Culture

2004-03-01 18:00

Tibetan Culture Tibetan culture, thoroughly permeated with religion, is the product of a particular historical epoch. This culture of the Tibetan people finds expression in traditional folk art ft rms. It can be traced back as far as the Tubo and Shang-shung period more than 1,000 years ago. The Chinese government has always paid attention to the protection and development of Tibetan folk culture Since the 1980s the regional government has emphasized the scientific transmission and development of ethnic Tibetan folk art traditions.

In cultural work efforts are made to preserve the integrity of the culture. Large numbers of experts have been organized to salvage what remains of the cultural legacy Tibetan culture has been developed by constantly absorbing and borrowing from the excellent cultures of other ethnic groups in China and elsewhere in the world.

Today, influential novels, essays, plays, painting and sculpture, photographic works, movies, and TV films are coming out of Tibet Tibetan song and dance, theatre, cultural relics, fine arts, and photographic works are frequently exhibited or performed in China and elsewhere in the world. Many personages of the cultural circle both at home and abroad are becoming increasingly aware of the variety and flavour of modern Tibetan culture, and its blending of traditional qualities with a more contemporary spirit acquired through opening to the outside world.

This new Tibetan culture is diversified Currently, regionwide there are 10 professional art performance troupes and over 150 non-professional art performance troupes, 6 public arts centres, 1 special ized art school, I art research institute and I exhibition centre. An urban-rural film distribution and projection network composed of more than 650 film distribution and projection units is in op ration The main project in the construction of the Tibet Autonomous Region Library has already been completed and preparatory work for the Tibet Autonomous Region Museum is currently in full swing.

The Tibet Autonomous Region Association of Literary and Art Workers provides a social organization for nearly 1,000 strong membership of literary and an professionals of various descriptions. The association is subdivided into nine subgroups, including those for writers, dramatists, dancers, folk artists, quyi performers, photographers and calligraphers More than 50 of the association's members also belong to a corresponding association on the national level.

The Tibet Autonomous Region Association of Translators, the Tibet Autonomous Region Folklorists Society and the Tibet Autonomous Region Contemporary Culture Society have all been established in recent years. Ancient Books and Documents Prior to the 1960s ancient books and documents written in Tibetan and Chinese had never been systematically surveyed, collected, edited, published and researched Many had been lost or left the region.

In 1985, the Tibetanlanguage Ancient Books Publishing House and the Chinese-language Writings on Tibetology Editing Office, subsidiaries of the Tibet Autonomous Region Academy of Social Sciences, began to organize the collection, editing and publishing of ancient books and documents in Tibetan and Chinese Already, more than one million copies of over 200 titles have been published, including not a few reprints of rare editions, preferred editions and, in some cases, the only known copy Archeological Excavations.

All the physical remains of the Stone Age in Tibet have been found subsequent m 1951 Discovered to date are 5 Paleolithic sites, 28 microlithic sites, over 20 Neolithic sites and over 20 burial grounds from Tubo times containing over 2,000 tombs. Paleolithic sites include Soira in Tingri County, Chulholeg in Xainza County, Zabu in Rutog County and Hou'er in Burang County. Mesolithic sites include Nagqu, Xainza, Sanghu and Baingoin in northern Tibet, Nyalam in southern Tibet, Rutog in Ngari Prefecture and Karub in Qamdo Prefecture. Neolithic sites include Karub in Qamdo Prefecture, Yunxing, Hongguang, Gyur and Gyalhama in Nyingchi County, Bebum and Manyeoin in Medog County, Qugong Village in Lhasa's northern suburb, Qenba Village in Nedong County and Zanda in Ngari Prefecture. Protection of Cultural Relics During the late fifties and early sixties, the regional government organized cultural relics investigation groups to systemati cally investigate relics and remains including ancient structures, tombs, stelae and cliffface inscriptions and petroglyphs Soon after, specialized cultural relics ad ministration organs were set up The tens of thousands of the cultural relics that were collected were individually registered and gathered together in protective custody.

Items gathered included the uniquely rare sutra written on pattra palm leaves, the pearl thangka now kept in Dradrug Monastery and an imperial decrees installing local officials, imperial rescripts, seals, gold-leaf diplomas, inscribed tablets, and d wide variety of precious stones and utensils all emanating from the central governments from the Yuan Dynasty on Also found were Yuan Dynasty paper money, memorials, documents and letters addressed by the local government of Tibet and regional leaders to the central government and many bronze and stone inscriptions, seals, murals and memorial tablets.

In an effort to preserve precious cultural relics, the Chinese government in l961, 1982 and 1988 declared a total of 13 sites as state-level key cultural relics preservation units The regional government has declared 11 sites as regional level key cultural relics preservation units At present, all major cultural relics preservation units already renovated and put into order are open m tourists from home and abroad Such units as are the sites of religious activities are open year round to Buddhist pilgrims.

The Cultural Relics Preservation Department has been invited to various countries and regions in Europe, Asia and America to hold cultural relics exhibitions of varying scale. Tibetology Tibetology has become a special area of study not only in China but throughout the world Today, there are more than 50 institutions specializing in Tibetology in Tibet and several other places The China Tibetology Centre was set up in Beijing in 1986.

These institutions have undertaken many research projects on a wide variety of topics including regional economic and social development strategies, writing a simple and clear general history of Tibet, editing and studying Sanskrit sutras written on pattra palm leaves, and research on the origin of the religions in Tibet and their various orders.

In addition, they have founded approximately 30 journals published in Tibetan, Chinese and English including Tibet Research, Tibetan Buddhism, Research into Tibetan Social Development, Tibetan art Research, Culture of the Snowland, Chinese Tibetology, and China's Tibet. The many large-scale social surveys conducted by Tibetan research institutes from the fifties through the seventies have resulted in the accumulation of a wealth of documentary materials.

The range of research has widened to include politics, economics, ethnic groups, history, religion, philosophy, linguistics, literature, art, geography, education, law, logic, archaeology, folk customs, medicine, calendrical study, Tantric Buddhism, qigong breathing exercise and handicraft techniques. By the end of 1994 more than 1,000 academic treatises, scores of specialized academic works and over 30 research collections in translation had been published There are more than ten Tibetological institutions in Tibet including the Academy of Social Sciences and the Tibet Tibetology Society.

The Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences has a number of subsidiary research institutions devoted to ethnic studies, religion, linguistics, literature and information, as well as the above-mentioned Tibetan-language Ancient Books Publishing House. Cultural Exchanges with the Outside World Cultural exchanges between Tibet and the outside world have been on the increase since the 1980s. Reciprocal visits, exchanges of books and other printed materials, and a wide variety of artistic and academic activities have proven effective means whereby Tibet has strengthened cooperation with foreign cultural circles and research institutions and international organizations.

The Tibet Autonomous Region Association for Foreign Cultural Exchange has organized a number of performances by local song and dance ensembles and Tibetan opera troupes in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Austrai, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Nepal, Singapore and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and exhibitions of Tibetan cultural relics, movies, photography and painting and sculpture in Japan, Italy and countries and regions in Southeast Asia.

Local experts and scholars in religious and cultural circles have repeatedly accepted invitations to lecture or join in academic exchanges in Austria, France, Thailand, Norway and Sri Lanka. In addition, the regional government has signed agreements to cooperate in Tibetological research and cultural and academic exchanges with academic groups from Hungary, Canada, Germany, Italy and Austria, and hosted over 130 scholars from 14 countries and regions visiting Tibet to conduct academic investigations and research or join in cooperative scientific research talks.

Tibet sent six scholars to take part in the Gyoma International Tibetology Seminar held in Hungary in 1987. The region is currently broadening research cooperation with relevant foreign academic institutions and international organizations in the natural sciences, Tibetology and peripheral subjects.