〈A Love Letter from Lhasa〉1

by Chen Ching-Yang

This novel is accompanied by a complete feature film screenplay.
Film adaptation rights: USD 1,000,000
For inquiries, please contact:
Chen Ching-Yang – 54088rabbit@gmail.com

Story Synopsis

A Love Letter from Lhasa is a sweeping novel that weaves together love, faith, destiny, and cultural identity. Spanning Taiwan, Tibet, and the United States, the story unfolds across generations, tracing emotional bonds shaped by reincarnation, memory, and spiritual awakening. Through the dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures, the novel explores the enduring question of what it truly means to love—and to belong.

I. The Call by the Lake: The Awakening of Destiny

The story begins at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan. Tang Huai-min, a young painter of Tsou Indigenous descent from Alishan, earns a modest living by sketching portraits for tourists. Gentle and introspective, he is devoted to art yet uncertain about his future. He is engaged to his childhood sweetheart, Tang Meng-ying, and together they plan to study art in Paris, envisioning a stable and promising life.

One day, however, a mysterious Tibetan lama appears by the lakeside and reveals that Huai-min is the reincarnation of Songtsen Gampo, the great Tibetan king of the Tubo Empire. The lama foretells that Huai-min must return to Lhasa to fulfill an unfinished destiny. The revelation shakes him deeply, unsettling the carefully ordered life he once believed secure.

Conflicted and disturbed, Huai-min begins to question his origins and the quiet calling within his soul. When his father confirms their ancestral connection to Tibet, the spiritual summons becomes impossible to ignore.

II. Fractured Bonds: Love and Obligation

Huai-min’s decision to journey to Tibet deeply unsettles his fiancée, Tang Meng-ying. Raised in a wealthy family and groomed to manage a hotel empire, she is rational, pragmatic, and deeply devoted to him. Yet she cannot comprehend how a stranger’s prophecy could outweigh years of shared love and commitment.

The conflict spreads to both families. The Tang family prioritizes stability and responsibility, while Huai-min’s family, grounded in Tibetan beliefs, holds reverence for fate and reincarnation. Love becomes a battlefield between reason and faith.

Torn between emotional duty and spiritual calling, Huai-min ultimately chooses to follow his inner voice and travels alone to Tibet. This decision fractures his relationship with Meng-ying and marks the beginning of his true trial of destiny.

III. Reunion in the Land of Snow: The Awakening of Past Lives

In Lhasa, Huai-min meets Tsangyang Annie, a Tibetan-American scholar pursuing her PhD at UC Berkeley. Intelligent, composed, and deeply rooted in her cultural heritage, she specializes in Tibetan Buddhist art. Their encounter at the Jokhang Temple and along Barkhor Street feels uncannily predestined.

As they study the ancient manuscript The Love Poems of Tsangyang Gyatso, hidden truths emerge: Annie is the reincarnation of Princess Wencheng, while Huai-min is the rebirth of King Songtsen Gampo. Their meeting is not merely romantic—it is the continuation of a bond spanning a millennium.

Meanwhile, Annie’s father Tashi, the enigmatic monk Sonam Lama, and shadowy political forces enter the narrative. Together, they embark on a quest to recover a long-lost sacred relic. This journey becomes both a spiritual trial and a path toward redemption.

IV. Entanglements of the Heart and Trials of the Self

Back in Taiwan, Tang Meng-ying struggles to cope with abandonment. Her half-sister, Su Li-min—a sharp, ambitious executive—intervenes, determined to reclaim justice for her sister. Working alongside Huai-min at Disney’s animation division in California, Li-min gradually develops feelings of her own and attempts to control his fate through power and influence.

As Huai-min’s career ascends, earning him recognition from Disney’s top executives, his personal life unravels. At the peak of success, he is diagnosed with cancer, abruptly confronting the fragility of life.

Facing mortality, Huai-min reexamines his values. Letting go of resentment and ambition, he chooses to return to Tibet—to the origin of his soul.

V. Return and Redemption

Throughout his illness, Annie remains steadfast by his side, supporting him with love and unwavering faith. Together, they return the Love Poems of Tsangyang Gyatso to the Jokhang Temple, fulfilling a destiny left unfinished for a thousand years. Through Tibetan medicine and spiritual healing, Huai-min gradually recovers, completing his inner transformation.

Meng-ying, having learned the true meaning of love, releases her attachment with grace. Su Li-min, too, finds redemption through self-reflection. Each character, shaped by loss, ultimately discovers a renewed sense of direction.

In the final chapter, Huai-min and Annie settle in the United States, dedicating their lives to education and the arts. They bring Annie’s retired father to live with them, forming a warm, multigenerational household. During long holidays, the family returns to Alishan, tending coffee and tea plantations—reconnecting with the land where everything began.

VI. Thematic Reflection

A Love Letter from Lhasa is a meditation on memory, reincarnation, and the eternal return of love. Through an intimate human story, it explores the intersections of faith, identity, culture, and freedom. Beyond romance, it reflects on how individuals rediscover themselves through history, belief, and the courage to follow the voice of the soul.

Chapter List

Chapter 1 – The Portrait Artist at Shuishe Pier, Sun Moon Lake
Chapter 2 – The Tang Family of Alishan
Chapter 3 – Tsangyang Annie at UC Berkeley
Chapter 4 – A Reunion in Chengdu: Father and Daughter
Chapter 5 – The Journey to Lhasa
Chapter 6 – An Encounter in Barkhor Street, Lhasa
Chapter 7 – The Author of the Love Poems on the Wall
Chapter 8 – Zhang Yang Unwittingly Lets the Wolf In
Chapter 9 – Being Followed by the Authorities
Chapter 10 – Searching for Clues Among the Nomads
Chapter 11 – Tashi’s Battle of Wits with the Officials
Chapter 12 – Finding Dorje Tenzin
Chapter 13 – Annie’s Journey to Alishan
Chapter 14 – The Tsou Tribe’s Life-Bean Festival
Chapter 15 – Annie and Huai-min Return to Berkeley
Chapter 16 – A New Life for the Young Couple in Berkeley
Chapter 17 – Huai-min Meets His Patron: Hall
Chapter 18 – A Turbulence Triggered by an Email
Chapter 19 – Annie’s Doctoral Dissertation
Chapter 20 – Huai-min’s Advanced Studies and Internship
Chapter 21 – Returning to Taiwan to Face Tang Meng-ying
Chapter 22 – The Confrontation Between Meng-ying and Annie
Chapter 23 – Tang Meng-ying’s Plan for Revenge
Chapter 24 – Su Li-min’s Gentle Trap
Chapter 25 – Hall’s Test for the Two of Them
Chapter 26 – Huai-min and Li-min Travel to Tibet
Chapter 27 – A Marriage Tested by Distance
Chapter 28 – Annie Travels Far to Give Her Support
Chapter 29 – Hall Entrusts Huai-min with a Major Responsibility
Chapter 30 – A Reunion with Meng-ying in Shanghai
Chapter 31 – Su Li-min Fires a Cold Arrow
Chapter 32 – Huai-min’s Cancer and Meng-ying’s Forgiveness
Chapter 33 – Final Arrangements Before Leaving Shanghai
Chapter 34 – Huai-min and Annie Return to Lhasa
Chapter 35 – Donating the Manuscript to Jokhang Temple and Tibetan Medical Treatment
Chapter 36 – The Couple Returns to California with Tashi
Chapter 37 – Supporting Each Other Through Life
Chapter 38 – A Holiday in Alishan