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Central Asia is invested with mystique and a sort of virginity utopian flavor that have ,of course flocked opportunitsts and the vulgarly intellectually curious, albeit sinful for those very motives. This blog is maintained to be a source of information of books and articles on the region this one by Peter Hopkirk. Tibet has this sort of mystique misnomered Shangri-La .Note the book by Derek Waller also.
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Blind Lake by Robert Charles WilsonWilliam Congreve and the Rockets of MysoreThe Prestige by Christopher PriestSpin by Robert Charles WilsonNepal vs. the British in Tibet from 1769 to 1861Mongols vs. the Chinese in TibetMondegreens in a language other than English`I don't believe in natural science.'Vladimir the AbleFrederick Jelinek's Acceptance SpeechGung Haggis Fat ChoyThe Other Wind by Ursula K. Le GuinFour For Tomorrow by Roger ZelaznyPermanence by Karl SchroederA Cook's Tour by Anthony BourdainSolaris by Stanislaw LemA Peace To End All Peace: the Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David FromkinStories of your life and others by Ted ChiangThe Cold Six Thousand by James EllroyDeep Time
« O Post Captain, My Captain | Main | The Sciences of the Artificial by Herbert A. Simon »
November 10, 2004
Trespassers on the roof of the world by Peter Hopkirk
... Lurgan's impassive face changed. He considered the years to come when Kim would have been entered and made to the Great Game that never ceases day and night, throughout India. He foresaw honour and credit in the mouths of a chosen few, coming to him from his pupil. Lurgan Sahib had made E23 what E23 was, out of a bewildered, impertinent, lying, little North-West Province man.
"Kim", Rudyard Kipling
Tibet is geographically isolated, especially from the West. Part of the appeal of this kingdom has been this isolation. In fact, some people have conferred utopian ideals onto this land simply because of this isolation: the famous misnomer of `Shangri-La' invented by James Hilton.
This book chronicles each attempt by spies and explorers to pry open the mysteries of Tibet. The most compelling of these were the Indian spies who mapped large parts of Tibet working under Captain Montgomerie. People like Kishen Singh (code name 'A.K.'), Nain Singh and Sarat Chandra Das collected unparalled amounts of geographical material about Tibet. Sarat Chandra Das was incorporated by Rudyard Kipling into his novel "Kim" as the intrepid Hurree Chunder Mookherjee (sic).
While their exploits were published in the Royal Geographical Society, they were never officially acknowledged either by the British or subsequently by the Indian goverment. Their stories are amazing and even though only part of this book is devoted to them, this was reason enough for me to read this book. The question remains: why did these people perform these heroic deeds so far above the call of duty for the benefit of their British rulers? I suspect the answer is not a simple one: neither monetary incentives or loyalty to the British or an utopian ideal seem to be an answer. Their motivations were, I suspect, not very different from the other explorers from the West. The contributions of these Indian spies and explorers, in terms of maps and local information, were quantitatively greater than most of the other explorers in Tibet but their stories remain largely unknown to this day.
A more exhaustive history of these Pundit explorers in the pay of the British Empire is in the book "Pundits : British Exploration of Tibet and Central Asia" by Derek Waller (University Press of Kentucky, 1990).
Special Circumstances
About this Blog
This weblog is written and maintained by Anoop Sarkar.
Search
Search this site:
Categories
Blog AdminComputational LinguisticsComputer ScienceGraphic NovelsHistoryCentral AsiaLinguisticsMathematicsNotebooksReviewsScienceScience FictionWeb Links
Recent Entries
Blind Lake by Robert Charles WilsonWilliam Congreve and the Rockets of MysoreThe Prestige by Christopher PriestSpin by Robert Charles WilsonNepal vs. the British in Tibet from 1769 to 1861Mongols vs. the Chinese in TibetMondegreens in a language other than English`I don't believe in natural science.'Vladimir the AbleFrederick Jelinek's Acceptance SpeechGung Haggis Fat ChoyThe Other Wind by Ursula K. Le GuinFour For Tomorrow by Roger ZelaznyPermanence by Karl SchroederA Cook's Tour by Anthony BourdainSolaris by Stanislaw LemA Peace To End All Peace: the Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David FromkinStories of your life and others by Ted ChiangThe Cold Six Thousand by James EllroyDeep Time
« O Post Captain, My Captain | Main | The Sciences of the Artificial by Herbert A. Simon »
November 10, 2004
Trespassers on the roof of the world by Peter Hopkirk
... Lurgan's impassive face changed. He considered the years to come when Kim would have been entered and made to the Great Game that never ceases day and night, throughout India. He foresaw honour and credit in the mouths of a chosen few, coming to him from his pupil. Lurgan Sahib had made E23 what E23 was, out of a bewildered, impertinent, lying, little North-West Province man.
"Kim", Rudyard Kipling
Tibet is geographically isolated, especially from the West. Part of the appeal of this kingdom has been this isolation. In fact, some people have conferred utopian ideals onto this land simply because of this isolation: the famous misnomer of `Shangri-La' invented by James Hilton.
This book chronicles each attempt by spies and explorers to pry open the mysteries of Tibet. The most compelling of these were the Indian spies who mapped large parts of Tibet working under Captain Montgomerie. People like Kishen Singh (code name 'A.K.'), Nain Singh and Sarat Chandra Das collected unparalled amounts of geographical material about Tibet. Sarat Chandra Das was incorporated by Rudyard Kipling into his novel "Kim" as the intrepid Hurree Chunder Mookherjee (sic).
While their exploits were published in the Royal Geographical Society, they were never officially acknowledged either by the British or subsequently by the Indian goverment. Their stories are amazing and even though only part of this book is devoted to them, this was reason enough for me to read this book. The question remains: why did these people perform these heroic deeds so far above the call of duty for the benefit of their British rulers? I suspect the answer is not a simple one: neither monetary incentives or loyalty to the British or an utopian ideal seem to be an answer. Their motivations were, I suspect, not very different from the other explorers from the West. The contributions of these Indian spies and explorers, in terms of maps and local information, were quantitatively greater than most of the other explorers in Tibet but their stories remain largely unknown to this day.
A more exhaustive history of these Pundit explorers in the pay of the British Empire is in the book "Pundits : British Exploration of Tibet and Central Asia" by Derek Waller (University Press of Kentucky, 1990).
THE ROLL CALL OF VARIOUS EXPLORERS IS THE LIST OF THE ILL FATED WHO HAD THE IMPURE MOTIVES OF INTRUSION FROM THE OUTSET
This book is as exhaustive as possible about the various explorers who tried to storm Lhasa in their own ways and for their particular motivations. There is an amazing variety of them:
Annie Royle Taylor who wanted to convert the Dalai Lama to Presbyterianism,
Henry Savage Landor who was captured by the Tibetans and tortured for several days along with his two Indian servants Chanden Singh and Man Singh (who was a leper). They were released at the Tibetan border probably as a warning against further intrusions into Tibet.
Ekai Kawaguchi, who not only reached Lhasa, but lived there for more than a year in disguise. He was presumed to be in touch with his teacher and one-time British spy - Sarat Chandra Das
the Canadian Susie Rijnhart who returned from her ill-fated expedition to Tibet without her Dutch husband Petrus Rijnhart and her infant son Charles.
the Russian Colonel Nikolai Prejevalsky who was turned away from the gates of Lhasa by Tibetan warrior monks.
the US Air Force cargo plane that crash landed near Lhasa and whose crew were nearly lynched. COLONIAL REASONINGS
There are many such stories in this book. Many of them document stories of torture designed to deter further intrusions into Tibet but also about torture on the citizens of Tibet by the ruling theocracy. These stories, which are almost certainly true due to the multiple sources that report it, were then used by the British and the Chinese as a convenient excuse to invade Tibet. The reasoning provided then is exactly the same as in other colonial "interventions" in history: a double-barreled combination of (a) revenge for real or perceived slights by the ruling power and (b) the liberation of the oppressed populace.
This book is as exhaustive as possible about the various explorers who tried to storm Lhasa in their own ways and for their particular motivations. There is an amazing variety of them:
Annie Royle Taylor who wanted to convert the Dalai Lama to Presbyterianism,
Henry Savage Landor who was captured by the Tibetans and tortured for several days along with his two Indian servants Chanden Singh and Man Singh (who was a leper). They were released at the Tibetan border probably as a warning against further intrusions into Tibet.
Ekai Kawaguchi, who not only reached Lhasa, but lived there for more than a year in disguise. He was presumed to be in touch with his teacher and one-time British spy - Sarat Chandra Das
the Canadian Susie Rijnhart who returned from her ill-fated expedition to Tibet without her Dutch husband Petrus Rijnhart and her infant son Charles.
the Russian Colonel Nikolai Prejevalsky who was turned away from the gates of Lhasa by Tibetan warrior monks.
the US Air Force cargo plane that crash landed near Lhasa and whose crew were nearly lynched. COLONIAL REASONINGS
There are many such stories in this book. Many of them document stories of torture designed to deter further intrusions into Tibet but also about torture on the citizens of Tibet by the ruling theocracy. These stories, which are almost certainly true due to the multiple sources that report it, were then used by the British and the Chinese as a convenient excuse to invade Tibet. The reasoning provided then is exactly the same as in other colonial "interventions" in history: a double-barreled combination of (a) revenge for real or perceived slights by the ruling power and (b) the liberation of the oppressed populace.
HARRER THE FOOTNOTE
The story of Heinrich Harrer which got a lot of attention from Hollywood (including the movie "Seven Years in Tibet") does not get much attention by Peter Hopkirk and Harrer is dismissed as a footnote in this history and appropriately so.
The story of Heinrich Harrer which got a lot of attention from Hollywood (including the movie "Seven Years in Tibet") does not get much attention by Peter Hopkirk and Harrer is dismissed as a footnote in this history and appropriately so.
THE CHINESE INVASION;ROLE OF THE BRITISH AND THE RUSSIANS
Most people know of the Chinese invasion of Tibet on November 7, 1950. However, not many historical sources point out the previous history of relations between Tibet and China and especially the role of the British and the Russians. This book is one of the few places which details this history. Since this is so rarely mentioned anywhere, I've included the full account below:
Most people know of the Chinese invasion of Tibet on November 7, 1950. However, not many historical sources point out the previous history of relations between Tibet and China and especially the role of the British and the Russians. This book is one of the few places which details this history. Since this is so rarely mentioned anywhere, I've included the full account below:
COL YOUNGHUSBAND ETC AND THE DEMYSTIFICATION OF TIBET
After the British invasion of Tibet in 1904 under the command of Col. Younghusband, the British enforced certain trade treaties with Lhasa and installed Captain O'Connor as the British trade commissioner in Gyantse. The British presence irked the Chinese who were used to having a permanent consul (called the amban) in Lhasa and whose influence was now displaced by that of the British. However, the British were not very comfortable with their position in Tibet and wished to pull out. The British Campbell-Bannerman government signed a treaty with China in April 1906 restoring Britain's recognition of Chinese suzerainty over Tibet. The British never consulted with the Tibetans on this matter. The following year, the Chinese signed a treaty with the other power in the region, the Russians granting the Chinese `suzerain rights' over Tibet. Again, the Tibetans were never consulted. Soon thereafter, the Chinese advanced into Tibet leaving a trail of slaughtered monks. In February 1910, two thousand Chinese troops seized Lhasa. The Dalai-Lama escaped to Sikkim in British India. After the October 1911 revolution in China, the Chinese garrison in Lhasa mutinied and the Tibetans took advantage of this and started a guerilla war against the Chinese. On January 6, 1913, the last of the Chinese marched out of Lhasa and the Dalai Lama returned to his capital. The Chinese invasion of 1950 cannot be divorced from this history thirty-seven years before and the politics of the powers in the region: Chinese, Russian and British.
It is important to note that most of the explorers mentioned in this book have written books of their own in which they detail their adventures. In fact, it was common for these `explorers' to finance their expeditions in this way. There is a veritable glut of these portraits of Tibet which are in direct contrast with the contemporary portrayal of Tibet in the media. For example, a useful book to read after this one is "Lhasa and its Mysteries" by Col. Austine Waddell (1905) which despite its title demystifies Tibet entirely. Waddell's book is particularly unsympathetic towards the Lhasa theocracy, which is not surprising since he chronicles the 1904 invasion of Tibet by the British. However, his cold prose is an effective counterbalance to the unabashed mysticism usually associated with any current writing about Tibet.
The British and Russian tug-of-war over India that was fought out over Central Asia is documented in "The Great Game" also written by Peter Hopkirk and in "Tournament of Shadows" by K. E. Meyer and S. B. Brysac.
More books on Tibet:
"The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947" by Tsering Shakya (Columbia University Press, 1999). Recommended by Ian Buruma in his NY Review of Books article "Found Horizon" which reviews the books by Schell and Hilton (see below).
"Virtual Tibet: Searching for Shangri-La from the Himalayas to Hollywood" by Orville Schell (Metropolitan Books, 2000)
"The Search for the Panchen Lama" by Isabel Hilton (Norton, 2000)
%T Trespassers on the roof of the world
%T :the race for Lhasa
%A Peter Hopkirk
%I J. Murray
%D 1982
%G ISBN: 0719539382
%P 274
%K history
After the British invasion of Tibet in 1904 under the command of Col. Younghusband, the British enforced certain trade treaties with Lhasa and installed Captain O'Connor as the British trade commissioner in Gyantse. The British presence irked the Chinese who were used to having a permanent consul (called the amban) in Lhasa and whose influence was now displaced by that of the British. However, the British were not very comfortable with their position in Tibet and wished to pull out. The British Campbell-Bannerman government signed a treaty with China in April 1906 restoring Britain's recognition of Chinese suzerainty over Tibet. The British never consulted with the Tibetans on this matter. The following year, the Chinese signed a treaty with the other power in the region, the Russians granting the Chinese `suzerain rights' over Tibet. Again, the Tibetans were never consulted. Soon thereafter, the Chinese advanced into Tibet leaving a trail of slaughtered monks. In February 1910, two thousand Chinese troops seized Lhasa. The Dalai-Lama escaped to Sikkim in British India. After the October 1911 revolution in China, the Chinese garrison in Lhasa mutinied and the Tibetans took advantage of this and started a guerilla war against the Chinese. On January 6, 1913, the last of the Chinese marched out of Lhasa and the Dalai Lama returned to his capital. The Chinese invasion of 1950 cannot be divorced from this history thirty-seven years before and the politics of the powers in the region: Chinese, Russian and British.
It is important to note that most of the explorers mentioned in this book have written books of their own in which they detail their adventures. In fact, it was common for these `explorers' to finance their expeditions in this way. There is a veritable glut of these portraits of Tibet which are in direct contrast with the contemporary portrayal of Tibet in the media. For example, a useful book to read after this one is "Lhasa and its Mysteries" by Col. Austine Waddell (1905) which despite its title demystifies Tibet entirely. Waddell's book is particularly unsympathetic towards the Lhasa theocracy, which is not surprising since he chronicles the 1904 invasion of Tibet by the British. However, his cold prose is an effective counterbalance to the unabashed mysticism usually associated with any current writing about Tibet.
The British and Russian tug-of-war over India that was fought out over Central Asia is documented in "The Great Game" also written by Peter Hopkirk and in "Tournament of Shadows" by K. E. Meyer and S. B. Brysac.
More books on Tibet:
"The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947" by Tsering Shakya (Columbia University Press, 1999). Recommended by Ian Buruma in his NY Review of Books article "Found Horizon" which reviews the books by Schell and Hilton (see below).
"Virtual Tibet: Searching for Shangri-La from the Himalayas to Hollywood" by Orville Schell (Metropolitan Books, 2000)
"The Search for the Panchen Lama" by Isabel Hilton (Norton, 2000)
%T Trespassers on the roof of the world
%T :the race for Lhasa
%A Peter Hopkirk
%I J. Murray
%D 1982
%G ISBN: 0719539382
%P 274
%K history
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