Upon reaching Lhasa after invading Tibet , Francis Younghusband wrote:
“On the very day after our arrival I and all my staff donned our full-dress uniforms, and with an escort of three hundred men, including some of the Royal Fusiliers and a sort of band from the Gurkhas, we marched right through the city of Lhasa making all the noise we could.”
He goes on to note the Tibetans clapped and cheered loudly being most impressed. A Tibetan account challenges this account noting that Tibetans clap their hands in order to drive out evil spirits:
“When the British Officers marched to the Tsuhlakhang [Jokhang] and other places, the inhabitants of Lhasa were displeased. They shouted and chanted to bring down rain, and made clapping gestures to repulse them. In the foreigners custom these are seen as signs of welcome, so they took of their hats and said thank you.”
If ever there were a clearler example of cultural misunderstanding between invaders and the invaded then this is it. Something we could all do to remember these days.
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COMMENTS / 6 COMMENTS
subadei added these pithy words on 06 Dec 06 at 1:33 amTibetans clap their hands in order to drive out evil spirits:
Must make for rather quiet rock concerts and soccer games.
That aside:
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. Sun Tzu.
Curzon added these pithy words on 06 Dec 06 at 2:09 amSubadei: A wise quote, as was much of what Sun Tzu had to share with the world. But I think that refers to the strategy of the opposing enemy, not cultural mores.
subadei added these pithy words on 06 Dec 06 at 2:26 amCertainly, Curzon, but I beleive Chirol may have been making a loose reference to current affairs in Iraq. In such a case, cultural mores are an element of strategy, IMO.
PS: Additional concern regarding the Tibetans: I gather the clapper is not a popular Tibetan commodity.
Chirol added these pithy words on 06 Dec 06 at 9:47 amSubadei: Indeed I was making that reference. Understanding one’s surrounds is key to military victory whether that’s geographical knowledge or nowadays cultural knowledge. I found this a particularly blatant and ironic example.
astontom added these pithy words on 10 Dec 06 at 10:20 amIt was in one of the Tibet films, don’t you know.
