Tibet since 1950

About this book

"Through a diverse selection of photographs, personal interviews, and historical information, Tibet Since 1950: Silence, Prison, or Exile, a collaboration between Aperture and Human Rights Watch, looks beyond the Shangri-la image of Tibet to the impact of political repression by the Chinese government on Tibetan lives. The Tibet Autonomous Region, as well as the area know as "eastern Tibet," has been shaped by fifty years of direct Chinese government control. The impact of that control is evident in Tibetan culture, politics, economic activity, and religious practice. It is manifest in the extensive prison network used to detain those perceived as challenging Chinese rule and in the extreme measures used to keep protests in check. This publication contains rare photographs of Chinese government crackdowns on Tibetan demonstrations and first-hand accounts from Tibetans living in exile. It examines the physical damage inflicted upon Tibetan religious institutions in the past and the more subtle destruction still going on today. Tibet Since 1950 offers a new perspective on the complicated subject of recent Tibetan history, avoiding the standard cliches of Tibet as a land defined by the search for spiritual enlightenment and as an exotic paradise. The real Tibet is far more complex. This book examines the bleak banality of repressive control that is as much a part of Tibet as is its scenic beauty."--BOOK JACKET.