List of Chairmen of the Tibet Autonomous Region
Encyclopedia
Politics in Tibet are structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in the People's Republic of China
. Both the Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region
and the Chairman of the regional People's Congress, are by law ethnic Tibetans
. There is also a branch secretary of the Communist Party of China
, who receives deference in disputes. Historically, the Dalai Lama
also had political power sometimes.
The first Dalai Lama to rule Tibet was the fifth in 1642. The two Dalai Lamas before him were high ranked monks from the Gelug
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
. The first two Dalai Lamas were assigned as such posthumously.
The transition from Lamaist rule started in 1951 with the seventeen point agreement
between the Central People's Government and the Dalai Lama. A "Preparatory Committee for the Autonomous Region of Tibet" (PCART) was established in 1956 to created a parallel system of administration along Communist lines. Transition to secular government completed when Tibetan Autonomous Region was officially founded in 1965 according to the national autonomy law.
, a province-level administrative division of the People's Republic of China
. The Chairmen, and their times in office, are listed below. In practice, the Chairman is subordinate to the branch secretary of the Communist Party of China
.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Both the Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
and the Chairman of the regional People's Congress, are by law ethnic Tibetans
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
. There is also a branch secretary of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
, who receives deference in disputes. Historically, the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
also had political power sometimes.
Era of the Dalai Lamas
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. The first two Dalai Lamas were assigned as such posthumously.
- Dalai Lama Lozang Gyatso (1617 - 1682)
- Regent Sonam RaptenSonam RaptenSonam Rapten, also Sonam Choephel was regent in Tibet from 1642 tot 1658. Soon after his nomination as a regent, he was appointed Ganden Podrang as well....
(1642 - 1658) - Regent Sangye GyatsoDesi Sangye GyatsoDesi Sangye Gyatso was the fifth regent of the 5th Dalai Lama who founded the School of Medicine and Astrology on Chags-po-ri Hill in 1694 and wrote the Blue Beryl treatise. The name is sometimes written Sangye Gyamtso.By some accounts, Sangye Gyatso is believed to be the son of the 5th Dalai...
(1678 - 1703)
- Regent Sonam Rapten
- Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso (1683 - 1706) (did nearly not govern himself)
- Regent Ngawang Rinchen (1703 - 1706)
- Dalai Lama pretender Yeshe GyatsoYeshe GyatsoYeshe Gyatso was a pretending 6th Dalai Lama of Tibet.Yeshe Gyatso was presented as the real 6th Dalai Lama in 1706 by Lha-bzang Khan, after the real 6th Dalai Lama died during his travel to Beijing and his Dalai Lamaship was contested by Lha-bzang Khan. According to some sources, Yeshe Gyatso...
(1706 - ±1708) - Regent Kanchenne (- 1728)
- Dalai Lama Kelzang Gyatso (1708 - 1757) (did nearly not govern himself)
- Regent Polhanas (1728 - 1747)
- Regent Gyurme Nangyel (1747 - 1750)
- Regent, the sixth Demo Rinpoche (1757 - 1777)
- Dalai Lama Jamphel Gyatso (1758 - 1804) (did nearly not govern himself)
- Regent, the first Tsemonling Rinpoche (1777 - 1786)
- Regent, the eighth Kundeling Lama (1791 - 1811)
- Regent, the seventh Demo Rinpoche (1811 - 1818)
- Dalai Lama Lungtok Gyatso (1806 - 1815) (did not govern himself)
- Regent, the second Tsemonling Lama (1819 - 1844)
- Dalai Lama Tsultrim Gyatso (1816 - 1837) (did not govern himself)
- Regent, the third Reting RinpocheReting RinpocheReting Rinpoche is the title held by abbots of Reting Monastery, a Buddhist monastery in central Tibet. The identity of the present Reting Rinpoche is contested.-History of the lineage:...
(1845 - 1862)
- Regent, the third Reting Rinpoche
- Dalai Lama Khendrup Gyatso (1838 - 1856) (did not govern himself)
- Dalai Lama Trinley Gyatso (1856 - 1875) (did not govern himself)
- Regent Dedruk Khyenrab Wangchuk (1864 - 1873)
- Regent, the tenth Kundeling Lama Tatsak Ngawang Pelden (1875 - 1886)
- Regent, the ninth Demo Rinpoche Lozang Trinlé (1886 - 1895)
- Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso (1876-1933)
- Regent, the fifth Reting RinpocheReting RinpocheReting Rinpoche is the title held by abbots of Reting Monastery, a Buddhist monastery in central Tibet. The identity of the present Reting Rinpoche is contested.-History of the lineage:...
, Jamphel Yeshe GyaltsenJamphel Yeshe GyaltsenJamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen, aka Thupten Jampel Yishey Gyantsen, was a Tibetan tulku and the fifth Reting Rinpoche.-Life:...
(1934 - 1941) - Regent Taktra RinpocheTaktra RinpocheNgawang Sungrab Thutob was the third Taktra Rinpoche, Wylie transliteration: sTag-brag pandita and regent of Tibet.He was responsible for raising and educating the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso....
(1941 -1950)
- Regent, the fifth Reting Rinpoche
- Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso (1935-1959; currently in exile)
1907-1952
Silöns (prime ministers) of the Ganden Podrang government:- Changkhyim (1907-1920)
- Paljor Dorje Shatra (1907-1923)
- Sholkhang (1907-1926)
- Langdün Künga Wangchuk (1926-1940)
- vacant 1940-1950
- acting silöns: Lobsang Tashi and Lukhangwa (1950-1952)
Tibetan Autonomous Region
Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet
The Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, or the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet for short, is the document by which the delegates of the 14th Dalai Lama allegedly reached an...
between the Central People's Government and the Dalai Lama. A "Preparatory Committee for the Autonomous Region of Tibet" (PCART) was established in 1956 to created a parallel system of administration along Communist lines. Transition to secular government completed when Tibetan Autonomous Region was officially founded in 1965 according to the national autonomy law.
Chairmen in the Tibetan Autonomous Region
The Chairman is the nominal leader of the Tibet Autonomous RegionTibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
, a province-level administrative division of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The Chairmen, and their times in office, are listed below. In practice, the Chairman is subordinate to the branch secretary of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
.
- Chairman of the Preparatory Committee
- 14th Dalai lama "Tenzin Gyatso" (April 1956 - March 1959)
- 10th Panchen lama "Choekyi Gyaltsen" (March 1959 - December 1964)
Chairman of the People's Committee - Ngapoi Ngawang JigmeNgapoi Ngawang JigmeNgapoi Ngawang Jigme was a Tibetan senior official who assumed various military and political responsibilities both before and after 1951. He is often known simply as Ngabo in English sources.-Early life:...
(December 1964 - until the beginning of the Cultural RevolutionCultural RevolutionThe Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
)
Head of the Revolutionary Committee
As was the situation elsewhere in China, during the Cultural RevolutionCultural RevolutionThe Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
the regional government was replaced by a revolutionary committee. - Zeng Yongya (September 1968 - November 1970)
- Ren Rong (November 1970 - August 1979)
Chairmen of the People's Government - Sanggyai Yexe , aka Tian Bao (August 1979 - April 1981)
- Ngapoi Ngawang JigmeNgapoi Ngawang JigmeNgapoi Ngawang Jigme was a Tibetan senior official who assumed various military and political responsibilities both before and after 1951. He is often known simply as Ngabo in English sources.-Early life:...
(April 1981 - May 1983) - Doje Cedain a.k.a. Dorje Tsetsen or Duoji Caidan (May 1983 - December 1985)
- Doje Cering a.k.a. Dorje Tsering or Duoji Cairang (December 1985 - May 1990)
- Gyaincain NorbuGyaincain Norbu (politician)Gyaincain Norbu is a Tibetan politician. He was Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region from 1990 to 1998. He was succeeded by Legqog.In November 1995, Gyaincain Norbu presided at a ceremony organised by the Chinese government to select its approved claimaint to title of 11th Panchen Lama from a...
(May 1990 - May 1998) - LegqogLegqog-Biography:Legqog was born in Gyangzê County, Tibet in October 1944. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1972.He was the Chairman of the government of Tibet Autonomous Region of China between 1998 and 2004, when he was replaced by Qiangba Puncog...
a.k.a. Legchog (May 1998 - May 2003) - Qangba PüncogQiangba PuncogQiangba Puncog was the Chairman of the government of Tibet Autonomous Region of China from 2003 until January 2010. He is of the Tibetan ethnicity. He was most visible in public during the 2008 Tibetan unrest, receiving diplomats and journalists...
a.k.a. Jampa Phuntsok(May 2003 - Jan. 2010) - Padma CholingPadma CholingPadma Choling is the eighth and current Chairman of the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. He took this position in 2010 from the vice-chairmanship that he had since 2003, since given to Lobsang Gyaltsen. He also heads the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress...
(Jan. 2010 – )
Secretaries of CPC
- Zhang GuohuaZhang GuohuaZhang Guohua was a Chinese general and a politician, serving during the Invasion of Tibet and the Sino-Indian War and later as a Communist Party secretary for the Tibet Autonomous Region.-Biography:...
(January 1950 - June 1951) - Fan Ming (June 1951 - December 1951)
- Jingwu Zhang (March 1952 - August 1965)
- Zhang GuohuaZhang GuohuaZhang Guohua was a Chinese general and a politician, serving during the Invasion of Tibet and the Sino-Indian War and later as a Communist Party secretary for the Tibet Autonomous Region.-Biography:...
(September 1965 - until the beginning of the Cultural RevolutionCultural RevolutionThe Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
) - Ren Rong (August 1971 - March 1980)
- Yin Fatang (March 1980 - June 1985)
- Wu Jinghua (June 1985 - December 1988)
- Hu JintaoHu JintaoHu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
(December 1988 - November 1992) - Chen KuiyuanChen KuiyuanChen Kuiyuan is a politician of the People's Republic of China. He currently serves as the vice chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference , and the president and the Party chief of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences....
(November 1992 - September 2000) - Guo JinlongGuo JinlongGuo Jinlong is a politician of the People's Republic of China and Mayor of Beijing.- Biography :He graduated from Nanjing University Department of Physics in 1969 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1979, and was sent to work in Sichuan....
(September 2000 - December 2004) - Yang ChuantangYang ChuantangYang Chuantang is the vice-director of the National Commission of Ethnic Affairs of the People's Republic of China.-Biography:He joined the Communist Youth League and then the Communist Party of China in 1976...
(December 2004 - November 2005) - Zhang QingliZhang QingliZhang Qingli was the Secretary of the Communist Party of China Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee. He is also a member of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Known for his tough policies in ethnic regions, Zhang has dismissed ethnic officials whom he considers unreliable...
(November 2005 - May 2006) - Zhang QingliZhang QingliZhang Qingli was the Secretary of the Communist Party of China Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee. He is also a member of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Known for his tough policies in ethnic regions, Zhang has dismissed ethnic officials whom he considers unreliable...
(May 2006 - August 2011) - Chen Quanguo (August 2011 - )
Chairmen of the Permanent Committee of the People's Congress
- Ngapoi Ngawang JigmeNgapoi Ngawang JigmeNgapoi Ngawang Jigme was a Tibetan senior official who assumed various military and political responsibilities both before and after 1951. He is often known simply as Ngabo in English sources.-Early life:...
(1979 - 1981) - Yang DongshengYang DongshengYang Dongsheng is a Tibetan politician. He was President of Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress from 1981-1983. He was succeeded by Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme and was noted for his democratic reforms in Tibet.-External links:*...
(1981 - 1983) - Ngapoi Ngawang JigmeNgapoi Ngawang JigmeNgapoi Ngawang Jigme was a Tibetan senior official who assumed various military and political responsibilities both before and after 1951. He is often known simply as Ngabo in English sources.-Early life:...
(1983 - 1993) - RaidiRaidiRaidi is a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in the People's Republic of China, and the most high ranking ethnic Tibetan in China....
(1993 - 2003) - LegqogLegqog-Biography:Legqog was born in Gyangzê County, Tibet in October 1944. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1972.He was the Chairman of the government of Tibet Autonomous Region of China between 1998 and 2004, when he was replaced by Qiangba Puncog...
(2003 - 2010) - Qiangba PuncogQiangba PuncogQiangba Puncog was the Chairman of the government of Tibet Autonomous Region of China from 2003 until January 2010. He is of the Tibetan ethnicity. He was most visible in public during the 2008 Tibetan unrest, receiving diplomats and journalists...
(2010 -)
See also
- Central Tibetan AdministrationCentral Tibetan AdministrationThe Central Tibetan Administration , is an organisation based in India with the stated goals of "rehabilitating Tibetan refugees and restoring freedom and happiness in Tibet". It was established by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959 shortly after his exile from Tibet...
- Politics of the People's Republic of ChinaPolitics of the People's Republic of ChinaThe politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. The leadership of the Communist Party is stated in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China...
- Constitution of the People's Republic of ChinaConstitution of the People's Republic of ChinaThe Constitution of the People's Republic of China is the highest law within the People's Republic of China. The current version was adopted by the 5th National People's Congress on December 4, 1982 with further revisions in 1988, 1993, 1999, and 2004. Three previous state constitutions—those of...