Many paths: searching for old Tibet in new China

Abstract

Rebkong is a valley in the traditional Tibetan region of Amdo, which is at the centre of a contemporary cultural renewal. Located at the north-eastern edge of Tibet, it has preserved lost traditions as well as giving birth to reformers and revolutionaries for centuries. The people of Rebkong have continually upheld the purest Buddhist ideals, even after successive waves of destruction have swept through their lives in the twentieth century. On his visits to Rebkong, made while on anthropological field trips through the region, Dr Stevenson met with stern lamas, hilarious monks, mad saints, painters, naughty school children, worried parents, beggars, carpenters, returning refugees, bus drivers and local officials. These fascinating characters animate these richly woven tales of hope, loss and national pride, in an area of the world that is rarely visited by foreigners and even more rarely documented.