Today marks the 51st anniversary of the failed Tib*tan uprising that resulted in the exile of the Big D (as he is consistently referred to here, by everyone, even Tib#tns. Nobody mentions his name aloud, because you never know who is listening. Even our apartments may be bugged, we have been warned. His image is illegal in China - only sometimes, in dark corners of out-of-the-way monastaries, tucked behind altars for other famous lamas, you will find a picture of him with a candle lit in his honor.)
For the past few years, this anniversary has been accompanied by all kinds of problems out here on the plateau. In 2008, of course, there was the violent crackdown on the demonstrating monks (or "rioters," as the Chinese government called them). Here at the university, classes for the Tib students were canceled, the students were confined to campus with curfews, and nobody was allowed on campus without registering at the gates. Internet service is curtailed, and phones suddenly don't have access to the outside world. Lhasa is closed, naturally, but so are any number of other towns where there might possibly be problems. Sometimes the foreign teachers are forced to leave the area, and not allowed back in for months at a time - which is what happened in Repkong, the town where I'm headed in July to finish out my two-year stint here.
It's referred to as the "sensitive times," because euphemisms are always used to discuss anything Tib#tn. And it's more or less paralyzed planning for the future. Everything is on hold until after the sensitive times are over. Every discussion about our classes and our students is accompanied by a caveat: We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
So far today, everything has been quiet, but it's just the beginning. More anniversaries loom; Sunday, March 14 is another particular flashpoint, marking the 2008 violence. Meanwhile, we carry our passports with us everywhere, just in case.
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