Table Of Content

CULTURE SMART! BHUTAN Karma Choden and Dorji Wangchuk CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 1 01/09/2017 12:09 This book is available for special discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions or premiums. Special editions, including personalized covers, excerpts of existing books, and corporate imprints, can be created in large quantities for special needs. For more information contact Kuperard publishers at the address below. ISBN 978 1 85733 875 1 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library First published in Great Britain by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd 59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS Tel: +44 (0) 20 8446 2440 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8446 2441 www.culturesmart.co.uk Inquiries: [email protected] Series Editor Geoffrey Chesler Design Bobby Birchall Printed in Malaysia Cover image: Taktsang Monastery, known as The Tiger’s Nest, in Paro province, Bhutan. © Shutterstock. The photographs on pages 43, 75, 76, 77, 78, 97, 98, 103, 109, 115 (top), 116, 137, 138, 164 (top) are reproduced by permission of the author. Image on page 122 © Shutterstock.com. Images on the following pages reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license: 14, 136 (bottom), 140, 147, 164 (bottom) © Christopher J. Fynn / Wikimedia Commons; 59, 70, 125 (bottom), 129 © Gerd Eichmann; 61 © Vertalm; 65 © Afifa Afrin; 114 (right) © Amanbedi 1; 136 (top) © Ominae. Reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license: 21 © Douglas J. McLaughlin; 36 © Royal Family of Bhutan; 37, 94 © Christopher J. Fynn / Wikimedia Commons; 39 (bottom) Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan; 55 (bottom) © Cfynn; 63, 79, 87, 127 © Stephen Shephard; 82 © Mario Biondi writer; 84 © Antoine Taveeaux; 112 © Nima t100; 115 (bottom) © Sunkissedguy. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license: 13 © Greenmnm69 assumed (based on copyright claims); 139 © L. Shyamal. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license: 18, 55 (top), 120 © Christopher Michel (1967–); 39 (top), 50, 51, 73, 110, 134 © Steve Evans from Citizen of the World; 42 © Babasteve – Steve Evans photos of Bhutan; 88, 95, 118 © Chuck Moravec; 101 © amanderson2; 104 © laihiuyeung ryanne; 114 (left) RMT; 125 (top) © muddum27; 132 © Doug Knuth from Woodstock, IL; 141 © stull 17. CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 2 01/09/2017 12:09 About the Author KARMA CHODEN is the founder of Simply Bhutan Travels, and a freelance writer. She has a degree in English Literature from the University of North Bengal, India, worked as a journalist for many years with Kuensel, Bhutan’s national newspaper, and served as a commissioner and focal person for the National Commission for Women and Children in Bhutan. DORJI WANGCHUK is a management consultant working in London. He has a degree in engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Calicut, India, and an MBA from the University of Cambridge. He was a civil servant in the Bhutanese government for many years, and gives regular talks on developments in Bhutan. The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand. All Culture Smart! guides are available as e-books, and many as audio books. For latest titles visit www.culturesmart.co.uk The publishers would like to thank CultureSmart!Consulting for its help in researching and developing the concept for this series. CultureSmart!Consulting creates tailor-made seminars and consultancy programs to meet a wide range of corporate, public-sector, and individual needs. Whether delivering courses on multicultural team building in the USA, preparing Chinese engineers for a posting in Europe, training call-center staff in India, or raising the awareness of police forces to the needs of diverse ethnic communities, it provides essential, practical, and powerful skills worldwide to an increasingly international workforce. For details, visit www.culturesmartconsulting.com CultureSmart!Consulting and CultureSmart! guides have both contributed to and featured regularly in the weekly travel program “Fast Track” on BBC World TV. CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 3 01/09/2017 12:09 ccoonntetnetsnts Map of Bhutan 7 Introduction 8 Key Facts 10 Chapter 1: LAND AND PEOPLE 12 • Geographical Snapshot 12 • Terrain 12 • Climate 15 • Flora and Fauna 16 • People 17 • A Brief History 19 • Bhutan Today 36 • Government and Judiciary 37 • The Economy 39 • Bhutan In the World 41 Chapter 2: VALUES AND ATTITUDES 42 • The Buddhist Way of Life 42 • Monarchy and National Identity 43 • Gross National Happiness 44 • The Concept of Interdependency 46 • Tha-Damtsi and Ley-Jumdrey 46 • Driglam-Namzha 47 • Harmony With Nature 48 • Beliefs and Superstitions 49 • Family Values 49 • Attitudes Toward Women 50 • Sexual Mores 52 • Respect and Humility 52 • Education 53 • Traditional Dress 54 • Attitudes Toward Food 57 • Sharing and Giving 58 Chapter 3: RELIGION, CUSTOMS, AND TRADITIONS 60 • Buddhism 61 • Hinduism 79 • The Bhutanese Calendar 80 • The Festive Year 81 CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 4 01/09/2017 12:09 Chapter 4: MAKING FRIENDS 86 • Meeting People 87 • Greetings and Other Courtesies 88 • What’s In a Name? 89 • Socializing With Work Colleagues 90 • Invitations Home 91 • Manners 91 • Socializing With the Opposite Sex 92 • Meeting With Outsiders 92 Chapter 5: THE BHUTANESE AT HOME 94 • Housing 94 • Families—Roles and Responsibilities 97 • Marriage 99 • Children 100 • School 102 • Employment 104 • Health Care 106 • Daily Life and Routine 108 • Shopping 110 Chapter 6: TIME OUT 112 • Eating Out 113 • Bhutanese Food 115 • Drinks 117 • Picnics 118 • What To Wear 119 • Vacations and Public Holidays 119 • Sports and Exercise 120 • Cultural and Social Life 124 • Handicrafts 128 Chapter 7: TRAVEL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY 130 • General Information 130 • High-Value, Low-Impact Tourism 131 • Traveling to Bhutan 132 • Urban Transportation 133 • City Buses 134 CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 5 01/09/2017 12:09 ccoonntetnetsnts • Private Vehicles 135 • Taxis 135 • Getting Around the Country 136 • Where To Stay 140 • Health and Safety 142 • Natural Hazards 143 • Banned Tobacco Products 144 • Crime 145 Chapter 8: BUSINESS BRIEFING 146 • The Business Environment 146 • Business Hours 147 • Status and Hierarchy 148 • Women At Work 148 • Dress Code 149 • Meetings 150 • Presentations 152 • Negotiating 152 • Contracts 153 • Business Entertainment 154 • Gifts 154 • Keeping In Touch 155 Chapter 9: COMMUNICATING 156 • Language 156 • Body Language 158 • Humor 159 • The Media 160 • Mail 161 • Telephone 162 • Internet 163 • Conclusion 163 Further Reading 165 Index 166 Acknowledgments 168 CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 6 01/09/2017 12:09 7 m a p o f b Map of Bhutan h u ta n SNIATTRASHI- YANGTSELhuentse•Trashiyangtse•LHUENTSE KURSaktengI •C • MerakHTrashigang •HU MongarTRASHIGANG• MONGARGSAMDRUP-PEMAGATSHELJONGKHAR UHHC Samdrupjongkhar EMG•NARD N G AN CHINA (TIBET) sMASANG sGANGIGANGKHAR GASAMPHUENSUMACLMUHAAOAYMNA MGMKDUOHEHA CHR CsJICHU DRAKE CHHs C JOMOLHARIHHOHUUHHTHIMPHUPUNAKHAPU• Jakar WANGDUE- TKuruthangPHODRANG HBUMTHANI•MTango LobesaPAROC• H•HPU••UParoTRONGSANPhobjikhaThimphuA• TSHAAANGBLACK MOUNTAINS CHHZHEMGU TSIRANGWADAGANAAMSARPANGON GC HMTSECHCHUKHAU • GelephuHHUPhuentsholing •mtse • INDIA H SA Sa M SIKKI CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 7 01/09/2017 12:09 8 n iinnttrrodoudctuiocntion a ut h b art! m e s Until recently many people had never heard of ultur Bhutan, and many of those who had knew little c about it, probably thinking of it as a mystical, faraway land hidden in the folds of the Himalayas—or “the last Shangri-la,” as it was often referred to by those adventurous few who made it to its valleys. Today, however, Bhutan is becoming known all over the world for three things: for its pursuit of happiness as the goal of development; for Buddhism as its predominant way of life; and for its unspoiled natural environment. With more than 70 percent of the country under forest cover, and thanks to its continuous conservation efforts, Bhutan has emerged as the only carbon-negative country in the world. The Bhutanese people consider themselves blessed both by great Buddhist masters and by the benevolence of the kings of the Wangchuck dynasty; as being rich in traditional culture and customs; and as having a sense of purpose in a world driven by globalization and material pursuits. Gross National Happiness (GNH)—Bhutan’s unique philosophy of development that focuses on more than just conventional economic growth by giving equal priority to environmental conservation and cultural preservation—challenges the world to reconsider its ideas about progress and wellbeing. As Bhutan has gradually emerged from its self- imposed isolation over the last fifty-plus years, it has been careful with its choices, and the process of modernization and development has been CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 8 01/09/2017 12:09 9 introduction in tro d u c tio n deliberately slow. Roads, hospitals, and schools have been built, but television and the Internet did not arrive until 1999. English has been embraced as the medium of instruction in schools, but children wear traditional costumes as their school uniform. Bhutan has opened its doors to the world, but has restricted the inflow of visitors with a “high-value, low-impact” tourism policy, ensuring steady foreign exchange earnings while protecting its unique society from undue outside influence. In 2008 Bhutan made a giant leap and became the world’s youngest democracy, giving way from absolute to constitutional monarchy—a historic change that came not through popular demand but directly from the throne, initiated by the fourth king, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Bhutan faces the issues of any emerging third-world country, such as rising debt and youth unemployment, but it is well positioned through its education and economic policies to manage the economy without significant distress. Culture Smart! Bhutan aims to give the reader an insight into the country’s history, values, customs, and age-old traditions. It describes the historical circumstances that have shaped the Bhutanese people and their way of life. It debunks some myths and helps you to discover this fascinating country for yourself. It highlights changes in attitudes and behavior as the country modernizes, while offering guidance on how to develop a rapport with the Bhutanese and forge meaningful friendships and business opportunities. CS Bhutan book FINAL.indd 9 01/09/2017 12:09