Tibet is a
plateau regionThe Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Tibel-Qingai Plateau or Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in China and Ladakh in Kashmir, India...
in
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, north of the Himalayas. It is home to the indigenous
Tibetan peopleThe Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper in the East and India, Nepal and Bhutan to the south.-Demographics:...
, and to some other ethnic groups such as
MonpaThe Monpa is currently one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China. Most Monpas live in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of 50,000, centered in the districts of Tawang and West Kameng. Around 25,000 Monpas can be found in the district of Cuona in the Tibet...
s and
LhobaLhoba is a term of obscure origin which has come to apply to a diverse amalgamation of Tibeto-Burman tribespeople living in and around "Pemako" , including Mainling, Medog, Zayü counties of Nyingchi Prefecture and Lhünzê County of Shannan Prefecture...
s, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of
Han ChineseHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
people. Tibet is the highest region on
earthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
, with an average
elevationThe elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, often the mean sea level. Elevation, or geometric height, is mainly used when referring to points on the Earth's surface, while altitude or geopotential height is used for points above the surface, such as an...
of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft). It is sometimes referred to as the
roof of the worldRoof of the World is a metaphoric description of the highest region in the world, also known as "High Asia", or the Trans-Himalaya, the mountainous interior of Asia.The term is also used for parts of this region, for* the Pamirs,* Tibet* the Himalayas...
.
During
Tibet's historyTibetan history, as it has been recorded, is particularly focused on the history of Buddhism in Tibet. This is partly due to the pivotal role this religion has played in the development of Tibetan, Mongol, and Manchu cultures, and partly because almost all native historians of the country were...
, it has existed as a region of separate sovereign states, a single independent country and as a part of China. Tibet was first unified under King Songtsän Gampo in the 7th century. A government nominally headed by the
Dalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a lineage of religious officials of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. "Lama" is a general term referring to Tibetan Buddhist teachers...
s, a line of spiritual leaders, ruled a large portion of the Tibetan region at various times from the 1640s until 1950s. During most of this period, the Tibetan administration was technically subordinate to the Chinese empire of the
Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
.
In 1913 the 13th Dalai Lama expelled
Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
representatives from Lhasa and proclaimed Tibet independent, while this proclamation is not precisely a
declaration of independenceA declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
in contemporary Western terms, and it was not accepted by the successive
republican governmentThe Republic of China was formally established in 1912 in Nanjing under the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China but this government was moved to Beijing in the same year and continued as the internationally recognized government of China until 1928. In the history of the Republic of...
, nor was Tibet officially recognized as an independent nation by any country. According to Chinese sources, the 13th Dalai Lama also expressed several times in the following years his pro-unification viewpoint. However, this is contradicted by what the 13th Dalai Lama wrote himself in 1932, the year before he died:
"My government and I resumed control of the country in the Water Ox year (1913), and from that time until the present day, Year of the Water Monkey (1932), we have continued to rule without any trace of foreign interference. This has been an era of peace and prosperity for Tibet, and all the people have been able to live in harmony and peace."
The
Communist Party of ChinaThe Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and the ruling political party of the People's Republic of China and the world's largest political party...
gained control of central and western Tibet (the Tibet area then controlled by the 14th Dalai Lama, nowadays
TARThe Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region , is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China .Within the People's Republic of China, Tibet is identified with the Autonomous Region, which includes about half of...
) after a decisive military victory at
ChamdoChamdo , population about 86.280 in Kham in the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region, is Tibet's third largest city . It is located about 480 km from Lhasa, on the road the distance covers 1120 km or 1030 km...
in 1950. The Dalai Lama, with a large retinue of followers, fled to
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
after the
1959 Tibetan uprisingThe 1959 Tibetan uprising, or 1959 Tibetan Rebellion began on 10 March 1959, when an anti-Chinese and anti-Communist revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the reign of the Communist Party of China since the Invasion of Tibet in 1950...
.
Today, Tibet is administered by the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
(PRC). Beijing and the
Government of Tibet in ExileThe Central Tibetan Administration , officially the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a government in exile headed by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, which claims to be the rightful and legitimate government of Tibet...
disagree over when Tibet became a part of China, and whether the incorporation into China of Tibet is legitimate according to
international lawPublic international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states, analogous entities, such as the Holy See, and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
(see
Tibetan sovereignty debateIn the history of Tibet, it has been an independent country, divided into different kingdoms and states, and a part of China each for a certain amount of time. Today it is mostly controlled by People's Republic of China , while a small part is controlled by India...
). Since
what constitutes TibetTibet, a historical plateau region in Central Asia, today under the sovereignty of the People's Republic of China and administered as the Tibet Autonomous Region is subject to many definitions and controversy over its function and boundaries as a country and what territorial claim it...
is a matter of much debate (see map, right), neither its size nor population are simple matters of fact, due to various entities claiming differing parts of the area as a Tibetan region.
Names
"Tibet" names and definitions are linguistically and politically
loaded languageIn rhetoric, Loaded language is wording that attempts to influence the listener or reader by appealing to emotion....
.
The modern
Standard TibetanStandard Tibetan, often called Central Tibetan, in Tibetan script: བོད་སྐད་, is the official language of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is based on the speech of Lhasa, an Ü-Tsang dialect of Dbus Ü, one of the Central Tibetan languages...
endonym (or autonym)
Bod བོད་ means "Tibet" or "
Tibetan PlateauThe Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Tibel-Qingai Plateau or Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in China and Ladakh in Kashmir, India...
", although it originally meant the central region "
Ü-TsangÜ-Tsang , or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the other two being Amdo and Kham...
". The standard pronunciation of
Bod, , is transcribed
Bhö or
Phö. Some scholars believe the first written reference to
Bod "Tibet" was the ancient "Bautai" people recorded in the (ca. 1st century)
Periplus of the Erythraean SeaThe Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a Greek periplus, describing navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports like Berenice along the coast of the Red Sea, and others along Northeast Africa and India...
and (ca. 2nd century)
Geographia.
The two
Standard MandarinStandard Mandarin, or Standard Chinese, known by various names to native speakers, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used in mainland China and Taiwan, and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
exonyms for "Tibet" are classical
Tǔbō or
Tǔfān 吐蕃 and modern
Xīzàng 西藏 (which now specifies the "
Tibet Autonomous RegionThe Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region , is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China .Within the People's Republic of China, Tibet is identified with the Autonomous Region, which includes about half of...
").
Tubo or
Tufan "ancient name for Tibet" was first
transliterated into Chinese charactersTransliteration is known as yīnyì or yìmíng in Chinese. While it is not uncommon to see foreign names left as they are in their original forms in a Chinese text, it is a common practice to transliterate foreign proper nouns into Chinese characters.When considering the transliteration of...
as 土番 in the 7th-century (Li Tai) and as 吐蕃 in the 10th-century (
Book of TangThe Book of Tang Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...
describing 608–609 emissaries from Tibetan King
Namri SongtsenNamri Songtsen , also known as "Namri Löntsen" was, according to tradition, the 32nd King of Tibet , despite the fact he formerly ruled only the Yarlung valley, and later the central part of the Tibetan plateau...
to
Emperor Yang of SuiEmperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
). In the
Middle ChineseMiddle Chinese , or Ancient Chinese as used by linguist Bernhard Karlgren, refers to the Chinese language spoken during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties...
spoken during that period,
Tǔbō or
Tǔfān are reconstructed (by
Bernhard KarlgrenBernhard Karlgren was a Swedish sinologist, philologist, and the founder of Swedish sinology as a scholarly discipline...
) as
T'uopuâ and
T'uop'i̭wɐn.
Xizang 西藏 was coined during the
Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
period of the
Jiaqing EmperorThe Jiaqing Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1796 to 1820....
(r. 1796–1820). The
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
government equates
Xīzàng with the
Xīzàng Zìzhìqū 西藏自治区 "Tibet Autonomous Region".
The
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
word
Tibet or
Thibet dates back to 1827. While
historical linguistsHistorical linguistics is the study of language change. It has five main concerns:* to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages;...
generally agree that "Tibet" names in European languages are loanwords from
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
Tibat or
Tobatt, they disagree over the original
etymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages, and texts about the languages, to gather knowledge about how words were used at earlier stages, and...
. Many sources propose Tibetan
Stod-bod (pronounced
tö-bhöt) "Upper Tibet", some suggest
TurkicThe Turkic languages constitute a language family of some thirty languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken by some...
Töbäd "The Heights" (plural of
töbän), and a few favor Chinese
Tǔbō or
Tǔfān.
Language
The
Tibetan languageThe Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh, Nepal,...
is generally classified as a Tibeto-Burman language of the Sino-Tibetan language family although the boundaries between 'Tibetan' and certain other Himalayan languages can be unclear. According to Matthew Kapstein:
From the perspective of historical linguistics, Tibetan most closely resembles BurmeseThe Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most continue to refer to the language as Burmese. It is the native language of the Bamar and other related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar...
among the major languages of Asia. Grouping these two together with other apparently related languages spoken in the Himalayan lands, as well as in the highlands of Southeast AsiaManila
Bangkok
Ho Chi Minh City
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Yangon
Bandung
Hanoi
Surabaya
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Medan|-|}...
and the Sino-Tibetan frontier regions, linguists have generally concluded that there exists a Tibeto-Burman family of languages. More controversial is the theory that the Tibeto-Burman family is itself part of a larger language family, called Sino-Tibetan, and that through it Tibetan and Burmese are distant cousins of Chinese.
The language is spoken in numerous regional dialects which, although sometimes mutually intelligible, generally cannot be understood by the speakers of the different oral forms of Tibetan. It is employed throughout the Tibetan plateau and
BhutanThe Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the nearby state of Nepal to the west by...
and is also spoken in parts of
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and northern India, such as
SikkimSikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India and the second-smallest in area after Goa. The thumb-shaped state borders Nepal in the west, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and the east and Bhutan in the southeast...
. In general, the dialects of central Tibet (including Lhasa),
KhamKham , is a region presently divided between the Chinese provinces of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Sichuan where Khampas, a subgroup within the Tibetan ethnicity, live. It is also one of the three traditional provinces claimed by the Tibetan government-in-exile...
,
AmdoAmdo is one of the three traditional states of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river...
and some smaller nearby areas are considered Tibetan dialects. Other forms, particularly Dzongkha,
SikkimeseSikkimese language belongs to the Southern Tibetan language family. It is spoken by the Denzongpa nationality in Sikkim...
,
SherpaSherpa is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim mainly by the Sherpa community...
, and
LadakhiThe Ladakhi language, more generally called Western Archaic Tibetan when the Balti and Burig or Purig or Purki dialects are included, is the predominant language in the Ladakh and Baltistan regions of the Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Ladakhi is closely related to Tibetan, and the Ladakhi...
, are considered by their speakers, largely for political reasons, to be separate languages. However, if the latter group of Tibetan-type languages are included in the calculation then 'greater Tibetan' is spoken by approximately 6 million people across the
Tibetan PlateauThe Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Tibel-Qingai Plateau or Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in China and Ladakh in Kashmir, India...
. Tibetan is also spoken by approximately 150,000 exile speakers who have fled from modern-day Tibet to India and other countries.
Although spoken Tibetan varies according to the region, the written language, based on Classical Tibetan, is consistent throughout. This is probably due to the long-standing influence of the Tibetan empire, whose rule embraced (and extended at times far beyond) the present Tibetan linguistic area, which runs from northern
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
in the west to
YunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately 394,000 square kilometers . The capital of the province is Kunming...
and
Sichuan' is a province in Southwestern China with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, 四川 , is an abbreviation of 四川路 , or "Four circuits of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from 川峡四路 , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the...
in the east, and from north of the
KokonorKokonor may refer to:* Qinghai province, in China* Qinghai Lake, in China...
lake (Qinghai) south as far as Bhutan. The Tibetan language has its own
scriptThe Tibetan script is an abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Denzongkha, Ladakhi language and sometimes the Balti language. The printed form of the script is called uchen script while the hand-written cursive form used in everyday writing is...
that it shares with
LadakhiThe Ladakhi language, more generally called Western Archaic Tibetan when the Balti and Burig or Purig or Purki dialects are included, is the predominant language in the Ladakh and Baltistan regions of the Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Ladakhi is closely related to Tibetan, and the Ladakhi...
and
DzongkhaDzongkha , occasionally Ngalopkha, is the national language of Bhutan...
, which is derived from the ancient Indian Brahmi script.
History
The general history of Tibet begins with the rule of Songtsän Gampo (604–50 CE) who united parts of the Yarlung River Valley and founded the Tibetan Empire. He also brought in many reforms and Tibetan power spread rapidly creating a large and powerful empire. In 640 he married
Princess WenchengPrincess Wencheng , was a niece of the powerful Emperor Taizong of Tang of Tang China, who left China in 640, according to records, arriving the next year in Tibet to marry the thirty-seven year old Songtsän Gampo the thirty-third king of the Yarlung Dynasty of Tibet, in a marriage of state...
, the niece of the powerful Chinese emperor Emperor Taizong of Tang China.
Under the next few kings who followed Songsten Gampo, Buddhism became established as the state religion and Tibetan power increased even further over large areas of Central Asia while major inroads were made into Chinese territory, even reaching the
TangThe Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
's capital
Chang'anChang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in the year 23 AD, the old name was restored...
(modern
Xi'anXi'an , is the capital of the Shaanxi province in the People's Republic of China and a sub-provincial city...
) in late 763. However, Tibetan troops' occupation of Chang'an only lasted for fifteen days after they were defeated by Tang and its ally, the Turkic empire Uyghur Khaganate.
NanzhaoNanzhao, alternate spellings Nanchao and Nan Chao was a polity that flourished in what is now southern China and Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries...
(in
YunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately 394,000 square kilometers . The capital of the province is Kunming...
and neighbouring regions) remained under Tibetan control from 750 to 794, when they turned on their Tibetan overlords and helped the Chinese inflict a serious defeat on the Tibetans.
In 747, the hold of Tibet was loosened by the campaign of general
Gao XianzhiGao Xianzhi , was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. He was of Goguryeo descent and was known as a great commander during his lifetime...
, who tried to re-open the direct communications between
Central AsiaAsia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south. It is also sometimes known as Middle Asia or Inner Asia, and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent.Various definitions of its...
and
KashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent...
. By 750 the Tibetans had lost almost all of their central Asian possessions to the
ChineseThe Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
. However, after Gao Xianzhi's defeat by the
ArabsIslamic Empire may refer to*The Caliphates of the early Middle Ages:**Rashidun Caliphate **Umayyad Caliphate - Successor of the Rashidun Caliphate***Umayyad Emirate in the Al-Andalus...
and Qarluqs at the
Battle of TalasThe Battle of Talas in 751 AD was a conflict between the Arab Abbasid Caliphate and the Chinese Tang Dynasty for control of the Syr Darya. On July 751, The Abbasides started a massive attack against the Chinese on the banks of the Talas river; 200,000 Muslim troops met the combined army of 10,000...
river (751), Chinese influence decreased rapidly and Tibetan influence resumed.
In 821/822 CE Tibet and China signed a remarkable peace treaty. A bilingual account of this treaty including details of the borders between the two countries are inscribed on a stone pillar which stands outside the
JokhangThe Jokhang, , also called the Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Tsuklakang , was the first Buddhist temple in Tibet, located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa...
temple in Lhasa. Tibet continued as a Central Asian empire until the mid-9th century.
13th, 14th and 15th centuries
At the end of the 1230s, the Mongols turned their attention to Tibet. At that time, Mongol armies had already conquered Northern China, much of Central Asia, and as far as Russia and modern Ukraine. The Tibetan nobility, however, was fragmented and mainly occupied with internal strife. Göden, a brother of
GüyükGüyük was the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. He was the son of Ögedei Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, and reigned from 1246 to 1248.- Early life :...
, entered the country in 1240. A second invasion led to the submission of almost all Tibetan states. In 1244, Göden summoned the
Sakya PanditaSakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen or Kunga Gylatshan Pal Zangpo was a Tibetan spiritual leader and Buddhist scholar and the fourth of the Five Venerable Supreme Sakya Masters of Tibet. Kunga Gyeltsen is generally known simply as Sakya Pandita, a title given to him in recognition of his scholarly...
to his court, and in 1247 appointed Sakya the Mongolian viceroy for Central Tibet, though the eastern provinces of Kham and Amdo remained "under direct Mongol rule". When
Kublai KhanKublai or Khubilai Khan , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty...
founded the
Yuan DynastyThe Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was both the continuation of the Mongol Empire and the Mongol founded historical state in Mongolia and China, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. Although the dynasty was established by Kublai Khan, he had his grandfather Genghis Khan placed on the...
in 1271, Tibet became a part of it.
Between 1346 and 1354, towards the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Pagmodru myriarch,
Tai Situ Changchub GyaltsenTai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen [1302–1364 ] - a key figure in Tibetan History. Founder of the Phagmodrupa dynasty and ruler of Tibet from 1354 to 1364 or 1371....
(1302–1364) toppled the Sakya. The following 80 years were a period of relative stability. They also saw the birth of the Gelugpa school (also known as
Yellow Hats) by the disciples of Tsongkhapa Lobsang Dragpa, and the founding of the important Ganden, Drepung, and
SeraSera Monastery is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet. The other two are Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery. The origin of the name 'Sera' is not certain, but it may derive from the fact that the original site was surrounded by 'Wild Roses'...
monasteries near Lhasa. After the 1430s, the country entered another period of internal power struggles.
16th and 17th centuries
In 1578,
Altan KhanAltan Khan , whose given name was Anda , was the ruler of the Tümet Mongols and de facto ruler of the Right Wing, or western tribes, of the Mongols...
of the
TümedThe Tumeds are the Mongol people. Most engage in sedentary agriculture, living in mixed communities in the suburbs of Huhhot. Part of them live along Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia...
Mongols invited Sonam Gyatso, a high lama of the Gelugpa school. They met near
Khökh Nuur' is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. It borders Gansu on the northeast, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.- History :Qinghai was only relatively recently made a province...
, where Altan Khan first referred to Sönam Gyatso as the
Dalai Lama;
Dalai being the Mongolian translation of the Tibetan name Gyatso, or "Ocean".
The first Europeans to arrive in Tibet were the
PortugueseThe Portuguese people are the ethnic group or nation native to the country of Portugal, in the far west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe...
missionaries
António de AndradeFather António de Andrade , was a Jesuit priest and explorer from Portugal. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1596. From 1600 to 1624 he was the chief missionary in the Indies.-Life:...
and Manuel Marques in 1624 and were welcomed by the King and Queen of
GugeGuge was an ancient kingdom in Western Tibet. The kingdom was centered in present-day Zanda County, within Ngari Prefecture of Tibet. At various points in history after 10th century A.D, the kingdom held sway over a vast area including south-eastern Zanskar, Upper Kinnaur, and Spiti valley either...
and some Tibetan people in western Tibet. They were allowed to build a church and to introduce Christian belief. The king of Guge eagerly accepted Christianity as an offsetting religious influence to dilute the thriving Gelugpa and to counterbalance his potential rivals and consolidate his position. All missionaries were expelled at lama's insistence in 1745.
In the 1630s, Tibet became entangled in the power struggles between the rising
ManchuThe Manchu people are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the seventeenth century, with the help of Ming rebels , they conquered the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which established a...
and various Mongol and Oirad factions. Ligden Khan of the Mongolian
ChakharThe Chahar are a tribe of the Mongols that speak the Chahar dialect of Mongolian.The Chahar were originally one of estates of Khubilai located around Jingzhao . They moved from Shaanxi to Southeastern Mongolia in the 15th century...
tribe, retreating from the Manchu forces, set out to destroy the Yellow Hat
GelugThe Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
school in Tibet but died on the way near Kokonor, in 1634. His vassal Tsogt Taij continued the fight but was defeated and killed by
Güshi KhanGüshi Khan , a Khoshut prince and leader of the Khoshut Khanate, who had supplanted the Tumed descendants of Altan Khan. His military assistance to the Gelug school enabled the 5th Dalai Lama to establish political control over Tibet...
of the Khoshud in 1637, who, in turn, became the overlord over Tibet, and acted as a "Protector of the Yellow Church". Güshi helped the
Fifth Dalai LamaNgawang Lobsang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama , was a political and religious leader in seventeenth-century Tibet. Ngawang Lozang Gyatso was the ordination name he had received from Panchen Lozang Chökyi Gyeltsen who was responsible for his ordination...
to establish himself as the highest spiritual and political authority in Tibet and destroyed any potential rivals.
18th century
In 1705,
Lobzang KhanLha-bzang Khan was the grandson of Güshi Khan and the last Khoshut-Oirat King of Tibet.He invaded Tibet with the approval of China's Kangxi Emperor in 1705 to depose the 6th Dalai Lama...
of the Khoshud used the 6th Dalai Lama's refusal of the role of a monk (although the incumbent did not reject his political role as Dalai Lama) as an excuse to take control of Tibet. The regent was murdered, and the Dalai Lama sent to Beijing. He died on the way, also near Kokonor, ostensibly from illness. Lobzang Khan appointed a new Dalai Lama, who, however, was not accepted by the Gelugpa school.
A rival reincarnation was found in the region of Kokonor. The Dzungars (one of the Mongol tribes) invaded Tibet in 1717, deposed and killed a pretender to the position of Dalai Lama (who had been promoted by Lhabzang), which met with widespread approval. However, the Dzungars soon began to loot the holy places of Lhasa which brought a swift response from Emperor Kangxi in 1718, but his military expedition was annihilated by the Dzungars not far from Lhasa.
Emperor Kangxi finally expelled the Dzungars from Tibet in 1720 and the troops were hailed as liberators. They brought Kelzang Gyatso with them from Kumbum to Lhasa and he was installed as the Seventh Dalai Lama in 1721, though they did not make Tibet a province, allowed it to maintain its own officials and legal and administrative systems, and levied no taxes. However, the
ManchuThe Manchu people are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the seventeenth century, with the help of Ming rebels , they conquered the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which established a...
QingThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
put
AmdoAmdo is one of the three traditional states of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river...
under their control in 1724, and incorporated eastern
KhamKham , is a region presently divided between the Chinese provinces of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Sichuan where Khampas, a subgroup within the Tibetan ethnicity, live. It is also one of the three traditional provinces claimed by the Tibetan government-in-exile...
into neighbouring Chinese provinces in 1728. The Qing government sent a resident commissioner, namely
AmbanAmban is a Manchu word meaning "high official," which corresponds to a number of different official titles in the Qing imperial government...
, to Lhasa. In 1751, Emperor Qianlong installed the Dalai Lama as both the spiritual leader and political leader of Tibet leading the government, namely
KashagThe Kashag was the governing council of Tibet. The civil administration was represented by Council . The Council administrated matters of private and national interests. It was constituted of three temporal officials and one monk. Each of them held the title of kalön...
.
While the ancient relations between Tibet and China are more complex, there is generally little doubt regarding the subordination of Tibet to Qing China following first decades of the 18th century. In 1788,
GurkhaGurkha, also spelled as Gorkha or Ghurka, are people from Nepal and northern India who take their name from the eighth century Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath. His disciple Bappa Rawal, born Prince Kalbhoj/Prince Shailadhish, founded the house of Mewar, Rajasthan...
forces sent by
Bahadur ShahTwo Mughal Emperors have had the name of Bahadur Shah:*Bahadur Shah I*Bahadur Shah Zafar II, the last ruler of the Mughal/Timurid dynasty* Bahadur Shah of Nizam Shahi dynasty of Nizam Shahi dynasty...
, the Regent of
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, invaded Tibet, occupying a number of frontier districts. The young
Panchen LamaThe Panchen Lama is the second highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism . The successive Panchen lamas form a tulku reincarnation lineage which are said to be the incarnations of Amitabha Buddha...
fled to Lhasa and Qing Emperor Qianlong sent troops to Lhasa, upon which the Nepalese withdrew agreeing to pay a large annual sum. In 1791 the Nepalese Gurkhas invaded Tibet a second time, seizing
ShigatseShigatse or Rikaze , , is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, with a population of 80,000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
and destroyed, plundered, and desecrated the great
TashilhunpoTashilhunpo Monastery , founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important monastery next to Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet....
Monastery. The Panchen Lama was forced to flee to Lhasa once again. Emperor Qianlong then sent an army of 17,000 men to Tibet. In 1793, with the assistance of Tibetan troops, they managed to drive the Nepalese troops to within about of
KathmanduKathmandu is the capital and the largest metropolitan city of Nepal. The city is situated in Kathmandu Valley, which also contains two other cities - Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Nepali is the common language of the city, though many speak Newari as it is the center of the Newar people and culture....
.
The 18th century brought Jesuits and
CapuchinsThe Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans...
from Europe who gradually met opposition from Tibetan
lamaLama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru . The title can be used as an honorific title conferred on a monk, nun or advanced tantric practitioner to designate a level of spiritual attainment and authority to teach, or may be part of a...
s who finally expelled them from Tibet in 1745. However, at the time not all Europeans were banned from the country—in 1774 a Scottish nobleman, George Bogle, came to
ShigatseShigatse or Rikaze , , is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, with a population of 80,000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
to investigate
tradeTrade is the voluntary exchange of goods, services, or both. Trade is also called commerce or transaction. A mechanism that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and services. Later one side of the barter were the metals, precious...
for the
British East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, introducing the first
potatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes are the world's fourth largest food...
es into Tibet.
19th century
However, by the 19th century the situation of foreigners in Tibet grew more tenuous. The
British EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was...
was encroaching from northern India into the
HimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow", is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
and the
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
of the
tsarTsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or Tzar in English, is a Slavic term with Bulgarian origins used to designate certain monarchs...
s was expanding south into
Central AsiaAsia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south. It is also sometimes known as Middle Asia or Inner Asia, and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent.Various definitions of its...
and each power became suspicious of intent in Tibet.
Sándor Kőrösi CsomaSándor Kőrösi Csoma , born Csoma Sándor, also known as Alexander Csoma de Kőrös, was a Hungarian philologist and orientologist, author of the first Tibetan-English dictionary and grammar book. He was born in Kőrös, Transylvania...
, the Hungarian scientist spent 20 years in British India (4 years in
LadakhLadakh is a region situated in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south...
) trying to visit Tibet. He created the first Tibetan-English dictionary.
By the 1850s Tibet had banned all foreigners and shut its borders to all outsiders.
In 1865
Great BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
began secretly mapping Tibet. Trained Indian surveyor-spies disguised as
pilgrimA pilgrim is one who undertakes a pilgrimage, literally 'far afield'. This is traditionally a visit to a place of some religious or historic significance; often a considerable distance is traveled...
s or traders counted their strides on their travels across Tibet and took readings at night.
20th century
In 1904, a
British expedition to TibetThe British expedition to Tibet during 1903 and 1904 was an invasion of Tibet by British Indian forces, seeking to prevent the Russian Empire from interfering in Tibetan affairs and thus gaining a base in one of the buffer states surrounding British India, by reasoning similar to that which had led...
under the command of Colonel
Francis YounghusbandLieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, KCSI, KCIE was a British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer...
, accompanied by a large military escort, invaded Tibet and reached Lhasa. The British were spurred in part by a fear that Russia was extending its power into Tibet, and partly by hope that negotiations with the Dalai Lama would be more effective than with Chinese representatives. But on his way to Lhasa, Younghusband slaughtered many Tibetan troops in
GyangzêGyangze may refer to:*Gyangzê Town, town in Tibet*Gyangzê County, county in Tibet...
who tried to stop the British advance.
When the mission reached Lhasa, the 13th Dalai Lama had already fled to
UrgaUrga may refer to:* Ulan Bator, the capital of the republic of Mongolia* Ürgə, a municipality in Azerbaijan* Urga aka Close to Eden, a film by Nikita Mikhalkov, 1992...
in
MongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 24 miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator,...
, but Younghusband found the option of returning to India empty-handed untenable. He proceeded to draft a treaty unilaterally, and have it signed in the Potala by the regent, Ganden Tri Rinpoche, and any other local officials he could gather together as an
ad hoc government. The treaty made provisions for the frontier between
SikkimSikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India and the second-smallest in area after Goa. The thumb-shaped state borders Nepal in the west, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and the east and Bhutan in the southeast...
and Tibet to be respected, for free trade between British and Tibetan subjects, and for an indemnity to be paid from the Qing court to the British Government for its expenses in dispatching armed troops to Lhasa. The provisions of this 1904 treaty were confirmed in a 1906 treaty
Anglo-Chinese Convention signed between
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927...
and China. The British, for a fee from the Qing court, also agreed "not to annex Tibetan territory or to interfere in the administration of Tibet", while China engaged "not to
permit any other foreign state to interfere with the territory or internal administration of Tibet".
From the end of the 19th century until 1935, expeditions led by the Swedish geographer and explorer
Sven HedinSven Anders Hedin KNO1kl RVO was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, and travel writer, as well as an illustrator of his own works...
were able to map and describe large parts of inner Tibet with surprisingly high precision. As leader of these expeditions, he had contact with both Panchen Lama and
Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He was an influential member of the Kuomintang and Sun Yat-sen's close ally. He became the commandant of Kuomintang's Whampoa Military Academy and took Sun's place in the party when the latter died in 1925...
.
The position of British Trade Agent at Gyangzê was occupied from 1904 until 1944. It was not until 1937, with the creation of the position of "Head of British Mission Lhasa", that a British officer had a permanent posting in Lhasa itself.
André MigotAndré Migot was a French doctor, traveller and writer.He served as an army medical officer in WWI, winning the Croix de Guerre. After the war he engaged in research in marine biology, and then practised as a doctor in France, in his spare time climbing in the Alps and Pyrenees. In 1938 he set off...
, a French doctor who travelled for many months in Tibet in 1947 described the complex border arrangements between Tibet and China, and how they had developed:
In 1910, the Qing government sent a military expedition of its own to establish direct Chinese rule and deposed the Dalai Lama in an imperial edict. The Dalai Lama once again fled, this time to British India, in February 1910.
Independence proclaimed
The 13th Dalai Lama returned to Tibet from India in July 1912 (after the fall of the Qing dynasty), and expelled the Amban and all Chinese troops. In 1913, the Dalai Lama issued a proclamation that stated that the relationship between the Chinese emperor and Tibet "had been that of patron and priest and had not been based on the subordination of one to the other." "We are a small, religious, and independent nation," the proclamation continued. For the next thirty-six years, Tibet enjoyed
de facto independence while China endured its
Warlord eraThe warlord era is the period in the history of the Republic of China, from 1916 to 1928, when the country was divided among military cliques, a division that continued until the fall of the Nationalist government in the mainland China regions of Sichuan, Shanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia, Guangdong,...
,
civil warThe Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China . The war began in April 1927, amidst the Northern Expedition,. The war represented an ideological split between the Western-supported Nationalist KMT and the Soviet-supported Communist CPC...
, and
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Some Chinese sources argue that Tibet was still part of China throughout this period.
Tibet under the People's Republic of China
With the
invasion of TibetThe People's Liberation Army defeated the Tibetan army in a battle at Chamdo on October 7, 1950. This attack marked the beginning of Beijing’s campaign to integrate Tibet into People's Republic of China...
in 1950 and the subsequent
Seventeen Point AgreementThe 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 reached an agreement...
, the PRC asserted control over Tibet.
A rebellion against the Chinese occupation was led by noblemen and monasteries and broke out in
AmdoAmdo is one of the three traditional states of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river...
and eastern
KhamKham , is a region presently divided between the Chinese provinces of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Sichuan where Khampas, a subgroup within the Tibetan ethnicity, live. It is also one of the three traditional provinces claimed by the Tibetan government-in-exile...
in June 1956. The insurrection, supported by the American CIA, eventually spread to Lhasa. It was crushed by 1959. During this campaign, tens of thousands of Tibetans were killed and the 14th Dalai Lama and other government principals fled to exile in India.
Chinese sources generally claim progress towards a prosperous and free society in Tibet, with its pillars being economic development, legal advancement, and peasant emancipation. These claims, however, have been refuted by the Tibet Government-in-Exile and some indigenous Tibetans, who claim of genocide in Tibet from the Chinese government, comparing it to
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
. The official doctrine of the PRC classifies Tibetans as one of its 56 recognized ethnic groups and part of the greater
Zhonghua MinzuZhonghua minzu , usually translated as Chinese ethnic groups or Chinese nationality, refers to the modern notion of a Chinese nationality transcending ethnic divisions, with a central identity to China as a whole...
or multi-ethnic Chinese nation. Warren Smith, an independent scholar and a broadcaster with the Tibetan Service of
Radio Free AsiaRadio Free Asia is a private radio station funded by the United States Congress that broadcasts in nine Asian languages.-1950s:Radio Free Asia was originally a radio station broadcasting propaganda for the US-American government in local languages to mostly communist countries in Asia...
, whose work became focused on Tibetan history and politics after spending five months in Tibet in 1982, portrays the Chinese as chauvinists who believe they are superior to the Tibetans, and claims that the Chinese use torture, coercion and starvation to control the Tibetans.
Mao's
Great Leap ForwardThe Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social plan used from 1958 to 1961 which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform China from a primarily agrarian economy by peasant farmers into a modern communist society through the process of...
(1959–62) led to famine in Tibet. "In some places, whole families have perished and the death rate is very high," according to a confidential report by the Panchen Lama sent to Chinese Premier
Zhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
in 1962. "In the past Tibet lived in a dark barbaric feudalism but there was never such a shortage of food, especially after Buddhism had spread....In Tibet from 1959 to 1961, for two years almost all animal husbandry and farming stopped. The nomads have no grain to eat and the farmers have no meat, butter or salt," the report said.
The
Central Tibetan AdministrationThe Central Tibetan Administration , officially the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a government in exile headed by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, which claims to be the rightful and legitimate government of Tibet...
states that the number that have died of starvation, violence, or other indirect causes since 1950 is approximately 1.2 million, which the Chinese Communist Party denies. The Chinese Communist Party(CCP)'s official toll of deaths recorded for the whole of China for the years of the Great Leap Forward is 14 million, but scholars have estimated the number of the famine victims to be between 20 and 43 million. According to
Patrick FrenchPatrick French is an English writer and historian. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh where he studied literature. His books includes a biography of Francis Younghusband, which won both the Somerset Maugham Award and the Royal Society of Literature W. H. Heinemann Prize; and a...
, former director of the
Free Tibet CampaignFree Tibet or Free Tibet Campaign is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 1987 and based in London, England that stands for the rights of Tibetans to determine their own future and campaigns for "an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the fundamental human rights of...
, the estimate of 1.2 million in Tibet is not reliable because Tibetans were not able to process the data well enough to produce a credible total. There were, however, many casualties, with a figure of 400,000 extrapolated from a calculation Warren W. Smith, a broadcaster of Radio Free Asia, made from census reports of Tibet which show 200,000 "missing" from Tibet.
The subsequent
Cultural RevolutionThe Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was a period of widespread social and political upheaval in the People’s Republic of China between 1966 and 1976, resulting in nation-wide chaos and economic disarray.It was launched by Mao Zedong, the chairman of the Communist Party of China, on May 16,...
was a catastrophe for Tibet and for the rest of the PRC. Large numbers of Tibetans died violent deaths due to the Cultural Revolution, and the number of intact monasteries in Tibet was reduced from thousands, to less than ten. Tibetan resentment towards the Chinese deepened. Tibetans participated in the destruction, but it is not clear how many of them actually embraced the Communist ideology, and how many participated out of fear of becoming targets themselves. Resistors against the Cultural Revolution included Thrinley Chodron, a nun from Nyemo, who led an armed rebellion that spread through eighteen xians (counties) of the TAR, targeting Chinese Party officials and Tibetan collaborators, that was ultimately suppressed by the PLA. Citing Tibetan Buddhist symbols which the rebels invoked, Shakya calls this 1969 revolt "a millenarian uprising, an insurgency characterized by a passionate desire to be rid of the oppressor."
Projects that the PRC government claims to have benefited Tibet as part of the
China Western DevelopmentChina Western Development , also China's Western Development, Western China Development, Great Western Development Strategy, or the Open Up the West Program is a policy adopted by the People's Republic of China to boost its less developed western regions.The policy covers 6 provinces , 5 autonomous...
economic plan, such as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, have roused fears of facilitating military mobilisation and Han migration. There is still ethnic imbalance in appointments and promotions to the civil and judicial services in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, with disproportionately few ethnic Tibetans appointed to these posts.
The PRC government claims that its rule over Tibet is an unalloyed improvement, and that the
China Western DevelopmentChina Western Development , also China's Western Development, Western China Development, Great Western Development Strategy, or the Open Up the West Program is a policy adopted by the People's Republic of China to boost its less developed western regions.The policy covers 6 provinces , 5 autonomous...
plan is a massive, benevolent, and patriotic undertaking by the wealthier eastern coast to help the western parts of China, including Tibet, catch up in prosperity and living standards. But foreign organizations continue to make occasional protests about aspects of CCP rule in Tibet because of frequent reports of human rights violation in Tibet by groups such as
Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto,...
. The government of the PRC maintains that the Tibetan Government did almost nothing to improve the Tibetans' material and political standard of life during its rule from 1913–59, and that they opposed any reforms proposed by the Chinese government. According to the Chinese government, this is the reason for the tension that grew between some central government officials and the local Tibetan government in 1959.
The government of the PRC also rejects claims that the lives of Tibetans have deteriorated, and states that the lives of Tibetans have been improved immensely compared to self rule before 1950. Despite these claims, some 3,000 Tibetans brave hardship and danger to flee into exile every year. (See also
Nangpa La shootingsThe Nangpa La shootings or Nangpa La massacre was a murder of unarmed Tibetan pilgrims attempting to leave Tibet via the Nangpa La pass by the Chinese Border Security police on September 30, 2006. It was confirmed that 2 were shot dead and 18 went missing, presumed dead. Nangpa La is a traditional...
.)
These claims are, however, disputed by many Tibetans. In 1989, the Panchen Lama, finally allowed to return to Shigatse, addressed a crowd of 30,000 and described what he saw as the suffering of Tibet and the harm being done to his country in the name of socialist reform under the rule of the PRC in terms reminiscent of the petition he had presented to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1962.
In 1995, the Dalai Lama named 6 year old
Gedhun Choekyi NyimaGedhun Choekyi Nyima is the eleventh Panchen Lama as interpreted by most Tibetan Buddhists. He was born in Lhari County, Tibet. On May 14, 1995, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was named the 11th Panchen Lama by the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. After he was nominated Panchen Lama, Chinese authorities had...
as the 11th Panchen Lama without the approval of the government of China, while the PRC named another child, Gyancain Norbu in conflict. Gyancain Norbu was raised in Beijing and has appeared occasionally on state media. The PRC-selected Panchen Lama is rejected by exiled Tibetans and anti-China groups who commonly refer to him as the "Panchen Zuma" (literally "fake Panchen Lama"). Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family have gone missing—believed by some to be imprisoned by China—and under a hidden identity for protection and privacy according to the PRC.
The Dalai Lama has stated his willingness to negotiate with the PRC government for genuine autonomy, but some groups, such as the Tibetan Youth Congress, still call for full Tibetan independence. The Tibetan government in exile sees the millions of government-imported Han immigrants and preferential socioeconomic policies, as presenting an urgent threat to the Tibetan nation and culture. Tibetan exile groups say that despite recent attempts to restore the appearance of original Tibetan culture to attract tourism, the traditional Tibetan way of life is now irrevocably changed.
Tashi WangdiTashi Wangdi is the Representative to the Americas for the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. He has held that position since April 16, 2005. Since 1966 he has served the Central Tibetan Administration, Tibet's government-in-exile...
, the Representative of the Dalai Lama, stated in an interview that China's Western China Development program "is providing facilities for the resettlement of
Han ChineseHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
in Tibet."
In 2001 representatives of Tibet succeeded in gaining accreditation at a United Nations-sponsored meeting of
non-governmental organizationNon-governmental organization is a term that has become widely accepted as referring to a legally constituted, non-governmental organization created by natural or legal persons with no participation or representation of any government...
s. On 29 August Jampal Chosang, the head of the Tibetan coalition, stated that China had introduced "a new form of apartheid" in Tibet because "Tibetan culture, religion, and national identity are considered a threat" to China.
In 2005, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao offered to hold talks with the 14th Dalai Lama on the Tibet issue, provided he dropped the demand for independence. The Dalai Lama said in an interview with the
South China Morning PostThe South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....
"We are willing to be part of the People's Republic of China, to have it govern and guarantee to preserve our Tibetan culture, spirituality and our environment." This statement was seen as a renewed diplomatic initiative by the Tibetan government-in-exile. He had already said he would accept Chinese sovereignty over Tibet but insisted on real autonomy over its religious and cultural life. The Tibetan government-in-exile called on the Chinese government to respond. Beijing has repeatedly rebuffed this offer, insisting that the Dalai Lama is intent on complete independence, or the splitting apart of China itself.
In January 2007 the Dalai Lama, in an interview on a private television channel, said, "what we demand from the Chinese authority is more autonomy for Tibetans to protect their culture". He added that he had told the Tibetan people not to think in terms of history and to accept Tibet as a part of China.
Talks between representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government began again in May 2008 and again in July, but with little results. The two sides agreed to meet again in October.
Republic of China (Taiwan) considers Tibet a part of mainland China, and continues to claim all of mainland China part of the territory of the ROC in its Constitution.
Geography
Most modern geographical sources consider Tibet to be located in
East AsiaEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically and geo-politically, it covers about , or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang,...
, while some (mostly European and American sources) have regarded Tibet as part of
Central AsiaAsia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south. It is also sometimes known as Middle Asia or Inner Asia, and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent.Various definitions of its...
; today's maps of the West show a trend toward considering all of modern China, including Tibet, to be part of
East AsiaEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically and geo-politically, it covers about , or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang,...
.Some academic institutions also include Tibet in their
South AsiaSouth Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east...
studies programs. Tibet is west of
China properChina proper refers to the historical lands of China where the Han Chinese are the majority ethnic group, in contrast with outer regions of China. Territories that have generally been considered outside China proper include Xinjiang , Tibet, part of Manchuria , and Inner Mongolia...
, and within
ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
, Tibet is regarded as part of 西部 (Xībù), a term usually translated by Chinese media as "the Western section", meaning "
Western ChinaWestern China refers to the western part of China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers six provinces: Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan; one municipality: Chongqing; and three autonomous regions: Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang.-Administrative...
".
Tibet has some of the world's tallest mountains, with several of them making the top ten list.
Mount EverestMount Everest – also called Sagarmāthā , Chomolungma or Qomolangma or Zhumulangma – is the highest mountain on Earth, and the highest point on the Earth's crust, as measured by the height above sea level of its summit,...
, at , is the
highest mountain on
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
, located on the border with
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. Several major rivers have their source in the Tibetan Plateau (mostly in present-day Qinghai Province). These include
YangtzeThe Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang , Tibetan: Bri-chu, is the longest river in China and Asia, and the third-longest in the world, after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon....
,
Yellow RiverThe Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at 5,464 kilometers . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into the Bohai Sea...
,
Indus RiverThe Indus River is the longest river in...
,
MekongThe Mekong River is one of the world’s major rivers. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. . Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of ....
, Ganges,
SalweenThe Salween River rises in Tibet , after which it flows through Yunnan, where it is known as the Nu river , although either name can be used for the whole river.-Geography:...
and the
Yarlung Zangbo RiverThe Yarlung Zangbo or Yarlung River , or Yalu Zangbu River , or Yarlung Tsangpo originates upstream from the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, in Tibet. It then passes through the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India, where it is known as the Dihang...
(
Brahmaputra RiverThe Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia.From its origin in southwestern Tibet as the Yarlung Zangbo River, it flows across southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great gorges and into Arunachal Pradesh where it is...
). The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, along the
Yarlung Zangbo RiverThe Yarlung Zangbo or Yarlung River , or Yalu Zangbu River , or Yarlung Tsangpo originates upstream from the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, in Tibet. It then passes through the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India, where it is known as the Dihang...
, is among the deepest and longest canyons in the world.
The Indus and Brahmaputra rivers originate from a lake (Tib: Tso Mapham) in Western Tibet, near
Mount KailashMount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...
. The mountain is a holy pilgrimage for both
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
s and Tibetans. The Hindus consider the mountain to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The Tibetan name for Mt. Kailash is Khang Rinpoche. Tibet has numerous high-altitude lakes referred to in Tibetan as
tso or
co. These include
Qinghai LakeQinghai Lake , historically known as Koko Nor or Kuku Nor , is a saline lake situated in the province of Qinghai, and is the largest lake in China. The names Qinghai and Kokonor both mean "Blue/Teal Sea" in Standard Mandarin and classical Mongolian...
,
Lake Manasarovar Manasa Sarovar or Lake Manas or Lake Manasa Sarovar is a fresh-water lake in Tibet Autonomous Region of China from Lhasa. To the west of Lake Manasa Sarovar is Lake Rakshastal and towards the north is Mount Kailash, known in Tibetan as Khang Rinpoche...
,
NamtsoNamtso is a mountain lake at the border between Damxung County of Lhasa Prefecture and Baingoin County of Nagqu Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, approximately 112 km [70 miles] NNW of Lhasa.- Geography and Climate :The lake lies at an elevation of 4,718 m, and has a surface...
,
Pangong TsoPangong Tso is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about . It is long and extends from India to China. 60% of the length of the lake lies in China. The lake is wide at its broadest point...
,
Yamdrok LakeYamdrok Lake is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet . It is over 72 km long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake does have an outlet stream at its far western end....
,
Siling CoSiling Co is a lake in central Tibet on the Tibetan plateau. Doijiang is located near the lake.-External links:**...
,
Lhamo La-tsoLhamo La-tso or Lhamo Latso , the small oval 'Oracle Lake', is where senior Tibetan monks go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions...
,
Lumajangdong CoLumajangdong Co is a lake in China with an area of 250 km². It is located at 34° 2' 0" and 81° 40' 0". Gormain lies a few miles to the northeast.-External links:* *...
,
Lake Puma YumcoLake Puma Yumco is a lake located at 5,030 meters above mean sea level on the southern Tibetan Plateau. It is 32 km long, and is 13 km wide. Streams of water from the snow-capped surrounding mountains feed the lake, but the lake has no outlet...
,
Lake PaikuLake Paiku is located on the Tibetan Plateau, “The Roof of the World”, at 4,591 meters . Lake Paiku is 27 km long and 6 km wide at its narrowest point. Surrounded by rugged mountains on three sides that reach altitudes in excess of 5,725 meters , numerous small streams drain into the lake...
,
Lake RakshastalLa'nga Co is a lake in Tibet, China, lying close to the west of Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash. The Satluj River originates at Rakshastal's northwestern tip...
,
Dagze CoDagze Co is one of many inland lakes in Tibet, with a present area of 260 km² . In glacial times, the region was considerably wetter, and lakes were correspondingly much larger. Changes in climate have resulted in greater aridity on the Tibetan Plateau...
and Dong Co. The Qinghai Lake (Koko Nor) is the largest lake in the People's Republic of China.
The atmosphere is severely dry nine months of the year, and average annual snowfall is only 18 inches, due to the
rain shadowA rain shadow is an area of land that has suffered desertification from proximity to mountain ranges. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them.-Description:...
effect whereby mountain ranges prevent moisture from the ocean from reaching the plateaus. Western passes receive small amounts of fresh snow each year but remain traversable all year round. Low temperatures are prevalent throughout these western regions, where bleak desolation is unrelieved by any vegetation beyond the size of low bushes, and where wind sweeps unchecked across vast expanses of arid plain. The Indian
monsoonA pennis is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by seasonal changes in precipitation, but now is used to describe seasonal changes atmospheric circulation and precipitation The major monsoon systems of the world consist of the African and Asia-Australian monsoons...
exerts some influence on eastern Tibet. Northern Tibet is subject to high temperatures in the summer and intense cold in the winter.
Cultural Tibet consists of several regions. These include
AmdoAmdo is one of the three traditional states of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river...
(
A mdo) in the northeast, which is under the administration as part of the provinces of
Qinghai' is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. It borders Gansu on the northeast, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.- History :Qinghai was only relatively recently made a province...
,
Gansu' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It lies between Quinghai, Inner Mongolia, and the Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang to the west. The Yellow River passes the southern part of the province. It has a population of nearly 31...
and
Sichuan' is a province in Southwestern China with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, 四川 , is an abbreviation of 四川路 , or "Four circuits of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from 川峡四路 , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the...
.
KhamKham , is a region presently divided between the Chinese provinces of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Sichuan where Khampas, a subgroup within the Tibetan ethnicity, live. It is also one of the three traditional provinces claimed by the Tibetan government-in-exile...
(
Khams) in the southeast, is divided among western Sichuan, northern
YunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately 394,000 square kilometers . The capital of the province is Kunming...
, southern Qinghai and the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Ü-TsangÜ-Tsang , or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the other two being Amdo and Kham...
(
dBus gTsang) (Ü in the center, Tsang in the center-west, and Ngari (
mNga' ris) in the far west) covered the central and western portion of Tibet Autonomous Region. The distribution of Amdo and eastern Kham into surrounding provinces was initiated by the
Yongzheng EmperorThe Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen was the fourth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimum expense...
during the 18th century and has been continuously maintained by successive Chinese governments.
The current effective eastern part of the boundary between China and India is the
McMahon LineThe McMahon Line is a line agreed to by British India and Tibet as part of Simla Accord, a treaty signed in 1914. Although its legal status is disputed, it is the effective boundary between China and India....
. South of the McMahon Line between China and India, the region popularly known in China as
South TibetSouth Tibet is the name used by the government of the People's Republic of China for a geographic area that is the focus of border dispute between India and the People's Republic of China...
, is claimed by People's Republic of China and the Republic of China as part of the
Tibet Autonomous RegionThe Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region , is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China .Within the People's Republic of China, Tibet is identified with the Autonomous Region, which includes about half of...
. It is currently administered by India as the majority part of the state of
Arunachal PradeshArunachal Pradesh is the easternmost state of India. Arunachal Pradesh borders with the Indian state of Assam to the south and Nagaland to the southeast. Burma/Myanmar lies towards the east, Bhutan towards the west, and its boundary with the People's Republic of China to the north is disputed and...
. Tibet Government in Lhasa altered its position on the McMahon Line in late 1947 when the local Tibetan government wrote a note presented to the newly independent Indian Ministry of External Affairs laying claims to the Tawang (inhabited by mostly ethnic Tibetans) south of the
McMahonMcMahon is an Irish surname. The McMahons rose to power in 1250 AD, in the Kingdom of Airgíalla, which roughly evolved into the present day County Monaghan...
Line. However, the current Tibet government in exile which was founded in 1959, does not include any area south of the McMahon line in their official claim of the territory of Tibet. It also accepts the McMahon Line as the official border between southeastern Tibet and India.
Tibetan cultural influences extend to the neighboring states of
BhutanThe Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the nearby state of Nepal to the west by...
,
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, regions of India such as
SikkimSikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India and the second-smallest in area after Goa. The thumb-shaped state borders Nepal in the west, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and the east and Bhutan in the southeast...
,
LadakhLadakh is a region situated in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south...
, Lahaul, and
Spiti-Geographical locations:*Lahaul and Spiti, a district in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India.*Spiti Valley, former heartland of the former Spiti district now combined.*Spiti River, in the Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh.*Spitia River-Language:...
, and adjacent provinces of China where
Tibetan BuddhismTibetan 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...
is the predominant religion.
Effects of Climate Warming
The Tibetan Plateau contains the world's third-largest store of ice. Qin Dahe, the former head of the China Meteorological Administration, said that the recent fast pace of melting and warmer temperatures will be good for agriculture and tourism in the short term; but issued a strong warning:
."Temperatures are rising four times faster than elsewhere in China, and the Tibetan glaciers are retreating at a higher speed than in any other part of the world." "In the short term, this will cause lakes to expand and bring floods and mudflows." "In the long run, the glaciers are vital lifelines for Asian rivers, including the Indus and the Ganges. Once they vanish, water supplies in those regions will be in peril."
Cities, towns and villages
There are over 800 settlements in Tibet,
LhasaLhasa, and sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. It is located at the foot of Mount Gephel....
is Tibet's traditional capital and the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa contains the world heritage site the
Potala PalaceThe Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, after an invasion and failed uprising in 1959...
and
NorbulingkaNorbulingka is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet which served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the PRC takeover in the late 1950s.The park was begun by the 7th Dalai Lama beginning in 1755...
, the residences of the
Dalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a lineage of religious officials of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. "Lama" is a general term referring to Tibetan Buddhist teachers...
. Lhasa contains a number of significant temples and monasteries which are deeply engrained in its history including
JokhangThe Jokhang, , also called the Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Tsuklakang , was the first Buddhist temple in Tibet, located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa...
and
Ramoche TempleRamoche Temple is a Buddhist monastery is considered the most important temple in Lhasa after the Jokhang Temple. Situated in the northwest of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, it is east of the Potala and north of the Jokhang, covering a total area of 4,000 square meters .-History:Ramoche is...
.
ShigatseShigatse or Rikaze , , is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, with a population of 80,000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
is the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region, west of Lhasa.
GyantseGyantse also spelled Gyangtse, Gyangdzê; is a town located in Gyangzê County, Shigatse Prefecture...
,
ChamdoChamdo , population about 86.280 in Kham in the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region, is Tibet's third largest city . It is located about 480 km from Lhasa, on the road the distance covers 1120 km or 1030 km...
are also amongst the largest.
Other cities in cultural Tibet include,
NagchuNagchu may refer to:*Nagchu Prefecture, prefecture in Tibet*Nagchu County, county in Tibet*Nagchu Town, town in Nachu County...
,
NyingchiNyingchi may refer to:*Nyingchi Prefecture, prefecture in Tibet*Nyingchi County, county in Tibet...
,
NedongNedong may refer to:*Nêdong County, county in Tibet*Nêdong , village in Tibet...
,
BarkamBarkam may refer to:*Barkam County, in Sichuan, China*Barkam , county seat of Barkam County...
, Sakya, Gartse, Pelbar,
LhatseThe new town of Lhatse or Lhatse Xian , is also known as Chusar , is a small town of a few thousand people in Tibet, 151 km southwest of Shigatse, and just west of the mountain pass leading to it. Lhatse is 4,050 m...
, and
TingriTingri or Dingri or Dhingri is a town in southern Tibet. It is in Tingri County, Shigatse Prefecture with a population of around 523...
; in
Sichuan' is a province in Southwestern China with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, 四川 , is an abbreviation of 四川路 , or "Four circuits of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from 川峡四路 , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the...
,
KangdingKangding or Dardo is the name of a county in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province, China. It is administrated at the city of Kangding...
(Dartsedo); in
Qinghai' is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. It borders Gansu on the northeast, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.- History :Qinghai was only relatively recently made a province...
, Jyekundo or Yushu, Machen, and
GolmudGolmud, sometimes spelled Ge'ermu or Geermu is a county-level city of Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, China...
. There is also a large Tibetan settlement in South India near Kushalanagara. India created this settlement for Tibetan refugees which had fled to India.
Economy
According to Chinese sources, Tibet Autonomous Region's GDP in 2001 was 13.9 billion yuan (USD1.8billion) The Central government exempts Tibet from all taxation and provides 90% of Tibet's government expenditures.. The Tibetan economy is dominated by
subsistence agricultureSubsistence agriculture is self-sufficient farming in which farmers grow only enough food to feed their family. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye toward what the family will need...
. Due to limited arable land, the primary occupation of the Tibetan Plateau is raising livestock, such as
sheepDomestic sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
,
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, goats, camels, yaks,
dzoA dzo is a hybrid of a yak and domestic cattle. The word dzo technically refers to a male hybrid, while a female is known as a dzomo or zhom. Alternative Romanizations of the Tibetan names include zho and zo. In Mongolian it is called khainag...
, and horses. The main crops grown are barley, wheat,
buckwheatBuckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus Eriogonum. The crop plant, common buckwheat, is Fagopyrum esculentum. Tartary buckwheat or "bitter buckwheat" is also used as a crop, but it is much less common...
, rye, potatoes, and assorted fruits and vegetables. As a result of being a subsistence agricultural society Tibet is ranked the lowest among China’s 31 provinces, on the Human Development Index according to UN Development Programme data.
In recent years, due to the increased interest in Tibetan Buddhism,
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
has become an increasingly important sector, and is actively promoted by the authorities. Tourism brings in the most income from the sale of handicrafts. These include Tibetan hats, jewelry (silver and gold), wooden items, clothing, quilts, fabrics,
Tibetan rugTibetan rug making is an ancient, traditional craft. Tibetan rugs are traditionally made from Tibetan highland sheep's wool, called changpel. Tibetans use rugs for many purposes ranging from flooring to wall hanging to horse saddles, though the most common use is as a seating carpet...
s and carpets. The Tibetan economy is heavily subsidized by the Central government and government cadres receive the second-highest salaries in China.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway linking the region to
Qinghai' is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. It borders Gansu on the northeast, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.- History :Qinghai was only relatively recently made a province...
in
China properChina proper refers to the historical lands of China where the Han Chinese are the majority ethnic group, in contrast with outer regions of China. Territories that have generally been considered outside China proper include Xinjiang , Tibet, part of Manchuria , and Inner Mongolia...
was opened in 2006. The Chinese government claims that the line will promote the development of impoverished Tibet. Opponents argue the railway will harm Tibet. For instance, Tibetan opponents contend that it would only draw more Han Chinese residents, the country's dominant ethnic group, who have been migrating steadily to Tibet over the last decade, bringing with them their popular culture. Opponents believe that the large influx of Han Chinese will ultimately extinguish the local culture.
Other opponents argue that the railway will damage Tibet's fragile ecology and that most of its economic benefits will go to migrant Han Chinese. As activists call for a boycott of the railway, the Dalai Lama has urged Tibetans to "wait and see" what benefits the new line might bring to them. According to the Government-in-exile's spokesmen, the Dalai Lama welcomes the building of the railway, "conditioned on the fact that the railroad will bring benefit to the majority of Tibetans."
In January 2007, the Chinese government issued a report outlining the discovery of a large mineral deposit under the
Tibetan PlateauThe Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Tibel-Qingai Plateau or Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in China and Ladakh in Kashmir, India...
. The deposit has an estimated value of $128 billion and may double Chinese reserves of zinc, copper, and lead. The Chinese government sees this as a way to alleviate the nation's dependence on foreign mineral imports for its growing economy. However, critics worry that mining these vast resources will harm Tibet's fragile ecosystem and undermine Tibetan culture.
On January 15, 2009, China announced the construction of Tibet’s first
expresswayAn expressway is a divided highway for high-speed traffic with at least partial control of access. The degree of access allowed varies between countries and even between regions within the same country. In some jurisdictions, expressways are divided arterial roads with limits on the frequency of...
, a 37.9-kilometre stretch of road in southwestern Lhasa. The project will cost 1.55 billion
yuanThe yuan is, in the Chinese language, the base unit of a number of modern Chinese currencies. The same character is used to refer to the cognate currency units of Japan and Korea, and is used to translate the currency unit "dollar"; for example, the US dollar is called Meiyuan , or "American...
(
$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
227 million).
Demographics
Historically, the population of Tibet consisted of primarily ethnic
TibetansThe Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper in the East and India, Nepal and Bhutan to the south.-Demographics:...
and some other ethnic groups. According to tradition the original ancestors of the Tibetan people, as represented by the six red bands in the Tibetan flag, are: the Se, Mu, Dong, Tong, Dru and Ra. Other traditional ethnic groups with significant population or with the majority of the ethnic group reside in Tibet (excluding disputed area with India) include Bai people,
BlangThe Blang people are an ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China.- Language :...
,
BonanThe Bonan people are an ethnic group living in Gansu and Qinghai provinces in northwestern China...
,
DongxiangThe Dongxiang people are one of 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
,
HanHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
, Hui Chinese,
LhobaLhoba is a term of obscure origin which has come to apply to a diverse amalgamation of Tibeto-Burman tribespeople living in and around "Pemako" , including Mainling, Medog, Zayü counties of Nyingchi Prefecture and Lhünzê County of Shannan Prefecture...
, Lisu people,
MiaoThe Miao are a linguistically and culturally related group of people recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups...
,
MongolsThe name Mongol specifies one or several ethnic groups, now mainly located in Mongolia, China, and Russia.-Definition:...
, Monguor (Tu people),
Menba (Monpa)The Monpa is currently one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China. Most Monpas live in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of 50,000, centered in the districts of Tawang and West Kameng. Around 25,000 Monpas can be found in the district of Cuona in the Tibet...
,
MosuoThe Mosuo are a small ethnic group living in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces in China, close to the border with Tibet. Consisting of a population of 50,000, most of them are found near Lugu Lake, high in the Tibetan Himalayas .Although culturally distinct from the Nakhi, the Chinese government places...
,
NakhiThe Nakhi are an ethnic group inhabiting the foothills of the Himalayas in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, as well as the southwestern part of Sichuan Province in China....
, Qiang,
Nu peopleThe Nu people are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. Their population of 27,000 is divided into the Northern, Central and Southern groups. Their homeland is a country of high mountains and deep ravines crossed by the Lancang, Dulong and Nujiang...
,
PumiThe Pumi people are an ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China....
,
SalarSalar people are a Turkic people. Their language belongs to the Oghuz group, along with the Turkish language and Turkmen language....
, and
Yi peopleThe Yi people are a modern ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand...
.
The issue of the proportion of the
Han ChineseHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
population in Tibet is a politically sensitive one and is disputed. The Central Tibetan Administration, an exile group, says that the PRC has actively swamped Tibet with Han Chinese migrants in order to alter Tibet's demographic makeup.
View of the Tibetan exile community
Between the 1960s and 1980s, many political prisoners from other parts of China (over 1 million, according to
Harry WuHarry Wu is an activist for human rights in the People's Republic of China. Now a resident and citizen of the United States, Wu spent 19 years in Chinese labor camps, for which he popularized the term laogai. In 1996 the Columbia Human Rights Law Review awarded Wu its second Award for Leadership...
) were sent to
laogaiLaogai , the abbreviation for Láodòng Gǎizào , which means "reform through labor," is a slogan of the Chinese criminal justice system and has been used to refer to the use of prison labor and prison farms in the People's Republic of China . It is estimated that in the last 50 years more than 50...
(or "reform through labor")
camps in
Qinghai' is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. It borders Gansu on the northeast, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.- History :Qinghai was only relatively recently made a province...
. Furthermore, an official report sent by the Panchen Lama to Premier
Zhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
in 1962 details an "evident and severe reduction in the present-day Tibetan population" due to deaths from battle, imprisonment, and starvation. In 1987, the Panchen Lama delivered a speech estimating the number of prison deaths in Qinghai at approximately 5 percent of the total population in the area.
Since the 1980s, increasing economic liberalization and internal mobility has also resulted in the influx of many
Han ChineseHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
into Tibet for work or settlement, though the actual number of this floating population remains disputed.
The Government of Tibet in Exile claims that non-ethnic Tibetans (including
Han ChineseHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
and
HuiThe Hui people are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam.Hui is the abbreviation of the full name Huihui "回回", which is the diminutive form of HuiE "回纥 / 回鶻". They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
Muslims) outnumber ethnic Tibetans in the Tibetan region. This statistic is in dispute primarily based on the distinction between Greater Tibet, in which ethnic Tibetans are no longer a majority, and the
Tibet Autonomous RegionThe Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region , is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China .Within the People's Republic of China, Tibet is identified with the Autonomous Region, which includes about half of...
, in which ethnic Tibetans retain a majority. The Government of Tibet in Exile also disputes most demographic statistics released by the PRC government since they do not include members of the
People's Liberation ArmyThe People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on 1 August 1927—celebrated annually as "PLA Day"—as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
garrisoned in Tibet, or the large floating population of unregistered migrants As a result, the Government of Tibet in Exile claims that this changing demographic situation is a result of an active policy of swamping the Tibetan people and further diminishing any chances of Tibetan political independence.
Referencing the population figures of
LhasaLhasa, and sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. It is located at the foot of Mount Gephel....
, the
Dalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a lineage of religious officials of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. "Lama" is a general term referring to Tibetan Buddhist teachers...
has recently accused China of "demographic aggression" while stating that the Tibetans had been reduced to a minority "in his homeland". Exiled Tibetans have also expressed concern that the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (
XiningXining in Chinese or Silung in Tibetan is the capital of Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China.-Geography:...
to
LhasaLhasa, and sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. It is located at the foot of Mount Gephel....
) is intended to further facilitate the influx of Chinese migrants.
The Government of Tibet in Exile quotes an issue of
People's DailyThe People's Daily , a daily newspaper, is the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. In addition to its main Chinese-language edition, it has editions in English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic...
published in 1959 to claim that the Tibetan population has dropped significantly since 1959. According to the article, figures from the National Bureau of Statistics of the PRC show that the autonomous region of Tibet was populated by persons. In the Tibetan sectors of
KhamKham , is a region presently divided between the Chinese provinces of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Sichuan where Khampas, a subgroup within the Tibetan ethnicity, live. It is also one of the three traditional provinces claimed by the Tibetan government-in-exile...
, Tibetans were counted. In Qinghai and other Tibetan sectors that are incorporated in
Gansu' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It lies between Quinghai, Inner Mongolia, and the Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang to the west. The Yellow River passes the southern part of the province. It has a population of nearly 31...
, Tibetans were counted. According to the total of these three numbers, the Tibetan population attained in 1959.
In 2000, the number of Tibetans as a whole of these regions was about according to National Bureau of Statistics.
The Government of Tibet in Exile claims that a comparison of these statistics originating from National Bureau of Statistics shows that between 1959 and 2000, the Tibetan population decreased by about one million, a 15% decline. During the same period, the Chinese population doubled, and the worldwide population increased by 3-fold. This analysis gives an additional argument concerning the estimation of the number of Tibetan deaths during the period between 1959 and 1979. It also suggests the existence of a demographic deficit of the Tibetan population and the precise time course and causes must be specified.
The accuracy of this 1959 Tibetan population estimate quoted by the Government of Tibet in Exile is in conflict with the findings of the 1954 Chinese census report. The census states that the total population of the autonomous region of Tibet was 1,273,969; the total population of Kham was 3,381,064; and the total population of Qinghai was 1,675,534. These numbers were taken by the Government of Tibet in Exile as the population of Tibetans in each province. However, in all of these provinces, Tibetans were not the only traditional ethnic group. Especially in Qinghai, which has a historical mixture of different groups of ethnics. In 1949, Han Chinese made up 48.3% of the population, the rest of the ethnic groups make up 51.7% of the 1.5 million total population. As of today, Han Chinese account for 54% of the total population of Qinghai, which is slightly higher than in 1949. Tibetans make up around 20% of the population of Qinghai.
View of the People's Republic of China
The PRC also does not recognize Greater Tibet as claimed by the government of Tibet in Exile. The PRC government claims that the ethnically Tibetan areas outside the TAR were not controlled by the Tibetan government before 1959 in the first place, having been administered instead by other surrounding provinces for centuries. It further alleges that the idea of "Greater Tibet" was originally engineered by foreign
imperialistsImperialism, as defined by the dictionary of human geography, is “the creation and maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural and territorial relationship, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination.” Imperialism, in many ways, is described...
in order to divide China amongst themselves (
MongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 24 miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator,...
being a striking precedent, gaining independence with
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
backing and subsequently aligning itself with the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
).
The PRC gives the number of Tibetans in
Tibet Autonomous RegionThe Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region , is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China .Within the People's Republic of China, Tibet is identified with the Autonomous Region, which includes about half of...
as 2.4 million, as opposed to 190,000 non-Tibetans, and the number of Tibetans in all Tibetan autonomous entities combined (slightly smaller than the Greater Tibet claimed by exiled Tibetans) as 5.0 million, as opposed to 2.3 million non-Tibetans. In the TAR itself, much of the Han population is to be found in
LhasaLhasa, and sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. It is located at the foot of Mount Gephel....
. Population control policies like the
one-child policyThe one-child policy is the population control policy of the People's Republic of China . The Chinese government refers to it under the official translation of family planning policy...
only apply to
Han ChineseHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
, not to minorities such as Tibetans .
Jampa Phuntsok, chairman of the TAR, has also said that the central government has no policy of migration into Tibet due to its harsh high-altitude conditions, that the 6% Han in the TAR is a very fluid group mainly doing business or working, and that there is no immigration problem. (This report includes both permanent and temperature residences in Tibet, but excludes Tibetans studying or working outside of TAR) By 2006, 3% of the permanent residences in Tibet are of Han ethnic, according to National Bureau of Statistics of China.
With regards to the historical population of ethnic Tibetans, the Chinese government claims that according to the First National Census conducted in 1954, there were 2,770,000 ethnic Tibetans in China, including 1,270,000 in the TAR; whereas in the Fourth National Census conducted in 1990, there were 4,590,000 ethnic Tibetans in China, including 2,090,000 in the TAR. These figures are used to advance the claim that the Tibetan population has doubled since 1951.
This table includes all Tibetan autonomous entities in the PRC, plus Xining PLC and Haidong P. The latter two are included to complete the figures for Qinghai province, and also because they are claimed as parts of Greater Tibet by the Government of Tibet in exile.
P = Prefecture; AP = Autonomous prefecture; PLC = Prefecture-level city; AC = Autonomous county.
Excludes members of the
People's Liberation ArmyThe People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on 1 August 1927—celebrated annually as "PLA Day"—as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
in active service.
| Major ethnic groups in Greater Tibet by region, 2000 census. |
|
Total |
Tibetans |
Han ChineseHan Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the...
|
others |
Tibet Autonomous RegionThe Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region , is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China .Within the People's Republic of China, Tibet is identified with the Autonomous Region, which includes about half of...
: |
2,616,329 |
2,427,168 |
92.8% |
158,570 |
6.1% |
30,591 |
1.2% |
- LhasaLhasa, and sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. It is located at the foot of Mount Gephel....
PLC |
474,499 |
387,124 |
81.6% |
80,584 |
17.0% |
6,791 |
1.4% |
| - Qamdo Prefecture Qamdo Prefecture is a subnational entity in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, containing the town of Chamdo...
|
586,152 |
563,831 |
96.2% |
19,673 |
3.4% |
2,648 |
0.5% |
| - Shannan Prefecture Shannan Prefecture is a prefecture in the Southeastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It means 'South of the Mountains' in Chinese. It contains the ancient region of Yarlong, the birthplace of Tibetan civilisation.As of 2002 it has a population of 320,000 and an area of 79.699 km²...
|
318,106 |
305,709 |
96.1% |
10,968 |
3.4% |
1,429 |
0.4% |
- Xigazê PrefectureXigazê is a prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region in China.The administrative center of the prefecture is the city of Shigatse ....
|
634,962 |
618,270 |
97.4% |
12,500 |
2.0% |
4,192 |
0.7% |
| - Nagqu Prefecture Nagqu Prefecture ; ; Wylie: Nag-chu Sa-khul; simplified Chinese: 那曲地区; pinyin: Nàqū Dìqū) is the largest prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region. As of 2001 Nagqu has a population of 363,000 and has a total area of 450,537 km²...
|
366,710 |
357,673 |
97.5% |
7,510 |
2.0% |
1,527 |
0.4% |
| - Ngari Prefecture Ngari Prefecture is a prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Its capital is Gar County. Its regional headquarters is in the town of Purang. The biggest town is Ali...
|
77,253 |
73,111 |
94.6% |
3,543 |
4.6% |
599 |
0.8% |
| - Nyingchi Prefecture Nyingchi Prefecture is a prefecture in southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region in western China...
|
158,647 |
121,450 |
76.6% |
23,792 |
15.0% |
13,405 |
8.4% |
Qinghai' is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. It borders Gansu on the northeast, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.- History :Qinghai was only relatively recently made a province...
Province: |
4,822,963 |
1,086,592 |
22.5% |
2,606,050 |
54.0% |
1,130,321 |
23.4% |
- XiningXining in Chinese or Silung in Tibetan is the capital of Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China.-Geography:...
PLC |
1,849,713 |
96,091 |
5.2% |
1,375,013 |
74.3% |
378,609 |
20.5% |
| - Haidong Prefecture Haidong is the prefecture of Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China...
|
1,391,565 |
128,025 |
9.2% |
783,893 |
56.3% |
479,647 |
34.5% |
| - Haibei AP Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture of Qinghai province in China. The prefecture has an area of 39,354 km² and its capital is Haiyan County...
|
258,922 |
62,520 |
24.1% |
94,841 |
36.6% |
101,561 |
39.2% |
| - Huangnan AP Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture of Qinghai province in China...
|
214,642 |
142,360 |
66.3% |
16,194 |
7.5% |
56,088 |
26.1% |
| - Hainan AP Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture of Qinghai province in China. The prefecture has an area of 45,895 km² and its capital is Gonghe County...
|
375,426 |
235,663 |
62.8% |
105,337 |
28.1% |
34,426 |
9.2% |
| - Golog AP Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture of Qinghai province in China...
|
137,940 |
126,395 |
91.6% |
9,096 |
6.6% |
2,449 |
1.8% |
- Gyêgu APYushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Qinghai...
|
262,661 |
255,167 |
97.1% |
5,970 |
2.3% |
1,524 |
0.6% |
| - Haixi AP Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Qinghai. Haixi has an area of 325,785 km² and its capital is Delingha...
|
332,094 |
40,371 |
12.2% |
215,706 |
65.0% |
76,017 |
22.9% |
Tibetan areas in Sichuan' is a province in Southwestern China with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, 四川 , is an abbreviation of 四川路 , or "Four circuits of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from 川峡四路 , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the...
province |
- Ngawa APThe Ngawa Watusi Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan, whose capital is Barkam town...
|
847,468 |
455,238 |
53.7% |
209,270 |
24.7% |
182,960 |
21.6% |
- Garzê APGarzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan whose capital is Kangding...
|
897,239 |
703,168 |
78.4% |
163,648 |
18.2% |
30,423 |
3.4% |
| - Muli AC Muli Tibetan Autonomous County is in the Liangshan prefecture of Sichuan province in China. It is a remote, mountainous and forested region with few roads. The highest peaks are nearly 6000 metres in height...
|
124,462 |
60,679 |
48.8% |
27,199 |
21.9% |
36,584 |
29.4% |
Tibetan areas in YunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately 394,000 square kilometers . The capital of the province is Kunming...
province |
| - Dêqên AP Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Yunnan...
|
353,518 |
117,099 |
33.1% |
57,928 |
16.4% |
178,491 |
50.5% |
Tibetan areas in Gansu' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It lies between Quinghai, Inner Mongolia, and the Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang to the west. The Yellow River passes the southern part of the province. It has a population of nearly 31...
province |
| - Gannan AP Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southern Gansu Province, China. It includes Xiahe and the Labrang Monastery, Luqu, Maqu, and other mostly Tibetan towns and villages...
|
640,106 |
329,278 |
51.4% |
267,260 |
41.8% |
43,568 |
6.8% |
| - Tianzhu AC Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County ) is in the prefecture-level city of Wuwei in the Chinese province of Gansu. It has an area of 7,147km² and approximately 230,000 inhabitants...
|
221,347 |
66,125 |
29.9% |
139,190 |
62.9% |
16,032 |
7.2% |
| Total for Greater Tibet: |
| With Xining and Haidong |
10,523,432 |
5,245,347 |
49.8% |
3,629,115 |
34.5% |
1,648,970 |
15.7% |
| Without Xining and Haidong |
7,282,154 |
5,021,231 |
69.0% |
1,470,209 |
20.2% |
790,714 |
10.9% |
See also:
Tibetan diasporaThe Tibetan diaspora or Tibetan exodus refers to the exodus of the Tibetan people that followed the 1959 Tibetan uprising, with the result that Tibetans are living outside their original homelands in Greater Tibet, as a result of the Chinese invasion in Tibet.From 1959 to 1960, about 80,000...
Human rights
According to the website of the non-governmental organization Save Tibet, the Tibetan people are denied most rights guaranteed in the
Universal Declaration of Human RightsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Guinness Book of Records describes the UDHR as the "Most Translated Document" in the world...
, including the rights to self-determination, freedom of speech, assembly, movement, expression, and travel. Elliot Sperling, an Associate Professor of Tibetan Studies at Indiana University, in a statement to the Human Rights Watch, introduced his new book that graphically detailed the exile of Tibet today and the role human rights violations played in forcing many Tibetans to leave their homeland.
According to the Chinese government, the human rights situation in Tibet has been greatly improved, especially emphasized is the emancipation of millions of
serfA spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
s and slaves in Tibet in late 1950s.
Amnesty International has stated that political prisoners are often tortured, sometimes fatally. Unofficial sources report that since 1987, at least 41 Tibetans throughout Tibet are recorded as having died as a result of torture in prisons or shortly after release.
Journalist Thomas Laird claims that there is no evidence to support China's claim that Tibet is autonomous, as all local legislation is subject to approval of the central government in Beijing.
The Tibetan exile government claims that China does not allow independent human rights organisations into Tibet, and foreign delegations invited to Tibet are denied independent access to meet with Tibetans. The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy claims that more than 11,000 monks and nuns have been expelled from Tibet since 1996 for opposing "patriotic re-education" sessions conducted at monasteries and nunneries under the "Strike Hard" campaign.
Thomas Laird also claims that China continues to encourage the transfer of Chinese settlers into Tibet.
Transnational Radical PartyThe Transnational Radical Party is a political association of citizens, parliamentarians and members of government of various national and political backgrounds who intend to use nonviolent means to create an effective body of international law with respect for individuals and the...
claims this threatens the survival of the Tibetan racial, cultural and national identity.
The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy claims that unemployment among Tibetans is high. It also considers the taxation system to be arbitrary, which further exacerbates the conditions of poverty for Tibetans in rural areas.
The Tibet Intergroup of the
European ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the Union's institutions and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
has around 100 MEPs as members.
Culture
Tibetan Buddhism
ReligionA religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
and spirituality is extremely important to the Tibetans and has a strong influence over all aspects of lives; ingrained deeply into their cultural heritage. Bön is the ancient traditional religion of Tibet, but following the introduction of Tantric Buddhism into Tibet by
PadmasambhavaPadmasambhava , The Lotus Born, was an Indian sage Guru and is said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century. In those lands he is better known as Guru Rinpoche or Lopon Rinpoche, where followers of the Nyingma school regard him as the second Buddha...
this became eclipsed by
Tibetan BuddhismTibetan 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...
, a distinctive form of
VajrayanaVajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle. The period of Vajrayana Buddhism has been classified as the fifth or final period of Indian Buddhism...
. Tibetan Buddhism is practiced not only in Tibet but also in
MongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 24 miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator,...
, parts of northern India, the Buryat Republic, the Tuva Republic, and in the Republic of Kalmykia and some other areas in China besides the Tibet region. As every where in China was undergoing
Cultural RevolutionThe Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was a period of widespread social and political upheaval in the People’s Republic of China between 1966 and 1976, resulting in nation-wide chaos and economic disarray.It was launched by Mao Zedong, the chairman of the Communist Party of China, on May 16,...
, there were over 6,000
monasteries and convents in Tibet, and nearly all but a handful were ransacked and destroyed by the
Red Guards-Communist uses:*Red Guards , during the Finnish Civil War*Red Guards , during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Civil War*Red Guards , in the Bavarian Soviet Republic...
, including Tibetan Red Guards. A few monasteries have begun to rebuild since the 1980s (with limited support from the Chinese government) and greater religious freedom has been granted – although it is still limited. Monks returned to monasteries cross Tibet and monastic education resumed even though the number of monks imposed is strictly limited.
Tibetan Buddhism has four main traditions (the suffix
pa is comparable to "er" in English):
- Gelug(pa)
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
, Way of Virtue, also known casually as Yellow Hat, whose spiritual head is the Ganden TripaThe Ganden Tripa or Gaden Tripa is the title of the spiritual leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, the school which controlled central Tibet from the mid-1600s until 1950s. He is identical with the respective abbot of Ganden Monastery...
and whose temporal, the Dalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a lineage of religious officials of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. "Lama" is a general term referring to Tibetan Buddhist teachers...
. Successive Dalai Lamas ruled Tibet from the mid-17th to mid-20th centuries. This order was founded in the 14th to 15th century by Je TsongkhapaTsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
, based on the foundations of the KadampaThe Kadampa tradition was a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist school. Dromtönpa, a Tibetan lay master and the foremost disciple of the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha , founded it and passed three lineages to his disciples. The Kadampas were quite famous and respected for their proper and earnest...
tradition. Tsongkhapa was renowned for both his scholasticism and his virtue. The Dalai Lama belongs to the Gelugpa school, and is regarded as the embodiment of the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
- Kagyu(pa)
The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today one of four main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other three being the Nyingma , Sakya , and Gelug...
, Oral Lineage. This contains one major subsect and one minor subsect. The first, the Dagpo Kagyu, encompasses those Kagyu schools that trace back to GampopaGampopa "the man from Gampo" — who was equally well known in Tibet as Sonam Rinchen , Dagpo Lhaje , Nyamed Dakpo Rinpoche , and Da'od Zhonnu , — establishedthe Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism today, as...
. In turn, the Dagpo Kagyu consists of four major sub-sects: the Karma KagyuKarma Kagyu , or Kamtsang, is the largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu is the Gyalwa Karmapa. The Karma Kagyu are sometimes called the "Black Hat", in reference to the Black Crown worn by the...
, headed by a KarmapaThe Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....
, the Tsalpa Kagyu, the Barom Kagyu, and Pagtru Kagyu. There are further eight minor sub-sects, all of which trace their root to Pagtru Kagyu. Among the eight sub-sects the most notable of are the Drikung Kagyu and the Drukpa Kagyu. The once-obscure Shangpa KagyuThe Shangpa Kagyu is known as the "secret" lineage and differs in origin from the better known Dagpo Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Dagpo Kagyud come from the lineage of Tilopa whereas the Shangpa lineage descends from his consort Niguma...
, which was famously represented by the 20th century teacher Kalu RinpocheKyabje Kalu Rinpoche was a Buddhist meditation master, scholar and teacher. He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West....
, traces its history back to the Indian master Niguma, sister of Kagyu lineage holder NaropaNāropā or Naropa was an Indian Buddhist yogi, mystic and monk. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma . Naropa was the main teacher of Marpa, the founder of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism...
. This is an oral tradition which is very much concerned with the experiential dimension of meditation. Its most famous exponent was Milarepa, an eleventh century mystic.
- Nyingma(pa)
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as the "school of the ancient translations" or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into...
, The Ancient Ones. This is the oldest, the original order founded by PadmasambhavaPadmasambhava , The Lotus Born, was an Indian sage Guru and is said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century. In those lands he is better known as Guru Rinpoche or Lopon Rinpoche, where followers of the Nyingma school regard him as the second Buddha...
.
- Sakya(pa)
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
, Grey Earth, headed by the Sakya TrizinSakya Trizin means "Sakya Throne Holder" in the Tibetan language. It is the traditional title of the head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism.The Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism was founded in 1073, when Khon Konchog Gyalpo, a member of Tibet’s noble Khön family, established a monastery in the...
, founded by Khon Konchog Gyalpo, a disciple of the great translator Drokmi Lotsawa. Sakya PanditaSakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen or Kunga Gylatshan Pal Zangpo was a Tibetan spiritual leader and Buddhist scholar and the fourth of the Five Venerable Supreme Sakya Masters of Tibet. Kunga Gyeltsen is generally known simply as Sakya Pandita, a title given to him in recognition of his scholarly...
1182–1251CE was the great grandson of Khon Konchog Gyalpo. This school very much represents the scholarly tradition.
Islam
Muslims have been living in Tibet since as early as the eighth or ninth century. In Tibetan cities, there are small communities of Muslims, known as Kachee (Kache), who trace their origin to immigrants from three main regions: Kashmir (Kachee Yul in ancient Tibetan), Ladakh and the Central Asian Turkic countries. Islamic influence in Tibet also came from Persia. After 1959 a group of Tibetan Muslims made a case for Indian nationality based on their historic roots to Kashmir and the Indian government declared all Tibetan Muslims Indian citizens later on that year. Other Muslim ethnic groups who have long inhabited Tibet include
HuiThe Hui people are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam.Hui is the abbreviation of the full name Huihui "回回", which is the diminutive form of HuiE "回纥 / 回鶻". They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
,
SalarSalar people are a Turkic people. Their language belongs to the Oghuz group, along with the Turkish language and Turkmen language....
,
DongxiangThe Dongxiang people are one of 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
and
BonanThe Bonan people are an ethnic group living in Gansu and Qinghai provinces in northwestern China...
. There is also a well established Chinese Muslim community (gya kachee), which traces its ancestry back to the
HuiThe Hui people are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam.Hui is the abbreviation of the full name Huihui "回回", which is the diminutive form of HuiE "回纥 / 回鶻". They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
ethnic group of China.
Christianity
The first Christians to reach Tibet were undoubtedly Nestorians of whom various remains and inscriptions have been found in Tibet and they were also present at the imperial camp of
Möngke KhanMöngke Khan, also transliterated as Mongke, Mongka, Möngka, Mangu or Mangku , was the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1251 to 1259. He was the first Great Khan from the Toluid line. Under Möngke, the Mongols conquered Iraq and Syria as well as the Tai kingdom of Nan-chao and the area of...
at Shira Ordo where they debated in 1256 with
Karma PakshiKarma Pakshi was the 2nd Gyalwa Karmapa. He was a child prodigy who had already acquired a broad understanding of Dharma philosophy and meditation by the age of ten. His teacher, Pomdrakpa, had received the full Kagyu transmission from Drogon Rechen, the first Karmapa's spiritual heir...
(1204/6-83), head of the
Karma KagyuKarma Kagyu , or Kamtsang, is the largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu is the Gyalwa Karmapa. The Karma Kagyu are sometimes called the "Black Hat", in reference to the Black Crown worn by the...
order.
Roman Catholic Jesuits and Capuchins arrived from Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Some scholars believe Portuguese missionaries Jesuit Father
Antonio de AndradeFather António de Andrade , was a Jesuit priest and explorer from Portugal. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1596. From 1600 to 1624 he was the chief missionary in the Indies.-Life:...
and Brother Manuel Marques first reached the kingdom of
GeluGelu may refer to:*Gelu, Nepal* Gelu, Satu Mare, Romania* Gelu, Timiş, Romania* Gelou, 10th century leader of the Vlachs and Slavs in Transylvania* Jacques Gelu, French 15th century cardinal associated with the Ancient Diocese of Embrun...
in western Tibet in 1624 and was welcomed by the royal family who allowed them to build a church later on. By 1627, there were about a hundred local converts in the Guge kingdom. Later on, Christianity was introduced to
RudokRudok is a small town on the Ladakh frontier of Tibet. Rudok is picturesquely situated on the side of a hill standing isolated in the plain near the east end of Lake Pangong in Ladakh. Historically an integral part of Ladakh, it is also greographically and culturally a part of Ladakh. The houses...
,
LadakhLadakh is a region situated in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south...
and Tsang and was welcomed by the ruler of the Tsang kingdom, where Andrade and his fellows established a Jesuit outpost at Shigatse in 1626. Some sources suggest the First Jesuit missionary is
Johann GrueberJohann Grueber was an Austrian Jesuit missionary and astronomer in China, and noted explorer.-Life:...
who, circa 1656, crossed Tibet from Sining to Lhasa (where he spent a month), before heading on to Nepal. He was followed by others who actually built a church in Lhasa. These included the Jesuit Father
Ippolito DesideriIppolito Desideri was an Italian Jesuit missionary in Tibet and the first European documented to have engaged in comprehending Tibetan language and culture.-Journey to Tibet:...
, 1716–1721, and various Capuchins in 1707–1711, 1716–1733 and 1741–1745, Christianity was used by some Tibetan monarchs and their courts and the
KarmapaThe Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....
sect lamas to counterbalance the influence of the Gelugpa sect in the seventeenth century until in 1745 when all the missionaries were expelled at the lama's insistence.
In 1877, the Protestant James Cameron from the
China Inland MissionOMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June, 1865.-Overview:...
walked from
ChongqingChongqing is the largest and most populated municipality of the People's Republic of China's four provincial-level municipalities. It is also the only one of these municipalities in the western region of China...
to
BatangBatang may refer to:* Batang Regency, regency in Central Java province, Indonesia* Batang, Batang, capital of Batang Regency* Batang County, county in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China* Batang Town, town in Batang County, China....
in
Garzê Tibetan Autonomous PrefectureGarzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan whose capital is Kangding...
, Sichuan Provnice, and "brought the Gospel to the Tibetan people." Beginning in the 20th century, in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, a large number of Lisu people and some Yi and Nu people converted to
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
. Famous earlier missionaries include
James O. FraserJames Outram Fraser was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China with the China Inland Mission. He pioneered work among the Lisu people of Southwestern China in the early part of the 20th century.- First years in Yunnan:...
,
Alfred James BroomhallAlfred James Broomhall , a.k.a. A. J. Broomhall, was a British Protestant Christian medical missionary to China, and author and historian of the China Inland Mission .-Chinese Roots:“Jim” Broomhall was born in Chefoo , Shandong, China, in 1911,...
and Isobel Kuhn of the China Inland Mission, among others who were active in this area.
- "Though seventeenth and eighteenth-century Catholic missionary efforts in western and central Tibet had no appreciable legacy, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Christianity made some inroads among Tibetans in the peripheral regions of Kham
Kham , is a region presently divided between the Chinese provinces of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Sichuan where Khampas, a subgroup within the Tibetan ethnicity, live. It is also one of the three traditional provinces claimed by the Tibetan government-in-exile...
, AmdoAmdo is one of the three traditional states of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river...
, and LadakhLadakh is a region situated in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south...
."
Buddhist monasteries in Tibet
Tibetan art
Tibetan representations of art are intrinsically bound with
Tibetan BuddhismTibetan 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...
and commonly depict deities or variations of
BuddhaSiddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher in the north eastern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is regarded by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha of our age. The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c...
in various forms from bronze Buddhist statues and shrines, to highly colorful
thangkaA "Thangka," also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka" is a painted or embroidered Buddhist banner which was hung in a monastery or a family altar and occasionally carried by monks in ceremonial processions...
paintings and
mandalaMandala is a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism...
s.
Architecture
Tibetan architecture contains Oriental and Indian influences, and reflects a deeply Buddhist approach. The Buddhist wheel, along with two dragons, can be seen on nearly every
GompaGompa and ling are ecclesiastical fortifications of learning, lineage and sadhana Gompa and ling are ecclesiastical fortifications of learning, lineage and sadhana Gompa and ling are ecclesiastical fortifications of learning, lineage and sadhana (that may be understood as a conflation of a...
in Tibet. The design of the Tibetan Chörtens can vary, from roundish walls in
KhamKham , is a region presently divided between the Chinese provinces of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Sichuan where Khampas, a subgroup within the Tibetan ethnicity, live. It is also one of the three traditional provinces claimed by the Tibetan government-in-exile...
to squarish, four-sided walls in
LadakhLadakh is a region situated in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south...
.
The most distinctive feature of Tibetan architecture is that many of the houses and monasteries are built on elevated, sunny sites facing the south, and are often made out of a mixture of rocks, wood, cement and earth. Little fuel is available for heat or lighting, so flat roofs are built to conserve heat, and multiple windows are constructed to let in sunlight. Walls are usually sloped inwards at 10 degrees as a precaution against frequent earthquakes in the mountainous area.
Standing at 117 meters in height and 360 meters in width, the
Potala PalaceThe Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, after an invasion and failed uprising in 1959...
is considered as the most important example of Tibetan architecture. Formerly the residence of the
Dalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a lineage of religious officials of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. "Lama" is a general term referring to Tibetan Buddhist teachers...
, it contains over one thousand rooms within thirteen stories, and houses portraits of the past Dalai Lamas and statues of the Buddha. It is divided between the outer White Palace, which serves as the administrative quarters, and the inner Red Quarters, which houses the assembly hall of the Lamas, chapels, 10,000 shrines, and a vast library of Buddhist scriptures.
Music
The music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region, centered in Tibet but also known wherever ethnic
TibetanThe Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper in the East and India, Nepal and Bhutan to the south.-Demographics:...
groups are found in India,
BhutanThe Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the nearby state of Nepal to the west by...
,
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and further abroad. First and foremost Tibetan music is
religious musicReligious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
, reflecting the profound influence of
Tibetan BuddhismTibetan 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...
on the culture.
Tibetan
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
often involves chanting in
TibetanThe Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh, Nepal,...
or
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
, as an integral part of the religion. These chants are complex, often recitations of sacred texts or in celebration of various
festivalA festival is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community.Among many religions, a feast or festival is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable...
s.
YangYang may refer to:* Yang, in yin and yang, the word for one half of the two opposing forces in Chinese philosophy, described as "bright positive masculine principle" in Chinese dualistic cosmology*Yang , Chinese surname...
chanting, performed without metrical timing, is accompanied by resonant
drumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s and low, sustained syllables. Other styles include those unique to the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, such as the classical music of the popular Gelugpa school, and the romantic music of the Nyingmapa, Sakyapa and Kagyupa schools.
NangmaNangma is a genre of Tibetan dance music closely related to Toeshey. The word Nangma derives from the Persian word Naghma meaning melody. Both a band and a nightclub have been named after it. "Nangma" is the name of a four-person, traditional Tibetan band dedicated to these two styles of music...
dance music is especially popular in the
karaokeis a form of entertainment in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol or changing color and/or...
bars of the urban center of Tibet,
LhasaLhasa, and sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. It is located at the foot of Mount Gephel....
. Another form of popular music is the classical
gar style, which is performed at rituals and ceremonies.
LuLu is a Tibetan style of folk music of a cappella songs, which are distinctively high in pitch with glottal vibrations.-External links:* of lu music...
are a type of songs that feature glottal vibrations and high pitches. There are also epic bards who sing of Tibet's national hero Gesar.
Festivals
Tibet has various festivals which commonly are performed to worship the Buddha throughout the year.
LosarLosar is the Tibetan word for "new year." holds the semantic field "year, age"; holds the semantic field "new, fresh". Losar is the most important holiday in Tibet....
is the Tibetan New Year Festival. Preparations for the festive event are manifested by special offerings to family shrine deities, painted doors with religious symbols, and other painstaking jobs done to prepare for the event. Tibetans eat Guthuk (barley crumb food with filling) on New Year's Eve with their families. The Monlam Prayer Festival follows it in the first month of the
Tibetan calendarThe Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added approximately every three years, so that an average Tibetan year is equal to the solar year.The Tibetan New...
, falling on the fourth up to the eleventh day of the first Tibetan month. which involves many Tibetans dancing and participating in sports events and sharing picnics. The event was established in 1049 by Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama's order.
Other
The
Potala PalaceThe Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, after an invasion and failed uprising in 1959...
, former residence of the
Dalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a lineage of religious officials of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. "Lama" is a general term referring to Tibetan Buddhist teachers...
s, is a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
, as is
NorbulingkaNorbulingka is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet which served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the PRC takeover in the late 1950s.The park was begun by the 7th Dalai Lama beginning in 1755...
, former summer residence of the Dalai Lama.
Since 2002, Tibetans in exile have allowed a
Miss TibetMiss Tibet is an annual beauty pageant held in Dharamshala, India. It is produced by . The pageant is a much awaited annual Tibetan event, which is especially popular among the younger generation Tibetans. Of late, the Chinese government had interfered and have pressured international directors to...
beauty contestA beauty contest, or beauty pageant, is a competition based mainly on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
in spite of concerns that this event is considered a Western influence. The beauty contest is condemned by the Tibetan government in exile.
Cuisine
The most important crop in Tibet is
barleyBarley is a cereal grain derived from the annual grass Hordeum vulgare. It serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. It is used in soups, stews and barley bread in various countries, such as Scotland and in Africa...
, and dough made from barley flour called
tsampaTsampa is a Tibetan staple foodstuff, particularly prominent in the central part of the country. It is roasted flour, usually barley flour and sometimes also wheat flour or rice flour...
, is the
staple foodA staple food is a food that can be stored for use throughout the year and forms the basis of a traditional diet. Staple foods vary from place to place, but are typically inexpensive starchy foods of vegetable origin that are high in food energy and carbohydrate...
of Tibet. This is either rolled into noodles or made into steamed dumplings called
momosMomo , also momo-cha, is a type of Tibetan or Nepalese dumpling enjoyed all over South Asia. It is similar to Mongolian buuz, Chinese jiaozi, or Central Asian manti, closely related to Russian pelmeni, German Maultaschen or Italian ravioli.The Tibetan word Momo is a loanword from the Chinese mómo...
.
MeatMeat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs, livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, or lungs...
dishes are likely to be
yakThe yak is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population. In Tibetan, the word gyag refers only to the male of the...
,
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
, or
muttonLamb, hogget, and mutton are the meat of domestic sheep. The meat of an animal in its first year is lamb; that of an older sheep is hogget and later mutton.- Classifications and nomenclature :...
, often dried, or cooked into a spicy
stewA stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy.Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, poultry, sausages and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are...
with
potatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes are the world's fourth largest food...
es.
Mustard seedMustard seeds are the smallest seeds of the various mustard plants. The seeds are about 3 mm in diameter, and may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional cuisines. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard , brown Indian mustard...
is cultivated in Tibet, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine. Yak
yoghurtYoghurt or yogurt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of lactose produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yoghurt its texture and its characteristic tang...
,
butterButter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications such as baking, sauce making, and frying...
and
cheeseCheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein casein. Typically, the milk is acidified and addition of the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into...
are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yoghurt is considered something of a prestige item.
Butter teaButter tea, also known as po cha , cha süma , Mandarin Chinese: su you cha or goor goor in local Ladakhi terms, is a drink of the Tibetans and Chinese minorities in southwestern China. It is also consumed in Bhutan...
is very popular to drink.
Tibet in popular culture
In recent years there have been a number of films produced about Tibet, most notably Hollywood films such as
Seven Years in TibetSeven Years in Tibet is a 1997 film based on the book of the same name written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War, the interim period, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army moving into Tibet in 1950. The...
, starring
Brad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
, and
KundunKundun is a 1997 film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of the Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, a grand nephew of the Dalai Lama, stars as the adult Dalai Lama."Kundun" , meaning...
, a biography of the
14th Dalai LamaJetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader revered among the people of Tibet. He is the head of the government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, India...
, directed by
Martin ScorseseMartin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. He is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation, a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Oscars, Golden Globe,...
. Other films include
SamsaraSamsara is a 2001 independent Indian/Italian/French/German film which tells the story of a Buddhist monk's quest to find Enlightenment. The film stars Shawn Ku as the monk Tashi, and Christy Chung as Pema...
,
The CupThe Cup is a 1999 comedy film directed by Khyentse Norbu. It is the first feature-length motion picture produced in Bhutan. The plot is about two young football-crazed Tibetan refugees in a remote Himalayan monastery who desperately try to obtain a television for the monastery to watch the 1998...
and the 1999
HimalayaHimalaya , 1999, also known as Himalaya - l'enfance d'un chef and as Caravan, is a Nepalese movie directed by Eric Valli and was funded through France-based corporations...
, a French-American produced film with a Tibetan cast set in
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Tibet. In 2005, exile Tibetan filmmaker Tenzing Sonam and his partner Ritu Sarin made
Dreaming LhasaDreaming Lhasa is the 2005 Tibetan language debut feature film of veteran documentary filmmakers, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, who have been making films about various aspects of Tibet under the banner of White Crane Films since 1990...
, the first internationally recognized feature film to come out of the diaspora to explore the contemporary reality of Tibet.
Kekexili: Mountain PatrolKekexili: Mountain Patrol is a 2004 film by Chinese director Lu Chuan that depicts the struggle between vigilante rangers and bands of poachers in the remote Tibetan region of Kekexili...
, is a film about Tibetans protecting the
Tibetan antelopeTibetan antelope or Chiru – the sole species in the genus Pantholops, is a medium-sized bovid which is about 80cm in height at the shouder. It is native to the Tibetan plateau including China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai province, and Xinjiang province; India near Ladakh, formerly western...
from poachers. It won numerous awards at home and abroad.
See also
- Index of Tibet-related articles
- Tibetan sovereignty debate
In the history of Tibet, it has been an independent country, divided into different kingdoms and states, and a part of China each for a certain amount of time. Today it is mostly controlled by People's Republic of China , while a small part is controlled by India...
- Amdo
Amdo is one of the three traditional states of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river...
and KhamKham , is a region presently divided between the Chinese provinces of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Sichuan where Khampas, a subgroup within the Tibetan ethnicity, live. It is also one of the three traditional provinces claimed by the Tibetan government-in-exile...
in eastern Tibet
- Évariste Régis Huc
Évariste Régis Huc, or Abbé Huc, was a French missionary traveller, famous for his accounts of China, Tartary and Tibet. Since the travels of the Englishman, Thomas Manning, in Tibet , no European had visited Lhasa...
(Abbé Huc) visited Tibet in 1845–6, and wrote his observations in Souvenirs d'un voyage dans la Tartarie, le Thibet, et la Chine pendant les années 1844–1846.
- Francis Younghusband
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, KCSI, KCIE was a British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer...
led a punitive military expeditionThe British expedition to Tibet during 1903 and 1904 was an invasion of Tibet by British Indian forces, seeking to prevent the Russian Empire from interfering in Tibetan affairs and thus gaining a base in one of the buffer states surrounding British India, by reasoning similar to that which had led...
to Tibet in 1904.
- Alexandra David-Neel
Alexandra David-Néel born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David was a Belgian-French explorer, anarchist, spiritualist, Buddhist and writer, most known for her visit to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1924, when it was forbidden to foreigners...
visited LhasaLhasa, and sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. It is located at the foot of Mount Gephel....
in 1924, and wrote several books about the country and its culture.
- History of Tibet
Tibetan history, as it has been recorded, is particularly focused on the history of Buddhism in Tibet. This is partly due to the pivotal role this religion has played in the development of Tibetan, Mongol, and Manchu cultures, and partly because almost all native historians of the country were...
- Human rights in the People's Republic of China
Since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the human rights issue of China has come to the forefront. Multiple sources, including the U.S. State Department's annual People's Republic of China human rights reports, as well as studies from other groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights...
- Central Tibetan Administration
The Central Tibetan Administration , officially the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a government in exile headed by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, which claims to be the rightful and legitimate government of Tibet...
aka Tibetan Government in Exile
- International Tibet Independence Movement
The Tibetan independence movement is a movement to establish historical Tibet, comprising the three traditional provinces of Amdo, Kham, and Ü-Tsang as an independent state. The movement is largely led by Tibetans in exile with the support of some individuals and organizations outside of Tibet...
aka Free Tibet Movement
- List of active autonomist and secessionist movements
- Tibetan American
The history of Tibetan-Americans in the United States is relatively short, as Tibet for centuries had few relations with other countries. The United States had limited contact or involvement with Tibet before World War II expanded to the Pacific....
- Seven Years in Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his real life experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War and the interim period before the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army moved into Tibet in...
- Lobsang Rampa
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa was a writer who claimed to have been a Lama in Tibet before spending the second part of his life in the body of a British man. Cyril Henry Hoskin described himself as the "host" of Tuesday Lobsang Rampa...
- Kundun
Kundun is a 1997 film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of the Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, a grand nephew of the Dalai Lama, stars as the adult Dalai Lama."Kundun" , meaning...
- Last Train to Lhasa
Last Train to Lhasa is a double CD by Banco de Gaia which was released in 1995 . A "Special Limited Edition Triple CD" contained three additional remixes....
- 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...
- South Tibet
South Tibet is the name used by the government of the People's Republic of China for a geographic area that is the focus of border dispute between India and the People's Republic of China...
- Nangpa La killings
- Ladakh
Ladakh is a region situated in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south...
- Baltistan
Baltistan , also known as بلتیول in the Balti language, is a region in northern Pakistan , bordering Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. It is situated in the Karakoram mountains just to the south of K2, the world's second highest mountain. It is an extremely mountainous region, with an average...
- Phuntsog Nyidron
Phuntsog Nyidron is a Tibetan Buddhist nun born in 1969 who was imprisoned by the government of the People's Republic of China in 1989 and released in 2004. She was kept under house arrest until March 2006 when she could travel to the US for medical treatment.-Background:Phuntsog Nyidron was...
- Sinicization of Tibet
The sinicization of Tibet is the alleged change of Tibetan society to Han Chinese standards, by means of cultural assimilation, migration, and political reform. Sinicization on the one hand is the consequence of the presence of a large number of Han Chinese in Tibet and on the other hand an active...
- Tibet national football team
The Tibet national football team represents the people of Tibet, many of whom live in exile outside their nation, and who are represented by the Tibetan Government in Exile. It is not part of neither FIFA nor AFC. An association was founded in 2001...
- Serfs Emancipation Day
Serf Liberation day , on March 28, is an annual holiday in the People's Republic of China, which celebrates what Beijing calls the emancipation of serfs in Tibet.-History:...
Further reading
- Allen, Charles (2004). Duel in the Snows: The True Story of the Younghusband Mission to Lhasa. London: John Murray, 2004. ISBN 0-7195-5427-6.
- Bell, Charles (1924). Tibet: Past & Present. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Dowman, Keith (1988). The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London, ISBN 0-7102-1370-0. New York, ISBN 0-14-019118-6.
- Gyatso, Palden (1997). "The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk". Grove Press. NY, NY. ISBN 0-8021-3574-9
- Human Rights in China: China, Minority Exclusion, Marginalization and Rising Tensions, London, Minority Rights Group International, 2007
- McKay, Alex (1997). Tibet and the British Raj: The Frontier Cadre 1904-1947. London: Curzon. ISBN 0-7007-0627-5.
- Norbu, Thubten Jigme; Turnbull, Colin (1968). Tibet: Its History, Religion and People. Reprint: Penguin Books (1987).
- Pachen, Ani; Donnely, Adelaide (2000). Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior Nun. Kodansha America, Inc. ISBN 1-56836-294-3.
- Petech, Luciano (1997). China and Tibet in the Early XVIIIth Century: History of the Establishment of Chinese Protectorate in Tibet. T'oung Pao Monographies, Brill Academic Publishers, ISBN 9-00403-442-0.
- Samuel, Geoffrey (1993). Civilized Shamans: Buddhism in Tibetan Societies. Smithsonian ISBN 1-56098-231-4.
- Schell, Orville (2000). Virtual Tibet: Searching for Shangri-La from the Himalayas to Hollywood. Henry Holt. ISBN 0-8050-4381-0. – (online version)
- Thurman, Robert (2002). Robert Thurman on Tibet. DVD. ASIN B00005Y722.
- Wilby, Sorrel (1988). Journey Across Tibet: A Young Woman's Trek Across the Rooftop of the World. Contemporary Books. ISBN 0-8092-4608-2.
- Wilson, Brandon (2004). Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith. Pilgrim's Tales. ISBN 0977053660, ISBN 0977053679. (second edition 2005)
- Wang Jiawei (2000). "The Historical Status of China's Tibet". ISBN-7-80113-304-8.
- Tibet wasn't always ours, says Chinese scholar by Venkatesan Vembu, Daily News & Analysis, 22 February 2007
External links
Apolitical
2009 happenings
2008 Documentary
Against PRC rule and policies in Tibet
PRC sites on PRC rule and policies in Tibet