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Tintin in Tibet is the story of Tintin rescuing his young Chinese friend Chang, first met in The Blue Lotus, from the Yeti after a plane crash in the Himalayas.

Synopsis[]

While vacationing at a resort in Vargèse with Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus, Tintin reads of a plane crash in the Gosain Than Massif in the Himalaya mountains. That night in their hotel, Tintin falls asleep while playing a game of chess with Haddock, who is having trouble choosing his next move. Tintin has a vivid dream that his young Chinese friend Chang Chong-Chen, met in The Blue Lotus, survived the crash, and awakes violently, yelling "Chang!" and throwing the whole recreation room into chaos.

Tintin chang surprise

The next morning, he reads in the paper that Chang was indeed aboard the plane that crashed in Tibet. Believing that his dream was a telepathic vision, Tintin travels to Kathmandu with Snowy, followed by a skeptical Haddock. They meet with a sherpa named Tharkey, and accompanied by some porters, they trek from Nepal to the wreckage site in Tibet.

Vargèse

Tintin and Snowy approaching their hotel in Vargèse.

After arriving in Tibet, the group notice footprints in the snow that Tharkey claims belong to the Yeti who has stolen Haddock's last bottle of Whiskey. The porters desert the group in fear, but Tintin, Haddock and Tharkey continue, taking the porters' loads as well, and eventually reach the plane’s wreckage. Tintin sets off with Snowy to try and trace Chang's steps, and in the process discover a cave where Chang carved his name on a rock, demonstrating that he survived the crash. Following a blizzard in which Tintin falls down a crevasse, he re-joins Haddock and Tharkey, who had sheltered inside the crashed plane. Tharkey resolves not to continue any further, believing that Chang is dead, so Tintin, Snowy and Haddock travel in the direction of a scarf that Tintin spotted on a cliff face. While trying to climb uphill and after having his pick-axe jammed with St. Elmo's fire, Haddock loses his grasp and dangles perilously down the cliff wall, endangering Tintin, who is tied to him. He tells Tintin to cut the rope to save himself, but Tintin refuses. Tharkey, inspired by Tintin's selflessness, returns just in time to save the two. That night, they pitch their tent in a snowstorm, but it blows away, into the face of the Yeti. They hike onwards, unable to sleep lest they freeze, and finally arrive within sight of the Buddhist monastery of Khor-Biyong before collapsing due to extreme fatigue. An avalanche occurs, and they are buried beneath the snow. Blessed Lightning, a clairvoyant monk at the monastery, 'sees' a vision of Tintin, Snowy, Haddock and Tharkey’s perilous situation. Tintin regains consciousness and, incapable to reach the monastery himself, writes a note and gives it to Snowy to deliver. Snowy lets go of the note when he finds a bone, but then realises what he has done, and runs to the monastery to make someone follow him. The monks head after him as he is recognised as the same white dog in Blessed Lightning's delirium.

Tintin in Tibet - Tintin meets people

Tintin at the monastery

After two days, Tintin, Haddock and Tharkey awaken in the monastery and obtain an audience with the monks. After Tintin tells the Grand Abbot why they are there, the Abbot tells him to abandon his quest and return to his home country. However, Blessed Lightning has another vision, through which Tintin learns that Chang is still alive inside a mountain cavern, but that the "migou", or Yeti, is also there. Haddock doesn't believe the vision is genuine, but Tintin, after being given directions by the Abbot, travels to Charabang, a small village near the Horn of the Yak, the mountain cited by Blessed Lightning. Haddock initially refuses to follow Tintin anymore, but soon changes his mind and pursues him to Charabang. The two of them, and Snowy, head to the Horn of the Yak on the final lap of their journey.

Charabang

Tintin and Snowy upon their arrival in Charabang.

The three wait outside until they see the Yeti leave the cave. Tintin ventures inside with a camera to look for Chang which he does so successfully, who is feverish and shivering. The Yeti then returns to the cave before Haddock is able to warn Tintin, and he reacts with anger upon seeing Tintin taking Chang away. He reaches toward Tintin, setting off the flash bulb of the camera, and the Yeti, startled by the light, runs out of the cave, knocking over Haddock, who had come to save Tintin. The two of them carry Chang back to Charabang, and he tells the story of how he stayed alive, and how the Yeti took care of him. Along the way, they briefly meet the Yeti again, who is scared off by Haddock blowing his nose, leading Chang to express sympathy for the Yeti, calling him the “Poor” Snowman instead of "abominable". Once Chang had been prepared for comfortable conveyance, he, Tintin and Haddock are met by the Grand Abbot and an emissary group of monks, who present Tintin with a silk scarf in honour of the bravery he has shown, and the strength of his friendship for Chang. The monks take them back to Khor-Biyong, and after a week, when Chang has recovered, they return to Nepal via caravan. As their party travels away from the monastery, Chang muses that the Yeti is no wild animal, but instead has a human soul, while the Yeti sadly observes their departure from a far.

Missing Pages[]

Tintin in Tibet (Missing Pages)

Appearances[]

Characters[]

Locations[]

The Adventures of Tintin

LS | TC | TA | CP | BL | BE | BI | KO | CG | SS | SU | RR | SC | PS | LB | DM | EM | CA | RS | TT | CE | FS | TP | AA | guide to abbreviations

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