LETTERS

Dear Degyi Here is my proof reading China's Tibet number 5 p.25 *A* Dong Di*A* and bestowed...p.27...were the seals of monastries,or lama%%,or autocrats%%     

ANCIENT TIBETAN SEALS

In Tibetan,the name for a seal is Thangka.According to records,the word originates from Turkish,initially borrowing from Mongolian and finally absorbed into Tibetan.Various names were given to seals in Tibetan.Official seals are generally named Thangka,or Kathang in honorific dialect;personal seals referred to as Gyithang;general seals are called Dathang or Sethang.     

拉卜楞寺藏印考述(英文)

A seal is an historical witness,a symbol of power as well as an important cultural relic for the study of history.Seeing those seals made of various materials,it is very natural to wonder how Jamyang(vjamdbyangs)living Buddhas in past dynasties developed     

Abstracts

Exile of Litterateurs and Literary Creations： New Literary Orientation from the Years 1067 to 1162
Shen Songqin （ p. 1 ）
During the hundred years between the reigns of Shenzong and Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, thousands of litterateurs were put in exile. These exiled litterateurs were the major players in the literary creations in the Song period In the times of exile or imprisonment, they were fraught with desperation and sorrow of life. In the face of the life blow, they strove to practice the teaching of inward sagehood of Confucianism and cultivated their mind and nature. In this way, they were able to remove the burden of sorrow and came to terms with themselves. Thus, they experienced the＇ spiritual progress from sorrow, transcendence to yearning for home. The spiritual progress dictated that the exiled group proceeded from the ＂outward＂ to the ＂inward＂in literary creations. This turn to the sentimental poetry was a thorough one. The desperation and sorrow of life were transformed into the songs of ease and leisure. Thus,     

NEWS IN BRIEF

Four Wetlands in Lhasa Added into the List of the Natural Preserved Zone In April,having approved by the local government of Lhasa Municipality,four new wetlands were added into the list of wetland preserved zone at the municipal level of Lhasa,and another two were named as the natural preserved zones.These were respectively Trikhang     

Tibetan Buddhist Style Porcelain Scored in the Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty and the Religious Beliefs of Emperors

Throughout the past dynasties of China,porcelainhas always been used by royalty in their palaces.Onone hand they were articles for the daily use and ap-praisal of the aristocracy,and on the other hand,ritualimplements used in ceremonies honouring the ances-tors of the royal families.The high status and prestigeof porcelain were unrivaled.Because of the specialproperties of porcelain,in the Palace the aestheticperception,tastes and faith of the emperors directlyinfluenced and even restricted the development ofporcelain.     

Housing Renovation in the Old Town of Lhasa

The old town of Lhasa has seen the passage of some 1,300 years. In old Tibet, the gov-ernment invested much in the development of religion instead of development of the social econo-my and towards raising the people‘s living standards. The narrow streets were lined with rows of small, low, dark and damp houses that, from a living point of view,were utterly unspeakable. After so many centuries, by the middle of the 20th centu-ry, the town was definitely showing its age.     

The Organs and Processes of Painting, Decorating and Mounting Thangkas for the Qing Court

The organisations in charge of painting and manufacturing Thangkas for the Qing Court were the Zhongzheng Hall and the Section for Manufacture and Purchase. Located to the west of the Forbidden City, Zhongzheng Hall was primarily used by the Emperor to worship Buddha and many religious services of the Inner Palace were also held there. At the end of each     

Rural Village Organizations and Their Services （Ⅰ）

Statistics show about 80 percent of the people in the Tibet Autonomous Region live in the rural and pastoral areas. This points up the need for further improvement of village organizations and their public services.Evolution of Village OrganizationsIn 1959, before the Democratic Reform, the Zong (corresponding to County) was the lowest government level. Villages were under the management of the heads of manors, aristocrats or monasteries.In general, manor masters were hered-     

Messengers In Tibetan History

The year 1920 saw the establishment of a post office in Tibet. It was located in Daingyiling in Lhasa. Stamps were produced by the Zhaxi United Factory and postmen were called ＂Zhawa＂ in Tibetan. The major post road, with Lhasa as the center, reached Gongbogyangda in east, Yadong in south, and scores of post stations were set up along the road. The major work of the postmen was carrying private mail and remittances, etc. on foot; while official documents of the local government were mainly sent by professional postmen （Ngazong in Tibetan） hired by the government.