Health

Billboard

A billboard just outside of the Jiunmei Tibetan Medicine Factory advertises 'Qinghai Fearless Hospital'. The very fact that a hospital needs advertisements (and there are many other examples of this around Xining, c.f. DSCN0354) raises questions about the state ownership of hospitals in China. It seems likely that Jiunmei is a medical supplier of this hospital based on the location of the ad. In my travels I never came across this hospital's actual location.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Jiunmei Tibetan Medicine Factory

The entrance to the Jiunmei Tibetan Medicine for the Well-being of Body and Soul ('Jig med bod sman lus srog bde ster), a Tibetan medicine factory in the same complex as the Tibetan Medical Museum. Judging by 'DSCN1002.jpg' it appears as though the factory is a supplier of 'Qinghai Fearless Hospital' (mTsho ngon 'jigs med sman khang). I was not surprised to find an English translation in the name of the factory; amongst the many industries of Xining, Tibetan medicine has taken to the use of English with perhaps the greatest consistency.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Jiunmei Tibetan Medicine Factory

The entrance to Jiunmei Tibetan Medicine for the Well-being of Body and Soul ('Ji.t med bod sman lus srog bde ster), a Tibetan medicine factory in the same complex as the Tibetan Medical Museum. Judging by 'DSCN1002.jpg' it appears as though the factory is a supplier of 'Qinghai Fearless Hospital.'
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Jiunmei Tibetan Medicine Factory

Exterior shot of the Tibetan Medical Museum of China. N.B. the considerable size of the building and its golden steeple, imparting a distinctly Buddhist style. Three quarters of the second floor is devoted to housing the record-holding thangka as it snakes back and forth around on itself.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Tibetan Medical Museum (Interior)

Plaque accompanying the previous thangka in the museum's lobby. It is a representative sample of the style (and level) of English adorning many exhibitions throughout the museum. Similar plaques, spaced roughly five feet apart, run all along the record-holding thangka (not photographed) and give the names of each being or scene depicted. I could not detect any pattern in the curators' choices between giving a Sanskrit name or an awkward English equivalent. In all cases Tibetan (in Wylie transliteration) was also given.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Tibetan Medical Museum (Interior)

Massive thangka at the far end of the museum's lobby depiciting the Medicine Buddha (sMan lha). N.B. the altar in the foreground bedecked with khatas, money offerings, and peacock feathers.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Tibetan Medical Museum (Interior)

A massive 'book' lies in the centre of the lobby bearing an inscription by Hu Jintao (current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China) in both Chinese (not shown) and Tibetan. Further research would yield a translation of its message.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Tibetan Medical Museum (Interior)

Floormap of the museum's interior. I viewed all exhibitions but forewent the 'Pandita Tibetan Art Store.' Most of these are interspersed with English plaques alongside their Tibetan and Chinese counterparts. Unfortunately, many of the English translations are unintelligible in their reliance on 'google-style' direct translation. For those interested in the current relationship between Chinese politics and Tibetan medicine the 'Exhibition Hall of Tibetan Medicinal History' makes for an interesting study.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Tibetan Medical Museum (Exterior)

Museum information on the exterior of the building. Although here the price of a ticket is given as 60 RMB, on this day I entered for only 30 RMB, with a Tibetan friend paying only 20 RMB for himself. Also, while this sign contains the command, 'No photos!' we were allowed to photograph anything in the museums central lobby. The restriction only applied to the individual display halls, such as that of the world's longest thangka.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito

Tibetan Medical Museum (Exterior)

View of the museum grounds looking back from atop the museum's entrance.
Photographer: 
Matt Zito