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As monks began setting themselves on fire a few hundred kilometresacross the provincial border in Sichuan, local officials in this16th-century monastery town jumped into action. At a meeting of the monastery's temple management authority, a bodythat comprises provincial Communist Party representatives, seniormonks and "Living Buddhas", officials outlined a planof action. "The message was simple," said one monk who was toldabout the meeting, "Do whatever it takes to maintainstability". Kumbum, known as Taersi in Chinese, is a monastery with specialsignificance for Tibetans. It is one of the most influentialcentres for the Gelugpa or Yellow Hat sect outside the TibetAutonomous Region (TAR). Located in the area known to Tibetans as Amdo in China'snorthwestern Qinghai province, Kumbum dates back to the thirteenthcentury, when Tsongkhapa, the founding figure of the Gelugpas, setup a prayer site here. The monastery is particularly popular with followers of the DalaiLama, the most important figure for the Gelugpas. The exiledfourteenth Dalai Lama was born in a village called Taktser which isonly half an hour's drive away. Kumbum has remained relatively stable through the troubles over thepast year, which saw more than 30 Tibetan monks and nuns settingthemselves on fire in monastery towns across the Tibetan plateau. The response from officials here, monks said in interviews, was acombination of carrots and sticks: a slew of welfare measures— renovating prayer halls, increasing stipends and improvingliving conditions — coupled with tight security policies thatbear no tolerance for dissent. Signs of change are easy to spot at Kumbum. Construction craneshover over a main prayer hall as workers add touches of paint.Ceaseless sounds of hammering and drilling reverberate through themonastery's narrow passageways. On a recent April afternoon,migrant workers from Sichuan laboured through light snowfall to laynew roads over the muddy byways that run through the sprawlingmonastery, which sits on a hilltop. Welfare measures After the string of self-immolations began in Sichuan last year,officials announced a number of welfare measures for monasteries inTAR and the provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan. Theseincluded the provision of public services such as water,electricity, televisions and Internet access, as well as medicalinsurance and increased living allowances. The implementation has been varied across different provinces,according to monks from TAR and Sichuan who are now at Kumbum. Hereand at the Rongwo monastery in Tongren in Qinghai's south, moves toopen new living quarters where monks can own 50 square-metre rooms,with heating, for a one-time deposit of only 10,000 Yuan (Rs.83,000), have been widely popular. Authorities have also allowedthe display of images of the Dalai Lama, which is banned in manymonasteries in TAR. More controversial are measures to introduce patriotic education.Since last year, all monasteries have had to set up managementcommittees to "better regulate Buddhist activities"."We are now continuously administering patrioticeducation," one monk at Kumbum said in an interview. Asked ifthe move was popular, he said: "I cannot reply to thatquestion." Other monks said that while they welcomed moves to improve livingconditions, security restrictions were unpopular. "We cannottalk freely, even our cellphones are monitored," said onemonk. "We are also barred from travelling outside themonastery." Authorities have set up a nationwide "blacklist" ofmonks found to engage in political activities — this couldeven include posting an "objectionable" message online.They would be expelled and barred from joining any monastery inChina. One monk said policies were more relaxed in Kumbum because thenumber of ethnic Tibetan monks was less than in places such asRongwo or Labrang in Gansu, where there have been protests. Here,only half the 700 residents were Tibetans, he said, with otherstudents from Inner Mongolia and elsewhere in China. "The atmosphere is better here," said one student fromLhasa who moved to Kumbum after the 2008 riots, following whichmany monks in TAR were sent to other provinces. Debate The young monk was waiting outside a teaching hall as his friendsprepared for an afternoon debate, dressed only in their maroonrobes even as the snow fell on their shoulders. Down the road,policemen stood watch at a makeshift station while paramilitarycars slowly patrolled the muddy byways. As the class began in a snow-covered courtyard, the young monksbegan debating in the distinctively Tibetan style, stamping theirfeet on the ground, slapping their forearms to drive home a point,and forgetting briefly the world outside their classroom. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Rotary Die-Cutting Machine Manufacturer , Carton Stapler Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Carton Packing .
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