The Tibetan project yet in exile.

Still here, but not for long; they have been telling themselves this since the last twenty years.
These Tibetan refugees whom I met in the Handicraft Centre of Dharamsala are all women, when they arrived in India they were not more than adolescents. And today, they are all mothers of some children.
Hope and courage, because of this they left their hometown, eastern Tibet of the Chamdo province. When I asked them why they left, they all answered with the same kind of simplicity that they just wanted to see the Dalai Lama. Now that they did, they said that they were happy.

I have no idea how to measure their happiness from seeing the Dalai Lama and I wonder if it was really worth the risk of leaving their home forever. I did not dare to ask. In fact the situation was obvious when I saw the longing through their eyes.

Mama is getting older, they told me with a simple smile. Then they looked at their children, saying that so they are. Then I asked what do they wish now, they answered, go back to Tibet, go see the family.

I was aware to the fact that as a Chinese passport holder, I do not need a visa to enter Tibet, so I set forth the idea of me going to Tibet, and bring there messages. I can film them with my camera then I can go find their families and show these videos to them back home. And on my return, I can also show the videos filmed from there.

They all loved the idea.

So I go on with my camera. Finding them at home with their children on a Sunday afternoon, I invited them to sit and talk to the family through the camera. They all took it so simply but seriously, changing themselves into the traditional Tibetan dresses they just sat there, in front of the view finder. Most of the time they didn’t talk at all, they just sang. And when their children were crying their voices dry to sing Tibetan songs to their grandpa and grandma, these mothers showed nothing more than genuine pride. And when they looked at me through the camera, thinking of their families, I knew their trust and confidence will bring me far.

Now with these beautiful moments taped, I am setting out for Tibet.
And when I will be back, I shall have the other half.

The English classes at the Women Handicraft Center, Dharamsala.

仍在流亡的西藏計劃。

在印度的Dharamsala我開始了我的工作，在一間製作地毯的工場教英文，教的都是從西藏流亡出來的女人。二十年前她們只有十來歲，大部份是來自西藏東部的昌都附近。我問她們為什麼要到印度來，她們的答案出奇的一致；是希望見到達賴喇嘛。她們都說來之前只聽過他的名字，好像是個對西藏很重要的人。但在中國境內的西藏這名字是被禁的，他犯的罪很大，「煽動」或什麼的。出於好奇心，這些女人決定長途跋涉的來到他住的地方去，大概想看看他究竟是什麼人。

見到了，都很開心。

我不知道她們當時的心態是怎樣，心理準備得充不充足等，但事實是她們的這麼一去，就是二十多年的離鄉背井，家裡的爸爸、媽媽、兄弟、姊妹，於二十年前的這麼一別，就再沒有見過面。回家的可能性 ? 天知道。

等簽證等了二十年。
媽媽老了。
看著自己的兒女長大，原來自己也老了。

我再問她們那麼現在的希望是什麼 ?
都只有一個答案 : 回去看看老家。
她們苦笑，我看著那眼神中的憧憬天真簡單，突然明白到生命的平淡真實。
西藏是否該獨立 ? 達賴喇嘛是否犯了煽動罪 ? 中國是否獨裁 ?
這些慷慨激昂的問題突然變得虛浮，不著邊際。



但唯有親情可靠。



於是我想到了一個辦法，很簡單。她們的家人好久沒見過她們了，祖父母們連孫兒長得多大也沒親眼見到過，會讀書了吧 ? 精靈嗎 ? 為了替他們搭一個橋樑，我請她們在我的攝影機前和西藏的家人說一些她們想說的話，又讓孩子們對著鏡頭唱歌。

然後我決定往西藏走一趟，帶著這些片段，到訪她們在西藏的家。再跟她們的家人拍一些片段，再帶回印度的Dharamsala。

拍攝的過程既簡單又隆重，我拿著攝影機到了她們家，她們都緊張地換上了西藏的傳統衣服，隆而重之的坐在鏡頭前，帶著她們的小孩，就這樣的開始對著鏡頭說話，有時不知該說什麼了，就突然高聲的唱起西藏的民歌來。我就在鏡頭後看，完全被她們的自然風采吸引著，媽媽和孩子們之間的一舉一動，簡單直接，完全沒有嬌柔做作的空間。當她們看著鏡頭，心裡想著家人的時候，我感到了她們對我那自然流露的信任。

就這樣我帶著她們的信任，決定要向西藏出發。

大家都說這旅程將會很困難，冬天的西藏很冷，而且我要到的地方很偏僻。
但無論如何怎樣，親身的試一試，回來再告訴大家。

Back to the winter.