Jean-Paul Desimpelaere: A return to Tibet

Tibetologist Jean-Paul Desimpelaere visited Tibet in December and told Radio86 about the situation in the region, and the capital Lhasa in particular, one year after the riots that rekindled the debate over the Dalai Lama.

Radio86: What was the purpose of your most recent trip to Tibet?
JPD: I went there initially for the international Tibetologists' conference, and since I had booked a two-week trip, I also profited from the occasion to conduct some research there. It was the end of the harvest season, and one of the things that interested me most was to see how the use of methane as a source of energy had taken off in the villages. So I wanted to see if the system had taken wind and it seemed to have been well received. I also visited a few cities, including Lhasa, Gyangze and Xigaze. These three cities represent the region's grain triangle, which produces the majority of the grain supply.

R86: Did you travel there by yourself?
JPD: Yes, I traveled to Tibet by myself, but I was accompanied there by an interpreter, a local man whom I've known for a long time. It was thanks to the connections he had with a local travel agency that I was able to obtain authorization for my trip.

R86: What did you do once you got there?
JPD: This time I went there simply as a tourist. Since I had a Tibetan friend with me, I was able to visit the local farms and families, and had a chance to talk with the people there.

R86: Did you have any authorities escort you?
JPD: No, not at all.

How did you manage to travel there without an escort?
JPD: Many people ask me that question. But you know, even tourists who travel to Tibet for the first time don't need any officials to accompany them. In fact, you just have to book your trip through a local travel agency, or an individual who has links with travel agencies – as I did – so that works too.

When was the last time you were in Tibet?
JPD: I was there in September of 2007. But this time, I served as guide for a group of tourists that wanted to see the valleys in east Tibet, the Mekong and the other large rivers flowing towards the south.

Did you make note of any significant improvements in terms of infrastructure or social well-being compared to your last visit?
JPD: For me, the thing that stood out the most was the rate at which new buildings have been rising in the countryside. I noted the start of a construction boom a little over a year ago, but now it has become a lot more widespread. The majority of peasants have built new houses for themselves. The road network has also expanded and more more households in the villages get plumbing, but this is only the beginning, there's still much to be done.

I didn't notice as many changes in the cities. It was the end of October, the end of the tourist season and there weren't many Chinese there either as the weather was getting colder. Basically only Tibetans were left, because it was the end of harvest and they had some free time on their hands to make a pilgrimage to Lhasa. So the city was pretty much full of Tibetans. But Lhasa does remain under surveillance. At the end of October, there were still four soldiers keeping guard at every street corner, especially in the old part of the city. They were in no way menacing, nor armed to the teeth, so they weren't very intimidating, but nonetheless, they were there. People walked past and around them, and everything seemed fine. But clearly, Lhasa is still under tight watch.

After the events of March last year, what is the present situation in the city like?
JPD: Well, those did involve Lhasa in particular, but I would say that right now everything in the city is running as normal. People go to the shops and restaurants… Children are going to school, parents take their kids to school… Life continues as normal. The pilgrims flock to Jokhang, the most important temple.

The Potala Palace in Tibet. (Image: China News Service)Was the military presence in Lhasa more prominent this time compared to your earlier visits? JPD: Yes. Previously there was none, only the police, the Tibetan police. But this time, there were military personnel there. Like I said, there were about three to four soldiers posted on every street corner. They were moving at the same pace as the tourists, so they didn't perturb the people...

How would you describe the present atmosphere there in the light of last year's events?
JPD: All the people I spoke to regretted the riots. They feel that they were damaging to Tibet, especially in the economic sense, as shops have had to struggle, etc. Travel agencies had barely any customers between April and July. Everything just came to a halt. And that was not a good thing for the people. Others told me that local bandits had set fire to the shops. And when I told them that the Chinese government says that the Dalai Lama was to blame for the course of events, they responded that they cannot say that because: ”Our religion forbids that. We cannot criticize a religious leader because that would ruin our karma.”

Do your projects in Tibet involve mostly Tibetans or Chinese?
JPD: I've only been in contact with Tibetans. This was probably the first time that I had no contact at all with the Chinese. I stayed at a Tibetan-run hotel. I traveled with a Tibetan friend and visited the homes of Tibetans… I had no need to interact with the Chinese there. What's more, I don't even know any Chinese in Lhasa.

In the media, we often see reports of political issues related to Tibet and less of those that concern the Tibetan people themselves, so what are the main concerns of the people there? What types of changes would they like to see take place?
JPD: Their main concerns involve issues of daily life and sustenance. And development. Another thing that many people are concerned about is the education of their children or grandchildren. It used to be equal for everyone in the countryside. During my trip, I visited a family with four children. One of them was ill, and another 13-year-old wasn't in school either. When I asked why, they told me that because he was the shepherd in the family. His family had put him in charge of the livestock and so it was the end of school for him. This manner of thinking was much more common in the past. Today, more and more families consider education to be a “plus” for their children. This mentality is also fostered by the fact that they can't have all their children work on their small half-acre plots of land. So they send one or two children to school, and if there's still a third son, they send him to the monastery to train as a monk.

In addition, in their new houses, they have attached much importance to having a “religious room.” They don't want to see a return to the times of the Cultural Revolution when worship was forbidden. They want to be able to honor the Buddha as they like. And obviously they also want to see their schooled children get jobs.

Do the Tibetan people want to see the Dalai Lama return to Tibet?
JPD: Yes. Whenever I ask that question, they say yes, they do want to see him come back, because he is their religious symbol… But they also say that: “but we hope that he will not have a role in politics.” This shows that they think that with the Chinese presence, it would really complicate things if he got involved in politics, and they don't want any complications.