The latest issue of China's Tibet is now available online. The September issue is one that brings both tears and hope. With heavy hearts, we present special coverage of the August 26 mudslide that struck Gyirong, Xizang, China. Yet we remain hopeful, firmly believing that Xizang will heal from the pain and move forward to become an even better place with people of all ethnic groups working hand in hand.
On August 26, a massive mudslide hit the Gyirong-Rasuwa area along the China-Nepal border. In its aftermath, we see courage and compassion: in Gyirong, rescuers racing against time, affected families moved to safety, "people first, life first" upheld in every action; and across borders, China and Nepal standing together through hardship.
Yet what demands reflection is why this disaster happened—and why its impact was so deeply felt. These questions lead us to the causes of the mudslide and the intensifying pressures of global climate change, and to Gyirong Valley itself: a vital Himalayan corridor between China and Nepal, a historic route of trade and cultural exchange, and a place whose geography and history give it significance far beyond its size. By answering such questions can we turn grief into awareness and hope into action.
The fourth week of September marked Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Week. Timed to coincide, this issue turns its special focus to the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China, which came into force in July 1.
By comparing how ethnic affairs are governed in China and abroad, highlighting Xizang’s achievements through joint efforts of people of all ethnic groups, presenting the Tibetan scholar Pema Tso’s field observations and her reflections on the law, and sharing real stories of ethnic groups living, interacting, and integrating together in Nyemo, Lhasa, the issue takes readers on a journey into the wisdom in China’s governance of ethnic affairs and its plateau practice.
The roar of the World Cup still echoes from the summer—but another kind of football glory is waiting on the roof of the world. Let the “Cattle Pen Cup” of highland village kids lift your spirits, because on the northern Tibetan Plateau, the love for football is just as real, just as loud, and just as beautiful!
In the Perspective column, join us on a China-U.S. cultural exchange journey. Follow the young delegation from the Oregon Rhythmic Gymnastics & Dance Academy in the U.S as they feel the pulse of the snowy plateau through authentic Tibetan culture and breathtaking landscapes—and discover what these young Americans share with local youth in Xizang. For all the differences in language and background, one participant summed up the experience best: “Art needs no translation, and neither do smiles.”
For September’s cultural relic poster, the issue presents the Gilt Copper Eight-Petaled Lotus Mandala, an exquisite artifact from the Yongle period (1403–1424) of the Ming dynasty.
Editor: Lucy Jiang
