For centuries Westerners have held idealised or patronising views of Tibet, from Shangri-La to heathen yak-herders. More recent times have seen the sinister distortions of the Nazis, Hollywood misrepresentations and the rapid encroachment of the commercial- industrial complex. For centuries Westerners have held idealised or patronising views of Tibet, from Shangri-La to heathen yak-herders. More recent times have seen the sinister distortions of the Nazis, Hollywood misrepresentations and the rapid encroachment of the commercial-industrial complex. The