Why a Booktrail?
1967: A story of Tibet
Love in No Man’s Land
Why a Booktrail?
1967: A story of Tibet
What you need to know before your trail
The Changthang Plateau lies in the centre of Tibet. A vast, rolling grassland stippled with azure-blue lakes and ringed by snow peaks, it is home to seven-year-old Gongzha and his family who live, as their ancestors have done for centuries, by herding and hunting.
But it is 1967 and the Cultural Revolution is seeping across China. As the Red Guard systematically loot and destroy Tibet’s monasteries, Gongzha helps hide two treasures belonging to his local temple: an ebony-black Buddha marked with an ancient symbol and a copy of the twelfth-century text The Epic of King Gesar, written in gold ink. The repercussions of his act will echo across the decades.
Gongzha will be taken far from home. He will lose love and find it. He will battle wolves, bears, outlaws and his own self, as legend and history are interwoven in the story of a young man’s quest to find happiness in a time of uncertainty and unrest.
Travel Guide
Travel to the plateau and mountains of Tibet BookTrail style
This is a story of life in Tibet which starts in 1967 and takes readers through to the 2000s. The story of the landscape and its people is timeless however as we learn about the story of a man and his land.
‘Blood flowed, tears flowed, life went on.’
From the Changang plateau in the midst of the Kailash mountains, this is a harsh and raw environment. The grasslands here are over 4.500 metres and life as you can imagine is tough. Sheep cannot graze well and other animals find it hard to survive here. The animals which do seem to thrive are sheep and yaks. Yaks in particular are useful not just for food but shelter and clothes. The people here live in yak tents and life here is tough, driving people to the extremes. Survival is the ultimate challenge.
This is a very proud and traditional way of life so when the Cultural Revolution starts, life in China and the surrounding areas is changed for ever. The cultural heritage and way of life is threatened so when the main character is asked to hide statues from the monasteries, he agrees. These places and the object within them are sacred.
People hunt and survive any way they can. Violence is not uncommon. This is a way of life which is raw and visceral but fascinating to learn about.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Love in No Man’s Land
Destination/location: Tibet Author/guide: Duo Ji Zhuo Ga Departure Time: 1967
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