Upon the mountain, grass gilded the slope.

Below, the trees their withered leaves let fall.

Were the cuckoo but a swallow's form,

To wing its way back to fair Mon-yul!

For over three centuries, the poetic verses of Tsangyang Gyatso have echoed across the land of China, carrying not only his deep affection towards his homeland but also embodying the cultural gene of the Chinese nation. However, the life story and poetry of this legendary figure, the Sixth Dalai Lama and renown poet, have long been distorted by sensationalized dramatization and misinterpretation, even exploited by those with ulterior motives to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

In pursuit of historical truth, we conducted an exclusive interview with Pasang Norbu, former vice president of the Xizang Academy of Social Sciences and honorary president of the Tsangyang Gyatso Cultural Research Association of Xizang. Born in Tsona County, Shannan City, this scholar has a deep bond with the Mon-yul region. For decades, he has meticulously followed in the footsteps of Tsangyang Gyatso and studied original texts written in the Tibetan language. Through his in-depth research, a true image of Tsangyang Gyatso has been restored, highlighting the Chinese provenance of this cultural legacy.

On December 3, India held an “international conference” on the cultural and historical significance of Tsangyang Gyatso, the Sixth Dalai Lama, in the so-called “Arunachal Pradesh”. This act triggered strong condemnation from China’s academic circles. Pasang Norbu, as the founder and honorary president of the Tsangyang Gyatso Cultural Research Association of Xizang, stated: “It is by no means a simple event of historical or cultural exchange. Rather, it is a political farce packed with ulterior intentions and a blatant provocation against China’s territorial sovereignty.”

“China is the most authoritative voice on Tsangyang Gyatso and his historical and cultural legacy,” he affirmed the position.

The confidence behind this statement is grounded in solid historical facts and years of sustained academic research. As scholars deeply engaged in the history and culture of southern Xizang and in studies on Tsangyang Gyatso, Pasang Norbu and his colleagues have devoted themselves to meticulous inquiry over the years. From historical textual research to extensive field investigations, they have established a solid foundation of understanding through rigorous academic practice.

Pasang Norbu has authored and published multiple works, including The Historical and Legal Status of Mon-yul, Mon-yul: A Hidden Paradise, and A Brief Biography of Tsangyang Gyatso. He has also published dozens of academic papers and translation works. Furthermore, he initiated and founded the Tsangyang Gyatso Cultural Research Association of Xizang, dedicating all his efforts to the protection and study of this cultural heritage.

The bond between Pasang Norbu and Tsangyang Gyatso has long been rooted in the soil of their homeland.

“My hometown, Tsona, is close to Mon-yul, and from an early age, I often heard about Mon-yul’s resources, products, and local customs,” said Pasang Norbu. And his research career initially began with a topic related to Mon-yul, specifically focusing on the historical event of Prince Gtsangma’s banishment to Mon-yul during the late Tubo period. At that time, Tsangyang Gyatso was merely a supplementary aspect of his studies on Mon-yul. However, it was this supplementary fieldwork that drew Pasang Norbu into the research on Tsangyang Gyatso and enabled him to gain a more tangible understanding of Tsangyang Gyatso’s profound attachment to his homeland. “When speaking of the hidden paradise of Mon-yul, one cannot avoid mentioning Tsangyang Gyatso.”

Pasang Norbu introduced that Tsangyang Gyatso was born at the Shartso Baigar Palace in Lahor Yulsung, Mon-Yul (present-day Urgyenlin in the Mon-yul region of Xizang). His paternal lineage traced back to the house of Padma Lingpa, the renowned Nyingma Sect Terton (discoverer of hidden sutras and Buddhist relics), and his maternal side descended from the lineage of the Tubo king.

According to historical research, Tsangyang Gyatso and his entourage travelled from Urgyenlin in Mon-yul to Tsona Dzong (in present-day Tsona County), where they resided for a considerable period of time. When Pasang Norbu first visited Tsangyang Gyatso’s former residence, he photographed the site and, in coordination with local government, sought funding for its further conservation and restoration, enabling the enduring preservation of this precious historical legacy.

In addition to the former residence in the county seat, Pasang Norbu also made a special visit to a site in Yamarong Village, located five kilometers southwest of the county seat, which local residents colloquially referred to as Tsangyang Gyatso’s “temporary palace”. Through interviews with several local elders and intensive study of relevant historical records, Pasang Norbu clearly concluded that “the so-called ‘temporary palace’ is an inaccurate designation; both sites should be referred to as former residences”.

Tsangyang Gyatso’s poetic creations are imbued with imprints deeply connected to his homeland. At the age of eleven, he composed the renowned hymn to Hayagriva, which is included in The Biography of the Sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso: The Radiant Golden Ear. In his research, Pasang Norbu found that the vast majority of Tsangyang Gyatso’s poems were written in a three-stanza form of four lines with six syllables per line. His poetry employs language drawn from daily life and closely aligned with vernacular speech, characterized by an unhurried artistic grace and a strong sense of musicality.

Amid the surge in studies on Tsangyang Gyatso, both in China and abroad, Pasang Norbu maintains a critical posture of observation. What he sees is not merely academic prosperity, but also distortions of historical reality.

“Driven by a mindset of exoticism, many of the studies consciously or unconsciously alter the original historical truth, reshaping a real historical figure into a literary character. Some are motivated by religious belief, deliberately or unintentionally turning a mortal human being into a mysterious, wandering deity.” In his view, this is “deeply unfair” to Tsangyang Gyatso as a historical figure.

Even more intolerable to him is that in recent years, certain individuals with ulterior motives have brazenly embellished groundless and wholly fabricated claims as actual fact. “They treat culture like a rag, using it to wipe wherever they see fit, showing a complete lack of responsibility,” he said.

“It was not my intention to painstakingly craft candles in years already aglow with light,” said Pasang Norbu. However, all these farces have left Pasang Norbu no choice but to return to Tsona for field research again and again, using historical records and his on-site findings to refute false claims, so as to bring those little-known stories about Tsangyang Gyatso to the world and correct these errors.

Pasang Norbu also offered earnest advice to the younger generation of researchers: “Young scholars today are far more capable than their predecessors, with broader connections and wider perspectives. These are their advantages. However, in terms of the command of Tibetan-language materials, they do not match the previous generation, often relying excessively on others’ research while neglecting the value of original sources.” He emphasized that, to truly approach Tsangyang Gyatso’s real life and inner world, one must devote oneself to studying original Tibetan-language texts by Tsangyang Gyatso and his contemporaries. Only with original sources as the grounding can studies be credible and restore the historical truth.

The significance of this scholarly dedication has long transcended beyond historical and literary research. The cultural legacy of Tsangyang Gyatso spreads spontaneously among different ethnic groups, becoming a spiritual bond that connects them. To restore its authenticity and safeguard its belonging is to protect the unshakable cultural confidence of a nation and to preserve the spiritual roots that have been passed down through generations on this land. (China Tibet Online Author/Yujie)