top7 lists
on the pilgrim wish-list
TOP7 WONDERS OF TIBET
- Potala Palace, Lhasa
- Jokhang Temple, Lhasa
- Tashilhunpo, Shigatse
- The Kumbum, Gyantse
- Lake Namtso
- Sakya Gompa
- Mount Kailash kora
Notes: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was Greek-inspired and generated. The thousand-room Potala Palace would easily rival those—in the context of Wonders of the Eastern World. In their lifetime, Tibetan pilgrims aspire to reach the most sacred sites of the plateau. The 'list' is debatable: you might want to get to all seven wonders listed—just to witness pilgrim fervour.
from the Forbidden City
TOP7 HOT TOPICS
- Dalai Lama
- Tibetan independence
- Taiwan independence
- Falun Gong
- human rights
- democracy
- freedom
Notes: 'hot topics' means forbidden keywords scanned from the Forbidden City (Beijing) via the Great Firewall (Chinese internet blocking and monitoring). By coincidence, another forbidden topic is right at the doorstep of the Forbidden City: that taboo is Tiananmen Square, June 1989—about which any discussion is completely off-limits.
say what?
TOP7 THINGS TO SAY OUT LOUD IN TIBET
- peaceful liberation
- splittists
- Dalai clique
- imperialist foreign devils
- "progress, modernity and unity"
- that's a very reasonable price for a permit
- I'd love to have a mandatory Chinese tour guide who's never been to Tibet before please
Notes: Guidebooks are full of things you can't say in Tibet. This list tells you seven things you can safely say out loud. Some are more effective when shouted in a chant, preferably while waving a banner or large red flag. This list was contributed by Alec Le Sueur, author of The Hotel on the Roof of the World (Summersdale, UK).
in this lifetime or the next?
TOP7 REASONS TO VISIT TIBET
- because it's there
and coz u know u have to - because it's the most life-changing
place you'll experience in this lifetime - to smile with the Tibetans—
with all your heart and soul - to see the way the Chinese government
treats the Tibetans in their own country - to witness plastic palm trees and plastic
coconuts in the streets of Lhasa - to ask your official Chinese guide
to arrange a visit to Drapchi Prison - to tell Chinese tourists that
you admire the Dalai Lama
Notes: this list was contributed by Isabel Losada, author of A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World, a book about how one person can make a difference to a cause—the Tibetan cause.
why are we silent?
TOP7 REASONS TO DO NOTHING FOR TIBET
- compassion, as a guiding principle, is overrated
- what does it matter if a 5,000-year-old civilisation is destroyed?
- it's their karma
- I have lots of TV to watch
- support for Tibetans makes them dependent on Westerners
- there are lots of ineffective Tibet groups already
- "Tibet will always be part of China"
Notes: this list was contributed by Isabel Losada, author of A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World, a book about how one person can make a difference to a cause—the Tibetan cause.
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