I have a little background knowledge about the fight over
Tibet in Asia. I know that the Dali Lama worked to free Tibet from Chinese
rule, and to establish independence from China in order to more freely practice
Buddhism. I know there is way more to the story than my brief understanding,
but I felt it was important to have this minor understanding before going to
Shangri-La.
The
Tiger Leaping Gorge was one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. It was a
perfect blend of nature and history. I had never seen anything like the rushing
waters of the Yunaxi River, or the rolling mountains that cover each side of
the water, or even the way the statue of the tiger overlooks the gorge as if he
is the watch dog. I could feel how special this gorge was when I was walking
down the side of the mountain.
The
Communist party has an interest in preserving nationalism and history (although
this maybe wasn’t the case in the beginning). Because of this interest, I could
understand why the party would not want to release the Tiger Leaping Gorge from
its control. This place could very easily serve as a reason to stand proud of
your history, so giving it up would not be easy to do.
Monastery
was also very interesting. It was dripping in wealth, splendor, and
faithfulness. I witnessed how dutiful the people are during the course of their
worship. I’m really not sure I formed any judgmental opinions of Buddhism while
I was here. It was more like I gained an appreciation for the religion.
I
started to wonder here what the Communist Party thinks about religion now, when
I know it didn’t freely express freedom of religion in the past. I will have to
do some research here for my final paper. I think it is important to understand
the relationship between politics and religion in China because both of these
things are so critical to how people define themselves.
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