Shigatse-Tashilhunpo

Tashilhunpo. Even the name has a mysterious resonance. Beneath Tibet’s tranquil surface, a conflict is always simmering. I heard about the controversy that surrounded the nomination of the new Panchen Lama sometimes toward the end of the 90’s. At the time, I did not understand the intricacies of a process that appeared so remote and perhaps not so important. But in time, as I learned more and more about Tibet, I understood how high the stakes were and that the entire survival of a nation with its traditions and customs may be dependent upon this process. So I decided to come in Shigatse and see first hand the seat of Tashi, the other name of the Panchen Lama in Tashilhunpo and to connect the dots and understand how a 6 year old boy can terrify a power as large as China.We arrived in Shigatse after a long tour in the entire Western Tibet that brought us to Kailash Mountain, Lake Manasarovar and the border with Nepal so the film narrates also the long drive on Friendship Highway from Nyalam going through Tingri, Shegar, Lhatse and finally Shigatse.