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Arts
Documenting Tibetan lives
September-30-2009
Both the book and documentary were released last year at the same time as the Tibet riots, an event that drew international attention.
"Many Chinese were angered by the Western coverage on Tibet last March because they thought it was biased. I think it's partly because many Western writers who wrote about Tibet had never been there," Sun explained.
"On the other hand, there is also a lack of knowledge about Tibet, even for some Chinese. Some regard it as a romantic place, while others think it's backward and remote. Hopefully, A Year in Tibet will tell them something different about Tibet. I think people should understand and appreciate the differences between the two cultures. After all, it is those differences that make up this beautiful world," she added.
A Year in Tibet examines the role of religion that still remains at the core of Tibetan society. The life of a shaman and three monks feature prominently in the production.
"Tibetans do believe that everything has a god, a spirit in it," Sun said. "As a woman, I have a spirit protecting me over my shoulder and in the house, there is a god protecting the kitchen. The shaman is a blending of original Tibetan beliefs and Buddhist tradition. Between these gods and humans is the shaman who will divine what the god's message is for the local people."
Sun illustrates the shift of the shaman's role in modern Tibetan society. The village shaman once literally decided on birth, death and marriage for the villagers. The most important obligation of a shaman was to practice rituals to ward off hailstones, he was therefore called the "hailstone lama."
The documentary shows a change in the times as the local government purchases an anti-aircraft gun to disperse the clouds that rain hailstones. The local people then only have to pay for the cost of a canon, much cheaper than a shaman. Faced with the changing situation, Sun's shaman acquires a new occupation, to forecast the results of college entrance exams, the most important school examination in China. As a result, he is still very much in demand.
Another intriguing character in Sun's work is Jianzang, the owner of the first family guesthouse in Gyantse. His hotel opened the year that construction began on the Tibetan railway. Predicting a tourism boom, the Tibetan doctor became an hotelier by using the money he had made from his clinic to build the first cement hotel in town with 44 beds.
"I first found his hotel in the Lonely Planet guide which said it was the best budget hotel in town, although the food was a bit boring," Sun explained. "Jianzang was very angry when I told him this. He said, 'Sun, I'm going to Nepal to find a Nepalese cook.'"
In winter, when tourism numbers were down, Jianzang and his wife set out on a pilgrimage to Nepal. During his travels Jianzang discovers a great tourist route and is now planning to design a trip for tourists.
"I think that's why I chose Jianzang. He is smart and cunning; also he really grasps an opportunity when he sees one. But the reason why I like him so much is because he shows that Tibetans can compete with anyone and can succeed. I wish more Tibetans could follow his example," Sun added.
Born in the 1960s and graduating from Peking University, Sun went to the University of Oxford in the UK to pursue her studies and chose Tibetan issues as her thesis. After many years of study and research, Sun developed a keen fascination toward Tibet and Tibetan people and endeavored to present a true and dynamic picture of the region in her documentary and book.
"Understanding and respect should be the relationship between people with Han ethnicity and local Tibetans. I think it is very important for us not to judge, because it is not for us to judge," Sun said.
"I think we should respect and try to understand them, their lives and their choices," she concluded.

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