A place irrelevant to the Tibetan people: Shangri-La (2)

Please take off your glasses!

They cannot represent themselves,
they must be represented by others.

White utopia

As mentioned in the previous issue, Hilton weaved a utopian dream full of poetry and fantasy, drifting with pastoral melodies, with magnificent and romantic words. Shangri-La, a secluded valley away from human habitation, turned out to be a rich and charming paradise, with temperature changing with altitude, ranging from warm to hot to cool; the land is cultivated efficiently, with a variety of crops and a bountiful harvest in sight. At noon, one can enjoy the warm sunlight here, with snow melting into clear streams flowing through the valley from the snow-capped peaks; the warm breeze caresses everything, even the shady spots feel no trace of cold.

Lost Horizon still, 1973

The indigenous people are all of mixed Han and Tibetan descent, clean, handsome, and possess many excellent qualities that other ethnic groups do not have. They have lived for generations in peaceful and tranquil valleys, with joyous laughter filling the fields, roadsides, village entrances, and tea pavilions. They warmly greet passersby, are gentle and courteous, open and carefree, focusing on their work without a trace of busyness or fatigue.

Lost Horizon album back cover, 1973

       Is it really the case?

In this picturesque paradise on earth, the venerable Rinpoche has ruled for

nearly 200 years. He is neither Tibetan nor Han Chinese, but a Christian missionary, a white man from the West. This elderly ruler is dedicated to spreading Christian teachings, and has undertaken large-scale restoration and reconstruction of ancient buildings, fostering a harmonious coexistence of Christian, Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and other humanistic beliefs. As a spiritual leader, he trains young successors, all of whom are also white Westerners, though they must possess unique personality traits: calmness, wisdom, patience, and courage...

Lost Horizon still, 1973

Under the guidance of Rinpoche, a group of so-called full-time monks enjoy all the material and spiritual wealth here. These spiritual aristocrats from the West take pleasure in practicing yoga and spiritual cultivation, indulging in the pleasure brought by hallucinogenic drugs, forming a closed, parasitic upper-class society. Although the text mentions that representatives from various ethnic groups gather here, we can clearly identify only one German explorer and one French musician.

The character of "Mr. Chang" in Lost Horizon, 1973

There is no doubt that in this seemingly perfect utopia, a small group of noble Europeans are the absolute rulers. The worldly-wise Han Chinese bureaucrat,

Mr. Zhang, skillfully and orderly assists Rinpoche in managing all secular affairs. The beautiful and charming Manchu girl, Miss Luo, has great accomplishment

in her practice, despite being over sixty years old she still looks youthful,

capturing the hearts of the few intruders.

Lost Horizon still, 1973

It appears that "Shangri-La" has a strong colonialist idealistic political color. But it is not only that, the indigenous residents, led by the Tibetan people, are born to engage in low-level service work, they are simple-minded and self-indulgent in their picturesque homeland, knowing nothing about the outside world. Moreover, from the Tibetans speaking Tibetan, the local servants skilled in Chinese-style ear cleaning and nose picking, and the Tibetan servants who serve tea and watch the door, we can see that there are no Westerners at all among the lower-class groups.

Even longevity is inevitably linked to the ethnicity itself. Quoting a statement by Rinpoche:

We find that, in general, Tibetans are not as fragile as other ethnic groups because they are accustomed to high-altitude environmental conditions; and they are kind-hearted, so we have taken in quite a few of this ethnic group, but I don't think many people have lived to be over 100 years old. Han people are slightly better, but we believe the best candidates are some European Latin and Germanic people, or Americans.

Lost Horizon Illustration, 2016

Not only that, despite the chanting of "Om Mani Padme Hum" and "Praise

the Lord" echoing through the Blue Moon Valley Temple, there are also Taoist

temples and Confucian shrines standing in the depths of the canyon.

However, a closer reading reveals that in this earthly paradise where East

and West coexist, the dominant spirit is always the Christian tradition, and

the concentrated essence of civilization comes from Western literature, art,

and music, while Eastern philosophy and craftsmanship take a back seat and serve as mere accompaniments. Especially in the deeper recesses, there is almost no substantial connection with Tibetan areas, Tibetan people, or

Tibetan culture.

Orientalism

"The East" is almost a European invention. It has been since ancient times a place filled with romantic legends and exotic flavors, lingering in people's memories and visions, with unique experiences. As Edward Wadie Said (1935-2003) said:

Stories are the core content of colonial explorers and novelists telling tales of distant lands, also becoming a way for colonized people to affirm their identity and historical existence. In the myth-making of Shangri-La, the desire of Western imperialism to control the resources of the East becomes the underlying force of the narrative.

Edward Wadie Said，1935-2003

The Collected Works of Said.

As the novel progresses, the true nature of the four characters is gradually exposed – some wanting to stay, others eager to leave. Barnard, upon accidentally discovering a gold mine, could not contain his excitement and exclaimed:

"Gold, young man, gold! There are thousands of gold in the canyon... I have obtained full permission from the authorities to mine as much as I want... They need me as an expert, I will tell them how to increase the mining output."

Just as Mr. Zhang said in the text:

"Blinkroshojie is determined to change our beliefs, while Mr. Barnard is thinking

of turning us into a limited company."

This logic is no different from that of colonialists wearing Easternist glasses throughout history. They naturally believe that the East is full of gold and treasures waiting to be discovered, and that the limited knowledge and skills of the Eastern people cannot uncover these treasures, it is simply a waste. With the belief in Christian universalism, Westerners not only have the ability but also the right to exploit and extract, which can bring wealth to themselves and provide an opportunity for the East to transform into modern civilization.

Under the aura of the empire, Westerners seem to be messengers of advanced civilization, and even penniless poor people, dying victims, and full-fledged villains can find ecstatic joy in overlooking the superiority of Eastern civilization. Shangri-La has thus become a paradise for Western adventurers and a heaven for speculative businessmen. Just as Sayyid said:

"In the novels, history, travelogues, and explorations of colonists, they are also portrayed as vibrant. This vitality comes not only from colonial activities, but also from the geography and people of exotic places."

Nazi expedition to Tibet, 1937

Nazi anthropologist Beger collecting facial data of Tibetan men, 1938, photographed by Ernst Krause.

Imagination and construction are everlasting themes of Orientalism. The Italian writer Italo Calvino (1924-1985) once wrote a fantastical novel called "Invisible Cities" in which he said:

"The world is built on human perceptions, in each place, in the human mind, there is a specific meaning, it may be a hometown or a foreign land, it may be familiar or dangerous, desirable or terrifying; in each meaningful place, it becomes the environment of our existence and constitutes the meaning of our existence. Imagination speaks of these meaningful places 'embedded' in this world. These 'places' reach from a continent, east or west, as small as a corner of a home or a drawer on a desk..."

Italo Calvino,1924 -1985

"Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino, 1972

In the imagination of Westerners, Tibet is seen as a sacred and prosperous land. Westerners have a complex and inexplicable "knight" mentality towards this snowy pure land, with both an angelic passion for the sacred land and a difficult-to-list demon-like desire to plunder paradise. Today, "Shangri-La" has long been equated with Tibet by Westerners. It is not only a pre-modern paradise, but also a modern sacred land, even becoming the land of human redemption in the mainstream imagination of Western culture.

Tibetan officials negotiating with British representatives, 1904

Image source: alamy

The thirteenth Most Venerable travels, 1904

Image source: alamy

A spiritually idealized virtual space is difficult to trace on a map, but it possesses the enchanting qualities that have been lost in Western civilization. The sky in Shangri-La is clear and refreshing, the air is gentle and pleasant; the people are environmentally friendly, advocating for peace, and valuing equality between genders and social classes. Tibetan culture is full of wisdom and compassion, wishing to save all sentient beings. However, all these descriptions seem too perfect to be an actual geographical location on Earth; rather, they appear to be a reflection of Westerners' self-image through a mirror.

In essence, this kind of Shangri-La is the spiritual coordinates that Westerners

use to define their identity, a spiritual retreat for Westerners after the trauma of modernization, where they harbor most of their dreams and nostalgia for the imperial era. Here, they can ride a spiritual horse freely, wandering in a state of contentment and relaxation. It is not so much that Shangri-La is a "heaven on earth", but rather a "Caucasian utopia" under the shadow of Orientalism.

extra words

Today, "Shangri-La" has become a trendy word among many young Chinese

men and women, and the extraordinary enthusiasm for it is brewing among us. But we are not strangers from the other side of the world, Shangri-La should

not become the "other" in our cognition, and Tibet should not once again

become the paradise of adventurers and speculators. Fellow countrymen who truly love Tibet and Tibetan culture should always check their own faces to

see if they are still wearing the glasses of "Orientalism."

Lost Horizon Illustration, 2021

Are you still wearing glasses?

This article is translated from Aguo's blog.