About the Author & Document

About the Author

I received a master's degree in East Asian studies at the University of Pittsburgh in May of 2026, focusing on Tibetan history. Previously, I earned degrees in engineering and Master's of Business Administration. After a long career spanning computer programming, investment banking, leveraged buyouts, and early-stage companies, The University of Pittsburgh somehow thought it would be a good idea to accept my application for the East Asian Studies program.

Dr. Cuilan Liu agreed to be an advisor along with committee members Drs. Peng Hai and Kun Qian. I expect they will all regret their decision to participate at some point, but it is too late to back out now.

Water Sheep Survey · ཆུ་ལུག་ཞིབ་གཞུང་

Both volumens of the Water Sheep survey are available at Buddhist Digital Archives

This document is effectively a census and land survey of Mon Yul (མོན་ཡུལ་) — the region bordered by Tibet, Bhutan, Burma, and Assam in British India. In 1943, World War II raged in Europe and the Pacific. The British Raj did not pay attention to the area below the McMahon Line, the land ceded by a relatively independent Tibet to British India under the Simla Convention of 1914. The Bhutanese were a protectorate of the British Raj. The Chinese Republic faced battles against the Communists and the Japanese. Tibet just acted as if Mon Yul was still part of Tibet. The Water Sheep Survey was nothing like other data-gathering activities for the purpose of solidifying the tax rolls.

These data offer insight into the Mon Pa (Mon People) and the Lho minority. Feel free to use them as you see fit. I would enjoy learning about your findings.