While doing research on the history of her homeland of the Tibet Autonomous
Region, Tseyang Changngopa traveled to the US, Germany, Norway, UK, France and
Austria to exchange ideas with her international colleagues.
"If we study Tibetan history without paying attention to the international
development of the discipline, we might end up with much repetitive research,"
said the 51-year-old woman professor of Tibet University, who is attending the
CPPCC as a member of the All-China Women's Federation.
"When I attended the sixth Seminar of The International Association for
Tibetan Studies in Norway in 1992, I was the only woman scholar from China," she
said.
"Now more and more young woman scholars have joined the
study. They are not only good at ancient Tibetan language, but also fluent in
English." 
Changngopa is now directing a project on the study of Tibetan women from
historical and cultural perspectives. The project, a cooperation between Tibet
University and University of Oslo in Norway, started in 2003, and Changngopa
hopes to finish it this year.
The project involves 15 people, and Changngopa is writing a book on the women
of Lhasa, where she was born.
One of the first scholars to study Tibetan women, Changngopa founded the
Institute of Woman and Gender Studies at Tibet University in 2002. The institute
has Tibetan students, Han and foreign students.
Changngopa said Tibet University has plans to build a new building for
international students to accommodate the growing number of foreigners choosing
to study there.
"Tibet has a broad and profound culture as well as beautiful scenery, so it's
natural that more and more people come to Tibet," she said.
"I think Tibetan culture is very unique and has strong vitality, but at the
same time we need to keep up with the times and learn from other cultures."
A CPPCC member, Changngopa has proposed the construction of oil pipelines in
Tibet, and the right for Tibet University to confer doctoral degrees.
"After all, I'm a Tibetan scholar and hope to promote Tibet studies," she
said.
(China Daily 03/09/2007 page6)
