An Anthropological Field Study in a Tibetan Community of Chengdu

Cunfang Dou

doi:10.5539/ass.v9n10p192

Abstract

This paper is based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Chengdu of China, capital of Sichuan Province, using anthropological research methods such as participant-observation and individual interviews of devotees, and collecting first-hand information during July 2010 and March 2011. Through descriptive analysis of the Tibetans’ life in Chengdu, this paper explores changes to the traditional Tibetan cultures and challenges faced by Tibetans while coping to this new environment in the context of urbanization and globalization. By means of one of the Tibetan’s stories happed in the Wuhou District in Chengdu, the paper attempts to show how the traditional Tibetan culture adapts to the change. The result shows that Tibetans have established a new urban community that has many functions, and plays a significant role for Tibetans migrants, preservation of the Tibetan cultures, and the development of Chengdu and the Tibetan countryside.

Highlights

Since the 1980s, urbanization has progressed rapidly all around China, and at present a massive campaign of urbanization is held in most rural areas of China, in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities
Since the 1980s, there were some Tibetan people entered in Chengdu and gathered in the several adjacent streets of Wuhou District, and lived on doing little business, selling the traditional Tibetan clothes and ornaments in their shops rented from local people
Dantsen is from Seda District in Gârze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Sichuan Province), and owns a shop in the Minority Street called The Tibetan Plateau Cultural Industries Development Co

Summary

Introduction

Since the 1980s, urbanization has progressed rapidly all around China, and at present a massive campaign of urbanization is held in most rural areas of China, in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. Since the 1980s, there were some Tibetan people entered in Chengdu and gathered in the several adjacent streets of Wuhou District, and lived on doing little business, selling the traditional Tibetan clothes and ornaments in their shops rented from local people. About 300 Tibetan cultural commodities shops, Tibetan teahouses, Tibetan restaurants, Tibetan book stores, Tibetan cultural design companies and family hostels are found in this wonderful street. Upon entering this area, one is overwhelmed by the Tibetan traditional character of this street that at the same time never hides entirely the traits of a multi-cultural metropolis such as Chengdu

Methods

Results

Conclusion