Thread on #Tibet from @ananthkrishnan’s India& #39;s China Challenge:

“That tourists–and firefighters–outnumber worshippers in the halls of #Potala today (summer 2015) is a result of China’s grand project in Tibet: a project of remaking it in Beijing’s image.”

#himalayanhistories

“Chinese officials dismiss @DalaiLama’s following as a vestige of Tibet’s old ‘feudal’ past... not how most Tibetans see it... numerous reports of Tibetans having defied restrictions+ threats of jail to hold quiet celebrations to mark his 80th b’day... in #Tibet, Gansu+ Sichuan.“

Imp. reminder: “when news reports refer to ‘Tibet’, they usually mean China’s Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), of w/h Lhasa is the capital. Only ~half of China’s 6 million Tibetans are in the TAR. The rest spread across neighbouring provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan+ Gansu.”

“seen in terms of three traditional Tibetan regions, U-Tsang, Amdo+ Kham. #TAR largely overlaps U-Tsang... The regions historically had distinct regional, linguistic+ cultural identities+ practices.”

མདོ་དབུས་ཁམས་གསུམ + ཆོལ་ཁ་གསུམ་-U Tsang of dharma, Kham of ppl, Amdo of horses.

“Journalists can only travel to the TAR on govt-arranged tours [but freely to the other four Tibetan provinces]... In 2015, invited to cover opening of a new route for Indian Kailash Manasarovar pilgrims at Nathu La, whr Tibet meets #Sikkim.”
#himalayanhistories
Routes new+ old:

“ #Lhasa is being transformed. From lofty balconies of #Potala, relentless sounds of hammering+ drilling fill the valley. Beyond the ever-shrinking old city... streets signs in large Mandarin characters; signage in Tibetan, in smaller script, hints at govt’s priorities.”
@hpeaks