Download - TRAVEL+ Magazine
Dai Minority - Theravada BuddhismTibet Minority - Tibetan Buddhism
Mongols - ShamanismTujia Minority - Ancestral belief
Distribution of Religion throughout China
8%
11%
3%
74%
5%
Tibetan Buddhism Other Theravada Buddhism Shamanism Ancestral belief
EASY STEPS TO CHINESE FOR NEWBIES!
��������
�����
ORDER NOW TO GET 3 BOOKS SET FOR 1’S PRICE!
�����������
�����������
Order now at http://www.studychineseculture.com/book.asp?id=4344
With the modern cities behind me, I
set off in search for some proper
relaxation. Where it’s far from
sophisticated technology, and far from
those monochromatic urban lifestyles.
As a full time journalist based in Hong
Kong, I think that modern urbanized
people lack quality time with nature.
I've always yearned for a brief getaway
in rural lands, and experience the
essence of its untouched beauty of
country lifestyles. For once, I am given
such a marvelous opportunity, and
although I could choose to take a
plane, but that way, I would miss out
on all the stunning scenes along the
way.
So, as a result I’ve decided to approach
it the other way, which is to go by
train. The day came; the sun leisurely
peered its forehead over the
mountains, it stirred and began to
prepare for another busy day. Then, as
if I had been injected with a syringe of
excitement, I hopped onto the car that
headed towards the Hong Hum train
station. Seeing so many people at the
station, a sense of adrenaline surged
through my body. There I sat, on the
gradually accelerating train, moving
away from the brassy crowds, shifting
towards the relaxation zone. It was
time for a proper holiday. Spending 24
hours there, I will be hosted by a local
family living the traditional Dai
lifestyle. The Dai is one of the world’s
most populated minorities.
By the time I had reached Shenzhen
after a brief rain ride, the midday sun
was already exposing its arrays of
warmth on this land. It was time for
the transfer to Shanghai. After staring
at what seemed like an infinite number
of trees that flew by my sight, I finally
got off the train. The time had swiftly
flown from midday to 8am the
following day. Upon arrival, the soft
chirps of little birds permeated
through my ears. Winding through the
town, I had noticed that the way their
buildings were styled closely
resembled the ones I had previously
encountered on another trip to
Bangkok. Due to the fact that the Dai
minority is closely situated near the
border of Thailand, many aspects
found in architectures can also be seen
there. The edges of the roof had
miniature sculptures of various
animals on them, which perhaps
symbolized religious meanings. Also, I
noticed that their houses were based
on an open structure, where its sole
purpose was to cool down the
residents from the scorching sun
outside. Furthermore, I also noticed
that the roof’s had huge slanted
angles, which would redirect all the
water off during rainy days. With no
map of any sort, I miraculously found
my way to the Yuan Yang market.
Despite feeling alienated within the
crowds; I continued to stroll through
the market looking for tasty local
snacks. As I turned into a tight corner,
something caught the corner of my
eye. I looked over to see that it was
baked fish. But this was no ordinary
fish. It was baked fish packed into
bamboo containers. I purchased one.
The moment I dug my teeth into the
flesh, the distinct perception I am
provided with, is probably exclusive to
this place. It was an absolute pleasure
having the chance to taste such
amazing food. Wondering about the
process of this magnificent dish, I
turned to the stall owner, asking what
difference bamboos would make. He
said that if we were to just to cook the
fish in a normal pot or pan, you
wouldn’t get the indescribable effect it
brings to the fish itself. Since bamboo
itself contains beautiful textures, and
emits fragrant gases, it’s wholesome
to us. Another reason would be the
fact that the Dai live near tropical
forests, which therefore makes
bamboo their primary resource in daily
life. These were a few of the hundreds
of reasons they opted bamboo over
ordinary pots. On top of that, it can
also provide the serving with a flare of
personal taste.
Spending the day in such hot weather
also triggered distress signals
corresponding to my throat. So I
bought a drink to cool me down from
the unbearable climate. Shortly after
purchasing a cool refresher, I headed
off to the guide’s office with the
guidance of several friendly locals.
Shortly meeting up with the local
guide, we boarded the local bus
towards the village. A very faint smell
of manure blasted through my nostrils,
yet it does somehow reflect back on
the fact that they rely on agriculture.
As the car started to inch forward, the
pungent odors of diesel and exhaust
extract my concentration upon more
worthwhile sceneries.
I would remember that bus ride for the
rest of my life. It was as if my hip had
been detached from my spine and my
skull had tumbled its way down to my
pelvis. And on top of that, everyone on
the bus is a proud member of the
Chinese Olympic spitting team. This
was absolutely a horrible experience.
The sensation of how awful it was at
that time cannot be described by
words. Travelling through the towering
Heng Duan Mountains, the magnificent
LiCang River, and whizzing by such
amazing scenery, all pain was relieved
as I became exposed to the pure
beauty of the villages’ sight.
During the next hour, I explored the
village. Strolling along the ancient
paths, there were different shops
various trinkets and snacks, each of
them awaiting my purchase. A rush of
wind blew by and I picked up the scent
of breakfast. Instincts told me it
consisted of corn. A voice whispered in
my ears:" Mind eating breakfast with
us?" It was a young girl smiling,
leaning gracefully out of the window,
with several pieces of fruit dangling
from her hands. I hesitated, let out a
slight smile, and accepted her kind
invite.
Along with my guide, we visited a local
family during the afternoon. Upon
arrival, a young girl around her mid-
twenties, wearing traditional clothing
had introduced herself and her family
to us. The family that hosted us was
the Lan family, which was a family with
three kids. In local standards, this was
mainly considered a normal family,
while contrarily in the west this was
considered pretty large. In accordance
with established practice, I bowed
down to express my thankfulness for
them for being my host. Without
having even finished dropping off our
luggage, she had started to talk about
the houses of the Dai. She stated that
the Dai housing had been divided into
three generations. The first
generation, used mainly before the 18th
century, was built on bamboo stilts,
which are the photographs that we
frequently encounter with on the
Internet. The second generation
resembled many aspects of its last
version, yet the only exception, are
that the stilts were reinforced by wood,
and more people settle for this
generation. The house we were in had
fitted the criteria’s of the second
version. In all three generations, all
houses had two stories. The first
floor’s space is used to store animals,
which automatically makes the top
floor for human living space. I was
intrigued about why they placed the
animals on the bottom floor. After
several inquisitions, I discovered that,
since heat travels into the house, it
would then rise upward. So during the
winter, their concerns with in-house
temperature would be all solved. We
took a flight of stairs leading to the
second floor, leading us away from the
odors of the animals. The living room
on that floor was not as bad as I
expected it to be. The living room was
fairly spacious, just enough to fit ten
to twenty people. Besides that,
everything else closely resembled
certain features of urban housing.
As we continuously looked into the
placing of everything, the young girl
started explaining some traditional
customs of the Dai.
Due to the fact that the Dai are a
matrilineal society, boys are often sent
off to temples at young ages to
become monks. When they reach ages
between seventeen and eighteen, they
are traditionally engaged in a forced
marriage. Then, the male must spend
three years time in the female’s home
and do household jobs, such as
agriculture, cutting rubber to produce
household objects, etc. After spending
three years on the bride’s side, they
finally have a chance to become a
proper house “man”, in which the man
does what the woman would normally
do; take care of the kids, cook, clean
up the house, etc. In this situation, the
woman goes out to complete heavy
physical work. It was really interesting
to discover the roles of different
genders in the Dai. After hours of
explaining, the hour hand on my watch
had crawled its way to twelve, and
aromas of rice filled my nose. The
lunches that the locals had were quite
simple. The main dish we were being
served was pineapple-fried rice. The
fried rice was flavorful and felt smooth
to the mouth, and as I gently bit down,
I felt reluctant swallowing it down my
throat. Eating the fried rice felt like it
had added multiple splashes of
gorgeous, bright colors onto a black
and white canvas. Previous research
shows that most of the rice is grown in
the south of China, and due to its
perfect growing conditions, rice has
become their main crop, and has
crawled its way up into becoming their
main diet as well.
Having charged up my “batteries”,
along with my guide, we walked
towards the towns’ main square. I
asked the guide what had brought us
here. He replied and said, “My friend,
you’ve come to visit the Dai during the
perfect month. Right now, the month
is April, and it is when we celebrate
the annual Water-splashing festival.” I
gasped with amazement as we
approached the sides of the square.
The locals had washed off the dust at
the break of dawn, and this place was
prepared for anything! When Dai
woman wore the traditional costumes,
it had literally felt like they had
transformed into peacocks. Within
several minutes, the music started
playing and people of all gender and
ages rushed to witness the event.
Equipped with all types of water
containers, a peaceful war ignited. The
sound of laughter and happiness fills
the atmosphere and I slowly dissolve
into the environment, cherishing the
last few hours of staying here. Despite
having all their clothes wet, in the
process they were pouring out wishes
for the New Year!
Evening descends; the guide and I took
a walk into the botanical garden. As
we vaguely wandered further into the
garden, the smell of the traditional Dai
barbecue filled my nose, blending in
with the floral fragrance of the plants.
Steam and sparks slowly drifted in air,
while meat was sizzled on bamboo
strips. A round of splendid
performances start rolling into our
sight. Seeing such amazing
performances, my face ablaze with
excitement. It was then, where a young
lady gave me fancy looking
accessories. “They look amazing,
thank you!” I shouted under the
unbearable noise of the instruments.
With my guide, I walked along with our
new accessories to the crowd of
people surrounding the peacock
dance, bells jingling and people
mingling. The level of skill the dancers
possessed had dazzled me. Their
costumes seemed to sparkle with new
hopes for the year. I was wondering
why everything was related to
peacocks. According to my guide,
peacocks symbolized happiness in
their culture. I danced on like there
was no tomorrow. A sudden thought
approached me. Modern people these
days like myself, are always busy with
their jobs, and continuously earning
money and concerning about a dozen
other aspects. People often assume
that money is happiness. This trip to
the Daizu minority had proved this
theory wrong. Take a look at them,
despite not having a large amount of
income, but they are extremely happy.
Maybe even happier than some of us.
The problem we all share commonly
now is that we are too obsessed with
the fact of earning money. Money is
not everything, and it does not
necessarily mean happiness. So the
conclusion is that not only can a
certain group of rich people seize
happiness. But happiness should be
shared between everybody in this
world.
Time's up. The break of dawn had
signaled an end to this delightful
journey. As a matter of fact, over the
past 24 hours I was enamored with
this place. This trip was definitely one
of the more enjoyable moments of my
life. Although I hadn’t purchased any
souvenirs, but the knowledge and the
memorable experiences I gained from
this amazing journey were considered
more valuable to me. Packing up my
camera, I waved last farewells to the
host family and my friendly guide. I
reluctantly said “Chok Dee”, (Thai for
goodbye,) as I hurriedly rushed to the
entrance. I boarded a shared minivan
packed with locals, that took me all
the way back to XiShuangBanNa’s train
station. Their faces strewed with
anguish, and shrink into the rear view
mirror as the car slowly gained speed.
From there I will take the original route
back to Hong Kong. When I return, I
will resume my standard life, catching
the subway, and staring lifelessly at a
radiated screen. But for now, I'll be
here, taking in this truly glorious
place. This moment is absolutely
irreplaceable, and belongs to me
alone.
Seeing is believing.The all-new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. World’s first dual edge display.
It’s always thrilling to travel to a
place you’ve never been to.
Especially a place with an amazing
culture, like Mongols. The best time
to visit the Mongols is the Chinese
New Year, more accurately called
the Lunar New Year, and Tsaagan
Sar in Mongolian (literally means
White Moon). Many countries in
Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year,
and Mongols is one of them. Even
though Beijing where I live is the
one of the biggest cities that
celebrates this day, Mongols also is
a minority that celebrates this day
in a very unique way, it’s always
interesting to experience difference
cultures.
Mongols have their own very unique
culture, very different that the
others. I have just come back to
Beijing. I have visited the
Dariganga, the eastern Mongolian
subgroup that live around Dari
Ovoo the grand volcano, and Ganga
Lake. Mongols was full of beautiful
scenery. As the plane was
approaching the airport, my heart
was inflating filled by the thrill of
new experiences with the Mongols.
Looking outside the window, I could
observe the environment where the
Mongols have lived and live. I
arrived at Chinggis Khan Airport in
Ulaanbaatar named after Genghis
Khan who created one of the largest
empire in history conquering huge
amount of land in Eurasia, from
right here in where the Mongols
lived. It was at 8am 18th of February
when I arrived. The blazing sun was
rising as if the empire of Genghis
Khan’s Mongol was rising. After
waiting for about an hour, I met the
guide I contacted before I went on
the plane. We were supposed to go
to Dariganga directly by a van.
According to the guide, the van trip
must have taken around 12 hours.
It actually felt like a time travel for
me because I was so tired that I fell
asleep in the van.
When the guide woke me up we
were going through the never
ending grassland where the
Mongols lived. Then we saw the
glorious reflections from the water
of Ganga River, the main water
source of the Mongols of
Dariganga, the place that has been
hydrating Dariganga for centuries.
After about 30 more minutes of
driving, the white Gers (typical
Mongolian housings) came into our
sight. They were mobile, and could
be disassembled. For the Mongols
to travel in the these types of Gers
would be the perfect solution.
There are only about one or two
months in summer that the amount
of grass’s growth increases. The
temperature of grasslands of
Dariganga also drops down to -40
to -50 celsius during winters, and
they need to find a place every
season change, that has an
adequate weather, they can feed
their animals in warmth. Also, the
Ganga Lake near Dariganga is their
only water source, so they need to
travel to get water. They looked like
marshmallows grown on grass. And
we could see the Mongols waiting
for us. They were all wearing their
traditional clothing, Del. They all
had different designs, and they
were all so gorgeous. They were
also wearing the hats I’ve only seen
the Mongols wear. The hats were
very narrow and looked very exotic,
and it was just amazing that
everybody had hats with all
different designs. When I got off the
van, I realized why they were all
wearing hats. The stinging rays of
sunlight was burning my head as I
approached the Mongols. At the
front of the crowd waiting for me,
there was the host family that I was
going to live with for 2 days. The
host family’s name was the
Ganbaatar family. Mr. Ganbaatar,
the father of the family told me that
it literally means a steel hero, and
there were more Mongolian
surnames like this. I thought it was
very cool that Mongolian people
have such interesting surnames
that have these unique surnames.
The Ganbaatar family had 2
children, a girl and a boy. The boy’s
name was Ganbold, and was 17
years old, and the girl’s name was
Bolormaa and was 2 years old.
Bolormaa was going to have her
hair cutting ceremony two days
later, which is cutting a kid’s hair
the first time in the early age
between 2 to 5. Ganbold was a big
buffy boy. He liked horse riding
very much, just like the other male
Mongolian adults. He was usually
outside riding his 8 year old horse,
Chitu. But Bolormaa was always
with her mother. She was one of the
cutest babies I’ve ever seen.
The day I arrived in Dariganga was
called Bituun, the day before
Tsaagan Sar (Lunar New Year). The
Mongols were cleaning their homes,
livestocks and barns to meet the
New Year fresh. I helped the
Ganbaatar family clean their
livestocks too. I tried to help them
whenever I could because I was a
guest here in their family. When I
arrived at the barn, I realized they
had lots of species of livestocks in
their wooden fences. There were
horses, yaks, sheep, goats and
camels. There was a reason why
they grow these 5 types of
livestocks. They are easy to grow in
the environment of where the
Mongols lived. They all eat grass
which the Mongols are surrounded
with. Horses , yaks and cows can be
used for traveling around too. And
In addition, sheep and goats, and
maybe the horses, has and camels
can be also used to make food.
That makes them the perfect
animals for them. Historically the
horses helped Mongols conquer
lots of land too. The soldiers of the
other countries couldn’t defend
themselves from the fast horses of
the Mongols.
When I came back to the
Ganbaatars’ ger, I could smell the
mouth-watering scent of meat
being cooked. When I entered the
ger, I could see that they were
preparing a colossal amount of
meat,. They had horse meat and
mutton being roasted for New
Year’s food. And at the other side
of the ger, I could see Ganbold
dripping his tear on the ground. I
asked him what was wrong, and he
answered that the horse meat that
was being cooked was actually
Chitu. Their parents decided to eat
Chitu because he was now too old,
and wasn’t useful anymore for
traveling. I knew how Gambold
would feel, so I decided to leave
the scene and let Ganbold be alone.
I moved over to Mr and Mrs.
Gaanbatar and helped them prepare
the food too. I chose to roast the
mutton, because I knew Gambold
was going to be sensitive of his
horse being cooked. By the way,
Mrs. Ganbaatar taught me that the
Mongols mainly have 2 types of
food. one is called the white food,
and the other is called the red food.
The white one is made of dairy, and
the red is made of meat. So Chitu
and mutton must be defined as red
food to the mongols. By the time
we were done preparing meat, we
were so worn out that we fell asleep
directly. This was the end of my
first day in Mongol.
The next day was Tsaagan Sar. The
9th of February 2015, the year of
female wooden sheep. The sound
of people saying “Амар байна уу?” (Amar baina uu?) woke me up
this morning. I asked Mr. Ganbaatar
what it means and he answered me
that it means "Are you living
peacefully?” I went outside with
Ganbold to say the new year’s
greeting to the other Mongols in
other gers. When I came back, I
could smell some pastries again.
When I entered the ger, I could see
the mutton being put into pastries.
Mrs. Ganbaatar told me that this
food is called Buuz, and is a
traditional Mongolian food for
Tsaagan Sar. They looked like
dumplings and tasted like
dumplings with meat. Soon the
ceremony started. Ceremony was
mainly about greeting the parents
of their family. What they did was
grasping them by their elbows to
show support for them. I did it to
Mr and Mrs. Ganbaatar too because
I was a member of this family now
too. After the New Year’s greeting
ended, we had some of the Buzz we
made and some cheese.
Next day was Bolormaa’s hair
cutting ceremony. I guess I picked
the right time to visit the Mongols,
because everyday was repetition of
ceremonies and festivals. So
Bolormaa was born 2 years ago,
and today was the first day she’s
getting a haircut. The ceremony
symbolizes the end of "babyhood"
and the transition to “childhood".
The transition from babyhood to
childhood was and is so important
in Mongolian traditional culture
because babyhood, especially for
children in the countryside who live
far from modern medical facilities
like Dariganga, is a risky time. The
Ganbaatar family invited lots of
guests from other gers to
participate in Bolormaa’s hair
cutting ceremony. About 10 guests
including me came to visit. We sat
in a circle, and Bolormaa was
carried around with a pair of
scissors that has a blue pouch tied
on them. She passed around the
guests and her family’s laps. Each
of us cut a chunk of hair and put it
in the blue pouch. I thought
Bolormaa would be scared of me
because I was a total stranger to
her, but she was very calm all the
way through her journey through a
dozen of people. After the hair
cutting, we each had to give
Bolormaa a present. Unfortunately, I
wasn’t told about this, so I wasn’t
so prepared. But fortunately, I had a
pack of chips in my bag to give her.
Other guests gave her presents like
a new hat and a new ring. Bolormaa
looked the happiest to receive my
pack chips though. She never let go
of it as soon as I gave it to her.
I had to leave the Mongols an hour
later the end of the hair cutting
ceremony. It was ironically
heartbreaking to leave the
Ganbaatar family that I only have
spent 3 days with. All I could do
was say goodbye in her language.
The guide came to the Ganbaatars’
Ger to take me back to the Chingis
Khan airport.
While I was on the 12 hour drive
again going back to the airport, I
thought back about what I have
experienced with the Mongols in
Dariganga. I did so many things in
only 2 days. There was Bituun,
Tsaagan Sar, and the hair cutting
ceremony. There also was the
environment that was so much
different than where I live. It has
taught me how the Mongols adapt
to the grasslands of where they
lived, and how the Mongols were
influenced. Mongols are known for
their culture with grasslands and
horses. The thing that they live with
horses as a part of their life,
influenced them to migrate a lot
around where they live, finding a
place where they can feed their
animals. The Steppe in the north
side of Eurasia where many
Mongols live, doesn’t rain so much
that plants cannot grow so well. It’s
very crucial to migrate to different
places to feed their animals,
because they take up a big space in
their lives. It’s amazing how the
Mongols migrate during every
season change, and that the
environment they live in has
influenced the Mongols to live this
way.
Elegance Precision
From far away, I can already feel the
superiority of this exotic and isolated
region.
After, perhaps a year on the train, I’ve
arrived at the Lhasa train station. It
was about 10 o'clock AM, after a
short delay. I first took the plane to
Qinghai from Beijing, which took
approximately 3 hours, then took the
Qinghai-tibet railway into Lhasa.
The train from Qinghai to Lhasa was
my first highlight of the trip. The
train lasted for approximately a day,
but I chose this route for a reason.
The history of this railroad connects
perfectly with understanding the
geography of Tibet. The railroad was
constructed in 1979, with an
estimated length of 1200 kilometers.
This railroad was also known as one
of the four most significant
constructions in the 20th century of
China. This was definitely a major
achievement during that time, since
many workers had to suffer due to
lack of oxygen. This was also one of
the aspects that made Tibet special. It
was one of the highest regions on
Earth. Tibet also contains the tallest
mountain in the world, known as
Mount Everest, with a land elevation
of 8848 meters above sea level.
Going up, I felt the environment
pushing against my chest,
suppressing it, blocking air from
coming through.
Lhasa’s climate is relatively harsh
compared to that of Beijing’s. Lhasa’s
location is approximately 3700
meters above sea level, which makes
lack of oxygen a serious problem for
newcomers. Luckily, with my oxygen
spray in my bag, I knew that there
was nothing to worry about. Without
any types of aids, people may
experience a variety of problems,
such as fatigue, blurry vision,
tinnitus, vertigo, lack of physical
strength, and in some cases, death.
My heart was filled with awe when I
first arrived. Knowing that I was
approximately 4000 meters above
sea level, I was in a shock. Mountains,
plateaus, everywhere.
Asides the land elevation, unlike
Beijing, the skies in Lhasa are always
blue, and its clouds are always pure,
as if they were the decoration of a
clean, unscathed painting. At night,
comparing to Beijing, it’s temperature
can be a lot lower. In Lhasa, the
lowest average temperature in a year
is 0.8 celsius, while the highest
average temperature would be 15.3
celsius. Recently, there’s also been
some stronger winds and even a few
sandstorms.
Looking around the train station, I
noticed a male in his 50s, waving his
hand at me. He was in a white
traditional Tibetan uniform, and had
a face full of dents and wrinkles. But
on his face, was also a warm and rich
smile. I felt welcomed. It was my
host, Norbu. He greeted me into the
rented car, and off we went.
Before we knew it, we were in the
heart of Lhasa, the Potala Palace, on
top of the HongShan Mountain. Fine
fresh air breezed into the window
seals of the colossal structure, as it
brushed against my distorted face,
after a long journey on the plane,
instantly refreshing my day. It was a
gigantic building containing over a
thousand rooms, stretching 360
meters across, with a total area of
717 square meters; I was at the heart
of Lhasa, enjoying the view, and
studying its history. There were
dozens of Buddhist monks in yellow
dressings, wandering around,
everywhere. This was a sacred land
built during 1645, by the 5th Dalai
Lama. The Dalai Lamas were the
crucial characters in the development
of Tibetan Buddhism. The history of
Tibetan Buddhism stretches back to
1391 AD, when the first Dalai Lama,
Gendun Drup, was born. Between the
17th century and 1959, the Dalai
Lama remained as the head of the
government of Tibet.
However, in 1959, the 13th Dalai
Lama declared independence from
China, and deported all of its Chinese
citizens from the region. The Dalai
Lama’s plan was to make Tibet it’s
own country and modernize it for
future generations. Unfortunately, the
People’s Republic of China soon took
complete control over the region, and
as a result, the 14th Dalai Lama,
Tenzin Gyatso, was forced to escape
to India.
The Potala Palace itself, used to be
the government headquarter for the
Tibetans. Why this building was built
remains unknown. Some say it was
built on the mountain to consolidate
political power, while others say it
was all built by the ancient Tibetan
king, Songtsan Ganbu, for the
celebration of his marriage.
The history of Tibetan Buddhism
starts in 173 CE, during the reign of
king Thothori Nyatsen. Despite this, it
did not become popular until the 8th
century, when Padmasambhava
brought Indian Buddhism into Tibet.
Since India was very close to Tibet in
geographical terms, this made the
task a lot easier. Buddhism was then
mixed with the local Bön religion,
which soon formed Tibetan
Buddhism. This was the main religion
the Tibetans believed in. Since the
geography of Tibet makes this region
so isolated from the rest of the world,
it was harder for people to interact
with them. This caused their
traditions and religions to become
more special and pure, since after
Padmasambhava, there were barely
any other foreign influences.
It is just remarkable to see how
devoted and how dedicated these
people are when it comes to religion.
In public Tibetan Buddhist teachings,
the lama would do this gesture called
a prostration. Basically what he does
is he slowly bows down, kneels down
to the floor, lyes down with his back
facing up, and stand up again. This
will be done in every step he takes,
until he reaches the temple. After the
lama is in his throne, the students
would do the same, until they get
there.
Norbu says that there used to be over
thousands of monasteries and
temples like this. However, after the
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,
most of these sacred structures were
taken down and destroyed.
Using one word to contrast Tibet and
Beijing, I’d say isolation. Tibet’s
geographical features make it
extremely difficult to interact with
other places. Since Tibet is located on
top of very high plateaus, it is almost
impossible for them to be influenced
by foreign ideas. Therefore, the way
they think is completely dictated by
their religion, Tibetan Buddhism.
Around 8:30 PM, we finished our visit
to the Potala. This is the 8th month in
the solar calendar, which meant we
will be having a festival after an hour.
Before the festival, a feast was
served. This was the average Tibetan
dinner, except with extra servings,
used to greet our arrival. First came
the tea, the Tibetan milk tea. The
warm fluid entered my throat,
carrying the sweetness all the way
through. In a second, I felt the
warmth drive the shivers from the
inside, out of my body. With the
warm milk giving me warmth, and the
sound of Tibetans filling the room
with laughter, I felt loved and
accompanied. Through the window, I
saw a man walking into the room,
holding a plate of meat. We ate, and
we talked about each others lives in
these different places. Most of all, we
enjoyed the food together. Norbu and
his family spoke excellent Chinese, so
it was easy for us to communicate.
Out of all the food, yak meat was the
most special. There was no blood on
the plate, yet the meat was soaked
inside redness. Norbu says that raw
yak meat was also a popular dish in
Tibet, since it contained a lot of
proteins. This helped the Tibetans
fight the cold, especially in the
winter. I nervously picked up a piece
and gently chewed on it. Not to
mention the taste, it was like normal
meat, but a lot more soft, and
obviously, a lot more juicy.
Norbu tells me that almost all of
Tibetan lifestyle depend on yaks.
From food to transportation, yaks
were used in everything. It is said that
yaks have three times red blood cells
than normal cows do. This allowed
them to live comfortably even in
highly elevated regions, which made
them the perfect source to depend
on. Their long hair allows them to
survive in temperatures lower than
-30 degrees.
In terms of food, yaks can be used to
produce milk and provide meat. The
milk they produce can also be used
for making butter. Although most
people eat raw yak meat, their flesh is
still considered relatively hygienic.
Since Tibet is so isolated, it is a lot
harder for them to develop
technology for food production. This
gives the yaks more freedom, and
also provides a clean source of food
for them.
Since yaks are very populated in this
region, their hair is commonly used
to make clothes and cloth for other
purposes.
What if yaks didn't exist on these
plateaus? First of all, people would
probably freeze or starve to death.
Even if they manage to survive, their
only type of transportation would be
to walk from place to place. Again,
since Tibet is isolated, there are very
few cars that can be used. Therefore,
the only way people can move
resources from a place to another is
to use yaks.
Since Tibet is very isolated and a lot
less developed, Norbu says that his
entire family work as farmers. These
farmers would often be farming
barley and herding yaks and goats.
Barley is perhaps the most common
crop that is grown in Tibet. Barley can
be made into tsampa, a type of
dough, which is a food eaten
routinely in Tibet. Brewed barley can
also be made into medicine, in order
to treat diseases.
After dinner, we arrived at the
festival. They call it the Monlam
Festival. This perhaps is the most
important festival that the Tibetans
celebrate. It was first established in
1409 by a Tibetan Buddhist named
Tsong Khapa. The purpose of this
festival was to pray for the long life of
Buddhist teachers, who have been
spreading the dharma (Buddha’s
teachings) to new people, and
maintaining world peace, bringing
them harmony. Thousands of monks
would gather on a platform to pray
for the 14th Da Lai Lama. Since the
Tibetans always wanted to be
independent, some of the younger
boys would throw rocks at the police.
Along with my friend Norbu, we were
invited to pray to the Joking Temple
to pray. The bottom of the temple
was covered in white, while the top
was decorated in all sorts of colors.
The temple was a colossal dragon,
with golden bits blossoming out from
its body.
By the time we got back, it was 10:30
PM. For the first time, I’ve been in a
Tibetan bedroom. Norbu says that
Tibetans either live in mobile yak
tents, or in concrete houses like
these. In the past, many houses were
built from wood. However, as Tibet
slowly developed, most people
started transitioning into concrete
and stone buildings. The concrete
they use to build these houses
happen to be a meter thick. It was
built this way so that it can keep
people inside warm, especially during
winter. Since the wall was very thick,
large openings would cause the
house to become unstable. Therefore,
all the windows were built very small.
Norbu states that these windows
used to be made of paper, but now
everyone uses glass. Farm houses,
like the one we are in, usually have
the first floor dedicated for storing
animals. Since heat always moves
upwards, having animals live on the
first floor would keep them warm on
the second floor.
A day with the minority just passed
by like that, a drop of a penny, as I
dozed off. Before I knew it, I was back
in my seat, back in the norm. Walking
into the ranges of Tibet, was like
walking into another dimension,
where everything was different. In the
end, what makes them so different
from us? Isolation and geography. All
those mountains, all those plateaus,
cause the difficulties of interacting
with the outside world. Tibet’s
geography is what truly separates
them and us.
Exploration Unleashed
As the bus journeyed into the magnificent mountains in the Chinese city of Zhangjiajie in the Hunan province, the massive carpets of trees and bushes slowly unravelled themselves under the bright hot sun. I see a collection of wooden houses sitting on the mountains; those wooden houses are large, and they have wooden poles, pillars, windows, and fences that are crafted in complex symbols or sophisticated combinations of geometric shapes, much like the works of sculpture artists. I’m here to look for its most native settlers, the Tujia people, the wondrous people dwelling in the large wooden houses on those great green mountains. Seeing all these great sights, I felt that my trip here is definitely going to be worth it, and I am excited that I have an entire afternoon to explore before dinner.
I stepped out of the bus in a trance of joy and excitement, and it was hard to believe that 4 hours ago I was in the city Changsha, getting out of the comfortable high-speed train, and waiting for a bus that would get me to my destination. I walked away from the bus, looking at the green scenery of the mountains. Below the mountains there are more wooden houses, clustered in a big village. A river flowed beside the village, and I knew that this Tujia tribe chose this place, for the water source and water transportation. I entered the village, gazed upon the different houses, and
my eyes settled on a slightly larger house, with a banner welcoming me hanging across the windows. I walked to the house on a little trail, scents of fresh grass rushed into my nose. I walked up the stone stairs, and knocked on the wooden door.
“Hello, you’re our guest right? Welcome! Come in and have some tea!” an old man opened the door and greeted me. He wore a tight hat that fitted perfectly with his white hair, his white beard made him look wise and knowledgable. His traditional Tujia clothing is red, with two blue stripes on the sides, and a blue stripe down the middle; on the blue parts, there are complicated, carefully sewed patterns of shapes, flowers, and different animals. I went inside the house and sat down, a young man and a young woman sat across from me, wearing almost the same clothes as the old man. The old man came in and sat beside me.
“This tea is grown and collected from the mountains right behind our house, ” he said, “tea is very important in our culture, and it is why we Tujia people can live such a long time. ” It makes sense, the Tujia people live among the mountains, and tea plants can be easily grown on the mountains. As we slowly sipped bits of this refreshing tea, I learned a lot about Tujia and how their lives are closely related to tea. The Tujia people planted tea on the mountains; the hard labor like
reclaiming mountain into tea fields and carrying bags of organic fertilizers are done by men, and the rest, like sowing seeds, nurturing tea plants, harvesting tea, and the final preparations of the tea leaves are done by women. Tea is not only an important part of daily life to the Tujia, but it is also used as gifts to friends and relatives, and also used to celebrate in important festivals and ceremonies like birthdays and marriage. Furthermore, tea produced by the Tujia are historically sent to the imperial government of China as tribute.
After we enjoyed our tea, the old man and I took a short bus to the Tujia Cultural Park of Zhangjiajie. The old man leaded me into a site called the
Totem Pillar, a stone pillar built to worship a white tiger (the Tujia people also worshipped their ancestors, and some Tujia people, under Chinese influences, believed in religions that are popular in China).
We moved on to a tile-roofed wooden house, the Baishoutang. This two-story building is built for worshipping ancestors and pulling off celebrations that include the traditional Baishou dance of Tujia. We were just in time to see a small showcase of the dance. As the sounds of the drums and gongs alternated like footsteps, the dancers moved around in the Baishoutang, doing their most traditional gestures. The Baishou dance is a collective dance modelled after the Tujia’s agricultural, ritual, and daily activities.
The dance was over, and old man spoke, “now you can walk around here and take a good look at our sewing and silver-crafting techniques, and you can also get some souvenirs here. ” I thanked him and he told me the time to go back for dinner. I lifted my arm up and used my voice to set up a reminder on my watch. Then he left and I headed to the place that showcases sewing.
Unfortunately there was no live demonstration, but I was fascinated by how they were able to create such complex patterns on pieces of cloth. I moved on to the silver artists, and luckily there were people there, heating up silver, stretching it, and twisting it. The silver became a string, tangled in a perfect sphere. The artist then finished up the masterpiece by placing pieces of silver “petals” on the sides, then leaving it on the side to cool down. At last I couldn’t resist the temptation to buy the beautiful artwork made with care and this shiny precious metal.
The sky slowly darkened, even the apparently ancient wooden houses are slowly getting illuminated by modern lights. I felt a gentle tap on my wrist, indicating that it’s time to go back. I ran to the bus station and within 20 minutes I’m back at the Tujia village. The old man was already waiting there, “Hey, I forgot to tell you, today is the 15th day of this month in the lunar
calendar, and this means that we have to sacrifice food to our ancestors before we eat today. ”
So we hurried to a small square space in between the houses in the village. The red banners and tables are already placed there. People came in dressing in traditional Tujia clothing, and put dishes of rice, a whole chicken, a whole duck, Chinese liquor poured into several bowls, pots of suan cai (a sour type of Chinese pickles, made with Chinese cabbages and Chinese mustard leaves marinated with brine and vinegar, it is one of the most important ingredients and appetizers for the Tujia people, since it is easy to grow, make, and store in these mountains), and three big joss sticks. Then several people carried a cooked pig up before the table. The pig had its head cut off before everyone, the head was placed onto a plate on the middle of the table, and the rest of the pig was carried to the side to get its meat cut off. A man, looking approximately sixty of age, stepped before the table and announced, “The sacrifice to the ancestors has begun! ” He lighted up the joss sticks, and stepped down. We watched the joss stick burn out (it was believed that the spirit of the ancestors ate the spirit of the food), then everyone went to the sides, while some people helped carry tables and chairs into the small area. Dishes of rice, chicken, duck, suan cai, and pork were served. Rice is the primary source of carbohydrate for the Tujia, since it
is the common crop grown in southern China; Tujia people also eat a lot of poultry and pork, because they are easy to raise in the mountains and easy to look after in the yards of the Tujia wooden houses. We poured liquor into our bowls, and we started eating. It was such an awesome meal, a bit like traditional southern Chinese food, but I felt that not only the taste, but the spirit of the Tujia people making the meal come true, made it special, unlike anything that I’ve ever tasted.
I felt that time went by too quickly, especially in situations that I enjoy the most. I was there, enjoying the wonderful dinner, and the next thing I see is the bus from Zhangjiajie to Changsha, glistening under the
morning daylight. I waved goodbye to the old man and his family, who hosted my exploration of Tujia. I stepped onto the bus, while the pleasure of learning about the Tujia people lingers like the aftershocks of a powerful earthquake. I thought about the wooden houses, and how they are suitable for Tujia mountain life; I thought about the tea, and how they are significant for those who depended on the mountains; I thought about all the food, and how they were similar to other southern Chinese food. The unique geographical location has nurtured such a familiar yet interesting ethnic group, the Tujia.
Useful Chinese Phrases
ChineseWord
Pinyin Approximate Pronunciation
EnglishMeaning
�� Ní Hâo Knee how Hello
Xiè Xiè Shie Shie Thank you
� Qîng Ching Please
���/��� Zâo Shàng hâo/wân shàng hâo
Zao Shang How/Van Shang How
Good Morning/ Good Night
�� Duì bù qî Dway Boo chee Sorry/Apologies
Zài Jiàn Zay Gene Goodbye
���� Dūo Shâo Qián Duo Shao Chian How much is this?
��� Tài Gùi Le Thai Guay Low Too expensive
�� Pián Yì Diân Pian Yee Dian Cheaper
��� Xí Shoú Jiān Shee Show Jian Restroom
���� Yôu Düo Yûan Yo Duo Yuan How far?
���� Wô Tïng Bù Dông Whoa Ting Boo Dong
I don’t understand
�� Mâi Dān My Dan Check the bill
�� Jîng Chá Jing Cha Police
�� Jiù Mìng Jiu Ming SOS
�� Zì Xíng Chē Zi Shing Che Bicycle
�� Hûo Chē Huo Che Train