Related News
Home » Sunday » Now and Then
Zang have great respect for nature
Print Edition
On the “Roof of the World,” where air is thin and soil infertile lives a group of people with great respect for nature. They belong to the Zang ethnic group, also known as the Tibetan people, who believe in the holiness of everything in nature.
The Zang mainly live in the Tibetan Autonomous Region on the Tibetan Plateau, with some groupings in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. The 2010 census showed a population of 6,282,187.
The Zang people speak the Tibetic language belonging to the Tibeto-Burman languages. Zang is the name that Han people gave the group, while they call themselves Bod-pa.
Traces of human activity were found along the Yarlung Zangbo River in the south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at least 30,000 years ago. A tribe of Diqiangs — an ethnic group during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) — moved down south into this region and merged with the local people living there before them. The long process of integration formed today’s Zang ethnic group.
According to Tibetan mythology, the Tibetan people originated from the marriage of the monkey Pha Trelgen Changchup Sempa and rock ogress Ma Drag Sinmo with a god’s permission. Witnessing their offspring suffering food shortages, the monkey asked the god for advice. The god gave him five kinds of seeds for planting: highland barley, wheat, beans, buckwheat and barley. These grains not only solved their food problem, but also changed their bodies. Their fur and tails disappeared and they became civilized humans.
Most Tibetans believe in Tibetan Buddhism, though some observe the indigenous Bon religion. Many believe that it was Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) who brought Buddhism to Tibet when she married the leader of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo. The religion quickly spread and gradually developed into the distinctive Tibetan Buddhism widely known as Lamaism.
Potala Palace, Zhaxihunbu Monastery, Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery are well-known Tibetan temples.
Prayer wheels and prayer flags are commonly seen among believers of Buddhism. Pilgrims plant prayer flags on sacred ground as a symbol of good luck, and they often chant a mantra while turning a prayer wheel in a clockwise direction.
Many Tibetan houses and monasteries are built on elevated and sunny sites facing the south. They are usually made of a mixture of rocks, wood, cement and earth. Flat roofs are built to conserve heat and multiple windows let in sunlight. The walls are usually constructed sloping inwards as a precaution against earthquakes, common in mountainous areas.
Zang men traditionally wear braids on the head and women wear them on the shoulders. They wear gowns with long sleeves, which appear to float in the air when they are dancing.
“Hada,” a white silk scarf 20 centimeters wide and 1-2 meters long, is a precious gift among Tibetans. It is usually presented as a sign of respect on occasions like happy events, arrival of visitors from far away, visiting elderly and sending off a person who is to take a long journey.
The cuisine of the Zang reflects their adaptation to high altitude. Barleys are the most important crops for Zang people, while their staple foods include tsamba, made of highland wheat, yak butter tea, mutton and beef. Well-prepared yogurt and Qingke wine is also popular.
Traditional Tibetan medicine also has played a significant role in helping the people adapt to the harsh environment.
“Four Medical Tantras,” written by physician Yutok Yonten Gonpo in the 8th century, is one of the most important Tibetan medical classics. It has ties to the medical traditions of Persia, India and China. The tantras contained a total of 156 chapters in the form of Thangkas painting, telling about archaic Tibetan medicine and medicines in other places.
The Tibetan medicine doctor diagnoses through inquiry, observation and palpation. About 2,000 plants, 40 animal species and 50 minerals are used in Tibetan medicine for treatments. Other therapies common in Traditional Chinese Medicine like cupping, acupuncture, bloodletting and herbal baths are also used.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
