The Struggle for Modern Tibet: The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering

About this book

This captivating autobiography by a Tibetan educator and former political prisoner is full of twists and turns. Born in 1929 in a Tibetan village Tsering developed a strong dislike of his countrys theocratic ruling elite. As a 13-year-old member of the Dalai Lamas personal dance troupe he was frequently whipped or beaten by teachers for minor infractions. A heterosexual he escaped by becoming a drombo or homosexual passive partner and sex-toy for a well-connected monk. After studying at the University of Washington he returned to Chinese-occupied Tibet in 1964 convinced that Tibet could become a modernized society based on socialist egalitarian principles only through cooperation with the Chinese. Denounced as a counterrevolutionary during Maos Cultural Revolution he was arrested in 1967 and spent six years in prison or doing forced labor in China. Officially exonerated in 1978 Tsering became a professor of English at Tibet University in Lhasa. He now raises funds to build schools in Tibets villages emphasizing Tibetan language and culture.