A Year in Tibet

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[edit] General Information

History, Travel Documentary hosted by Chris Bowen and published by BBC in 2008 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

A Year in Tibet

Isolated in the midst of the world's highest mountains, the Himalayas, Tibet is one of the most remote and least accessible places on the planet. This series focuses on the medieval town of Gyantse and the beautiful Baijin monastery. It is both an intimate observation of a society and a compelling insight into how Tibetans cope with living under imposed Chinese Communist rule. Gyantse is a town of two halves: part jumble of tiny streets with traditional wooden houses, part modern commercial centre - an intriguing mix of the ancient and the modern. Here cows, bikes, intrepid travellers in ancient buses and 4x4's jostle each other along the potholed streets.

Through a handful of powerful and engaging characters, follow the reality of daily life for ordinary people living in an extraordinary place. From the hotelier struggling to attract more tourists; to the 13 year old novice monk trying to pass his exams; to the young girl who doesn't find out until her wedding day that she is to be married to two brothers

[edit] The Visit

The Panchen Lama, the highest ranking Buddhist living in Tibet today, pays an unexpected visit to the local monastery and throws the monks into turmoil. A local hotel owner is worried about the lack business. In the nearby village of Tangmai, a young farmers wife is rushed into hospital with complications with her pregnancy.

[edit] Three Husbands and a Wedding

It's autumn and everyone is pulling together to get in the harvest, as Dundan worries about hailstones flattening his crops. The local government has installed guns to disperse the clouds and this has put the shaman Tseden, who used to protect the fields with spells, out of a job. Tseden is also helping a local family to arrange their daughter's wedding.

[edit] Faith Hope Charity

The monks begin preparations for New Year, one of Tibet's biggest festivals. Lhakpa, a local rickshaw driver, struggles to earn money as winter approaches. He embarks on a scheme to buy and sell puppies, with disastrous consequences. Hotel owner Jianzang gets involved in a court case which has a surprising outcome. In Tangmai, the doctor cannot cure Lhamo's crippling stomach pains.

[edit] Monks Behaving Badly

In the Pel Kor monastery, the director Choephel discovers that some irreplaceable statues have been stolen and the theft gives the local Communist Party an excuse to put in a government 'work team' to weed out monks they think are behaving badly. Lhakpa heads north in search of a lucrative job on a building site, and Butri gets an unpleasant surprise as she approaches her retirement.

[edit] A Tale of Three Monks

Deputy head lama Tsultrim has to juggle running the monastery whilst complying with a myriad of government restrictions. Young monk Tsephun lives and works with his master Dondrup, a curmudgeonly old lama. Tsephun helps his master with the day-to-day jobs of cleaning and tidying; in return, Dondrup teaches Tsephun the sutras and scriptures, an essential part of becoming a monk.