- 28 Nov 2013 07:12
#14334983
Dressed in dark suit with printed collar and oxford shoes and wearing black glasses with his hair combed back, Tsewang Yonten looks like every other fashionmonger. When in Lhasa, locals think he is a tourist until he talks in a very fluent Lhasa dialect.
Many doubts that he may have lost his ethnic Tibetan features as he looks more like a Beijinger.
But Tsewang Yonten doesn't think it is the real story.
Adjusting to the new environment
"Ethnic characteristics are something intrinsic and deep-rooted with no need to show off purposely. When living in a metropolis, we should try to adjust ourselves to the environment," said Tsewang Yonten who is now living in Beijing.
Born in a very influential aristocratic family in Lhasa, Tsewang Yonten has been well-educated since childhood. After graduating from the Beijing International Studies University in 1996, he's been living in Beijing for nearly 20 years. Now he has fit well with the hustle and bustle of the city, which is quite different in lifestyle from Lhasa.
However, he was blamed on his twitter-liked Sina weibo for not upgrading it in Tibetan language as a Tibetan engaging in cultural industry.
"If I write in Tibetan, most of my followers who can't read Tibetan language will fail to understand. When people communicate, first of all, they must try to make themselves understood," Tsewang Yonten said that overemphasis on ethnic identity will only make people antipathetic to the whole society.
"The singer of the Voice of China Jike Junyi dresses and behaves like an international star, which makes her popular in China now, but we know he is an ethnic Yi, " one of the 55 ethnic minorities in China.
Having been living in Beijing for two decades, Tsewang Yonten can speak a fluent Mandarin without any Tibetan accent, which may somewhat attribute to his mother, who is a Han, the biggest ethnic group in the country.
In the meanwhile, he is proud of his oral Tibetan. "I can use very authentic Lhasa honorific. It is not that easy. "
Centuries-old culture needs new elements
In 2007, Tsewang Yonten set up the Pro-public Culture Co., Ltd., focusing on excavating and spreading the Tibetan culture, especially the contemporary Tibetan art.
In the previous years, Tsewang and his team have been busy working on how to better spread and carry forward the Tibetan culture in an internationally accepted way.
On Jan. 9, the TV series "Secret of Tibet" produced by Tsewang's company was shown on CCTV Channel 8, stirring heated discussions on the history of Tibet.
Centered upon the stories of four aristocratic families in Tibet from the mid 1930s to the end of the 1950s, this TV show tells the story in a way the Tibetans often do to display all kinds of rarely-known ways of living in ancient Tibet.
To attract more followers, the TV series has invited China's celebrated performers Guo Xiaodong and Shen Aojun as well as popular Tibetan actors and actress to play the leading roles.
Tsewang tried out new things in the TV show, which resulted in many negative comments from the conservatives.
"Controversy is inevitable. My original intension is quite simple. I want to introduce the Tibetan culture to the outsiders in a new way to help more people understand it," Tsewang explained.
It is important to understand the interest of the audience when introducing something new especially culture from the ethnic minority areas. In the same time, the actual market demand can not be ignored, according to Tsewang.
Tsewang said: "I've been trying hard to bring some new concepts into the spreading of Tibetan culture. It is essential because new things come while old things are likely to be replaced if they refuse to make some changes."
Many doubts that he may have lost his ethnic Tibetan features as he looks more like a Beijinger.
But Tsewang Yonten doesn't think it is the real story.
Adjusting to the new environment
"Ethnic characteristics are something intrinsic and deep-rooted with no need to show off purposely. When living in a metropolis, we should try to adjust ourselves to the environment," said Tsewang Yonten who is now living in Beijing.
Born in a very influential aristocratic family in Lhasa, Tsewang Yonten has been well-educated since childhood. After graduating from the Beijing International Studies University in 1996, he's been living in Beijing for nearly 20 years. Now he has fit well with the hustle and bustle of the city, which is quite different in lifestyle from Lhasa.
However, he was blamed on his twitter-liked Sina weibo for not upgrading it in Tibetan language as a Tibetan engaging in cultural industry.
"If I write in Tibetan, most of my followers who can't read Tibetan language will fail to understand. When people communicate, first of all, they must try to make themselves understood," Tsewang Yonten said that overemphasis on ethnic identity will only make people antipathetic to the whole society.
"The singer of the Voice of China Jike Junyi dresses and behaves like an international star, which makes her popular in China now, but we know he is an ethnic Yi, " one of the 55 ethnic minorities in China.
Having been living in Beijing for two decades, Tsewang Yonten can speak a fluent Mandarin without any Tibetan accent, which may somewhat attribute to his mother, who is a Han, the biggest ethnic group in the country.
In the meanwhile, he is proud of his oral Tibetan. "I can use very authentic Lhasa honorific. It is not that easy. "
Centuries-old culture needs new elements
In 2007, Tsewang Yonten set up the Pro-public Culture Co., Ltd., focusing on excavating and spreading the Tibetan culture, especially the contemporary Tibetan art.
In the previous years, Tsewang and his team have been busy working on how to better spread and carry forward the Tibetan culture in an internationally accepted way.
On Jan. 9, the TV series "Secret of Tibet" produced by Tsewang's company was shown on CCTV Channel 8, stirring heated discussions on the history of Tibet.
Centered upon the stories of four aristocratic families in Tibet from the mid 1930s to the end of the 1950s, this TV show tells the story in a way the Tibetans often do to display all kinds of rarely-known ways of living in ancient Tibet.
To attract more followers, the TV series has invited China's celebrated performers Guo Xiaodong and Shen Aojun as well as popular Tibetan actors and actress to play the leading roles.
Tsewang tried out new things in the TV show, which resulted in many negative comments from the conservatives.
"Controversy is inevitable. My original intension is quite simple. I want to introduce the Tibetan culture to the outsiders in a new way to help more people understand it," Tsewang explained.
It is important to understand the interest of the audience when introducing something new especially culture from the ethnic minority areas. In the same time, the actual market demand can not be ignored, according to Tsewang.
Tsewang said: "I've been trying hard to bring some new concepts into the spreading of Tibetan culture. It is essential because new things come while old things are likely to be replaced if they refuse to make some changes."
- By Tainari88
- By litwin
- By wat0n