Thibet and its People.

Manawatu Herald, 10 March 1904, Page 3

Thibet and its People.

THE COUNTRY OF THE LAMAS. (Concluded.) The first accounts of the history of Thibet occur in the annals of the Mongols and Chinese, The Thibetans are a Mongolian people. They are said to have been united in one kingdom about 313 B.C. Buddhism was introduced in 407, and Lhassa was built about 650. In the eleventh century Thibet, having been weakened by division into principalities, was placed under tribute by the Qbinese. In 1720 it was entirely subjugated, and the present form of government was established. The Chinese took charge of the military administration, and the civil and ecclesiastical was left in the hands of the Lamas, or priests. The DalaiLama, who is popularly believed to never die - probably an Asiatic version of the British political theory, “The King never dies” is the supreme ruler, assisted by a Prime Minister and nine councillors, of whom fire are priests and four laymen. The country is divided into four “lings,” each of which is governed by a Lama. The Chinese Imperial Government is represented at Lhassa by two Ambares, or Chinese Residents. The Dalai-Lama is supposed to be and is worshipped as the living Buddha. Thibet, though poor in agricultural and manufacturing products, is said to be exceedingly rich in minerals. Gold, silver, copper, and tin, salt, sulphur, borax, and nitre are plentiful, and corundum stone, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and agate are found in considerable quantity. The chief imports are said to be cotton and woollen goods, metals, chinaware, indigo, matches, silk, and tobacco. In 1901 these were valued at £49,938. The exports are mostly wool, musk, and ponies, the value in 1901 being set down as £52,282. Pere Hue, in his account of his travels, says:—“Gold and silver are collected there so readily that the common shepherds have become acquainted with the art of purifying these precious metals. You often see them in the ravines, or in the hollows of the mountains, seated round a fire of argols, amusing themselves with purifying in a crude crucible the gold dust they have found ' while tending their herds.” In another passage he says Thibet is “ rich in gold and silver, poor in all that constitutes the well-being of the masses. The gold and silver collected by the people is absorbed by the great people, and especially by the Lamaseries, those immense reservoirs into which flow, by a thousand channels, all the wealth of these vast regions." From this and other sources it is apparent that the masses of the Thibetans are a poor, superstitious, Lama-ridden people, and that the ruling powers are exclusive in their attitude towards strangers, lest their hold on the people should be loosened and the resources of the country developed to their disadvantage. Lhassa, which many have attempted to enter and have failed, is situated on a plain on the banks of the Dzang-tau, about twelve leagues from its junction with the Dzangoo. It is situated 9500 ft above sea level. Hue says it is not a large town, its circuit being at the utmost two leagues. The principal streets are described as broad, well laid out, and tolerably clean, at least when it does not rain, but the suburbs are revoltingly filthy. The houses are large, but cleanliness there and elsewhere is a virtue but little practised. The dwelling-places of the poorer classes are excessively dirty, and so are their habits. The temples and monasteries are the chief buildings 1 of the town, and these are very large and very elaborate. The palace of the Dalai-Lama is on an eminence about a mile north of the town. Hue describing this says : “ This palace is an aggregation of several temples of various size and decorawhich occupies the centra

is four stories high, and overlooks all the rest; it terminates in a dome, entirely covered with plates of gold, and surrounded with a peristyle, the columns of which are, in like manner, all covered with gold.”

Thibet lies between the latitude of Naples and Cairo, but its great elevation renders it excessively cold during the winter when its climate resembles that of the Arctic regions rather than the countries in the zone to which it belongs-. The mountains and the great plains which lie between Thibet and the sea rob the winds of their moisture, and render the climate exceedingly dry. Timber, it is said, never rota, but it breaks from brittleness; flesh exposed to the wind does not become putrid, but dries, and can be reduced to a powder-. During the winter the country is swept by high winds, and the weatherbeaten rocks break into a dust, which mixes with the loose alluvial soil, and with it is blown about in blinding clouds. Owing to the great dryness of the air, trees (the cedar and birch)' are only met with in few scattered- spots on the hills. In the great plains the pursuits of the inhabitants are chiefly those of the pastoral tribes of the steppes of Central .Asia. In the vjillftys, however, the soil is more productive, and fruit trees, the vine, and the European fruits are grown with successj and irrigation is applied to agriculture with great success. In the towns the Thibetans prosecute the industrial arts. They are spoken of as ingenious jewellers, and manufacture extensively fabrics of wool and goats’ hair, Buddhist idols, &c. The chief trade of the country is with China. The Thibetans have some peculiar national customs. In appearance they are typically Mongolian. They have black eyes, pug noses, wide mouths, and thin lips. The ordinary complexion is tawny, but on the upper classes you find skins as white as those of Europeans. The men are of middle height, and combine with the agility and suppleness of the Chinese the force and vigour of the Tartar. Hue says that generosity and frankness enter largely into their character; that they are i>raVs in war, and they face death easily. Landor says the Thibetan women are not prepossessing, and like the men, they raiely, if ever, bathe. In that he is borne out by Hue, who says “ cleanliness is of small estimation among them.” Both polyandry and polygam / are customs of the country; but it is commoner for a woman to be married to several husbands than for n man to have several wives. The men largely outnumber the women. Very often if a girl is married into a family in which there are several brothers, she is regarded as married to them all.

The expedition now advancing towards Lhassa went through the Sikkim territory. It has been urged that if the purpose is to open up trade with Thibet, a better and more satisfactory way would have been to go via Bramakund Valley and Rima, at the extreme northeast of Assam, to Batang, the place at which the Chinese trade enters Thibet.