Nigel Sizer, Rare’s VP of Asia Pacific, blogs about his trip to Tibet with Rare’s CEO Brett Jenks.
I have yet to meet a Tibetan that cannot sing, dance, tell elaborate stories, or tolerate sub-zero temperatures in clothes that I would be comfortable wearing on a tropical beach at home in Bali. And their pride in their culture and traditions is overwhelming.
This afternoon we were given a fabulous welcome by the proud inhabitants of Yongzhi Village. Nestled 3,000 meters above sea level on a small tributary of a tributary of the Yangtze, and a two-hour drive from the district capital of Deqin, Yongzhi is the site of a unique Pride campaign aiming to help Tibetans adopt green architecture. The conservation objective is to dramatically reduce the use of wood logged in the surrounding slow growing pine and spruce forests.
The village elders lined the cobbled, ancient alleyways of the village offering a truly Tibetan greeting when we arrived. The old ladies in all their finery spun small prayer wheels, and the men held out both hands, palms up in welcome. Toothless smiles lined the way as the sun speckled through the ancient, sturdy, gnarled walnut trees surrounding the village.
Our small group, including Rare’s youngest board member, Ruth Yeoh, and her partner, Ken, as well as Jin Ligang and Shen Lei, who assist Rare with government relations in their spare time, and run Stonebridge China, a top notch consulting firm, had come to Yongzhi to see Pride in action. They were not disappointed. Rare’s partners, the District Environmental Protection Bureau and The Nature Conservancy, have helped the villagers start to build four new homes that will serve to demonstrate improved architectural practices, reducing wood use in construction and, most importantly, reducing the woodfuel needed to heat the houses during their 30-50 years of habitation.
The Pride campaign in Deqin District helps to root the new building styles in Tibetan culture and ensure that local people welcome the approach and spread the word. Yongzhi is the perfect village to start this transformation because it serves as a gateway to the area for thousands of Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims who spend months in the region visiting shrines, holy mountains and waterfalls.
Yongzhi may be high on the Tibetan pilgrims’ list of places to go, but it certainly is not frequented by many foreigners. It felt like we were the first, and this, of course, was the perfect excuse for a party! Not that they needed one. We were told that the villagers have a party every night, with singing and dancing in their local community center.
Following a surprisingly tasty dinner, at about 9p.m. we were called to join the festivities. The community center was already full, with many families — from babies to grandparents — dressed in traditional garb. The head of the village called us to sit on the dais, atop red silk and welcomed us, “…on behalf of the 107 households of Yongzhi.”
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There followed an impressive, apparently impromptu repertoire of unaccompanied singing, led by the most beautiful young women and the strongest young men in the village. The Pride campaign came to fore with a hilarious set of comedy skits, getting laughs at the expense of stereotypical pilgrims, foreign tourists and local guesthouse owners. The serious underlying message was all about the merits of green buildings, with their superior comfort and attractiveness, indoor toilets (a true novelty in the village where until recently only one of these devices existed — imagine what that means in the depth of winter in a snow storm) and reduced woodfuel needs. The entire community was enraptured. Comedy is little used in Pride campaigns, and this was a great reminder for us all about how powerful it can be.
And then, to our naïve surprise, it was our turn! We huddled and urged each other to get down onto the floor and sing our favorite song or preferably several. Where were the stars of the annual Rare talent contests when most needed? Lamentably, pathetically, none of us was up to the task, or brave enough to entertain the expectant hoards.
Expectant silence filled the air around us. Happy smiles started to droop. We had to perform. Presidential leadership was required, and as usual at Rare, was forthcoming. Brett took a deep breath, and protesting to us quietly that he simply cannot sing, took the floor.
The hall was hushed, Brett took a deep breath, all around focused on the expected melody, staring intently at Brett’s face. And then, to everyone’s amazement, including mine, he performed a perfect handstand and paraded around the dirty floor upside down – twice!
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The crowd went wild. Young men puffed out their chests eager to meet this athletic challenge to their manly supremacy. Beautiful village girls swarmed forward to place decorative silk garlands around Brett’s neck, and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief!
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