New Changes in 2014’s Spring Sowing in Tibet

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New Changes in 2014's Spring Sowing in Tibet

 

Jan. 15 of the Tibetan calendar, which falls on Mar. 16, 2014, is the “starting ploughing festival”. The production modes are advanced with the times with traditions and custom of Tibetan styled farming culture inherited.

In the early morning of the day, villagers wearing their holiday costumes and best jewelries of Chuphu Village, Chushur County in Lhasa, gathered in the most fertile farmland of the village to start the year’s ploughing,.

On 10:45 of the day, a sacred white stone considered as the “embodiment of dragon’s daughter” was placed in the farmland as part of the sacrificial ritual. Zanba (roasted highland barley flour) and highland barley wine were offered to the stone, with aromatic plants burnt and sacred songs being sung. Tibetan farmers hoped the holy stone could protect crops from hailstones, worms and birds, and bring good weather and harvest in the year.

Mani Stone Piles in Tibet

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Mani Stone Piles in Tibet

 

Mani stone piles can be seen everywhere in Tibet in mountain-passes and on river banks.

Mani stone refers to the stones engraved with the six-syllable prayer word “om mani padme hum”. Tibetans often describe one’s loyal heart as firm as the invariant carvings on stones, which can be traced in the heroic stories of King Gesar where his foot-print and his horse’s foot-print left in places of historical interest are revered by Tibetans.

Mani stones piles can be used as road signs, sacrifice to holy spirits, and tokens of worship and prayer, among which the latter two meanings are still popular in Tibet and Tibetan inhabited areas.

Two Wetlands in Tibet Applies for National Natural Reserves

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Two Wetlands in Tibet Applies for National Natural Reserves

 

To further protect wetland resources and improve its protection system, the Mansarowar wetland and Midikha wetland have applied to be promoted as national natural reserves from local natural reserves, according to Forestry Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

It is the first time to make areas where wild yaks and Tibetan antelopes breed and calve into the key protection areas.

At present, Tibet has established 47 natural reserves, 9 of which are under state–level protection, 14 are under autonomous region protection and 24 are at city and county levels. The protection areas in Tibet have reached 413,700 kilometers, accounting for 33.9 percent of the total land area and ranking the first in China.

Butter Sculpture Festival Celebrated in Jampaling Monastery, Chamdo

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Butter Sculpture Festival Celebrated in Jampaling Monastery, Chamdo

 

Tibetan Buddhist monks and believers attend the Butter Sculpture Festival in Jampaling Monastery, Chamdo, east Tibet, on March 16. The festival is hailed on Jan. 15th of the Tibetan calendar every year, to commemorate Sakyamuni’s triumph over other Buddhism sects on sutra debating. Jampaling Monastery is the biggest Monastery of Gelug sect of the Tibetan Buddhism in eastern Tibet. Butter sculptures are colored monuments built of yak butter mixed with fat and wax commemorating various traditional stories and fables.

Monks Debate over Buddhist Scriptures

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Monks Debate over Buddhist Scriptures

 

Inside the Jampaling Monastery in Chamdo Town of Chamdo Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region, monks are enjoying sutra debates over Buddhist scriptures on March 13.

The Jampaling Monastery is under the administration of the Gelug Sect of the Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery was founded during the Ming Dynasty (1368－1644 A.D.) after founder Tsongkapa’s religious reform in Tibet.

The sutra debate is a special religious practice for monks to better understand the Buddhist scriptures, which usually takes place in a shady clearing on the courtyard inside a Buddhist monastery.

The Only Catholic Church in use in SW China’s Tibet

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The Only Catholic Church in use in SW China's Tibet

 

Yanjing Catholic Church is in Naxi Ethnic Group Township of Markam County under Chamdo Prefecture, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Established in 1865, the Yanjing (literally “salt well”) Catholic Church is the only catholic church still in use in the region. Its architecture features a Tibetan exterior design combined with a Gothic one in the interior. The church has one priest and two sisters, and holds masses on Christmas and Easter besides weekly services in the Tibetan language for its 559 Catholic practitioners.

Changes in Women’s Status in Tibet

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Changes in Women's Status in Tibet

 

A day before Mar.8, International Women’s Day, hundreds of Tibetan women gathered in a Tibetan courtyard in Dagar Village, Quxu County of Lhasa to celebrate their own festival.

“It’s really impossible and unimaginable in the past,” said Gornthan, a 77-year-old grandma who was shooting a video under her daughter’s guidance.

“In the old days, only the lords had parties or gatherings, while ordinary women had no status at all, not to mention watching Gorchom circle dance and playing games like this,” said Gornthan.

In old Tibet, it was stipulated that women belonged to “the lowest level of people”, whose life was priced as low as a straw rope.

In recent years, Tibetan women have increasing consciousness in economy and independence, who all wish to realize their self-value with the constantly improved social status.

Young Man from Northern China Cycles to Tibet

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Young Man from Northern China Cycles to Tibet

 

Zhang Ziwei, 36 years old, started on his bicycle adventure on Mar.5 from northern China’s Baoding of Hebei Province, heading for Tibet in southwestern China.

With a big backpack and a camera, he set off in the early morning with a group of his relatives and friends seeing him off.

According to his plan, he will travel almost 6,000 kilometers westwards.

Zhang Ziwei, once a champion of Graeco-Roman wresting, now runs a company. He threw himself in the gym before his departure to make sure he is strong enough to conquer all the difficulties he may meet on the road.

Besides, he also collected a pile of materials and learned from some experienced cyclists who succeeded in traveling to Tibet.

To make his journey significant, Zhang will record with his camera and notebook the people who need help and update it to the Internet to vow the public attention.

Zhang will also introduce the beautiful scenery of his hometown to people he will meet.

His 64-year-old mother told the reporter she supported his son’s adventure and hoped he could come back safe.

Knowing his adventure, many people provided him some necessities like sleeping bag to make his journey smoother.

 

Lhasa to Have China’s Biggest Astronomical Telescope for Public

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Lhasa to Have China's Biggest Astronomical Telescope for Public

 

China’s heaviest self-manufactured astronomical telescope will be soon put to use in Lhasa. Astrophiles will be able to observe the universe through it for free by May 2015.

Lhasa, the city on the Tibetan Plateau, has particularly favorable natural conditions for astronomical observation throughout the year, thanks to its high altitude and crystal clear air.

With a 1-m diameter lens, the telescope was independently designed and developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC).

The to-be-completed telescope will be delivered into the planetarium within Tibet Museum of Natural Sciences, which is under construction and designed to cover an area of 1,500 square meters.

The First Snow in Lhasa

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The First Snow in Lhasa

 

The first snow fell on the Jan. 12, 2014 in Lhasa. The Potala Palace seems like the Sleeping Beauty, waiting to be woke up under the cloak of snow by her prince. Were you there, you will see a totally differet scenery, which may take your breath away.