Jiméjiānzàn Welfare School

Jiméjiānzàn Welfare School is located at the border of Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, adjacent to the famous Laga Monastery and nestled at the foot of the magnificent Ani Quanggong Mountain. Facing the roaring Yellow River, the school enjoys picturesque scenery and a pleasant climate. It was officially established in August 1994 with the approval of the Guoluo Prefectural Government and is under its jurisdiction. It is the first welfare school in Qinghai Province founded through private fundraising.

Jiméjiānzàn began his primary education in 1975 and graduated from university in 1990, completing a 15-year academic journey made possible by the Chinese government’s educational policies for ethnic minority regions. Thanks to these policies, he was able to fulfill his dream of pursuing an education.

Throughout his career, Master Jiméjiānzàn has held numerous significant leadership roles, including:

• Vice Chairman of the Maqên County CPPCC (Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference)

• Deputy Director of the Democratic Management Committee of Laga Monastery

• Chairman of the Maqên County Federation of Industry and Commerce

• Standing Committee Member of the Guoluo Prefectural CPPCC

• Vice President of the Guoluo Prefectural Buddhist Association

• Vice Chairman of the Guoluo Prefectural Federation of Industry and Commerce

• Two-term Representative of the Guoluo Prefectural People’s Congress

• Three-term Member of the Guoluo Prefectural CPPCC

• Standing Executive Committee Member of the Qinghai Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce

• Member of the 10th, 11th, and 12th Qinghai Provincial CPPCC

In addition to his government and political roles, he has been actively involved in various social and economic organizations, serving as:

• President of the Guoluo Snowland Animal Husbandry Development Association

• Executive Director of the Qinghai Provincial Social Work Association

• Vice President of the Qinghai Private Education Association

• Vice President of the Sanjiangyuan Ecological Environmental Protection Association

• President of the Qinghai Provincial Trade Promotion Association

On July 14, 2024, in Guoluo Prefecture, Qinghai Province, Laga Monastery’s esteemed high monk and renowned educator, Jiméjiānzàn, announced in a bilingual Tibetan-Chinese statement on social media that the Jiméjiānzàn National Vocational School, which had operated independently for 30 years, would soon cease operations.

For decades, the school provided free education to Tibetan herders and farmers across five provinces and was regarded as one of the finest Tibetan-language institutions in the Greater Tibetan region. With this announcement, a legendary private welfare school on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has come to an end.

The statement emphasized that the closure was not due to the decision of any individual or organization, but rather in accordance with national vocational school standards and relevant directives from the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee.

Some commentators expressed sorrow over the news, describing it as “a black snow falling over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau” and “a lighthouse for the Tibetan people being extinguished.”

On this day, under the directives of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, Jiméjiānzàn National Vocational School was ordered to be closed. The official reason given was that the school did not meet national vocational and technical school standards. However, the 30-year legacy of the school suggests that the justification provided by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was highly questionable. In reality, the plan to shut down the school had been in the works for a long time, and Xi Jinping’s visit to Qinghai accelerated efforts to close the school and suppress the Tibetan language and culture.

The forcibly closed Jiméjiānzàn National Vocational School held great influence in the Tibetan region. Founded in 1994 by Tibetan high monk Jiméjiānzàn, the school was located in Laga Town, Maqên County, Guoluo Prefecture, Qinghai Province, and was the first privately funded welfare school in the province. With over a thousand students and faculty, the school provided education in both traditional Tibetan culture and modern studies.

Unable to tolerate the school’s existence any longer, the Chinese authorities shut it down, and on July 15, 2024, students and teachers bid farewell to the school in tears, a heartbreaking scene.

The introduction text comes from Wiki & Baidu

Photo By Clint & Wilson