Chapter 11- The author is traveling through a snow-capped valley in China, passing by few trucks. They encounter a woman who is a hitch-hiker and a truck that is stuck in the grass. The woman, a middle-aged woman, convinces the driver to pull the truck out of the grass. They try to dislodge the truck, but the rain continues to fall. The author helps the people who are assembling, but eventually decides to go on her own. The driver suggests she try hitchhiking a lift and leave her luggage in the dry cabin of the truck. The author is greeted by twenty high school teachers from Liaoning, who have been in the area for over a year. They discuss the dowry system in China and the societal pressures on boys to have a place to live. One of the teachers insists on speaking in English with the author, a practice that happens frequently in Nanjing. The author is left feeling uninterested and a punch-bag for language practice.
Many people, including students, workers, and government servants, are anxious and sometimes compelled to learn English, but the opportunities for speaking English are almost non-existent. Although there are Chinese radio and Voice of America and BBC programs that teach the language, only a small proportion of language learners can get at them. Some students of English batten onto any foreigner they see in the streets. The teacher from Liaoning is an exception, as he uses the language to communicate and is particularly interested in the educational systems of different countries.
As they climb into the Trans-Himalayan range, they encounter a spectacular landscape of gorges, cliffs, and turbulent rivers. The teacher is taken to the Ministry of Light Industry Guest House, where he is asked about his travel history and accommodations. Mr. Ho, a Han man, is perplexed by the situation and informs the teacher that he must go back by air. The teacher is told that the plane fare for foreigners is twice that for Chinese, and that he cannot afford to stay in Lhasa.
The author who is a Chinese student, is unable to afford a flight to Lhasa due to financial constraints. He is advised to stay in a Chinese guest house and book a flight out of Lhasa. However, he is informed that Tibet is different from China and requires specific exit permission. He is informed that the Lhasa-Kathmandu road has been destroyed by floods and the Friendship Bridge has been washed away. The Nepalese Embassy has not mentioned this issue. He is advised to confirm this with the Nepalese Consul-General in Lhasa. Mr. Ho offers to arrange a room at a reasonable rate for him to stay in Lhasa for two or three days before leaving for Nanjing. He is left exhausted and unable to think about Nepal until later. On Independence Day, he returns to the guest house but cannot sleep. He is thankful for the fulfillment of the dream and plan to explore Lhasa.
Chapter 12- The Nepalese Consulate-General in Lhasa is the only foreign mission, guarded by a sentry box. The consular official, Mr. Shah, informs the consular about the road and bridge between Tibet and Nepal being swept away by floods. The road is being repaired on both sides of the border, but the bridge over the Bhotakoshi at Zhangmu will take a long time to repair. The consular official is unsure about the best way to return to Nepal, but Mr. Shah suggests a longer route via Nanjing and Hong Kong. The consular official is unsure about the possibility of malking across the border, but Mr. Shah points out that the road on the Chinese side is good until Nilamu. The consular official also mentions that Indian citizens don’t need a Chinese exit visa, but they can obtain one from the Nepalese Embassy in Beijing. The Nepalese get permission to exit through Tibet if they live within a thirty-kilometer zone along the border.
The author describes their experience in Lhasa, Tibet, where they encounter various challenges and difficulties. They mention the refusal of permission to cross into Nepal by Chinese authorities, and the misunderstandings they encountered during their visit. They also mention the Norbulingka Park, where they meet a Tibetan man named Norbu, who speaks Chinese and is a student. They share a meal together, and Norbu introduces his girlfriend, who is shy. The author is filled with happiness and laughter as they enjoy the local food and culture.
The author then spends a day in Lhasa, meeting a group of Italians on a ‘Tibet Safari’. They drink lemon and orange juice, and they discuss their experiences with the Italians. They visit the Jokhang temple, one of the holiest centers of Tibetan Buddhism, and are stopped by bureaucratic unit-leaders who argue about regulations and foreigners. Eventually, they get through to Mr. Ho, who allows them to enter the temple for a fee of to yuan. The author hopes to find a more calm approach to the situation in Lhasa.
The Jokhang Temple in Tibet, built by Tibetan King Songtsan Gambo in the seventh century, is a magnificent temple with gold Buddhas, Guanyins, and Sakyamunis. The temple has been damaged and repaired several times throughout the centuries, but was listed as an ancient monument selected for special protection in 1961. Buddhism in Tibet has a unique flavor due to its influence from Tantrism and Bön shamanism. The great Tsongkapa (died 1419) is credited with reforming and consolidating the practice of the religion, leading to the establishment of three monasteries near Lhasa. The spiritual leadership passed on to a series of high lamas, with the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama holding spiritual positions. The temple’s outer court features worshippers grinding flour, spinning prayer-wheels, and chanting incantations. The Han population of Lhasa is now greater than the Tibetan population, but this part of the old town is almost exclusively Tibetan. The varied clothing of Tibetans is striking, with tall pilgrims from Chamdo and women from Qinghai.
In the morning, the author is in Lhasa, China, planning to walk to Nepal. Mr. Ho, his son, offers him a boiled sweet to distract him, and the police want to interview him. The author decides to give a toy bear to Mr. Ho, but is concerned about the potential consequences if he doesn’t get permission to exit through Tibet. The Public Security Bureau sends officers to check the author’s credentials and questions about their proposed route to Nepal. The officers are non-committal about the matter and are not sure if permission to exit from Tibet will be granted. The author mentions that unless she is out of Lhasa when her Chinese residence permit expires, it will be their duty to arrest her. The author and Mr. Shah reminisce about Patna, where they have lived for ten years. The next day, the author buys a map of Lhasa and visits a shrine to Mao Zedong. The author collapses on the bed, suffering from headaches, nausea, and diarrhea. They spend the day writing postcards and reading a book about tourism in China.
Chapter 13- The author visits the Potala, a massive religious complex in Lhasa, Tibet. The crowd is both exalting and disturbing, with pilgrims from all over the world chanting, praying, and giving offerings to the Buddhas. The author is overwhelmed by the experience and cannot recall any particular room. The city of Lhasa, which includes the Potala, Drepung monastery, and other great monasteries, is located near the Potala. The author takes a bus to Drepung, a white-walled and golden-roofed monastery, where they see the temples, murals, and statues. The author finds the temples to be both fascinating and frustrating, as they are the result of cultural intolerance. The author is left with ruins of wood and clay, reminders of the fury of cultural intolerance, which have been left behind by the nettles and the occasional bright hoopoe. The author’s experience in Lhasa is both exalting and disturbing, as they struggle to navigate the crowd and the fervent religious enthusiasm.
The author describes their journey through China, a country where they encounter kindness and warmth from the locals. They are taken to a monastery by a guard who offers them directions and assistance. The author’s companions are all Tibetan, and they are curious about the welfare and whereabouts of the Dalai Lama. The author is dropped off near Norbulingka Park, where they encounter a tourist bus carrying American tourists. The guide asks the author where they come from, and the author confesses to being a subterfuge. The author is asked to join them at a carpet factory, where they buy small carpets with dragon and flower motifs. The author also learns about the Mao cult in Tibet, which has been criticised for making grave policy and practice errors. The author reflects on the deMaoification in Tibet and the cult’s decline in comparison to other parts of China. The author’s experience in China is a testament to the warmth and generosity of the locals.
Norbu, a Tibetan leader, discusses the issue of deification in Tibet, where Mao is seen as another god-king and difficult to dethrone due to the precedent set by the worship of the Dalai Lama. He also discusses the denigration of the Dalai Lama, a Han god, and the impact on Tibetans’ perception of their Han rulers. Norbu’s family suffers greatly due to the Chinese and their Cultural Revolution, with their father spending thirteen years in prison and his brother spending twelve. The family is left with only a few cups and utensils, and their mother is bed-ridden for three years. Norbu’s younger brother helps them through the hardships, and they are allowed to visit his father, who was in jail awaiting trial for three years and served another ten. The family is left with only a few cups and utensils, and their children are stopped from going to the trial.
Norbu’s mother died even before seeing him again.He recalls a previous encounter with a happy family in a park, but his father is late. Norbu’s sister, who is a Chinese woman, explains that they have all been rehabilitated, but they still have little. Most of their possessions were confiscated, and they received only 3,000 yuan as compensation. Norbu’s eldest brother is grief-crazed, and his younger brother is like a madman. The family is unable to mention names, and Norbu is afraid that policies will change again. He asks his sister to return before leaving Lhasa, and he returns to the main street, where he sees the Jokhang roofs and two bright stars.
Chapter 14- The narrator wakes up in the morning at 5 am on Beijing time, amidst the misty drizzle. They walk to the Sera monastery, where they encounter a deserted road and a tent-like structure. The narrator notices human corpses lying on the rock, stripped and held in place by the head. The men work with impressive speed, severing, chopping, and mincing the meat. Han Chinese from Shanghai join the narrator, making jokes about the ceremony. The eagles swoop down from the ridge and wheel in huge circles, eventually settling on a small hill near the rock. The narrator feeds the eagles preliminary scraps of meat, and an army truck arrives to chat with the Shanghai people. The soldiers use a telescope to smash the skulls, and the eagles eagerly observe the rock.
The narrator observes eagles feeding and a crow, then leaves to visit the nearby monastery of Sera. They walk back, feeling unsteady and contemplating Lhasa. They see the distant Potala and a couple cooking a meal. In Tibet, the body is chopped up and fed to eagles, but cremation is increasingly replacing this ritual.
Summary of Vikram Seth From Heaven Lake Chapter 15-19
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