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3 Hum. Rts. 30 (2004)
Housekeeper of Potala Palace

handle is hein.journals/jrnlhmch3 and id is 210 raw text is: BY XIOYNG LEI-f HuseILkeepe r of ?otala PAlace, hen hie left his uncle in Nor- bu Linka, the Dalai Lama's summer palace in Lhasa, I Von the evening of March 10, 1959, Qiampa Getsang never expected one day he would do the same job as his late uncle did to manage the palace ot the Dalai Lama. The difference is, his uncle, a Buddhist monk and a senior official with Gaxag, the old local Tibetan government, was in charge of the maintenance of the Potala Palace and Norbu Linka for the Dalai Lama himself. But Getsang, as director of the administra- dion office of the Potala Palace, is taking care of the world cultural heritage listed by the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization tor the people. I have more power thani my uncle used to have, says the 60-year-old Getsang. I'm the legal person of the entity and I'm in tull responsibility for everything in the Palace. And since he took the current position in 199 1, Getsang says, the cultural relics and Buddhist scriptures collected *in the palace have 'tar outnumbered the collection here up to 1959,' when the Dala Lama fled Tibet. tThis is because our well preserved col- lection has established a reputation so that many people wish to donate their treasures to us, Getsang says. For instance, in l,995, a living Buddha of Qinghai's Kumbum Monastery, one of the six largest Lamaist temples in China, donated 232 pieces of relics, including statues and ritual utensils, to the Potala Palace before his death there. Among them there are 24 pieces rec- ognized as the Grade One and Grade Two national treasures, Getsang says. The living Buddha believed that we could take good care of them. Now the 232 pieces of relics are on display in a special case. But Gectsang a-dits that he wasV very reCluctant to take theC po0st when he1C waCs Pilgimag tothe Potala Palace. pa lIi - ace.** Otothe ad, esn as did tInIIk Iwas welledute enough 11to admiistate he alac. Athouh h wa 4A Buddis -t lama f1 oiten yers upLito th11 timl-e he wvas,-17Iand he learnel;d 1to)speak Madar I-11I ChII M.hinselae, 1ut 11he never hakd any11 ChiesscooIg On 1top (ofthesemsiig, Gtsn SAys VcnsrdmSel oltc Lvl neral s Hmy uncleAnwngChbh hiad iml11I 12LI HC brugt e p ine ws orpae1Id at 2,O topart In the revolt In NM1ar-ch 159I Af'ter the revo(lt was quched(L the uncle wa-,-s jailed atind died iln pison). The 17- year-o)ld Getsang began to liXve on his (own. He orkd wth a neIhohodc Mite In -oLhasa for1-a fw onh bfoe ewas Aassignelld to so films in Laze, a county Inl XIgazeC of wes- c1111ter it in1960. t , e 4 411~ W'I Ll()ll1 he staye\d In tra'de, Getsang m1-ade Lue na1LtRina-l pace setter in ilm H11distr1-)ibuing. HCe came a tcoun1-ty official InI carge of clturL-'1tal ais 1in1the early vI 98, ').whenl China Ihakd hbeg-un to fllwthe oiyo ground11( no longer cas t shadow on hi's tal- ents. ewa elected Cdep)uty tothe COunty peopl's congr111esthe lo* cal lgiture, and wal~s promoted to headIC a departmencut of the eginalFilDistributionComan of TFibI-et in Lhasa in 19804. A enjoyed projecting film1s kand I pre- ferred my w ,\,ork (of fimd1itibution to the Potala Pa dace, Getsa-Ng4611 say IN s. spcAll aLt the timflm dstibtin1assuh pro)fitab~:l business thtpej)opleCCOurted US A. 1r1 4ItI - i

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