He tells of repression and unlawful executions, but Harrer also shows the reader how the religious life of Tibet has continued despite Chinese attempts to extinguish it. Those monks he does see he is tempted to believe are actually just workers dressed in the appropriate gear. He is told that temples have many monks, but he sees no sign of permanent residency. He sees workmen 'repairing' temples when he walks past with his group, but when he returns unexpectedly later, they have gone. He wanders markets replete with Yak meat and butter, but is told by his old friends that in the countryside people are starving. He tries to pick his way through the curtain that the Chinese try to draw over the real state of Tibet and its people. Those temples and palaces that remain are also a sad sight for him, as he remembers the vibrancy and life that used to thrum through these great buildings when the Dalai Lama ruled his country. In particular, the destruction of most of the religious buildings he views as a great tragedy. Return to Tibet is a book formed around this visit - it is mostly a comparison of what he saw and experienced when he lived there, to what he's seeing and hearing now (in 1982) with his own eyes, and through the testimony of the Dalai Lama and his circle in Darjeeling. It's unclear how long he was there, but it was as part of a guided tour at a time when tourism was just beginning in Tibet, and only limited numbers of foreigners were allowed in. In the early 1980s, when China's Tibet policy had thawed somewhat, Harrer was able to revisit the country he'd spent time in during the 1940s. While it was an interesting read, it is not nearly as good as the first book, and given the way it was written, it was never going to be so.

About eighteen months ago I read Heinrich Harrer's Seven Years in Tibet and enjoyed it very much, so when I came across this book I thought I'd give it a go.

Return to tibet heinrich harrer