This is the remarkable story of a Tibetan peasant who, convinced of the vital importance of education for Tibetans like himself, has raised the money to build more than fifty-three primary schools in rural Tibet. The project began with one school and became a grassroots effort that gained the support of both Tibetans and friends and contributors around the world. It examines the conception, financing, and realization of the Namling School Project in the complex political climate and developing market economy of the new Tibet/China. With photographs.

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 country's theocratic ruling elite. As a 13-year-old member of the Dalai Lama's 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 Mao's 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 Tibet's villages, emphasizing Tibetan language and culture.

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 country's theocratic ruling elite. As a 13-year-old member of the Dalai Lama's 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 Mao's 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 Tibet's villages, emphasizing Tibetan language and culture.

Two leading thinkers argue against the Chinese occupation and the theocracy of Tibet.

This work provides a comprehensive overview of education provision and policy in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) during the half century since China asserted control over the region. Catriona Bass sets her modern history of education in the TAR against the wider context of the political and educational shifts which have taken place in China since the Communist Party came to power in 1949.

Comprises a literature review of research and policy publications related to basic and primary schooling and quality education in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). These have been collected from selected official Chinese sources, Tibetan NGOs outside Tibet, international news agencies and Chinese, Tibetan, and international scholars with knowledge of social and educational issues in China and Tibet. The study is in two parts: Part I: a review of research and policy publications related to basic and primary education in Tibet/China, and Part II: an annex with a list of literature, websites and journals, and other statistical information.

The most pressing economic challenges facing the Tibetan areas of western China relate to the marginalization of the majority of Tibetans from rapid state-led growth. The urban-rural divide plays an important role in this polarized dynamic but alone only partially explains differences with other Chinese regions, all of which generally exhibit strong spatial inequalities. This book therefore focuses on several further factors that determine the ethnically exclusionary character of current peripheral growth in the Tibetan areas. These include processes of urbanization, immigration, employment, and education as key factors underlying structural economic change.