Chinese Influences On Modern Tibetan Writings

This publication critically evaluates the political and ideological impacts of Chinese influences on the development of modern Tibetan writing. By examining three significant themes in separate chapters and focussing on selected writings of Dhondup Gyal and Yidam Tsering, this work explores the defining features of the new Tibetan literature. The author's analysis answers questions about the implications of modernity on this era's poetry and short stories; the historical significance of the emergence of Dhondup Gyal and Yidam Tsering; the relevance of the Cultural Revolution to modern Tibetan poetry and short stories; the reason why poetry became a dominant literary form in modern Tibetan literature; and the role of language used by the two authors in their writings. This work is an invaluable reference for scholars interested in modern Tibetan literary studies.

"In their discussion of the three major periods of Tibetan history, the authors draw parallels with the structure of life in England and Western Europe. Strong analogies breakdown with the European Renaissance, a cultural development that Tibet, of course, did not experience. A final section focuses on Tibet's belated emergence into modern times, ending with its subjugation by the Chinese Communists"--

Over the past century and with varying degrees of success, China has tried to integrate Tibet into the modern Chinese nation-state. In this groundbreaking work, Gray Tuttle reveals the surprising role Buddhism and Buddhist leaders played in the development of the modern Chinese state and in fostering relations between Tibet and China from the Republican period (1912-1949) to the early years of Communist rule. Beyond exploring interactions between Buddhists and politicians in Tibet and China, Tuttle offers new insights on the impact of modern ideas of nationalism, race, and religion in East Asia. After the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, the Chinese Nationalists, without the traditional religious authority of the Manchu Emperor, promoted nationalism and racial unity in an effort to win support among Tibetans. Once this failed, Chinese politicians appealed to a shared Buddhist heritage. This shift in policy reflected the late-nineteenth-century academic notion of Buddhism as a unified world religion, rather than a set of competing and diverse Asian religious practices. While Chinese politicians hoped to gain Tibetan loyalty through religion, the promotion of a shared Buddhist heritage allowed Chinese Buddhists and Tibetan political and religious leaders to pursue their goals. During the 1930s and 1940s, Tibetan Buddhist ideas and teachers enjoyed tremendous popularity within a broad spectrum of Chinese society and especially among marginalized Chinese Buddhists. Even when relationships between the elite leadership between the two nations broke down, religious and cultural connections remained strong. After the Communists seized control, they continued to exploit this link when exerting control over Tibet by force in the 1950s. And despite being an avowedly atheist regime, with the exception of the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese communist government has continued to recognize and support many elements of Tibetan religious, if not political, culture. Tuttle's study explores the role of Buddhism in the formation of modern China and its relationship to Tibet through the lives of Tibetan and Chinese Buddhists and politicians and by drawing on previously unexamined archival and governmental materials, as well as personal memoirs of Chinese politicians and Buddhist monks, and ephemera from religious ceremonies.

This study analyzes the growing appeal of Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese in contemporary China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It examines the Tibetan tradition’s historical context and its social, cultural, and political adaptation to Chinese society, as well as the effects on Han practitioners. The author's analysis is based on fieldwork in all three locations and includes a broad range of interlocutors, such as Tibetan religious teachers, Han practitioners, and lay Tibetans.

The first systematic and detailed overview of modern Tibetan literature.

Over sixty years of violence and dialogue have brought China and the Tibetans no closer to a resolution of their conflict. Tsering Topgyal argues that it is China's sense of insecurity, its perception of itself as a socio-politically weak state, which has disproportionately influenced its policies towards the religion, language, education and economy of Tibet. Beijing has also denied the existence of a 'Tibet Issue' and rejected several Tibetan proposals for autonomy, fearful that they might undermine its state-building project in Tibet. Conversely, Tibetan insecurity about threats to their identity, generated by Chinese policies, Han migration and cultural influences in Tibet, explains both the Dalai Lama's unpopular decision to abandon his aspiration for Tibetan independence and his demands for autonomy and unification of all Tibetans under one administration. Identity insecurity also drives the multi-faceted Tibetan resistance both inside Tibet and in the diaspora. Thus, while Beijing and the Tibetans seek to harden their positions in order to counter their respective insecurities, real or imagined, the outcome is, paradoxically, greater insecurity on both sides, plunging them into unremitting cycles of state-hardening on the part of China and fortifying resistance on the Tibetan side.

This Book Studies All Aspects Of Chinese History From The Very Beginning To Date. It Is Written In Very Easy Language And Lucid Style. It Depicts As To How China Has Become One Of The Most Dominant Powers Of The World. The Book Highlights Chinese Culture, Its Religion, Its View Of War And Military, Its Attitudes Towards Other Cultures And The Development Of Society From Prehistoric To Modern Times. Role Of Communist Party Of China, Basic Features Of Constitution Of China And Details Of Communist Rule Of China Have Been Given In Detail.The Topics Covered Are : A Brief Survey Of Chinese History, Its Educational System Career, Political Ideas Of Mao-Tse-Tung, Sino-Soviet Relations Before And After Indo-China Border Conflict, China S Relations With U.S.A. And Western Powers And With Third World Countries And U.N.O., Sino-Indian Relations And Tibet, China After Mao And China S 21St Century Progress And Development, Position Of Present China And Its Comparison With India, Taiwan And Its Relation With Macao And Hong Kong. Thus, This Book Will Prove Very Useful For Students Of B.A. (Hons.) And M.A. And For Various Competitive Examinations And For General Readers.

This book reveals that the roots of modern Tibetan literature grow in the rich and fertile soil of Tibet’s oral and literary traditions, rather than in the 1980s as current scholarship presents.