Development of First General Tibet History to Involve Taiwan Scholars

China News Digest, 2 September 2002

[CND, 09/02/02] The head of mainland's China Tibetology Research Center has invited Taiwan Tibetologists to participate in the compilation of the first general history of Tibet, the China Daily reported on Monday.

Lhapa Puntso, secretary general of the center, said that Taiwan scholars would greatly help the quality and completeness of the history because of their achievements in the area.

Puntso made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the center's first cross-straits seminar on Tibetan history. Jiunn Yih Chang and six other Tibetologists from Taiwan attended the seminar.

The study of Tibetan history is more or less a virgin land in comparison with that of other parts of Chinese history, said Chang. But it is indispensable to the study of China and the Chinese people.

Chang said that the existing studies of Tibet have been more on its religion and politics. He believed that the general history would bring out other aspects such as economics, culture, technology and the status of women. (Dong LIU)