Ngawang Norbu s Diary——a Record of a Special Mountaineering Event

Editor's Notes: On May 8~(th),the Beijing Olympic torch relay team successfully reached the summit of Mt.Qomolangma. About 9:11a.m,at a spot 30 meters from the peak, Lozang Dradul ignited the first torch that had been named"Auspicious Clouds"and was held by the female Tibetan mountaineer Jiji.Then,the torch was relayed to Wang Yongfeng,Nyima Tsering,Huang Chungui,and     

THE MODERN FACE of Tibetan Traditional Culture

<正>This series of papers is the phasic result of a research program entitled A Study on the Relationship of Tibetan Buddhism and Ethnic Tibetans, conducted by the"985"Research Center for Contemporary Key Ethnic and Religious Issues of the Central University for Nationalities.Professor Palpal Dorje and his graduate students have worked strenuously for up to 5 years in sociological studies to achieve remarkable results.All papers were published in The Journal of Northwest University Nationalities(Philosophy and Social Science,issue 3,2009).We herewith express our appreciation to Professor Palpal Dorje for his permission to include excerpts from a couple of the papers in this journal.     

CATERPILLAR FUNGUS FESTIVAL IN TENGCHEN

<正>Since 1999,each year in early August, Tengchen County in east Tibet has been holding the Ralpa Art Festival, which is also regarded as trade festival for caterpillar fungus. Over the last ten years,this festival in the grassland has tended to gradually grow bigger and bigger while its contents become richer and more varied,in conjunction with the increasingly enthusiastic participation of local farmers and herdsmen.Ultimately,the festival has become quite well known.     

The Cradle of Tibetan Human Resources -Chamdo Experimental School

On October 19th, 1950, the 52nd contingent of No. 18th Corps of the PLA, with the support of other forces, liberated Chamdo, which actually led to the peaceful liberation of Tibet.     

Valuable Cultural Relics of Gesar Times Reappeared in Garze

In August,2011,Professor Wen Yucheng,Chinese famous archaeologist,former Director of the Institute of Luoyang Longrnen Grattoes,researcher at the Office for Cultural Relics Appraisement in China Cultural Relics Information Consulting Center,has identified some valuable cultural relics of the Gesar times,which are stored in the Kathok Monastery, Palyul County,Garze Prefecture,Sichuan Province. It is the third time for Professor Wen came to Garze and evaluated cultural relics of Buddhism and of the Gesar times.Before that,he had gone to Derge,Palyul, Denkhok,Garze and Chaggo in Garze to make field work on appraisement of the cultural relics of the Gesar times. Prof.Wen said,"In the hearts of Tibetans,King Gesar     

The History and the Technological Study of Traditional Tibetan Painting Pigment

1.The History of Traditional Ti-betan PigmentsLike all societies whose origins predate the inven-tion of the written word,many aspects of prehistoricTibet are lost in a blur of mystery.Yet archeologistsare digging into the ruins left by Tibet's earliest hu-man inhabitants to help carve away the lack ofknowledge,just as art historians are examining ancientpaintings left inside Tibetan caves to sketch out thecontours of prehistoric life and art on the Roof of theWorld.     

A GLIMPSE OF THE CENTRAL PRIMARY SCHOOL OF KYITOD TOWNSHIP

In the second half of July in 2008 I was conducting interviews on the housing project beginning in Geren Village of Kyitod Town in Riwoche County(Chamdo Prefecture).By chance Jampel Nyima,the town administrator,