Lhasa and the Spirit of Tibet (14/39)

Lhasa and the Spirit of Tibet (14/39)

"Tashi Delek", "Fare thee well", is the traditional greeting of the Tibetans. However, since the Chinese invaded the land in 1950, this is no more than wishful thinking. Nowadays the Tibetans have to fear for the preservation of their culture since the constantly growing Chinese population is rapidly crowding out the native Tibetans. The latter are often no longer able to practise unhindered their religion, an essential element of their native culture.

The film describes a colourful culture in which secular and spiritual power are in the same hands. This concentration of the Dalai Lama's power becomes visible in the fortifications overlooking the city of Lhasa in Potala. Furthermore, pictures from Katmandu show how the old customs and traditions, threatened by extinction in their land of origin Tibet, are surviving amoung the Tibetans in exile.

"Tashi Delek", "Glückliches Gedeihen", lautet der traditionelle Gruß der Tibeter. Seit die Chinesen 1950 in das Land einmarschierten, kann davon keine Rede mehr sein. Heute müssen die Tibeter um den Erhalt ihrer Kultur fürchten, denn die ständig wachsende chinesische Bevölkerung verdrängt die tibetische Urbevölkerung zunehmend. Die Tibeter können ihre Religion, ein wesentlicher Träger der ursprünglichen Kultur des Landes, oft nicht mehr ungehindert ausüben.

Der Film schildert eine farbenprächtige Kultur, in der die weltliche und die geistige Macht in denselben Händen lag. Sichtbar wird diese Machtkonzentration der Dalai Lamas in der stadtbeherrschenden Festung über Lhasa, im Potala. Ergänzend zeigen Bilder aus Kathmandu, wie die alten Bräuche und Traditionen, die in ihrem Ursprungsland Tibet zu verschwinden drohen, bei den Exiltibetern fortleben.

This series portrays landscapes, metropoles, sacred sites and monuments, all of which have made a unique contribution to the cultural heritage of mankind. Each episode breathes life into civilizations which thrived in the past ten thousand years, some of them then vanishing without a trace into the shadows of history. The films describe epochs whose legacy lingers in the perceptions and ideas of our own age, and cult sites which have managed to preserve their religious and cultural power up to the present day.