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National Geographic Treasure Seekers Tibet s Hidden Kingdom
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It was a forbidden place, |
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A timeless land in the sky, |
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and no use for the wheel |
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And so they came, |
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Westerners intent on exploring Tibet |
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Few survived the trials of fire, |
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ice and violence that awaited them |
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Where so many others had failed, |
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One prevailed through stealth, |
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a spy whose feats of espionage still |
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but have almost been forgotten. |
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The other prevailed through force, |
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that would shock the world |
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These are the tales of |
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in the fantastic and deadly race |
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Winter, 1865. |
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An over burdened caravan descends |
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into the forbidden land. |
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Few tread lightly here. |
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Most foreigners are |
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But these hearty merchants carry |
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The caravan has picked up |
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a lone holy man on a pilgrimage. |
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The only other kind of incursion |
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But strangely, the Buddhist's strides |
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His rosary is missing several beads, |
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and his prayer wheel |
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He is a spy, not a monk. |
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If discovered, he will die. |
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The roots of Nain Singh's secret |
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the world's obsession with the magical |
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At the heart of Asia, |
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thrust some three miles in the air |
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Tibet is an astounding natural |
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For hundreds of years, Tibetans |
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Only a handful survived the trek |
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through the surrounding |
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And these proved no threat to their |
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Here every fourth person |
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But by the 1800s, |
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Tibet began to feel the pressure |
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Britain, effectively in control of |
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had been steadily expanding its |
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Russia, meanwhile, was swallowing up |
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as it pushed its empire eastwards. |
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Tibet knew little about the outsiders, |
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except that both powers were |
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Fearing for their way of life, |
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Paradoxically, |
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that ensured the West would |
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And this was during |
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where people wanted to |
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they wanted to go up the Nile, |
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as we might say today, |
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But nobody could get there. |
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You had the last European |
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And then you suddenly have a gap |
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Right up until the very end |
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where you get no foreigners or |
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And this creates this great kind of |
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and the idea that somehow people |
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and sort of reach |
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In India, paranoia, |
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drove the need to get into |
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It was the era of the "Great Game", |
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a cold war between Russia and Britain |
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of Central Asia. |
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The British feared that |
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if the Russians were to gain |
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they might use it |
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The forbidden land became |
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on the chessboard |
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one that needed to be explored |
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The Russians were coming, and this |
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The problem was that Tibet |
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So that left the Brits |
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how do you map Tibet if you can't |
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It was a young officer |
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who hit upon Britain's best hope |
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Thomas George Montgomery |
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overseeing natives in the |
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a massive British effort |
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to create an accurate map |
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He'd also noted that Indians often |
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where no white man would be allowed. |
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Perhaps an Indian spy, trained in the |
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might penetrate Tibet, |
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Captain Montgomery, |
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had some doubts whether a native of |
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nerve might be found, |
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but obtained permission |
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Thus began the unlikely career of |
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in the history of espionage. |
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Nain Singh, then a 33 year old |
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had grown up in the shadows of |
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His family had traded in Tibet |
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He quickly accepted the assignment, |
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Nain Singh was just one of |
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You know, they are individuals |
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There was this man living |
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I mean, what kind of opportunities |
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did he have to really accomplish |
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In 1863, the young schoolteacher |
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at the survey of India's headquarters |
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There, he would undergo two years of |
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in the arts of surveying. |
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He learned the use of the sextant |
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and to locate his position |
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Through endless repetition, |
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the novice spy learned to walk |
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31 and a half inches a stride. |
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Or 2,000 paces to the mile. |
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He would keep track of those paces |
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The Buddhist rosary contains |
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Nain Singh's rosary would have only |
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keep track of the strides. |
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Montgomery had dubbed him the Pundit, |
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Hindi for the "wise one" |
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His daunting task, |
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the Forbidden City, |
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to chart his course counting |
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and to spy on the political, |
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for as long as possible. |
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Nain Singh knew |
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if he were caught |
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It would take Nain Singh eight |
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At first, the Pundit had tried to |
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disguised as a horse trader, |
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but suspicious border guards |
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He managed to slip by those same |
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disguised as a holy man. |
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He had already acquired an escort, |
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that would offer him protection |
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In the outlying areas of Tibet, |
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Singh seem to be quite the favorite |
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some of whom would vouch for him |
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when Tibetans they encountered |
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But sometimes the Pundit |
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Once, when his companions had |
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he had to make his excuses |
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Without his measured pace, |
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With numb feet, he strode his perfect |
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With numb fingers, he counted |
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He kept his surveying notes |
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in a cleverly modified prayer wheel. |
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Usually the wheel contains a scroll |
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Each turn sends the Buddhist |
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While his companions slept, |
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the Pundit would slip a thermometer |
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The boiling point of water |
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a vital part of the survey. |
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Five months into the journey, |
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The caravan was approaching |
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where they planned |
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The Forbidden City was still |
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and Nain Singh's funds were |
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Once in Shigatse, the resourceful |
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by teaching accounting to merchants. |
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But he also received a |
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to the great Tashilhunpo monastery, |
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home to some 3,000 Buddhist priests. |
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To refuse would be |
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But could a Hindu pretender |
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among so many true Buddhists? |
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Even worse, he would have an audience |
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the Panchen Lama. |
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Second only to the Dalai Lama |
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the Panchen Lama was reputed to be |
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Nain Singh would have to offer |
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then respond to any three questions |
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"Is your king well? |
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Are you in good health?" |
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With amazed relief, |
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the Panchen Lama was an |
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who seemed to have no interest in |
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But it was a close call. |
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How long could a pretender in a land |
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In December the caravan moved on |
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the mind numbing rhythm of the |
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Tedium, punctuated by fear. |
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Anyone who's walked in Tibet, |
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tried to get around Tibet on foot |
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I mean, the altitudes |
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You go up passes |
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where you're just barely able to |
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The oxygen is thin. |
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You have a terrible |
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I mean, there was no roads, |
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There was no nothing. |
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Above all, it was risky |
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Several times the nightmare of all |
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A violent attack by bandits. |
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Once the Pundit was forced to |
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a desperate maneuver |
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to walk off every yard to Lhasa. |
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He vowed to make it up by pacing the |
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January 10th, 1866. |
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Exactly one year |
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the fabled city of Lhasa |
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He had counted over a million strides |
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But now the most |
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of his cloak and dagger existence |
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He would be living on borrowed time. |
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We arrived this day at Lhasa and, |
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engaged two rooms: one was well |
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After fixing |
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Singh set about fulfilling |
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to gather as much intelligence |
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and religious life of the |
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Singh's rooms situated just 20 yards |
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the holy central square of the city, |
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In the center of the city stands |
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The idols within it are richly inlaid |
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This temple is surrounded by |
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On a low hill, there is |
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called the "Potala" which is the |
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The Lama Guru is the chief |
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but he does not interfere with |
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He is looked upon as a guardian |
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but transmigrates into |
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I observed there is but little order |
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In the Forbidden City, |
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the Pundit's position was |
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The threat of discovery |
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Once, a chance encounter with |
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exposed his deceit. |
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Somehow, he managed to convince |
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Not long after his arrival, |
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Nain Singh would once again receive |
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This time, an audience with the |
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And once again, the Pundit would |
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who could peer into |
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only to find himself |
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But his luck could not |
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And the price of discovery was |
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One night on the street, |
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what happened to foreigners |
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In this case, |
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a Chinese man who did not have |
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He was brought out |
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and beheaded with |
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Owing to my alarm, |
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I changed my residence and seldom |
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When Singh heard that the caravan |
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was ready to head back out of Tibet, |
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he knew it was time to begin |
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October 1866. |
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An exhausted Nain Singh |
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and descends from |
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into his homeland in the foothills |
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He has been gone almost |
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He has walked two and a half million |
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counting virtually |
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He has lived undetected |
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in the Forbidden City of Lhasa |
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He has returned to the |
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with a treasure beyond the |
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Captain Montgomery. |
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By these really in a way |
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they were able to map the whole |
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What is interesting is that |
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which are around today, |
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are still based on quite a lot of |
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which were obtained by the Pundit. |
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Until Nain Singh went to Lhasa, |
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the western world had no idea, |
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It didn't really even know where |
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Years later, |
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it would be confirmed that Nain Singh |
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correct to within half a degree of |
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Montgomery, while keeping the |
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detailed Nain Singh's amazing journey |
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to the president of |
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I'm quite sure he would make |
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And I can quite understand his being |
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with the Ladhakis who conveyed him |
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The Pundit, I think, |
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His work has stood every test, |
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Captain George Montgomery. |
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Nain Singh would go on to make |
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He then helped Montgomery recruit |
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who continued filling in |
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on the map of the forbidden land. |
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Some never came back. |
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Others, like Nain Singh himself, |
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Nain Singh paid a very heavy cost |
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He was totally worn out. |
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His eyesight had also been affected. |
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I mean, there was no way |
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for snow blindness and the glare. |
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He just had to retire. |
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He couldn't undertake |
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For his extraordinary work, |
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Singh was quietly awarded a gold medal |
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and a small pension. |
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He was the first native |
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by the Royal Geographical Society |
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that was the equivalent of any of |
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So in a certain sense, |
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The Pundits suffered the same fate |
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which is they don't really get much |
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everything is shrouded in secrecy. |
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What I think is extraordinary |
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how little recognition or thanks |
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for the remarkably dangerous work |
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on behalf of the Survey of India and, |
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ultimately the British Empire |
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Nain Singh, |
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one of the most extraordinary spies |
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died in obscurity at the age of 53. |
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Almost four decades would pass |
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following in the Pundit's footsteps, |
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This journey, unlike Nain Singh's, |
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March 31st, 1904. |
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On a desolate plain some 10,000 feet |
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two forces eye each other warily. |
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They are divided by |
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and a tragic chasm of culture, |
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The defenders: |
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bearing arms that are |
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The invaders: a British force |
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equipped with the new killing |
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No one who watches the terrible four |
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The man responsible will be |
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by the maelstrom he unleashes here. |
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As the 19th century |
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Tibet was much on the minds |
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Being the first to reach Lhasa |
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since the closing of Tibet's borders |
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as well as for the spies playing out |
| 00:25:17 |
For about |
| 00:25:21 |
you get increasingly sort of |
| 00:25:25 |
Tibet was seen as this inaccessible, |
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And I think there were probably |
| 00:25:30 |
hundreds or thousands of |
| 00:25:33 |
hanging around in the Himalayas at |
| 00:25:35 |
all of whom wanted to be the first |
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The Forbidden City that no European |
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And it created this great race in the |
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to be the first to get to Lhasa. |
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And many tried, and many failed. |
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Russian Colonel, Nikolai Prejevalsky, |
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even though he was escorted |
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American diplomat and scholar, |
| 00:26:10 |
disguised as a Chinese pilgrim, |
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Renowned Swedish explorer, Sven Hedin, |
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was turned back just five days' |
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British missionary Annie Tayler |
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made it to within |
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before being betrayed by her |
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Canadian Susie Rijnhart's story |
| 00:26:42 |
Physician and missionary, |
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she watched her infant son perish |
| 00:26:47 |
then lost her Dutch husband to bandits |
| 00:26:49 |
after Tibetan officials forced them |
| 00:26:56 |
At the close of the 19th century, |
| 00:26:58 |
Tibet had managed to repel |
| 00:27:02 |
to reach Lhasa in four decades. |
| 00:27:05 |
But its medieval weapons could not |
| 00:27:21 |
The man who would win |
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for Tibet was born in India |
| 00:27:26 |
the year Nain Singh arrived at |
| 00:27:35 |
The son of a British army officer, |
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would be sent off to England at four |
| 00:27:44 |
a religious pair |
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"I lost my childhood happiness, |
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Younghusband would later write. |
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At 12, he would be sent off |
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an institution designed to mold |
| 00:28:05 |
Already oversensitive, |
| 00:28:09 |
the small statured Younghusband |
| 00:28:13 |
intimidating and made few friends. |
| 00:28:17 |
It was not until he was 16 that |
| 00:28:19 |
he would find his soul mate in his |
| 00:28:24 |
After he fainted in chapel one night, |
| 00:28:28 |
and the two would exchange strangely |
| 00:28:31 |
for much of their adult lives. |
| 00:28:36 |
After graduating from Clifton |
| 00:28:39 |
he left a distraught Emmy behind |
| 00:28:44 |
Like his father before him, |
| 00:28:45 |
he would serve on the Northern |
| 00:28:49 |
and take his place |
| 00:28:54 |
Shy, but fiercely ambitious, |
| 00:28:56 |
Younghusband was a natural |
| 00:28:59 |
a true believer of the |
| 00:29:02 |
and a vocal worrier about |
| 00:29:12 |
But regimental life proved |
| 00:29:16 |
and once again his seriousness |
| 00:29:22 |
Francis had always imagined himself |
| 00:29:24 |
more like that of his uncle and |
| 00:29:30 |
A flamboyant adventurer and |
| 00:29:32 |
Shaw had traveled to many exotic |
| 00:29:38 |
He had earned himself a gold medal |
| 00:29:42 |
as well as a penchant for |
| 00:29:50 |
At age 21, |
| 00:29:53 |
not far from his late uncle's house, |
| 00:29:59 |
From this moment forward, |
| 00:30:00 |
his urgent ambitions would take the |
| 00:30:05 |
And for the rest of his life, mountains |
| 00:30:10 |
that his strict religious upbringing |
| 00:30:17 |
I had caught just a glimpse of the |
| 00:30:21 |
but I thirsted for more |
| 00:30:24 |
I determined to go to Tibet, |
| 00:30:26 |
and to come to know the curious |
| 00:30:30 |
make a great name for myself, |
| 00:30:32 |
and be known ever after |
| 00:30:42 |
It was China, not Tibet, |
| 00:30:44 |
that would give Francis Younghusband |
| 00:30:56 |
1887 found the 24 year old officer |
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retracing a path followed by |
| 00:31:06 |
He had managed to convince |
| 00:31:08 |
that he could find a new land route |
| 00:31:15 |
The promised route would take him |
| 00:31:19 |
the watershed between |
| 00:31:21 |
and long considered impassable. |
| 00:31:25 |
Under the shadow of K2, |
| 00:31:29 |
this small man found himself |
| 00:31:32 |
spiritually transformed by |
| 00:31:36 |
"Having once seen that," |
| 00:31:38 |
he would later write, |
| 00:31:43 |
The ice precipice at |
| 00:31:46 |
did indeed look impassable |
| 00:31:49 |
but when his native guide started |
| 00:31:53 |
On slick leather boots and without |
| 00:31:56 |
it was a near suicidal descent, |
| 00:31:59 |
but it would earn Younghusband |
| 00:32:02 |
Some called it the greatest feat of |
| 00:32:07 |
and the Royal Geographical Society |
| 00:32:09 |
the coveted gold medal |
| 00:32:13 |
His exploits would also bring him to |
| 00:32:17 |
called George Curzon, |
| 00:32:21 |
and would one day cast Younghusband's |
| 00:32:28 |
Younghusband was now one of the |
| 00:32:32 |
but only on paper. |
| 00:32:34 |
Around any woman other than |
| 00:32:37 |
the daring explorer was in agony, |
| 00:32:41 |
himself miles away, |
| 00:32:42 |
preferably alone in the Himalayas. |
| 00:32:46 |
He was terrified of women. |
| 00:32:49 |
He found them strange. |
| 00:32:50 |
He didn't really know how to get on |
| 00:32:53 |
If you like, he could express himself |
| 00:32:58 |
than he could by having a |
| 00:33:01 |
Francis, for his part, |
| 00:33:05 |
A beautiful young socialite |
| 00:33:08 |
but broke it off when the smitten |
| 00:33:12 |
nearly mute panic in her presence. |
| 00:33:16 |
I am losing my darling May. |
| 00:33:19 |
All the time I am cold and stiff |
| 00:33:26 |
Dejected, Younghusband set his sights |
| 00:33:31 |
He requested leave to slip into |
| 00:33:33 |
disguised as a Himalayan merchant. |
| 00:33:36 |
But his superiors had had enough |
| 00:33:40 |
And 15 years would pass |
| 00:33:42 |
before fate would give him |
| 00:33:51 |
In January 1899, a miserable |
| 00:33:55 |
as his friend George Curzon was |
| 00:33:59 |
amidst great pomp and circumstance. |
| 00:34:03 |
While Curzon's star had risen, |
| 00:34:08 |
his early fame eclipsed by a |
| 00:34:12 |
His army career had plateaued early. |
| 00:34:16 |
And his personal life was |
| 00:34:20 |
He had married an older woman |
| 00:34:21 |
who made him promise that |
| 00:34:24 |
Somehow the couple managed to |
| 00:34:27 |
but the marriage was never |
| 00:34:30 |
Approaching 40, the once great |
| 00:34:36 |
He has really reached this point |
| 00:34:39 |
where his career has stagnated |
| 00:34:42 |
And that's the moment when suddenly |
| 00:34:45 |
from the Viceroy of India, |
| 00:34:47 |
who is a personal friend of his. |
| 00:34:49 |
He says to him would he like to lead |
| 00:34:55 |
Curzon, from all accounts, |
| 00:34:59 |
when it came to the potential designs |
| 00:35:03 |
Tibet was important for him |
| 00:35:06 |
if imperial Russia was to move down |
| 00:35:12 |
then they would have the Russian bear |
| 00:35:20 |
But the 13th Dalai Lama had refused |
| 00:35:24 |
to allow Curzon's emissaries |
| 00:35:27 |
or even to open Curzon's letters. |
| 00:35:30 |
The Viceroy decided it was time |
| 00:35:34 |
and his friend heartily agreed. |
| 00:35:38 |
I have no hesitation |
| 00:35:41 |
the power of the monks should be |
| 00:35:44 |
as to prevent them any longer |
| 00:35:48 |
of both Tibet and of the neighboring |
| 00:35:53 |
Francis Younghusband |
| 00:36:00 |
Thus it was that in 1903 Younghusband |
| 00:36:06 |
over the 14,000 foot high Jelap |
| 00:36:11 |
Behind them marched |
| 00:36:14 |
of some 10,000 coolies and a handful |
| 00:36:18 |
dying for the scoop of |
| 00:36:22 |
Also pressed into service were |
| 00:36:27 |
5,000 yaks and buffaloes, |
| 00:36:31 |
and more than 7,000 mules |
| 00:36:38 |
The whole strange caravan trailed |
| 00:36:41 |
that stretched back into India like |
| 00:36:50 |
Younghusband would be in charge of |
| 00:36:55 |
The military leader was an |
| 00:36:59 |
Younghusband and McDonald |
| 00:37:01 |
a situation that probably contributed |
| 00:37:09 |
The British would meet |
| 00:37:11 |
on the first leg of the journey, |
| 00:37:13 |
but the conditions would be |
| 00:37:15 |
the British and Indian soldiers |
| 00:37:21 |
Twenty men of the 12th Mule Corps |
| 00:37:24 |
and 30 men of the 23rd Pioneers were |
| 00:37:29 |
they had to be carried on mules. |
| 00:37:31 |
On the same day, |
| 00:37:33 |
there were 70 cases of snow blindness |
| 00:37:37 |
Edmund Candler, |
| 00:37:38 |
The Daily Mail |
| 00:37:43 |
Outwardly, Younghusband himself |
| 00:37:47 |
taking cold baths each morning |
| 00:37:52 |
writing and meditating out |
| 00:38:00 |
In his journal, he was already |
| 00:38:04 |
extra terrestrials and |
| 00:38:18 |
Four months into the journey as the |
| 00:38:22 |
the Tibetan resistance |
| 00:38:25 |
In the middle of a barren plain, |
| 00:38:27 |
massed behind |
| 00:38:30 |
some 1500 Tibetan troops lay in wait. |
| 00:38:34 |
They vastly outnumbered |
| 00:38:37 |
but their firepower was |
| 00:38:44 |
If you read the Tibetan accounts |
| 00:38:47 |
it seems that the Tibetans say |
| 00:38:50 |
but were not going to go away. |
| 00:38:51 |
And the British are baffled by this. |
| 00:38:53 |
You've got to remember the whole idea |
| 00:38:56 |
was not something that was understood |
| 00:39:00 |
And Tibet's reaction was, |
| 00:39:04 |
Younghusband's reaction was, |
| 00:39:08 |
He went further and further |
| 00:39:10 |
and it was an enormous tragedy |
| 00:39:15 |
The whole thing must have been |
| 00:39:19 |
No order had been given |
| 00:39:22 |
Gathered together in a body, |
| 00:39:24 |
heir enormous superiority in numbers |
| 00:39:28 |
They had no idea, of course, |
| 00:39:34 |
Perceval Landon, |
| 00:39:36 |
The Times, London. |
| 00:39:39 |
In my view, I think the Tibetans |
| 00:39:42 |
they were up against |
| 00:39:43 |
I think it is wrong to say that |
| 00:39:45 |
they were so naive that they thought |
| 00:39:50 |
They had no other choice, |
| 00:39:52 |
even if they knew they would be |
| 00:39:57 |
The Tibetan general rode out |
| 00:40:03 |
He begged Younghusband to turn back, |
| 00:40:05 |
retreat to the border |
| 00:40:10 |
But Younghusband was unmoved. |
| 00:40:15 |
He gave the general 15 minutes |
| 00:40:24 |
15 minutes later, |
| 00:40:26 |
General McDonald ordered his troops |
| 00:40:29 |
assuming the Tibetans would |
| 00:40:32 |
when confronted with his machine guns, |
| 00:40:43 |
But each Tibetan carried on his chest |
| 00:40:46 |
containing a blessing |
| 00:40:49 |
designed to render him impervious to |
| 00:40:57 |
McDonald gave the order to approach |
| 00:41:09 |
What exactly happened next |
| 00:41:13 |
That it was one of the bleakest |
| 00:41:19 |
According to British reports, |
| 00:41:20 |
it was the Tibetan general who |
| 00:41:29 |
Immediately the British began firing |
| 00:41:32 |
into the mass of the Tibetan soldiers. |
| 00:41:36 |
The Tibetans poured over the wall, |
| 00:41:37 |
while the artillery and automatic |
| 00:41:47 |
To the horror of the British |
| 00:41:50 |
the few Tibetans still standing |
| 00:42:02 |
I got so sick of the slaughter |
| 00:42:05 |
Though the General's order was |
| 00:42:10 |
Lt. Hadow, Commander, |
| 00:42:16 |
The impossible had happened: |
| 00:42:23 |
the holiest of their holy men |
| 00:42:27 |
They walked with bowed heads, |
| 00:42:29 |
as if they had been disillusioned |
| 00:42:53 |
Four appalling minutes |
| 00:42:56 |
some 700 ragged Tibetans lay dead |
| 00:43:01 |
their useless charms |
| 00:43:07 |
Francis Younghusband, who had served |
| 00:43:11 |
but had never seen battle, |
| 00:43:16 |
"It was a terrible and ghastly |
| 00:43:18 |
he would later write. |
| 00:43:24 |
It may have been even more ghastly |
| 00:43:27 |
would allow him to admit. |
| 00:43:36 |
According to the Tibetan and Chinese |
| 00:43:39 |
the Tibetans had extinguished the fuses |
| 00:43:42 |
as a sign of non aggression, |
| 00:43:44 |
rendering them useless |
| 00:43:50 |
If so, the British were firing |
| 00:43:54 |
into a mass of people |
| 00:43:58 |
and perhaps five modern rifles. |
| 00:44:19 |
The British set up a field hospital |
| 00:44:24 |
Baffled by kindness |
| 00:44:28 |
the Tibetans nonetheless |
| 00:44:31 |
with their spirit and stoicism. |
| 00:44:34 |
Daily Mail correspondent, |
| 00:44:37 |
who had lost a hand in the first few |
| 00:44:41 |
They were consistently cheerful, |
| 00:44:43 |
and they never hesitated |
| 00:44:46 |
Did not flinch at pain, |
| 00:44:50 |
Everyone who visited the hospital |
| 00:44:53 |
left it with an increased respect |
| 00:45:03 |
It would take four more months for |
| 00:45:09 |
On July 30th, 1904, |
| 00:45:12 |
in anticipation of the inevitable, |
| 00:45:21 |
Five days later, the British marched |
| 00:45:26 |
Younghusband, who had once hoped to |
| 00:45:30 |
now entered at the head of an army, |
| 00:45:39 |
Undaunted, he arranged |
| 00:45:41 |
to impress the remaining citizens, |
| 00:45:44 |
and was greeted by what he thought |
| 00:45:54 |
They'd clap at them, like that. |
| 00:45:56 |
Younghusband thinks this is a very |
| 00:45:59 |
Later on when I looked at this, |
| 00:46:04 |
who said that it is a way of |
| 00:46:06 |
They'd go like... (claps) |
| 00:46:08 |
So, I think Younghusband thought |
| 00:46:11 |
they were lining up and clapping. |
| 00:46:13 |
This, again, you know, |
| 00:46:19 |
Finally, Younghusband rounded up some |
| 00:46:22 |
with whom to negotiate. |
| 00:46:25 |
After a month of wrangling, |
| 00:46:26 |
he had achieved all his king and |
| 00:46:31 |
He had inspired his troops to |
| 00:46:35 |
of the most hostile geography that |
| 00:46:37 |
British and Indian soldiers |
| 00:46:41 |
He had pried open the doors of Tibet, |
| 00:46:43 |
and negotiated a trade settlement |
| 00:46:50 |
But Tibet would not bestow |
| 00:46:53 |
until the moment of his departure. |
| 00:46:58 |
On the day before Younghusband is due |
| 00:47:00 |
having gotten the treaty |
| 00:47:03 |
he goes off into the mountains |
| 00:47:05 |
and he's suddenly infused with |
| 00:47:09 |
He's infused with this very strong |
| 00:47:17 |
The exhilaration of the moment |
| 00:47:18 |
grew and grew until it thrilled me |
| 00:47:24 |
Never again could I think evil, |
| 00:47:28 |
All nature and all humanity were |
| 00:47:35 |
That single hour on leaving Lhasa, |
| 00:47:38 |
was worth all of |
| 00:47:41 |
I was boiling over with love |
| 00:47:51 |
That world, however, had already begun |
| 00:48:03 |
There are no more forbidden cities |
| 00:48:05 |
which men have not mapped |
| 00:48:08 |
Why could we not have left at least |
| 00:48:13 |
Candler, The Daily Mail |
| 00:48:19 |
Even Lord Curzon was shaken by |
| 00:48:23 |
"I am almost ashamed |
| 00:48:24 |
to have destroyed the virginity of |
| 00:48:28 |
he wrote to Swedish explorer |
| 00:48:33 |
Almost immediately London began to |
| 00:48:36 |
from Younghusband's invasion. |
| 00:48:37 |
Soon, it would negate it entirely. |
| 00:48:42 |
What happens a couple of years later |
| 00:48:43 |
a liberal government comes to power |
| 00:48:46 |
and three years after his expedition, |
| 00:48:49 |
which effectively takes away all the |
| 00:48:52 |
that Younghusband has gained |
| 00:48:55 |
And so the great irony of |
| 00:48:59 |
is that, |
| 00:49:01 |
it gains almost nothing |
| 00:49:07 |
Far more than Tibet itself, |
| 00:49:09 |
Francis Younghusband would emerge |
| 00:49:12 |
by his hollow victory |
| 00:49:19 |
Outwardly, |
| 00:49:21 |
serving as provincial governor, |
| 00:49:23 |
president |
| 00:49:25 |
and coordinator of the first |
| 00:49:31 |
But he also became a passionate |
| 00:49:34 |
and founded his most lasting legacy, |
| 00:49:37 |
the World Congress of Faiths, |
| 00:49:40 |
people of all religions |
| 00:49:46 |
Like many of his time, |
| 00:49:48 |
he would write enthusiastically about |
| 00:49:52 |
and even extra terrestrials. |
| 00:49:56 |
His ideas become increasingly kooky. |
| 00:49:59 |
You can actually get this sense from |
| 00:50:02 |
he is going to official functions, |
| 00:50:04 |
and people are slightly thinking |
| 00:50:05 |
"What on earth has happened to |
| 00:50:10 |
His prolific writings ranged from |
| 00:50:14 |
to tracts on the sanctity of marriage, |
| 00:50:16 |
though his own marriage |
| 00:50:22 |
As his daughter Eileen |
| 00:50:24 |
He had an essential warm heartedness, |
| 00:50:27 |
but it always, somehow, |
| 00:50:32 |
But finally, at age 76 and for the |
| 00:50:37 |
Francis Younghusband fell in love. |
| 00:50:39 |
His passionate affair with the |
| 00:50:43 |
a married mother of seven, |
| 00:50:45 |
brought back to him the happiness |
| 00:50:49 |
You know, the Tibetans |
| 00:50:52 |
ultimately they actually |
| 00:50:55 |
"Well, you know, |
| 00:50:57 |
butchered us, but in the end, |
| 00:51:04 |
and found the right path |
| 00:51:10 |
And this is very much part of |
| 00:51:13 |
that it has this quality to heal, |
| 00:51:17 |
change and to highlight for people, |
| 00:51:20 |
if you could just get there, |
| 00:51:28 |
The two men who marched to Lhasa |
| 00:51:32 |
but they revealed to the rest of |
| 00:51:35 |
that would become the symbol of |
| 00:51:42 |
In July 1942, |
| 00:51:44 |
Sir Francis Edward Younghusband died |
| 00:51:53 |
His last request, a tombstone, |
| 00:51:56 |
carved with the place of |
| 00:51:59 |
and his strange redemption Lhasa, |
| 00:52:03 |
the Forbidden City at the heart of |
