Description
Book SynopsisCenturies have passed since the demise of many precapitalist agricultural states. Despite the British invasion of 1903 and the Chinese invasion in 1950, the Tibetan state continued to fully function until 1959. For this reason, this biography of George Tsarong not only provides new and in-depth perspectives on the life of an official of the Tibetan state, but it will also contribute to the comparative study of precapitalist states. The book weaves together history and biography to narrate the life of an aristocratic state official, his education and social life, his registration and entrance into a civil service career. It also describes the various personal and state political intrigues he was involved in and the many grand ceremonies that dominated the life of a state official. George Tsarong’s story is also the story of the fall of this traditional state and the complex social and psychological aspects of occupation, resistance and exile.
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgment
A Note on Romanization
Maps
1 The House of Tsarong
2 A Sojourn in India
3 The School Years in Lhasa
4 Gyantse, the Estates and the Interregnum Period
5 Darjeeling, Lhasa and Calcutta
6 A Young State Bureaucrat
7 The Great Song and the Ode to the Arrow
8 State Rituals and Ceremonies
9 The Tragic Regency Period
10 A Senior State Bureaucrat
11 Under China’s Occupation
12 In China and India
13 Early Years in Exile
14 Economic Investments of the Tibetan State in Exile
Appendix A: List of Correct Tibetan Spellings
Glossary of Key Terms
References
Index
About the Author
