ABSTRACT
This fieldwork report reflects on the old stereotypes of Tibet and aims at a renewed understanding of Tibet by mainstream Chinese society. A decisive factor in ethnic relations within China is the stereotype that Han Chinese have of ethnic minorities. 1 Up to the 1980s, mainstream Han viewed Tibetans from a perspective that was mainly conditioned by four basic premises:
the assumption of social evolution and "progress" introduced into China from the West at the end of the nineteenth century (Yuan 1999, 17–34);
the traditional Confucian "Hua-Yi" ("civilized-barbarian") framework based on jiaohua, or educational determinism (Fei 1999, 332–347);
the confusing concept of minzu (nation, nationality, ethnic groups) introduced into China around the end of the nineteenth century (Ma 2001, 111–119; 141–159);
the Marxist ethnic theory of the Soviet Union, based on Marx's five stages of social development 2 (Ma 2000, 105–111).
