Tibetannet

Eighteen-year-old Tenzin Choje is a student from Jiangsu Middle School of Lhasa. [Photo/CNTV.com]

Eighteen-year-old Tenzin Choje is a student from Jiangsu Middle School of Lhasa. Although he is an ordinary senior midddle school student, he has an extraordinary dream: to become a Tibetan poet. His teachers are encouraging him to realize his dream and further pursue this career path.

What is the story behind Tenzin Choje’s growing interest in Tibetan literature?

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His first piece

When he was seven years old, Tenzin Choje entered a primary school where he started learning the Tibetan language. After ten years of diligent study, he and his classmates mastered the Tibetan language and done well in their class assignments. Tenzin Choje moved with his parents from their countryside to Lhasa, Tibet’s bustling capital. Faced with such an unfamiliar environment, he felt rather dazed. However, Tibetan literature opened up a window to him who had an introverted personality: he could pour out his innermost thoughts and feelings onto the paper.

At the age of 16, Tenzin Choje’s essay titled "My hometown" was praised by his teacher; this was his first piece of work written in Tibetan. "My hometown" portrayed the beautiful scenery of the countryside surrounding his hometown - Shigatse, his joyous memories of the past and his nostalgia in his most recent years in Lhasa. He ended his essay with this sentence: "All these years, I have not been able to return to my hometown, Shigatse."

"My hometown" is a piece of work brimming with epiphanies on life. Tenzin Choje’s deep feelings for his hometown and his proficiency in Tibetan language planted the seed that led him to join the senior middle school Tibetan literature society.

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Photo shows that the train between his hometown - Shigatse and Lhasa has already put into operation, but Tenzin Choje has never had the opportunity to return. [Photo/CNTV.com]

His masterpiece: Tibetan language acrostic poetry

The facilities at Jiangsu Middle School in Lhasa are modern, and the teachers are also first-rate ones as aiding Tibet teachers. It was here that eighteen-year-old Tenzin Choje joined the Tibetan literature society, named "Langcuo meiduo", and continued to pursue his literary dream.

Tibetan literature society regularly organises student readings, explores Tibetan literary pieces and launches Tibetan calligraphy and typing competitions. More importantly, the society organises a student composition competition. Tenzin Choje’s Tibetan language acrostic poem won highest honor in the competition.

"This poem uses thirty Tibetan language letters in the beginning and altogether thirty lines. It mainly depicts a few students on the campus whose studies lie to waste; they are contaminated by bad habits. The intention of this poem is to encourage these students to study hard," Tenzin Choje said.

The founder of the Tibetan literature society said, "The ability to use this kind of form to compose Tibetan poetry and songs reflects profound thoughts. For a child, this is a big achievement. This child is gifted."

Tenzin Choje has strived every step of his way to achieve his literary dream.