Tibetan Rescue: The Extraordinary Quest to Save the Sacred Art Treasures of Tibet

by Pamela Logan

This Tibetan travelogue tells a fascinating story of a mission to save the cultural heritage of a Tibetan monastery.

The culture and artifacts of Tibet, like those of other remote indigenous societies, are under siege by the relentless modern world. The fate of monasteries in Tibet has been a subject of concern to many in the West; but until Tibetan Rescue little specific information had been published. As president of a non-governmental organization that brings foreign aid into Tibet, Pamela Logan brings a first-hand account of her journey through Tibet.

Pamela evolves from solo traveler to expedition leader on her to save the precious ancient murals of Pewar Monastery. To reach her goal she travels a long and circuitous path raising funds, getting permission from the Chinese bureaucracy, assembling an international team, and leading four expeditions by bus, truck, and horse caravan to Pewar Monastery. Along the way she meets a memorable parade of characters, overcomes bureaucrats and blizzards, and survives a brutal attack by a pack of Tibetan dogs. Her book is an insider's look at a remote and little known part of Tibet, her story an inspiration to those who cherish challenge and adventure.

Genres: Art

227 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book. Although the titles suggested far more to me than this particular author's experiences over several trips to select monasteries to preserve their murals, it really was fascinating. The author is the founder of a non-profil called the Kham Aid Foundation, and offers some keen insights into the many paradoxes of Tibetan and, in particular, buddhist life. To be sure, my favorite of her observations was when she realized that, "In the West, no one asks the question: why conserve?" (p. 82). Thus her desperate attempt to conserve the murals of remote Tibetan monasteries may be utterly meaningless to the Buddhist monks who believe that decay is simply a cycle of existence, as opposed to the antithesis of existence and bane of preservationists and conservationists. The reason this gets three and not four stars is that it's really only about this one series of trips taken by Logan and not about long-term efforts or placing them in a wider Tibetan vis a vis China context. Moreover, while the book's "Where are they now?" appendix is interesting, I want to hear about the monasteries and places they worked so hard on (as opposed to the team members, architects, and conservators who participated in the process.) Really a nice little "window" into a big dilemma.