Invisible Tibet
Posted by stuart on Apr 27th, 2009
2009
Apr 27
Via an article at the International Herald Tribune I have been introduced to a this blog, a heart-wrenching catalogue of China-induced woe from the roof of the world. At least I imaging that’s what it is, because it’s mostly written in Chinese by the blog’s host, Woeser. Nevertheless, Woeser’s interview with IHT suggests that the blog’s contents would be a wake up call for all those Chinese who have fallen into their government’s propaganda trap. Well, it might be if it weren’t wrapped in a loving blanket of CCP censorship.
A couple of days ago Invisible Tibet highlighted the plight of the REAL Panchen Lama, who became the world’s youngest political prisoner at the age of 6 in 1995. Last Saturday was, as far as I can make out, the young man’s (assuming he’s still alive) 20th birthday. Incarcerated at the age of six! What a country!
If your Chinese is up to it, and even if it isn’t, visit the site; the pictures alone tell a story of the beauty and brutality of life on the plateau. But first read the interview:
She moved back to Lhasa, found a job at Tibetan Literature, a government-run journal, and began delving into the history and folklore of Tibet. In 2003, a publisher in Guangzhou put out her first book, “Notes on Tibet,” a collection of prose and short stories that quickly sold out. It was just before the second print run that the authorities took notice. They promptly banned the book, saying it contained “serious political mistakes.”In their condemnation of the book, her employer, the Tibetan Literature Association, said she had glorified the Dalai Lama, harmed the solidarity of the nation and “exaggerated and beautified the positive function of religion in social life.” They demanded a confession of her errors. She refused, and found herself unemployed.
Since then Woeser has become a more vocal critic of the Chinese government’s Tibetan policy. And well she might, for unlike a billion of her countrymen, she’s seen the consequences for herself.