You Tai
A Mongolian amban of the Qing dynasty, You Tai (1846-1910) was stationed as an amban in Lhasa, the capital of central Tibet, from 1902 to 1906. When the British expeditionary force led by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband (1863–1942)arrived outside Lhasa on August 3, 1904, it was welcomed by You Tai. The following day, preceded by the imperial commissioner's escort (bodyguards, pikemen, and infantrymen), the British soldiers marched through the city in full dress uniform. As the representative of the Qing Empire and in the absence of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, who had fled to Ourga (now Ulaanbaatar) in Outer Mongolia and been replaced by the regent Lobsang Gyaltsen, You Tai acted unofficially to facilitate negotiations between the Tibetans and the British. The negotiations resulted in the unequal treaty known as the Convention between Great Britain and Tibet. At the signing ceremony at the Potala Palace, You Tai refused to sign the document and continued to assert China's suzerainty over Central Tibet. In 1906, he was succeeded by Lian Yu (1886-1972)
Since the early 8th century, Tibetans and Himalayan people have treasured "Namtars" as written or spoken narratives that demonstrate the realization of the Buddhist path by exceptional practitioners. These namtars, or spiritual biographies, serve as inspirational guides on the path to enlightenment.
Today, Namtars Foundation aims to record, preserve, and freely offer the world a written and electronic treasury of the oral wisdom of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism.
