Cultural China

Just came back from a trip to Shangri-la (Yunnan province), a primarily Tibetan country that was made popular by the English writer James Hilton’s novel “Lost Horizon”. Shangri-la is an Utopian lamasery high in the mountains of Tibet, and represents inner peace, love, and eternity.

During the trip, we made a visit to the home of a typical Tibetan family. One thing that really surprised me was the “gods” they worship: Dalai Lama and Mao Zedong.

Dalai Lama and Mao Zedong

Chatted with our tour guide, a Tibetan girl, I was told that Mao Zedong is actually the most worshiped “God” among the Tibetan people. Most families have one of the three “Gods” to worship: Mao Zedong, Dalai Lama, and Panchen Lama. Many families worship more than one at the same time.

The reason behind this was quite simple, as the guide explained. Throughout the thousands of years of history, Tibet had been a slave society, with Dalai Lama being the largest slave owner. The majority of the people were slaves with absolutely no any human rights whatsoever. It was Mao Zedong who liberated the slaves from slavery, and provided them with the basic human rights (rights of survival at the very least) for the first time ever. So the ordinary people, who made up over 80% of the population, felt heartily grateful to Mao, and over time, Mao became the most worshiped “God”.

The Largest Prayer Wheel of the World at Shangri-La