There is a lot of modern mythology surrounding Tibet in the outside world (outside of Asia especially). I found 'Demystifing Tibet' to be a good and frank introduction to the ineptness of the Tibetan government in response to change, and why and how China has interfered frequently to alter Tibet's behaviour to its own advantage. China behaves like a superpower to its satellite nations. It is however the Cultural Revolution that devastated China and Tibet beyond recognition. Traditional Chinese culture survives in the satellite Chinese societies of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore and Southeast Asia. We returning Chinese find the mainlanders so alien to us, so empty and soulless.

I live in Shanghai now, and it seems like Tibet is having their revenge. The current material prosperity has manifested deep spiritual emptiness among the Chinese. I regularly see lamas from Tibet, Kham, Amdo being sponsored to rebuild their destroyed monasteries by the newly rich Chinese, who turn to them to pray for their own merit and salvation. This relationship is not very different from that during the imperial times, where Tibetan monasteries received Qing imperial patronage. Same deal here. What I find sad is more the lay Tibetan farmers, nomands having no access to education which might actually give them a fighting chance with the more wiley, business minded Chinese. Tibetan theocracy was not very kind to Tibetans, if you actually are honest with yourself and do your research. Chinese materialism coupled with the rise of the monasteries again is just another poison.

So much suffering. But I still love the rarity of light and air in Tibet.