High Lama From Tibet Sees "Pop-Eye" In Hong Kong
ARE THERE REALLY PEOPLE LIKE THAT IN AMERICA?
(Special To The "China Mail ") "Tibet, Land of Mystery, Land of Eternal Peace, would like to invite foreigners, but for political reasons best known to itself and the British Government, not more than a handful of outsiders are permitted to enter the Holy Land each year, the Rev. Dr. Wongyat, who is the Third Highest ranking Lama and who is now in Hong Kong, told the "China Mail”
in an exclusive interview yesterday. Dr. Wongyat, who is a Doctor of Philosophy, left Tibet some four months ago in order to teach the French Consul at Yunnanfu his native language. He is now on his way back to the Land of Mystery in order to play a prominent part in the celebrations and rejoicings in con- nection with the setting-up in state of the new Dalai Lama.
The new Dalai Lama is a five- Clad in his sombre black robes, year-old peasant boy who was dis- Dr. Wongyat went
to a local covered in a tinv village in Koko-cinema with some American nor province. Spiritual and friends and saw his frat "Popeye
temporal ruler of 10,000,000 Tibe- tans, the new Dalai Lama is now on his way to Lhassa: the previous Dalai Lama died in December, 1933
Dr. Wongyat told the "China Mail" 'that great significance might be attached to this event, for Tsinghai, where the present Dalai Lama was born, is under Chinese influence. He is the first Chinese" Lama in the history of Tibet.
“CONTACT-MAN”-
'Dr. Wongyat speaks only Tibe- tan and English, having learned the latter language near Peiping some seven years ago; he under- stands a few words of Mandarin. but to all intents his knowledge of Chinese is no more than that of the average "Old Chinn Hand."
Dr. Wongyat, to adoptan Ameri- canism, is the "foreign contact- man" for Tibet 'in its relations with foreign countries. Not only has he travelled extensively thr oughout China but, after learning the English language, he visited England a few years ago.
“England is very pretty,” said. "I stayed in a country house for some time-but I like "Tibet better!"
he
CIGARETTE DISPENSATION
In view of the fact that smoking has become such an intrinsic part of the life of the Occidental 'World, Dr. Wongyat has been- .given a special dispensation - he can smoke one cigarette, if neces sary, every two hours. The art of smoking a cigarette has, in fact, crept into Tibet, he said, but with the exception of himself, no Lamas were permitted to indulge in the habit..
The life of a Lama, he told the -"China - Mail," " is bound............ by
many restrictions. In addition to the no-smoking ban, no allowed to drink any wine,
mais
After that
the Sailor" cartoon.
the rest of the world. It was, in
"Are there really people like fact, a long way away from the that in America?" he asked, and struggles of this Twentieth Cen- did not understand the gales of tury World, even from such things laughter that ensued.
as the Sino-Japanese hostilities.
He also saw his first refrigera- tar.
"We have electricity in Lhas- sa," he said, "but only for light- ing lamps. It is very strange. I knew that electricity made things hot, but this is the first time that I knew it also made things very cold!"
Thanks to his American friends, he also had his first taste of soda- water.
"It is like salt," he said. Plans are afoot, the "China Mail" understands, to give him a fully charged soda siphon to take back to Tibet.
At the same time, Tibet was not trying to isolate itself from the rest of the world. Dr. Wongyat said that he would like to see visitors from the rest of the world visit his country-but at the mo- ment there were a number practical obstacles.
WEARY JOURNEY
of
To enter Tibet through India, one required both a permit from Lissa and one from the British Government in India. The latter could be ignored if one entered Tibet by way of Tachienlu, but the journey was a long and weary
one.
Dr. Wongyat himself. is return- ing to Tibet via India. He leaves for Calcutta on Thursday in the Indo-China 8.8. Yuensang and, after a 15-hour railway journey from Calcutta to Darjeeling by train, he expects to spend about 22 days on mule-back before he actually reaches Lhassa,
finest
NAZI EXPEDITION
Asked by the "China Mail" if he knew anything about an ex- pedition sent from Nazi Germany to Tibet, he said that the German party arrived at a different. part of the frontier just as he left Tibet. He hoped that they would not try to foster any foreign poli- tics during their stay in Tibet. "But that will be the
Tibet, he told the "China (Mail' | thing of all," he said. “I love rid- - primarily & Land ofing and at the same time I will be Peace. It did not ever propose | going back home!” to enter into power-politics, axis- The Lama, who is 39 years of relationships or any of the other age, is actually head of a monas- "inventions" of the Western tery of some 7,000 lesser lamas World.
three miles outside of
was
some
It wanted to live in peace with Lhassa.
Maizee's
SUMMER SALE
COMMENCING TO-DAY
FOR ONE WEEK ONLY
BIG REDUCTIONS
ON ALL STOCK
DRESSES, Day & Evening. HATS, BAGS BEACH TOGS NOVELTIES, JEWELLERY
ETC.
EXTRAORDINARY BARGAINS
Exchanges
No Returna
ALEXANDRA BLDG., DES VÕTUX
CABIE ONLY
“being assured, however,
lime-juice- and - sof!
„come in this several with
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.