Ryan Pyle Blog: Tibetan Monlam Festival

Hello,

It's a very special time of year as we are entering the beginning of the Tibetan Monlam or New Year Festival season. The pictures above are my contribution to the topic, shot in February 2006, the work won an honorable mention in the PDN World in Focus travel photography competition the same year. I visited the Tibetan village of Xiahe in southern Gansu province. It's home to the storied Labrang Monastery of the Yellow Hat Tibetan sect and one of the Big Five monasteries in Tibetan Buddhism.

My reason for writing is because this Monlam season is bound to be a special one because this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of China's "emancipation" of Tibet, the Monlam festival this year could very much spark the masses to mobilize. Emotions may run high. Actions last year's violence may be replicated in some areas.

Or the opposite may happen, TOAL SILENCE.

Edward Wong, New York Times correspondent in Beijing, wrote an article in yesterday's paper indicating that government officials have been handing out money to Tibetans asking them to hold loud noisy celebrations and parties to celebrate the Monalm; perhaps to show that everything is normal, perhaps to draw the ever lucrative tourists from the East of the country. At the same time as enticing domestic tourists and persuading large parties, the government has completely banned foreigners from Tibet. I know, I'm at a loss for words as well.View The Full NYT Article Here

On the one hand the government is clearly concerned about another uprising witnessed last March in Lhasa. Security forces have increased their readiness, huge portions of Tibet and the surrounding provinces that have Tibetan majorities have been closed off to outsiders. China watchers are just sitting and holding our breath, much like the officials in Beijing I am sure. On the other hand China enjoys to trump up it's valued minorities and drag them out in front of television camera's to show how great the "Party" treats it's minorities; but what if they don't come out? A strategy the Tibetans might try this year?

While the Monlam starts in late February this year, the final days of the festival, which fall around March 7-11, will be the one's to watch as they are the most festive; were much of the singing, dancing and large public gatherings occur. Will the silence really stand, or could the government officials actually force Tibetans to celebrate their own New Year Festival? Only time will tell.

I don't think anyone will disagree with me when I say that this situation between the Tibetans and the Chinese government is becoming increasingly bitter and tense. While the Dali Lama, and many Tibetans, have given up hope of having their own country they now are focused on living within China and maintaining some autonomy and religious freedom, but to the Chinese bureaucrats even that seems like too much of a concession to make.

I had high hopes for China-Tibet dialog after Hu Jintao was nominated as the President of China a few years back, he had served as Communist Party Secretary in Lhasa during the late 1980s, but apparently the time he spent there, which included a massive uprising in 1989, hasn't prepared him for dealing with today's issues and sensitivities. There seems to be nothing us China watchers can do but sit back and watch it unfold. My only hope is that this year there is no loss of life.

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Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: How a Story Breaks in China by BBC

Hello,

I wanted to point to this excellent blog by James Reynolds, of the BBC, about how a story breaks in China. An excellent insight to journalism in China. The breaking story in question is in regards to a van that caught fire with three men in it today in Beijing near Tiananmen Square, Check the STORY HERE.

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Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Faster Internet Access?

Hello,

It appears that all the time I've spent on this blog complaining about my slow internet access has finally reached the right people in the upper reaches of government, one blog can make a difference.

A news report from the Shanghai Daily, an English language newspaper, stated that by the end of 2009 residents of Shanghai (that's me + 20 million others) will get broadband speeds 50 to 100 times faster than rates we currently get.

The new speed rates, tipping over 100Mbps, which I guess is supposed to be fast. See Article Here

Big questions that weren't answered in the newspaper article, surprise surprise, is censorship and the firewall. Currently the big reason for slow internet connections for anyone viewing websites, that originate outside of China, is because of the firewall. Until that issue gets dealt with they can increase the speeds as much as they want, they can spend billions laying new fiber and upgrading infrastructure, but to what end if all we can do is access websites based in China (ie. 98% Chinese content)

Beyond the fire wall, personally I don't care if it's 50Mbps or 100Mbps or 1000Mbps, as long as I can upload pictures to my archive and to clients fast.......I mean fast fast. Oh, and watching Youtube or Hulu every now and then to catch up on some good old American culture would be nice as well.

Fire wall or no fire wall, I say bring it! It couldn't be any worse than the current speeds.

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Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: The Recession Photographer

Hello,

For a moment I would like to stop and reflect back to last year at this time, spirits were high and I was running like a mad man around China on assignment for various magazines and newspapers. Which is to say that I was kept busy by other people, it was a wonderful time.

Today I am chillin' out in front of my computer in jogging pants and sipping my tea wondering where it all went wrong. So far this year I've had just a handful of assignments, and almost no corporate work to speak of. With budgets being slashed and staff employees being made redunent, the publishing industry is in a real tailspin at the moment.

Surely the situation is not helped by the fact that the advertising industry is also in a bit of a bind, huge spenders like General Motors and Nike have made significant cutbacks to their spending budgets - affecting magazine and newspapers revenues; hence the chopping of employees and reductions in the use of freelancers.

While I pray that this kind of industry gloom doesn't last too much longer, the long term prospects for magazines and newspapers still seem bleak. But without getting too far ahead of myself, how does a freelance photographer make it through a recession?

First off, I don't pretend to be in possession of an expert opinion; but a few observations I have might be of interest. While assignments may be in a bit of a lull at the moment with budget restraints, magazines and newspapers still need to publish; so my guess is they are buying a boat load of stock. In my business my stock sales have increased significantly over last year at this time, partially because I have more images but also perhaps because of these restricted budgets. A magazine can put together a feature for a couple hundred dollars worth of stock pictures, where assigning a photographer for original images might cost thousands. It's true the impact of the stock images might not be as powerful as original images but during a belt tightening time, belts need to be tightened and money needs to be saved.

So what can freelance photographs do to ride out the storm? Well, the same as most companies - use the cash you've saved up to continue doing business. I have a small savings account I keep just for freelancing assignments on my own, which I then turn around and pitch to magazines and newspapers as work I've done on spec. At the end of the day a strong picture is a strong picture is a strong picture, and whether you take that image on an assignment on street shooting on your own time - it'll still have a chance at publication. When it is all said and done we are image makers, and if too many days go by without making images then it'll negatively affect us. Now of course I don't mean just running around with your head cut off and shooting anything you see, but taking the time and organizing a well thought out story or feature on your own can be a incredibly rewarding experience; and if it has a chance at being published than that's all the better. If not then those same images can be used as entries for competitions or part of a larger portfolio of work.

Getting out and shooting is never a waste of time, sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring is. There are a billion stories out there to be told, I say keep shooting no matter what. Well that's my two cents.

If anyone has an interesting story or observation about how the economic slowdown might be affecting their business I would love to hear it, either privately or publicly in the comments of this blog. I just read recently that even some of the photographers winning major awards this year haven't had a 2009 assignment. Difficult times indeed.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: My New Website (www.ryanpyle.com)

Hello,

Every couple of years I like to update my website. Some folks out there might ask which website? I know it can be a bit confusing. I have several websites: one site is my ARCHIVE where all of my images are hosted, that's run by PhotoShelter; I also run this blog and link a lot of work to facebook as well. But the site I've just recently updated is my portfolio sight, or my standard www.ryanpyle.com site.

My reasons for updating are several, it's always good to bring in a fresh look every now and then. I also wanted to update it with recent work, bio and contact information. I feel strongly that when you live in a remote part of the world, far away from London, Paris and New York it's important to have a strong online presence, so that editors and potential clients can get a good feel for who you are and what kinds of work you are doing.

So, if you feel inclined I might be humble enough to suggest that you take a quick peak: www.ryanpyle.com. Comments and suggestions are more than welcome, either personally to my email address or here on the comments section of the blog. I appreciate your time.

www.ryanpyle.com.

As an aside, my www.ryanpyle.com website was designed by Jon at JH Design. His contact details are: Email: jhdesign.sh@gmail.com. Jon is based in Shanghai and he is a very skilled web designer and does a significant amount of corporate web design, graphic design, advertisements and the like. He comes highly recommended.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: What Works and What Doesn't

Hello,

I feel the need to comment on a recently read BLOG. The blog is called Luminous Landscape and it's a site a regularly check in on for gear reviews and such.

The BLOG in question was a review by Photographer Michael Reichmann about a recent trip to Antarctica, and he comments about what worked and what didn't with regards to gear and varying weather conditions.

A few things caught my eye from this blog, first of all I was surprised that of the 77 photographers on this trip some 70% were shooting Canon and half of those had 5D Mark II's. Of the Nikon crowd the D700 was a favorite. The comment I want to make about this blog is not how many photographers there were or to argue about Canon or Nikon; I'm really surprised that so many people brought digital cameras with them to the Antarctic.

Why exactly am I surprised? Well I can't put my finger on it exactly. I suppose it is easiest to say that I don't think I would have gone the digital route due to the sub freezing conditions. Although Michael with his Sony Digital equipment didn't report any problems.

With my documentary work in China I am constantly working outdoors in cold weather. Whether I am documenting Tibetan culture, working on my Black and White project in Xinjiang or even shooting a wind farm just outside of Beijing, I feel like I am constantly shooting in cold weather; and I mean really cold.

Just this past December I was in Baotou, China working on a story about Pollution and it was -26C or worse for four days straight; I was using my Canon EOS 1n film cameras and didn't have a hiccup to mention - only needed faster battery changes. Also, during the first week of February I was out in Xinjiang working on my Black and White project and I was constantly in weather that was -10C or lower, I was even caught in a snow storm in the desert, I had my Leica M6 Range Finders and I was smooth sailing the entire trip.

Getting to the point of the blog, I'm basically saying is I just don't trust the digital equipment in harsh conditions. It's my opinion that they just aren't tough enough to handle the difficult weather, and as Michael points out in his blog the Canon and Nikon digital equipment had a lot of problems (Errors, cracked LCD screens and the like) in weather that didn't seem to get lower than -5C.

There is still a lot of room for analog camera's in this world. Anyone else out there feel similar?

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Iran at 30 years Old

Hello,

Above is a very brief mix mash of my photography from Iran over the last few years. I've made several trips there and had a most incredible time on each journey. My reason for today's blog is because this past week, February 1st actually, marked the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Republic of Iran. That's right, it is been 30 years since the revolution that toppled the "western-backed" Shah and brought Ayatollah Khomeini, and the clerics, to power.

Iran is a country that I hold very close to my heart for several reasons. First and foremost, photography by Gilles Peress ("Telex Iran") and Abbas ("Iran Diary") from Iran are some of my earliest photographic memories; their black and white images from the revolution, and the aftermath, are still vivid in my consciousness and has had a profound influence on me both personally and professionally.

The second reason Iran is dear to me is because in 2003 I traveled from Hong Kong to Istanbul over land, in what was a most exhaustive six month epic journey through Central Asia. After passing through the "stans" my entrance into Iran still, although difficult, still brings a smile to my face. So the story goes I woke up early one morning in Ashgabat and caught a broken down bus headed for the town of Saraghs, a border town with Iran. Exiting Turkmenistan was no problem at all, a breeze in fact. After paying homage to the President Turkmanbashi portrait on the wall I headed out for a 2km walk across the no man's land. When I arrived at the other side I was beaming to finally enter Iran, and I thought that a quick passport check and stamp was all that held me back from exploring this incredible country that I had already read so much about.

To my dismay the border checkpoint folks on the Iranian side spent some 6 hours surfing the Internet trying to figure out if I was a journalist or worse a spy who puts all his details on the Internet. Can you believe I actually waited 6 hours at a border check point? It was painful, I ended up just sitting on the floor reading my book and eating bad Uzbek chocolate I had bought a few days earlier near Bukharra. By the time I got through and was "released" in to Iran it was dark and there was no one around. I managed to scramble to find a taxi that drove me to the town of Mashad, just a few hours away. The remainder of my trip to Iran was a joy, but that border crossing was an experience I'll never forget; that and the shakedown on the Georgian / Azerbaijan border - dodgy.

Changing direction, it is my opinion that Iran is one of the most important countries in the world to watch over the next few years. With their expanding nuclear program, their sponsorship of terrorism and their hardline on Israel; Iran is moulding itself in to a potentially volatile country. While their rhetoric was strong at US$130 oil, less so at US$40, their strength and influence in the Middle East continues to grow. My main question is where is all the photography that should be coming from Iran these days? Perhaps I am not looking in the right places but the fact that this influential, and incredibly complex country, is now thirty years old should be a huge headline, and while BBC and CNN spent some time on the subject very few magazines have dedicated any pages to the issue. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one who suggests that the 30th anniversary of the Islamic republic should be celebrated, but it deserves to be critiqued and explored, and at a time when my Fortune, Time and Newsweek are knee deep in the financial crisis. And thinking about it, the Islamic Republic of Iran at 30 years old would have made an incredible National Geographic feature, as the country is chalked full of frustration, contradictions, unemployment, government mismanagement as well as an incredible history and culture.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Tibet is Closed Foreigners

Hello,

Well, it became official just a few hours ago. Tibet is closed. I love this cat and mouse game that the government continues to play. Can you image just closing off a territory the size of western Europe?

I was planning on heading out to western Sichuan in the latter half of February to document the Monlam festival, or the Tibetan New Year festival, until I had my guide and driver basically tell me that he wasn't allowed to take foreign tourists there.

March 10th marks the 50th anniversary of the flight of the Dali Lama from Tibet, and while there will be protests in Katmandu and parts of India my guess is that Lhasa will be calm and quiet; it's hard to stage a protest when everyone is already in jail.

Mental note: Trip to Lhasa at some stage this year. Haven't been since 2005 and I'm keen to see what's become of the place.


ARTICLE BELOW
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BEIJING (AP) — Swaths of western China that have large Tibetan populations have been declared off limits to foreign visitors, local officials confirmed Thursday, ahead of the politically sensitive 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising.

An official at the tourism office of northwestern Gansu province's Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which is home to a major monastery and large Tibetan communities, said the region was again closed to foreigners and would not be open until late March. The official, who did not identify himself, as is common in China, did not say when the restrictions were put in place.

March 10 marks the 50th anniversary of a failed rebellion in Tibet against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama was forced to flee into exile in India after the uprising was crushed.

Last year, protests to mark the anniversary spun out of control, with deadly riots breaking out in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

The Chinese government says 22 people died in the riots, but Tibetan advocates say many times that number were killed in the protests and subsequent crackdown.

Sympathy protests quickly spread outside Tibet to neighboring provinces of Gansu, Sichuan, and Qinghai, which all have large ethnic Tibetan communities. However, they were quelled by a huge military presence installed in the area.

Tibet itself has always been off-limits to the international media unless special permits are obtained. China did put on a rare and tightly controlled tour of Tibet this week for some foreign reporters. Several organizations, including The Associated Press, were excluded.

In Sichuan province, many areas open two weeks ago are now closed to foreign tourists until April, according to officials at the Ganzi prefecture tourist bureau. Only three counties in that prefecture will remain open to foreigners. Qinghai province has also closed many areas to foreigners.

On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu described the current situation in Tibet as "stable" but acknowledged that foreign reporters have had difficulty accessing the area.

"Since the March 14 incident, it's true that foreign journalists find it harder to go to Tibet. I think you all know the reasons. The government has taken some measures," she said.

Several journalists have reported being expelled from Tibetan-populated areas in China in the past week.
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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: My Canon 5D Mark II's

Hello,

Well, I've bought in to the Canon 5D Mark II hype. In fact I picked up two bodies a few weeks back, in Shanghai, and I have already put them through their paces on a few assignments already. It's been a great experience. Sadly, I don't have much to add at all regarding their performance that hasn't already been mentioned.

I shoot in RAW format and haven't had any black spots or any other problems to mention. I also bought a couple of those 16 gigabyte SanDisk cards and those are working out well. The quality of the image is incredible: the light, the color, the sharpness are all improvements over my old 5D. Shooting in low light and at night seem to be where the biggest improvements are, over the previous version of the camera. I am able to focus fast and generate strong colors in very little light, which is exciting for much of my documentary work.

I know I'm a self proclaimed "film man" and don't worry, I don't plan on packing away my two workhorses (ie. My Canon EOS 1n's, or my range finders) but the digital kit is always great to have for covering breaking news or shooting a demanding corporate assignment.

As an additional note, I really am a huge fan of the Canon 5D series. The 10D, 20D, 30D's never did it for me as the lack of a full frame drove me crazy. But the 5D is just a quality improvement over the previous series that one can't help get a little excited about what's next. The 5D Mark II's are small, light and compact. They feel great in your hand and are, in my mind, perfect for documentary / journalism work. I even shot with them last week in Shenzhen and in light rain they performed wonderfully.

I'll confess here that I've never used a Nikon system, and most likely never well. But I'm glad there is a two horse race in the industry, because the competition between the two, and lesser rivals like Sony and Fuji, will keep the prices lower for photographers and hopefully the products will continue to improve in the coming years. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: The Ziping Dam and The Quake

Hello,

With all the news about China's Ziping Dam potentially causing the massive earthquake that struck Sichuan province on May 12th, I thought I would jump in with a quick comment. Above is a series of photographs I actually shot at the Ziping Dam near Dujiangyang just days after the quake struck.

When the earthquake struck many in Dujiangyang fled the city fearing that the dam would burst and flood the town, in the days that followed the officials in charge significantly reduced the amount of water held in the reservoir as there were aparent cracks. I have shots of some workers actually making repairs to the dam. Scary stuff.

Apparently half of all the dams in the world are in China, and I'm just guessing they are all of varying quality. The epicenter of the May 12th quake, which killed over 80,000 people, is said to be just 3km or so from the site of the of the Ziping Dam Reservoir. I've traveled far and wide in Sichuan and I can tell you that there are dams everywhere and construction is continuing on several projects larger than the Ziping Dam. More difficulties in the future?

It's been my experience that a lot of Chinese officials in small remote areas are big fans of dam construction because they require massive amounts of steel and concrete, business that local officials usually have their fingers in. While it's true that dams offer clean energy, it's apparent that larger projects have serious environmental consequences; not to mention all the people who have to relocate do to the reservoir. Below are links to the articles that have sparked all the chat.

SHARON LaFRANIERE for the New York Times wrote the following article: CLICK HERE

EVAN OSNOS for the New Yorker blogged about an interview he did in 2006 where a geological engineer he met with in Chengdu indicated a growing fear of too many dams on Sichuan's rivers: CLICK HERE for his blog.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: New Work: Chongwu Walled City

Hello,

I had the chance in 2008 to visit Chongwu, an ancient walled city in the southern province of Fujian. The ancient walls date back to 1387 and a time when Japanese pirates were raping and pillaging communities up and down China's coast. In some parts the old walled city still has it's charm, old single story homes still have their lovely tiled rooftops and some people still live a fairly traditional way of life; but signs of development are creeping in and its clear that the residents of the town aren't very keen on preserving their historic architecture, not at least if it gets in the way of indoor plumbing and multi-floor homes.

Above is a little slide show from the short time I spent there, I was just passing through - wish I could have stayed a little longer.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Guardian Multimedia Push

Hello,

The GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER has spent the last year or so getting in to multimedia. While the VIDEO SECTION of their website is full of content, I haven't had a chance to peak through everything, it is their efforts in Shanghai that have caught my attention.

Dan Chung has published two lovely video dairies from Shanghai, one dealing with an old apartment complex and another dealing with everyday life on the river front near the famous skyline. His work isn't gritty or very remanent of journalism, instead he weaves softly through the crowds catching glimpses wonderful little moments. The video's are set to lovely music and they are very well edited, either by Dan or a crew in London I'm not sure. The two video's are worth a look, and below are the links:

SHANGHAI VIDEO DAIRY 1: LONGCHANG APARTMENTS
SHANGHAI VIDEO DAIRY 2: ON THE BUND

ps. Yes, I am blogging more regularly as I find myself up late on the road in dodgy parts of China. And yes, I've finally learned how to do a proper HTML link.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: NYT: Can You Choose Your Reincarnated Successor?

Hello,

I've blogged a lot about Tibet and China in this space for the last few years and I will continue to do so as relations worsen. But for those who are looking for a clear, well written summary of just some of the problems facing Tibetans in this day and age please see the article below. It's written by Michael Powell for the New York Times.

LINK: CLICK HERE

February 1, 2009

Can You Choose Your Reincarnated Successor?

By MICHAEL POWELL

The search for the present Dalai Lama commenced in earnest in 1935 when the embalmed head of his deceased predecessor is said to have wheeled around and pointed toward northeastern Tibet.

Then, the story goes, a giant, star-shaped fungus grew overnight on the east side of the tomb. An auspicious cloud bank formed and a regent saw a vision of letters floating in a mystical lake, one of which — Ah — he took to refer to the northeast province of Amdo.

High lamas set off at a gallop and found a 2-year-old boy in a distant village. This child, they determined after a series of tests, was the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

There is little linear about lama succession in Tibet. And now, as the 14th Dalai Lama journeys into his 74th year, the question of how to pick his successor has come to preoccupy both him and his followers, as Tibet stands at an ever more precarious political pass.

Late last year, the Chinese government again rejected the Dalai Lama’s proposal for a rapprochement that would yield greater autonomy for Tibet. In recent days, Chinese troops have raided thousands of homes and detained at least 81 activists ahead of the 50th anniversary in March of the failed uprising that forced the Dalai Lama into exile in India. China seems inclined to tighten its grip and wait out the aging leader, insisting, a bit improbably for a government that is officially atheist, that it has the legal right to designate the Dalai Lama’s next reincarnation.

When Tibetan representatives met last autumn at their Parliament in Dharamsala, in the Indian Himalayas, their worries about the future echoed down the corridors. A few argued for a militant line, insisting on independence. A majority heeded the Dalai Lama’s counsel to find a pacifist middle way. But the unanswered question remains: How much longer will Tibetans be able to rely on their charismatic and learned spiritual leader, whose persona is so entwined with the destiny of Tibet?

The Dalai Lama has openly speculated about his next life, his reincarnation, musing that he might upend historical and cultural practice and choose his reincarnation before his death, the better to safeguard his exiled people.

But doubts creep in.

Can even so highly evolved a Buddhist as the Dalai Lama select his reincarnation? Will upending the old way of searching for the Dalai Lama’s incarnation, in which priests search for omens, portents and meteorological signs, undermine the legitimacy of his successor?

Since he fled Chinese rule by foot and horseback over the Himalayas in 1959, the Dalai Lama has traveled restlessly and spoken passionately about Tibet. The fruits of his labors are many: The world is spotted with Tibetan centers, and prayer flags flap from Delhi to London to Zurich to Todt Hill in Staten Island. Tibetan culture is celebrated in Hollywood and in popular art. (Exiles number about 130,000; about six million Tibetans live in Tibet and China).

But a darker vision of Tibet’s future is easily divined. This Dalai Lama dies and his successor is young and inexperienced and holds no sway in the chambers of the powerful. Slowly, ineluctably, the Tibetans become just another of the globe’s landless peoples lost in the shadow of a rising superpower.

“Definitely when someone as charismatic and popular as the Dalai Lama passes away, the Tibetans will suffer from less outside attention,” says Tenzin Tethong, a fellow in the Tibetan Studies Initiative at Stanford University. “We will lose a strong unifying symbol.”

The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is no theocratic traditionalist. Should his people ever reclaim Tibet, he says an elected parliament and prime minister should rule; the Dalai Lama would occupy a religious station.

“He is thinking outside the box about Dalai Lama rule,” said Robert Thurman, a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies at Columbia University and author of “Why the Dalai Lama Matters.” “He’s trying to get it through the Chinese heads that he’s helpful to them. Their waiting for him to die is completely misplaced.”

Tibetan Buddhists believe in reincarnation, although not in the sense of an irreducible self passing from body to body. They describe a dying candle lighting a new one; one’s essence passes on.

Typically, when the Dalai Lama dies, the royal court appoints a regent who rules until the next reincarnation comes of age. Over the centuries some regents grew fond of their power and some Dalai Lamas expired prematurely, not to mention suspiciously. The sense of the regency as a time of peril persists.

It is within this context that the Dalai Lama speculates about how to pull off his next reincarnation. Perhaps the four sects that constitute Tibetan Buddhism might form a Tibetan version of the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals and pick a successor. Perhaps he will return as a girl, or as a non-Tibetan.

Or perhaps he will pick his future self.

Professor Thurman offers his own speculation. The Dalai Lama, he says, might declare that a younger lama is the reincarnation of his own long-dead regent. Then the Dalai Lama could die and reincarnate as a new baby, which would be identified after the usual study of portents and signs. “Maybe the one he names as the reincarnation of the regent would transfer the Dalai Lama title back to him when his next reincarnation comes of age,” Mr. Thurman said.

Who could gainsay that?

Politics might pose a challenge as great as metaphysics. The Chinese insist that their army freed Tibetans from theocratic slavery and that Tibet is inseparable from China. They are not shy about enforcing their writ. In 1995, the Chinese government rejected the Dalai Lama’s choice of a 6-year-old boy as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, a spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism’s dominant sect, and then appointed its own. The child chosen by the Dalai Lama vanished into Chinese custody.

“The thinking is a bit odd,” Mr. Thurman said, “as the Chinese Communists don’t believe in former or future lives and it is illegal to propagate religion in China.”

Still, China’s power grows as the Dalai Lama ages. Han Chinese now crowd out ethnic Tibetans in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, and exiles are uneasy, some taken again to searching for portents of what’s to come. To find themselves without a transcendent leader at this time is, as D. H. Lawrence once wrote of the Brazilian Indians, to risk being consigned “to the dust where we bury the silent races.”


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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: What the Stimulus Package Means for Green

Image Caption: Who wants a front row seat to an environmental disaster?

Hello

In November 2008 China issued a statement saying that it would release around US$600 to stimulate the economy to help cushion the difficulties brought on by slowing western demand for Chinese products and slower growth at home.

The stimulus package was well received by much of the world, but a few notes should be made:

The money has been earmarked for infrastructure, housing and loans for businesses. So basically the money will funnel down to construction companies, cement companies, steal companies, property developers and some small business; which to me sounds like the government basically wrote itself a big cheque beacause most of the industries I listed above are either controlled by the government or are private companies with government appointed executives. This is to be expected because the government still, for all the media hype about capitalism and free markets, still dominates business in China.

Digging deeper, as the world tries to green itself, what does a massive stimulus package like this mean to environmentalists around the world? Well, the news is not good. For Australia specifically, and any country producing raw materials, the news is great as mining will pick up again. Oil producing countries are surely pleased and this mini boom will further opportunity to mineral exploration both in the sea and below the earth. So basically the world is set to get a whole lot dirtier in the name of short term financial gain.

Sure green technologies are available, but are they ready to step in and fill the big shoes of coal and gas? Not yet. Maybe we can make the transition during the next recession. Until then, the world wide consensus seems to be lets just roll on with our polluting ways.

It's safe to say that over the next few months pollution is at the bottom of the agenda in the minds of Chinese officials, even more so than normal. This is because in the short term, politics could become tense here in China. The government needs to keep migrant workers busy, so that they don't protest, and that means either low paying manufacturing jobs or construction. The construction industry is easier to manage because it's state dominated so that is where the investment will be. More steal and concrete are on the way, two of the most dirty industries in existence; and China will need more coal fired power plants to fuel the archaic (inefficient), old steel and concrete mills. Progress for the greens over the coming years is not looking good. And for all of those who are downwind from China, namely Korea, Japan and even California, beware.

Pollution levels at home in Shanghai for the next years, who knows. For those in the worse affected areas be ready for higher rates of birth defects and lung cancer for air-born pollution and stomach cancel for those drawing water from industry and fertilizer polluted water ways. But for those of us who don't live in rural China next to a coal fire power plant or a chemical company, let's think of all the money we can make if we time the stock market right.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: The Dark Side of China

Hello,

On January 18th I wrote a blog about anniversaries, indicating that it would be great if China could take steps to clean up their legal system and allow some type of division of power between the courts / judges and party officials.

It appears now, in a widely reported story, that a lawyer who was involved in helping parents, who lost children during the earthquake in Sichuan, get fair compensation and perhaps even have the parties involved in building the schools face some form of legal charges. What seems like common sense for us folks ended up getting the lawyer thrown in jail for having "state secrets" - which is a vague term that means basically the government owns you and you're going down for a long time. New York Times article is listed below.

LINK: CLICK HERE

ps. If China just cleaned up it's legal system it could provide a lot of legitimacy to Communist Party rule. For all the talk in Beijing about "cleaning up corruption" sending a lawyer to jail seems like a step in the wrong direction.

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: The Bird's Nest to Become a Shopping District

Hello,

I recently read in a widely reported news story that the whole area around the Bird's Nest, or Beijing Olympic Stadium, is set to become a shopping district.

To someone living outside of China this might seem like a decent idea, a place where people can visit a beautiful building and get some shopping out of the way at the same time. But to anyone living in China, and Beijing specifically, will know that the last thing that Beijing needs is another shopping complex.

I was in Beijing in January working and I had a free night to visit a friend who lives next to the British Embassy in the Central Business District. We walked from his place to a restaurant for a meal, and in the 20 minute walk we must have passed no less than 4 shopping malls, all built within the last 5 years, and most were half empty. Signs advertising commercial renting space were everywhere, and walking through the first floors (street level) of these malls was reminiscent of walking through an old western movie set of a town bordered up before a big shoot out.

To me, a man of basic intelligence, that would mean that in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), home to some of the most expensive real estate and fancy shops, has overbuilt. Too much capacity for too little demand is something the Chinese government is going to start getting very used to as scores of apartment blocks sit finished and empty in some of Shanghai's prime real estate locations. What's the problem exactly?

First is I don't think anyone knows the real situation. Meaning simply that property managers, like most agencies and companies in China, have two sets of books. One set of those books may show full capacity and that rents are increasing, which is what everyone wants to hear. I have no confirmation of this, it's just a hunch based on years of experience.

My second guess for why this over capacity exists is a simple case of limited investment sophistication. It seems that the only way the Chinese government, and local companies close to the government, know how to make money is by building something and getting people to pay you rent. It's a fairly primitive approach to things but it has worked very well for the last 20 years as China's cities have grown and developed. The problem is that now that the city centers of Beijing and Shanghai are well developed, so what should the next step of investment be?

How about a park people can actually use. Beijing, and even Shanghai, are full of parks; it's true. But they aren't very user friendly, meaning that you can't sit or walk on the grass and there are fences all over the place. What I would love to see some property developer do, because the government clearly doesn't have the clarity, is to buy two massive lots of land, put a massive high complex on one lot; because that's there speciality, and on the next lot put in a park...a real park. Get some public tennis courts in there, maybe even a few soccer fields that local amateur teams and youth development leagues can rent out - add lights for us working folks so we can play well in to the night. Put in a few places were people can just lounge around on the grass and read a book. The key to this is that property located near a park, that people actually enjoying being in, will raise the property value of apartments that are close by. For example you pay more for rent if you live 2 blocks away from Central Park then 10 blocks away because people view living close to the park as advantageous. The big bottleneck is that I don't think China's government and business elite are ready for this kind of thinking.

Two of my favorite cities in the world are London and New York, and I travel to them often for work. I love London because of all it's parks and small grassy squares were people can just lounge around and relax on the grass during their lunch break or on the weekends; and I love New York for Central Park alone - a god send for anyone living in the Upper East and West sides.

So clearly what I'm saying is that instead of building a huge shopping complex maybe put in 20 outdoor (with lights) public tennis courts and 10 outdoor (with lights) grass soccer fields so that kids and adults alike can work on their game with friends and family and bask in the glorious shadows caste by the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. Also add in a few places where people can lounge around (on the grass) and spend some time catching some rays or smog.

I'm pretty passionate about this considering I don't even live in Beijing. Are there any Beijing'ers up in arms about this? Oh, that's right we wouldn't know if anyone was against this idea because there aren't any city planners, citizen groups, or neighborhood groups that would risk challenging the government. Oh the freedom!

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Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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