PHOTO GALLERY
"Series 1"
"Images of The Mystical Land"
Tibet
Autonomous Region, China
(the photographer wishes apologize for the terrible loss of
image details and colors in these photographs
during the low resolution scanning into the website from the high quality
original slides)
Mystical Potala Palace  |
 Land of Buddhism |
Pilgrimage  |
 Devoted Pilgrim |
Children of Pilgrim  |
 Lamasery |
Rainy Day in Lhasa  |
 Color Combination |
Village at Dusk  |
 Grazing Land |
Sacred Lake  |
 Yak - Soul of Tibetan Plateau |
Chicago Bullls of Lhasa  |
 Children of Herdsmen |
By a Mountain Stream  |
 By a Yak Dung Pile |
Tibetan Woman  |
 Tibetan Lama |
Market Delight  |
 Village Rug Weaver |
Prairie  |
 Tibetan Stupa |
Shepherd in Eastern Tibet  |
 A Peasent's House |
Field Work  |
 Highland Barley & Tibetan Child |
Pasture  |
By LinZhou Country |
A Northern Tibetan  |
 A Tibetan Folksinger |
Season of Festival  |
Child in Tent |
First Palace of Tibet  |
YaLun Valley - Southern Tibet |
Season of Harvest  |
A Little Shepherd |
Iron Horse as well  |
 Tibetan Costume |
Tibetan Girl - DroMa  |
 Worshipper in Lhasa |
A View of Lhasa River  |
 Day
of Celebration |
Monastery Morn  |
 Debating
with Snow |
Good Pal  |
 Comfort
at Home |
Family of Three  |
The
Sacred Lands of Mystery
Early in this century, the
Swedish geographer and adventurer Sven Hedin had this to say about Tibet in his
Hinterland of Asia: "Until January 1907, we knew as little about this
part
of the planet as about the other side of the moon." Today, man has
set foot on the moon, and the veil over Tibet has been lifted. And yet,
Tibet remains the most mystical of places for many.
Tibet's mystery is derived in part from its geological structure. Covering 2.5
million square kilometres with a population of about 2.4 million, it has the
lowest population density in China. During the Tertiary period, what is
now Tibet was submerged by the Ancient Mediterranean Sea. During the famous
orogeny of the Himalayas, the seabed rose and eventually formed the Tibetan
Plateau known as "The Roof of the World". The average
altitude
of Tibet is 4,000m, and there are five mountain peaks over 8,000m and 50
mountains with heights of over 7,000m. Not just a world of cold and solitude,
Tibet is crisscrossed with rivers and lakes formed by the melting snow which
nurture some of its fertile land. It covers six different climatic zones
ranging from subtropical to frigid. With sharp contrast between majesty
and tranquility, the lands of Tibet display a breathtaking beauty.
The mystery of Tibet even more so comes from its unique religious and cultural
background. From Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, to
the villages on the grassland and in the river valleys, one will find
gilt-roofed lamaseries everywhere, appearing to give life to the world around
them. The mystery of Tibet lies in the satellite architectural structure
of these lamaseries. Seeing the flying five-colour Buddhist banners and the
rising cooking smoke and hearing the sound of the Buddhist bugle and lamas
chanting, one can not help wondering if one has entered a divine world.
Buddhism was introduced into Tibet in the 7th century. It evolved into
Tibetan Lamaism, a belief of the ordinary folk, Lamaism has created splendid
religious art and culture that are a part of everyday life.
The well-preserved lamaseries scattered throughout Tibet represent the best of
the plateau architecture. Here people conduct religious rites and one can
find numerous invaluable cultural relics. One can often see pilgrims
kowtowing and taking full prostration before taking each step of the long
journey of pilgrimage.
Influenced by the high terrain and extreme climate as well as the distinctive
religion and culture, the inhabitants of Tibet have formed a particular way of
life, which has a mystical touch. The colorful dress and ornament, the
beautiful music and dances are all in harmony with the rhythm of their
lives. All these fascinate visitors to this land of mystery.
About the
photographer
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Sifu Tong's Taiji Homepage
Archivable high gallery quality prints available.
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YauSun.Tong@gmail.com
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images are protected by Canadian and International ?Copyright Laws and are the sole property of the
photographer and as such can not be reproduced in any medium without the
consent of the photographer.