GIRSU PART 4

In JAC 19, I investigated Lists of Monthly Barley-Wheat Distributions and Allowances （se-gar ziz-gar sa-dug4 itid-da）, with regard to the types and amount of fodder provided to donkeys from the rule of Enentarzi to the end years of Urukagina. In this paper, I found that from Urukagina Year 5, ii （2^nd month）, the daily fodder for donkeys, and the number of types of donkeys, were greatly reduced. Economic decline occurred in the reign of Urukagina, king of Lagash, from the fifth year on, possibly as a result of political decline. The fact that the archive of the House of The Lady ends in Urukagina＇s seventh year may imply that it is in this year that Lugalzaggesi, king of Umma, captured Lagash and Girsu.     

With Transporting Salt(V) TIBET'S LAST CAR AVAN——SETTING OUT FROM THE SALT LAKE

After finishing gathering salt, the next step was to carry it home. Because the salt-carrying cattle had been tied up the previous day, the caravan should by rights have set out well before dawn according to habit, Director Tan asked Galsang Wangdui to delay the departure until daylight so as to provide a filming opportunity. The saltmen, of course, were not happy because it not only threw out their schedule but also made it hard for the cattle to get sufficient nourishment; Nevertheless, Ga…     

CHINESE AND TIBETAN HISTORICAL RECORDS IN LUMBINI

<正>In the early 1990s,as the senior visiting scholar commissioned by the Education Working Committee(now the Ministry of Education)of the People's Republic of China,I was invited by the Asian Research Center of Tribhuvan University in Nepal to work in Nepal for one year. During my stay I had a rare opportunity,while participating in a Buddhist conference,to     

BEHIND THE DALAI LAMA‘S HOLY CLOAK(Ⅰ)

Editor‘s Note:Note:Dalai Lama has been changed so popular these years that it seems he becomes a logo to some extent.But who is the Dalai Lama?Most of people are puzzled.Not long before I read a couple of papers and enjoyed them very much.Maybe our readers are willing to share them and interested them.Here are excerpts from them. The one is from Michael Backman,who is an internationally renowned writer,columnist and speaker.He specializes in writing and speaking about Asia:its economies,politics,business...     

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