Dawa, who has just become one of the first batch of masters degree holders trained in Tibet, is prepared to get married this year. “I am the eldest son in my family. My parents have lost patience on me and I cannot keep my girlfriend waiting any longer,” he explained.

In the pasturing area of Tibet, Tibetan men usually get married around the age of 20. However, Dawa is already 35. He mused that he might already have a child in primary school but for pursuing advanced studies.

Born into an ordinary herdsman’s family in Sa’gya County of Xigaze, Dawa and another nine Tibetan students from the Tibet University and the Tibetan Medicine Institute have obtained a Master’s Degree and become the first batch of postgraduates trained in Tibet. Both institutions only set up masters’ programs in 1998, so this batch of postgraduates is little bit older than the norm.

Dawa majored in Tibetan language, which was a privilege of lamas and the children of high officials 50 years ago in Tibet.

He has eight brothers and sisters. He already had five siblings when he went to Sa’gya Primary School at the age of nine. As the eldest son of the family, he was the labor force of the family and had to earn work points by herding for the production team.

He hailed the modernization of Tibet that had given him the chance to study.

He studied hard in the class and tried his utmost to remember what the teachers said. He always took books with him when he was herding. He always came out on top in the class since he never slackened his efforts.

Tibet had started to conduct the family contract system with remuneration linked to output when Dawa graduated from primary school in 1981. His mother did not want him to continue his studies because the family was short of hands. After thinking it over for several days, Dawa told his mother: “Mom, please give me a chance. I am not willing to give up.”

Dawa later found that this was a very correct choice in his life. When he was in the second grade of the middle school, the state began carrying out the policy of free dining and lodging as well as free clothing to primary and middle school students in Tibet.

Dawa recalled, “We had glutinous rice, gruel and steamed bun for breakfast, potato and cabbage for lunch and noodles for dinner. We had bacon in summers and beef and mutton in winters. We had sufficient food every day.” In order to provide enough iodine for Tibetan students, the state also provided them with kelp every week. The chef did not know how to cook it and the students did not like it either.

He still clearly remembers the scene when he read the four masterpieces of China’s classical literature in Tibetan “I like the Outlaws of the Marshes best. I spent all my spare time on it. Sometimes, I was enthralled by it and forgot to eat. I could even recite some highlights which described the heroes such as Lin Chong and Song Jiang.”

In 1985, Dawa passed the entrance examination and entered the Tibetan Language Department of Tibet University. He successfully obtained a Master’s degree of Tibetan Language in Tibet University in 2002. He said: “Study is the most important part of my life. The endless pleasure in Tibetan language research has attracted me to continue my exploration. The hardship of childhood enables me to fear nothing. I will continue to pursue advanced study when I have a chance.”

Puciren: Tibetan Language is My Life

Puciren had been reciting Tibetan folk literature The Story of Agudunba since he was a child. He successfully obtained Master’s degree of Tibetan Language and Literature in Tibet University.

His graduation thesis -- The Development and Features of Tibetan Biographical Literature -- has proposed a new viewpoint that Tibetan biographical literature originated from Tibetan primitive legends, according to the Thesis Defense Committee. Therefore, it corrected the belief that the Buddhist Jataca Story is the origin of Tibetan biographical literature and made up for the inadequate studies on the overall and systematic research of Tibetan biographical literature in Tibetan literature circles.

The Tibetan language was created by a minister of the Tibet regime in ancient China, Thun-mi-sam-bho-tra according to Sanskrit. It is a language system that comprises 30 consonants and four vowels as well as exquisite punctuation. Puciren has loved the Tibetan language ever since he was a child and has a very good grounding in it. He won the top prize with an article entitled My Respected Teacher in the regional composition contest when he graduated from middle school. This, his first article in Tibetan, was later published by Tibet Youth Daily. It has encouraged him a lot.

In 1986, he came first in the examination and was enrolled by the Tibetan Language Department of Tibet University. Puciren has been studing very hard in the university. He graduated with an average score of 91.5 on his Tibetan language course, ranking fourth among his classmates. He has written many articles during his study in college, which were published on some newspapers including Tibet Daily and Tibet Youth Daily.

Puciren has been teaching in the Tibetan Language Department of Tibet University after graduation. He is totally addicted to the Tibetan language research, “I continue my study on Tibetan language while I am teaching. The glamour of traditional culture impels me to master as much as possible the subtlety inside.”

With over one thousand years of accumulation, the volumes of domestic Tibetan ancient books and records are only second to Chinese documents. At present, many experts are protecting and sorting out as well as studying on these Tibetan ancient books and records.

In 1999, Puciren passed the postgraduate examination of Tibet University. He focused on the study of Tibetan biographical literature with Professor Suolanpingcuo. Meanwhile, he attempted to study it through applying theories of Western aesthetics and poetics.

He said: “there were some people studying Tibetan biographical literature in the past. However, most focused on the study of the composition time and content as well as significance of one particular biography. I pay more attention to the developing history of the whole biographical literature.” As to his future plan, Puciren said: “Tibetan language is my life. I will continue to work for a doctorate if I have chance. My study will also focus on Tibetan language and literature.”

(新华社[Xinhua News Agency], translated by Wang Qian for China.org.cn, August 29, 2002)