The Dorjéling Armoury in the Potala According to the Fifth Dalai Lama’s gsung ’bum

Although the government established through the alliance of the Gélukpa (Dge lugs pa) and the Khoshud in 1642 took its appellation from the Ganden Palace (Dga’ ldan pho brang/Ganden Phodrang) at Drepung (’Bras spung), the symbolic seat of power of this government was the Potala, at the same time fortress, administrative centre, earthly copy of the celestial palace of Avalokiteśvara, and official residence of the Fifth Dalai Lama. Less known, however, is that the Potala also came to symbolise military readiness. It acquired this new martial function in 1667, when an armoury, called Dorjéling (Rdo rje gling), was set up at the base of the White Palace. The Fifth Dalai Lama memorialised its establishment with a poetic text, which is included in volume nineteen (ma) of his collected works. This paper examines this text, which provides information both on the contents of the armoury and on the logic employed to justify the creation of spaces dedicated to military preparedness within a palace that was fast becoming one of the most revered sites in the Tibetan sphere.

Armour and Weapons in Tibet from Yongle to Younghusband Learning from Object-Driven Research

This paper presents an overview of the origins and development of research into various types of arms and armour used in Tibet from approximately the fifteenth century to the early twentieth century. Incorporated into this are a brief survey of well recognised examples and a review of the wide multiplicity of rare and less familiar forms, including helmets, armour for men and horses, swords, and firearms, many of which have only come to light over the past twenty-five years.

Arms and Armour in Ancient and Medieval Tibetan Literature A Lexicographical Approach

This article presents Tibetan terms and expressions for arms and armour originating in Tibetan sources as per research conducted for the Wörterbuch der Tibetischen Schriftsprache, a dictionary database that includes sources ranging from the eight to the nineteenth centuries. This survey shows that Tibetan literature bears testimony to the existence of a broad variety of arms and armour in Tibet, which are mentioned in various contexts: Bon or Buddhist sources, historiographical or mythical accounts. By tracing these terms’ etymological origins and focusing on the actual use of weapons, we may gain a clearer understanding of the origin, use, and value of arms and armour in Tibetan culture.

From Matchlocks to Machine Guns: The Modernisation of the Tibetan Army’s Firearms Between Local Production and Import (1895-1950)

Between 1895 and 1950, the Tibetan government took several steps to improve the firearms and artillery of its troops, setting up local factories and negotiating with foreign powers to purchase arms manufactured abroad. These imports were directly related to the political relationship with these countries and required the introduction and diffusion of new knowledge and techniques among Tibetan troops. Based on Tibetan and English sources, this article discusses some of the challenges met by the Tibetan government in this process and gives an overview of the variety of modern firearms that the Tibetan army used in the early twentieth century.

Khra ring bog gi bshad pa and Other Material on the Matchlock

By analysing a large variety of historical and literary sources, this article attempts to determine when the matchlock came into use in Tibet and presents an overview of the different names of the bog/matchlock muskets in various dialects and regions of Tibet from the early seventeenth century onwards. It illustrates how matchlock enthusiasts among the Tibetan nomads cherished their weapons. It examines several panegyrics (bshad pa) on the bog, as well as rituals to summon the war god onto the bog, and provides both their original Tibetan texts and a translation into English. The analysis also delves into many other different aspects of the culture of firearms in Tibet, such as the terminology (with sketches of bog), taboos and superstitions and a tentative tracing of the etymology of the word bog.

Aspects of the Christian Missionary in Nationalist China: Mrs. Jiang Jieshi and the Missions

The present essay, beginning with Catholic press and various authors known in the sector of Missiology, underlines a connection between Song Meiling and Mission in general, particularly the Catholic ones. This work aims at adding a further piece to complete the already well-known Song Meiling’s career, after her marriage to Chiang Kai-shek. Further on, it will be clearly underlined the way she managed to established relationships with representatives of Missions, both Catholic and Protestant, thanks to the reform movement “New Life”, which brought Chinese people closer to Christian values. All this was possible by starting from the family dimension, thus enhancing the link between civil and religious society. Song Meiling’s strong point was the way she promoted social inclusion of the religious confessions, especially of the Catholic Missions, through solidarity initiatives, considering the religious community on the same level as the social community. This was a factor of potential development for the Church in China.

The Notion of bianxing 變形 in the Monkey Tales Contained in the Three Chapters "Chushou" 畜 獸 of Taiping Guangji 太平廣記

The 10th-century leishu 類書 (encyclopaedia) by Li Fang entitled Taiping Guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Records of the Taiping Era) is a Song period collection of miscellanea of strange persons and events divided into 500 juan 卷. The classifications of the entries about animals in this collection are from juan 418 to 479. This study examines twenty-five anomaly accounts of shape-changes within the last three juan of “Chushou” 畜獸 (Domesticated and Wild Beasts) dedicated to apes and monkeys, i.e. juan 444, 445, and 446. This paper also analyses the concept of bianxing 變形 (transmutation) related to the physique and spiritual forms of these apes and monkeys, after their clashes and contaminations with human beings. The research considers four categories of changes considering extracts from all the entries. When possible, further information on apes and monkeys is given.