When Terror Spread Through the Land of Snows

The story of Communist China’s violent conquest of Tibet has been told by outsiders: here, the Tibetan people relate their own experiences—eyewitness accounts that describe a terrifying and extraordinary struggle for physical and spiritual survival. This page-turning history weaves the stories of Tibetan refugees now scattered across the planet into a gripping and intimate chronological telling of the arrival of Chinese rule in Tibet, offering readers insights and testimonials on the invasion and occupation of Tibet as it unfolded. We begin on the eve of the invasion and get a sense of the place: Tibet’s age-old rural traditions, religious practices, and monastic culture. As we meet Tibetan farmers, monks, nomads, and traders soon forced to flee their homes or take up arms to defend themselves and their religion, we learn about: firsthand accounts of China’s destruction of Tibet’s thousands of Buddhist monasteries, details about the diaspora and the process of migration, and inspiring news of the Tibetan people’s struggle for survival and justice today. To Tibetans, the destruction of their religious heritage is deeply personal, and it has inflicted enormous pain upon a people for whom Buddhist practice and spirituality are intertwined in their daily lives and basic moral systems. At the same time, the way they bear these scars testifies to the incredible resilience of the Tibetan people in the face of this catastrophe. The individuals in this book describe how their Buddhist and moral worldview has helped them to cope with the loss of their homeland and the ongoing suppression of their culture. A devastating and inspiring story of emotional and spiritual survival, When Terror Spread Through the Land of Snows is a firsthand account of what really happened in Tibet, with insight for all of us on how to work for healing after catastrophic loss.