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The postcard depicts a group photo of Tibetan dancers in front the artificial lake. They were recruited from Darjeeling to perform “devil dance” in the Indian Section in 1924. In the early 1920s, Anglo-Tibetan relations was relatively stable. With the condition of respecting their religion, the Tibetan authorities supported the British expedition to Mount Everest in exchange for Britain’s weapon supply. “Devil dance” has important meanings for Tibetan Buddhism. The Tibetan authorities agreed with the dancer’s trip of Wembley with the condition that no religious dance performance was allowed. When the idea of performing “devil dance” at Wembley was presented at the Parliament, the undersecretary of State for India was reminded not to offend the Tibetan authorities. However, these Tibetan dancers, who are not lamas, finally imitated the religious dance and put on the masks with religious meanings at Wembley. Rinzin Dorje Ringang, an engineer who received education in Britain, considered these dance performances as an insult to Tibet and Buddhism, after visiting Wembley Park. In order to avoid similar scandals, the visits of other Tibetans to Britain were then strictly regulated by the British government.

Tibetan Dancers at the Indian Section

SKU: CB002
  • c.1924-1925

Two Exhibitions between Two Strikes:

Exhibiting Hong Kong at the British Empire Exhibition 1924 and 1925

Principal investigator:

Dr. Gary Pui-fung Wong

Lecturer

School of Sociology and Social Policy

The University of Leeds

 

Contact methods: G.P.F.Wong@leeds.ac.uk

This project is funded by the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust. 

 

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