This intimate documentary has been well received by the critics. It follows the lives of ordinary Tibetans across an extraordinary year, giving a remarkable insight into the significance of Buddhism in everyday life and the complex and often surprising relationship between Tibetans and the Chinese immigrants who they live and work alongside. The series is both an intimate observation of a society and a compelling insight into the impact of the Chinese Communist Party on Tibetans' lives. In tonight's opener, the Panchen Lama, the highest-ranking Buddhist living in Tibet today, pays a sudden visit to the local monastery and throws the monks into turmoil. For Tsephun, a novice monk, the visit proves to be the most exciting day of his life. In the town, Jianzang, a local hotel owner, is worried about the lack of business. Despite a last-minute panic with blocked pipes in his hotel rooms and an inspection by the local tourist chief, the Panchen's visit gives him a late-season windfall. Meanwhile, in the nearby village of Tangmai, Deji, a young farmer's wife, is rushed into hospital with complications with her pregnancy. Both the doctors and Tseden, the local shaman, work together to try to save her baby.
AYear in Tibet follows a calendar year inside the secret confines of a Tibetan monastery and charts the lives of those living in Gyanste the small town which surrounds it and surrounding villages. Seven Stones Media has gained unparalleled access to one of the most isolated and spiritual parts of the world and their cameras will be the first ever allowed to follow members of the community, offering the Western audience a rare insight into their lives, religion, servitude and family.
Shangri La, 'the Rooftop of the World' - locked away in its Himalayan fortress, Tibet has long exercised a siren's hold on the imagination of the West. Tibetans are used to hardship and, despite the disastrous Chinese occupation, they have managed to keep their culture and humour alive.
Although the Tibetan climate is not as harsh as many people imagine, be prepared for sudden drops in temperature at night, particularly in western Tibet. The most pleasant time of year is between May and early November, after which temperatures start to plummet. However, in May and June there is a wind factor to consider and dust storms are not unusual. During July and August you may find roads temporarily washed out along the Friendship Highway to Nepal. These two months usually see around half of Tibet's annual rainfall.
October is the best time to make a trip out to the east. Lhasa and its environs don't get really cold until the end of November. Although winter is very cold, many restaurants are shut and snowfalls can sometimes make travel difficult, some travellers swear by these months. There are few travellers about and Lhasa, for example, is crowded with nomads and at its most colourful.
March is a politically sensitive month (the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising and flight of the Dalai Lama) and there is occasional tightening of restrictions on travellers heading into Tibet at this time. It's worth trying to make your trip coincide with one of Tibet's main festivals. Losar (New Year) is an excellent (although cold) time to be in Lhasa. Saga Dawa (April or May) is also a good time to be in Lhasa or Mt Kailash.
Tibet is a plateau region in Central Asia and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft), it is the highest region on Earth and has in recent decades increasingly been referred to as the "Roof of the World." Before Tibet got into the limelight, the term "Roof of the World" was applied to the Pamirs. Tibet was once an independent kingdom[3] but today is part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) while a small part, according to the government of the People's Republic of China, the government of the Republic of China, some of their diplomatic allies, as well as sympathetic scholarly and non-governmental bodies, is controlled by India. Currently, the PRC government and the Government of Tibet in Exile still disagree over when Tibet became a part of China, and whether the incorporation into China of Tibet is legitimate according to international law (see Tibetan sovereignty debate). Since what constitutes Tibet is a matter of much debate (see map, right) neither its size nor population are simple matters of fact, due to various entities claiming differing parts of the area as a Tibetan region. A unified Tibet first came into being under SongtsÃĪn Gampo in the seventh century. The government of the Dalai Lamas, a line of Tibetan spiritual leaders, nominally ruled a large portion of the Tibetan region at various times from the 1640s until its incorporation into the PRC in the 1950s. During most of this period, the Tibetan administration was subordinate to the Chinese empire of the Qing Dynasty. As a measure of the power that regents must have wielded it is important to note that only three of the fourteen Dalai Lamas have actually ruled Tibet. From 1751 to 1960 regents ruled for 77 percent of the time.
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