Present-day Tibet is by no means painted as a Shangri-La in Western media. The image of Tibet that they convey is of an abyss of darkness where religious Tibetans suffer repression, or "cultural genocide," at the hands of abusive Han Chinese.
Taking advantage of the general ignorance of actual conditions in Tibet abroad, that stereotype has been foisted on a vast number of trusting people overseas.
But no rumor can stand the test of facts.
On a recent trip to the Tibet Autonomous Region, a European parliamentary delegation saw a Tibet that was quite different from the one they had heard about.
People in the autonomous region enjoy freedom of religion, the Tibetan culture is rich, distinct and well preserved, and the local economy is developing steadily, said members of the delegation in Beijing Sunday evening shortly after completion of their six-day trip.
The 20-member delegation visited the Potala Palace, Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery and Jokhang Temple as well as schools and hospitals in Lhasa and Xigaze.
Per Gahrton, vice-chairman of the delegation for relations with China, said the monasteries were well maintained and that there were no problems for worshipers.
He said Tibetans were very religious. "We saw thousands of Buddhist disciples circulating through the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple." He said those with different political views may also worship and offer sacrifices in the temples.
Gahrton said he was fascinated with the existing Tibetan culture and has a fine collection of Tibetan dance, opera and music.
"We've been in a fantastic landscape with traditional yak-herding, nomads and villages with traditional Tibetan houses," he said.
Lord Inglewood, second vice-chairman of the delegation, agreed there was a distinct Tibetan culture and that the on-going renovation of the Potala Palace indicated the administration's will to preserve local cultural heritage.
He expressed his concern over the damage done to the ancient buildings in Tibet and elsewhere in the country during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).
Tibet can develop its economy by gearing up tourism without destroying its cultural heritage, he said.
Concerning the language issue, Gahrton said he noticed that the Tibetan language is widely used among Tibetans. Schools and universities offer classes teaching the language. He was also informed that the regional people's congress holds sessions in both Tibetan and putonghua, or standard spoken Chinese.
The Chinese language is still dominant in the mass media of the region, but you see the same thing in Europe, for example, in Britain's Northern Ireland and parts of his own country, Sweden, he said.
As for the local transport system, Gahrton said it was good in big cities such as Lhasa but backward in the remote area of Xigaze.
It's wise that the government is building railways and roads in the region, and he didn't see a conflict between economic development and the maintenance of cultural heritage, if things are handled properly.
Joan Colom, a member who previously visited Tibet in 1991 and 1998, said that there had been "important progress" and "evident economic growth" over the 11 years between his visits.
He said although the region is still below the average development level of China, things are catching up fast and lots of construction is going on in the Lhasa area with the building of traditional Tibetan-style houses.
The delegation also inspected the Panam project, a program jointly launched by China and the European Union to develop agriculture, education and health service in Panam County of the Xigaze Prefecture.
Both Gahrton and Inglewood said that the project is being carried out successfully. The project will have far-reaching consequences and benefit other parts of the region as well.
Garton said the delegation was "very, very well-received" by the Tibetan people and Raidi, chairman of the standing committee of the regional people's congress and the delegation held frank and friendly discussions with him.
He said a six-day trip was too short a period to know everything about such a big region, and he expressed his hope to come back to this "magnificent" place to see more of it.
(China Daily July 17, 2002)
