Yubeng Village, Deqin County  in Yunnan Province

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Kawagarbo Sacred Snow Mountain, a documentary filmed by scholar Guo Jing and a Tibetan girl named Droma, was added to the permanent collection of the Chinese National Museum of Ethnology last November. The film represents only a fraction of the images that Guo has collected in the Tibetan region.

Deqin County is located in northwest Yunnan, and 80 percent of its inhabitants are Tibetan. Guo Jing, an anthropologist and research fellow from Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, conducted field investigation on the Diqing Plateau in Yunnan Province for years. Guo finished the book Tales of Khabadkarpo in four years, which adopted oral history and research notes to illustrate the positive role of sacred mountain culture and traditional folklore in protecting the Kawagarbo region’s environment.

When he goes, Guo Jing always brings a video camera. Villagers there have never thought of Guo as a jia, a Tibetan word that means “outsider.” Also, Guo said he considers the book a collective work authored by him and the local Tibetans. “I am merely responsible for writing down the stories. They conducted a series of studies with me and contributed plenty of ideas, views and observations,” Guo said.

When researching in the villages, Guo found that the local Tibetans were all concerned about the 1991 climbing disaster at Meili Snow Mountain. “The villagers I’ve talked with all mentioned the tragedy,” he said.

A China-Japan joint mountaineering team was climbing Meili Snow Mountain when the disaster took place on Jan. 3, 1991, claiming the lives of six Chinese and 11 Japanese. It was the worst climbing accident in the mountaineering history of the two countries.

The disaster and the 1999 climbing event have made Meili Snow Mountain famous. Environmentalists and media have conveyed the local Tibetans’ opposition to climbing on the sacred mountain of Kawagarbo. Such moves drew tremendous attention from the State Council. As a result, Deqin Country issued laws in 2001 prohibiting all mountaineering at Meili Snow Mountain.

The opening chapter of Tales of Khabadkarpo portrays the climbing disaster through various perspectives, including official statements, media reports, public voice as well as online information. The event not only led to the first rescue organization for climbing disasters but also initiated public discussion on the need to balance climbing with environmental protection and local culture. Guo recorded all forms of discussion in his book, adding that “They have greater historical significance than climbing. Humankind is proud of their struggle with nature, but the wild world responded in reprisal. Sandstorms and global warming are the result of our disrespect toward nature.”

Catastrophe invites reflection. Wang Yongfeng, captain of the Chinese Mountaineering Team, changed his perspective on mountains after engaging in many disaster rescues: “Don’t ever try to conquer mountains. Mountains are not rivals. They are friends.”

“In the Tibetan area, sacred mountains have religious implications. But they are also closely related to environmental protection,” Guo suggested. He observed Tibetans’ intimate relationship with the mountains, wilderness and animals after years of field investigation. The intimacy existed for real in their daily life. Urban residents can never understand it until going there.

Guo collects an album of animal paintings drawn by residents in Yubeng Village, Deqin County, including lions, sheep, snub-nosed monkeys, tigers and rabbits. Villagers may complain about the troublesome animals, but their attitudes toward animals are reflective of aesthetic tastes rather than the creatures’ production value. For example, lions are the primary symbol of the snow mountain. They believe glaciers would no longer exist if lions disappear. Also, wolves and bears were considered “the dogs of Kawagarbo,” even though they attack cattle and spoil crops. Rabbits eat seedlings of wheat and highland barley, but their movements in the forest are graceful. “Their short sentences pointed out the beauty of animals,” Guo said.

The villagers’ views of animals have led Guo to a whole new world. An academic group once went to Yubeng to help the local communities with their knowledge of wildlife research, land protection and cultural evolution. “We have all received scientific training, but our knowledge domains failed to comprehend what we’ve seen in the deep mountains,” Guo recalled.

Some residents earn their living by years of hunting while remaining in awe of animals. An senior who has hunted many bears throughout his life was given a Tibetan nickname meaning “Grandpa Bear.” For a while, Grandpa Bear became restless because he always felt animals of various kinds would seek their revenge. In the end, he decided to stop hunting and engaged fellow seniors in environmental protection and cultural activities. Also, he asked young people to help him record the scriptures that he found in local villages. The scriptures were finally compiled into a book Esoterica of Kawagarbo.

Like other tourists, Guo was first impressed by the natural landscape at Kawagarbo. As time went by, he became more interested in the residents who have lived in the mountains for their entire lives. He wrote in his book that “No one has or will ever reach the top of Kawagarbo, which is the first case in China. Storms and snow slides empowered him. Also, the local culture is another source of his strength. The people have carried on the cultural traditions and beliefs for generations. The mountain thus has become sacred.”

It worried Guo and local Tibetans that people wrongly called Kawagarbo “Meili Snow Mountain.” According to Guo’s investigation, Meili Snow Mountain is a small sacred mountain range within Deqin County. The tourist sector adopted Meili because mountaineering teams used the name in the 1990s. Meili became increasingly famous while Kawagarbo remained unknown to most people. Guo described the origins of the mountain’s name in his book. He claimed that “Kawagarbo is a sacred place, but Meili Snow Mountain is no more than a tourist spot.”

Tibetans will never confuse Kawagarbo with Meili Snow Mountain. “For Tibetans, the snow mountain is silent, but it protects living creatures forever,” Guo said. Therefore, people outside the region need to hear the voices of local residents who have lived in harmony with the wilderness and nature for generations. These residents have a clear understanding of mankind’s relationship with nature and wildlife.

“Villagers are a component of trees. Villagers are part of forests. They own resources and protect them. Experts and management staff can’t protect a tree or a bird without their cooperation,” Guo said. He found that no nation in the world lives at a higher altitude than Tibetans or connects with mountains as closely as them. Everything relevant to snow mountain implies cleanness and purity. People may never point to a snow mountain with one finger. Instead, they must hold their palms up and bend five fingers.

“I began to understand the word ‘homeland’ when I saw the snow mountain,” Guo said and added that the mountain supports the residents’ lives in terms of material and spirit. Tibetans live in the arms of the vast universe. Their houses and homes compose a part of the mountain.

The book was well received among the Tibetans in Diqing, Yunnan Province. For Zhang Zhongyun, a research fellow from the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, Guo involves himself in his study on the local development of Kawagarbo. “He comprehensively examines the region from the prism of local residents. His research records their words of wisdom for the first time and freshens the public impression on Kawagarbo.”

As an anthropologist, Guo argues that his field investigation aims to convey to the outside world what local people see and think about rather than to strive to give evidence about an understanding that has existed for a long time. The more important thing is to make people “acknowledge the ecological significance of the western region, which stands in contrast with the rapid development of the eastern region.”

Tales of Khabadkarpo is a testament to Guo’s travels on the snow mountain. He emphasizes that faith is crucial during a journey by saying that “One supposes to have two worlds, one is filled with secular ideas while the other one sacred.”

In the Tibetan area, many people have chosen to live alone and cultivate themselves in the delightful and refreshing environment represented by quiet forest farm, grasslands dotted by flowers, snow peaks as well as a deep blue sky. Trifles and anxieties have become illusory. Shepherds usually spend half a year in the village and live in mountains for the other half. They practice themselves both physically and mentally through labor.

“For the Tibetans, sacred space not only exists in the man-made temples. It extends deep into the wilderness,” Guo said.