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  | Tibet Autonomous Region within the People's Republic of China | ||||||||
  | Historic Tibet as claimed by Tibetan exile groups | ||||||||
 | Tibetan areas as designated by the People's Republic of China | ||||||||
| | Chinese-controlled areas claimed by India as part of Aksai Chin | ||||||||
| | Indian-controlled areas claimed by China as part of Tibet | ||||||||
 | Other areas historically within Tibetan cultural sphere | ||||||||
Tibet is a plateau region in Central Asia and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR also called Xizang Autonomous Region (བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས་ Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Aksai Chin ( Simplified Chinese: 阿克赛钦 Traditional chinese: 阿克賽欽 Hanyu pinyin: Ākèsàiqīn Hindi: अकसाई The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang Plateau is a vast elevated Plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Central Asia 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 Pakistan in the south The Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper With an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. ), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the "Roof of the World. " Geographically, UNESCO and Encyclopædia Britannica[1] consider Tibet to be part of Central Asia, while several academic organizations consider it part of South Asia. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 Central Asia 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 Pakistan in the south Tibet was once an independent kingdom but today is part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) (with a small part, depending on definitions, controlled by India). Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country As an exclusive mandate, Tibet is also officially claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan). An exclusive mandate is a government's assertion of its legitimate authority over a certain territory part of which another government controls with stable de facto REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES However, the government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of Tibet in Exile still disagree over when Tibet became a part of China, and whether the incorporation into China is legitimate according to international law. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA officially the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a Government in exile headed by Tenzin Tibet was once an independent kingdom which later became a part of China. International law is the term commonly used for referring to the system of implicit and explicit agreements that bind together nation-states in adherence to recognized values and standards
Songtsän Gampo unifed Tibet in the seventh century. Songtsän Gampo ( Tibetan: སྲོང་བཙན་སྒམ་པོ་ Wylie: Srong-btsan From the early 1600s the Dalai Lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist faith, commonly known as spiritual leaders of the region, have been heads of a centralised Tibetan administration (at least nominally)[2], and are believed to be the emanations of Avalokiteśvara ("Chenrezig" [spyan ras gzigs] in Tibetan), the bodhisattva of compassion. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including Avalokiteśvara ( Nepali: अवलोकितेश्वर, lit In the Buddhist context a bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व bodhisattva;; Vietnamese Bồ Tát; बोधिसत्त bodhisatta
Between the 17th century and the Chinese Communist intervention in 1959, the Dalai Lama and his regents were claimed by Tibetans as a political power administering religious and administrative authority[2] over large parts of Tibet from the traditional capital Lhasa. The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the
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Definitions of Tibet
When the People's Republic of China (PRC) refers to Tibet, it means the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR): a province-level entity which, according to the territorial claims of the PRC, includes Arunachal Pradesh (which is an Indian state but disputed by China). The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR also called Xizang Autonomous Region (བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས་ Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs A province, in the context of China, is a translation of sheng ( which is an administrative division Arunachal Pradesh (अरुणाचल प्रदेश Aruṇācal Pradeś is the easternmost state of India The TAR covers the Dalai Lama's former domain, consisting of Ü-Tsang and western Kham, while Amdo and eastern Kham are part of Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan, and Sichuan. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. ( is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu.
When the Government of Tibet in Exile and the Tibetan refugee community abroad refer to Tibet, they mean the areas consisting of the traditional provinces of Amdo, Kham, and Ü-Tsang, but excluding Sikkim, Bhutan, and Ladakh that have also formed part of the Tibetan cultural sphere. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA officially the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a Government in exile headed by Tenzin Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the Sikkim ( Nepali:, also Sikhim) is a Landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas It is the least populous state in India The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Ladakh ( Ladakhi lad̪ɑks लदाख لدّاخ "land of high passes" is a region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between
The difference in definition is a major source of dispute. The distribution of Amdo and eastern Kham into surrounding provinces was initiated by the Yongzheng Emperor during the 18th century and has been continuously maintained by successive Chinese governments. The Yongzheng Emperor (雍正帝 → yōngzhèngdì) (born Yinzhen (胤禛 → yìnzhēn) December 13, 1678 - October 8 Tibetan exiles, in turn, consider the maintenance of this arrangement from the 18th century as part of a divide-and-rule policy. In Politics and Sociology, divide and rule (derived from Latin divide et impera) (also known as divide and conquer) is a combination
Name
In English
The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European languages, is derived from the Arabic word Tubbat. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language [3] This word is derived via Persian from the Turkic word Töbäd (plural of Töbän), meaning "the heights". The Turkic languages constitute a Language family of some thirty languages spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the [4][5] In Medieval Chinese, 吐蕃 (pronounced tufan), is derived from the same Turkic word. [4] 吐蕃 was pronounced /t'o-bwǝn/ in Medieval times.
The exact derivation of the name is, however, still unclear. Some scholars believe that the named derived from that of a people who lived in the region of northeastern Tibet and were referred to as 'Tübüt'. This was the form adapted by the Muslim writers who rendered it Tübbett, Tibbat, etc. , from as early as the 9th century, and it then entered European languages from the reports of the medieval European accounts of Piano-Carpini, Rubruck, Marco Polo and the Capuchin monk Francesco della Penna. Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, or John of Plano Carpini or John of Pian de Carpine or Joannes de Plano (c William of Rubruck (c 1220 in Rubrouck Flanders - c 1293 was a Flemish Franciscan missionary and explorer Marco Polo ( September 15 1254 – January 9 1324 at earliest but no later than June 1325 was a Venetian trader and explorer The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin ( OFM Cap; in England and Ireland, O Francesco Orazio Olivieri della Penna (1680— July 20, 1745) was a Capuchin Missionary to Tibet who became Prefect of the [6]
PRC scholars favor the theory that "Tibet" is derived from tǔbō. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES [3][7]
In Tibetan
Tibetans call their homeland Bod (བོད་), pronounced [pʰøʔ] in Lhasa dialect. It is first attested in the geography of Ptolemy as βαται (batai) (Beckwith, C. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca U. of Indiana Diss. 1977). Tibetans refer to Tibet as a "fatherland" (Tibetan: ཕ་ཡུལ་; Wylie: pha-yul), whereas "motherland" (Tibetan: མ་ཡུལ་; Wylie: ma-yul) is a neologism introduced after the communist take over to refer to China. Fatherland is the nation of one's "fathers" " Forefathers " or "patriarchs" The Tibetan script is an Abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Ladakhi language The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating the Tibetan script using the keys on a typical English language Typewriter. Motherland is a term that may refer to a mother country, ie the place of one's birth the place of origin of an Ethnic group or Immigrant, or a Metropole The Tibetan script is an Abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Ladakhi language The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating the Tibetan script using the keys on a typical English language Typewriter. A neologism (from Greek neo = "new" + logos = "word" is a word that although devised relatively recently in a specific time period has been China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National
In Chinese
The PRC's Chinese name for Tibet, 西藏 (Xīzàng), is a phonetic transliteration derived from the region called Tsang (western Ü-Tsang). The Chinese name originated during the Qing Dynasty of China, ca. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China 1700. It can be broken down into “xī” 西 (literally “west”), and “zàng” 藏 (from Ü-Tsang, but also literally “Buddhist scripture,” or “storage” or possibly "treasure"[8]). The pre-1700s historic Chinese term for Tibet was 吐蕃. In modern Standard Mandarin, the first character is pronounced "tǔ". Standard Mandarin, also known as Standard Spoken Chinese, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used in mainland China and Taiwan The second character is normally pronounced "fān"; in the context of references to Tibet, most authorities say that it should be pronounced "bō", while some authorities state that it should be pronounced as "fān". [9] Its reconstructed Medieval Chinese pronunciation is /t'obwǝn/, which comes from the Turkic word for “heights” which is also the origin of the English term “Tibet”. The Turkic languages constitute a Language family of some thirty languages spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the [4][5] When expressing themselves in Chinese, many exiled Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama's government in Daramsala, now use the term 吐博 Tǔbó.
The government of the People's Republic of China equates Tibet with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Namtso (officially Nam Co; Mongolian: Tengri Nor; “Heavenly Lake”) is a mountain lake at the border between Damxung County of Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR also called Xizang Autonomous Region (བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས་ Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs As such, the name “Xīzàng” is equated with the TAR. Some English-speakers reserve “Xīzàng”, the Chinese word transliterated into English, for the TAR, to keep the concept distinct from that of historic Tibet. The character 藏 (zàng) has been used in transcriptions referring to Tsang as early as the Yuan Dynasty, if not earlier, though the modern term "Xizang" (western Tsang) was devised in the 18th century. The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai The Chinese character 藏 (Zàng) has also been generalized to refer to all of Tibet, including other concepts related to Tibet such as the Tibetan language (藏文, Zàngwén) and the Tibetan people (藏族, Zàngzú). Tibetan refers to a group of languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia as well as by overseas
Language
The Tibetan language is spoken in various dialects which are usually, but not always, mutually comprehensible. Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibetan refers to a group of languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia as well as by overseas The language is spoken throughout the Tibetan plateau, Bhutan, and in parts of Nepal and northern India (such as Sikkim). The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Sikkim ( Nepali:, also Sikhim) is a Landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas It is the least populous state in India It is generally classified as a Tibeto-Burman language of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Tibeto-Burman family of languages (often considered a sub-group of the Sino-Tibetan Language family) is spoken in various central and south Asian countries including Spoken Tibetan includes numerous regional dialects which, in many cases, are not mutually intelligible. Moreover, the boundaries between Tibetan and certain other Himalayan languages are sometimes unclear. In general, the dialects of central Tibet (including Lhasa), Kham, Amdo, and some smaller nearby areas are considered Tibetan dialects, while other forms, particularly Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Sherpa, and Ladakhi, are considered for political reasons by their speakers to be separate languages. For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the Dzongkha (dz རྫོང་ཁ Wylie: rdzong-kha, Jong-kă is the national Sikkimese (also known as Bhutia) is a sublanguage of South Tibetan (Bhutanese-Sikkimese Lhoke language. Sherpa (ཤེརཔཱ, Devnagari: शेर्पा also Sharpa Sharpa Bhotia Xiaerba Serwa ISO 639-3 xsr is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and The Ladakhi language is the predominant language in the Ladakh region of the Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Ultimately, taking into consideration this wider understanding of Tibetan dialects and forms, "greater Tibetan" is spoken by approximately 6 million people across the Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang Plateau is a vast elevated Plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Tibetan is also spoken by approximately 150,000 exile speakers who have fled from modern-day Tibet to India and other countries. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country
Even though spoken Tibetan may vary according to the region, the written language, based on Classical Tibetan, is the same, 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 Pakistan in the west to Yunnan and Sichuan in in the east, and from north of the Kokonor lake (Qinghai) south as far as Bhutan. Tibetan refers to a group of languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia as well as by overseas Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu.
- "From the perspective of historical linguistics, Tibetan most closely resembles Burmese among the major languages of Asia. The Burmese language (မြန်မာဘာသာ myà̃mà bàθà MLCTS: myanma bhasa) is the official Language of Burma. Grouping these two together with other apparently related languages spoken in the Himalayan lands, as well as in the highlands of Southeast Asia 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 Sino-Tibetan languages form a Language family composed of at least the Chinese and the Tibeto-Burman languages, including some 250 languages of "[10]
In general, the dialects of central Tibet (including Lhasa), Kham, Amdo, and some smaller nearby areas are considered Tibetan dialects, while other forms, particularly Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Sherpa, and Ladakhi, are considered for political reasons by their speakers to be separate languages. For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the Dzongkha (dz རྫོང་ཁ Wylie: rdzong-kha, Jong-kă is the national Sikkimese (also known as Bhutia) is a sublanguage of South Tibetan (Bhutanese-Sikkimese Lhoke language. Sherpa (ཤེརཔཱ, Devnagari: शेर्पा also Sharpa Sharpa Bhotia Xiaerba Serwa ISO 639-3 xsr is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and The Ladakhi language is the predominant language in the Ladakh region of the Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Ultimately, taking into consideration this wider understanding of Tibetan dialects and forms, "greater Tibetan" is spoken by approximately 6 million people across the Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang Plateau is a vast elevated Plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Tibetan is also spoken by approximately 150,000 exile speakers who have fled from modern-day Tibet to India and other countries. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country
The Tibetan language has its own script, which is derived from the ancient Indian Brahmi script. [11]
History
- Further information: History of European exploration in Tibet, Foreign relations of Tibet, and Tibet during the Ming Dynasty
The general history of Tibet begins with the rule of Songtsän Gampo (604–50 CE) who united parts of the Yarlung River Valley and ruled Tibet as a kingdom. Tibetan history is characterized by a special dedication to the Buddhist religion both in the eyes of its own people as well as for the Mongol and Manchu Tibet has attracted European explorers for well over 100 years when the country was forbidden to all foreigners The Foreign relations of Tibet proceed in the first instance from the agreements which China, Russia, India and the United Kingdom entered into The exact nature of Sino-Tibetan relations during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 of China is unclear Songtsän Gampo ( Tibetan: སྲོང་བཙན་སྒམ་པོ་ Wylie: Srong-btsan Songtsän Gampo ( Tibetan: སྲོང་བཙན་སྒམ་པོ་ Wylie: Srong-btsan He also brought in many reforms and Tibetan power spread rapidly creating a large and powerful empire. In 640 he married Princess Wencheng, the niece of the powerful Chinese emperor Emperor Taizong of Tang China. Princess Wencheng ( Tibetan: Mung-chang Kungco Chinese: 文成公主 Pinyin: Wénchéng Gōngzhǔ (d Emperor Taizong of Tang ( January 23, 599 &ndash July 10 649) personal name Lǐ Shìmín ( was the second emperor of the
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 Chinese capital Chang'an (modern Xian) in late 763. UserEl_C --> Xi'an ( Postal map spelling: Sian is the Capital of the Shaanxi province in the [12] However, Tibetan troops occupied Chang'an for only fifteen days.
Nanzhao (in Yunnan 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. Nanzhao, alternate spellings Nanchao and Nan Chao ( Traditional Chinese: 南詔 Simplified Chinese: 南诏 Pinyin: Nánzhāo [13]
The Tibetans were allied with the Arabs and eastern Turks. The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family In 747, the hold of Tibet was loosened by the campaign of general Gao Xianzhi, who tried to re-open the direct communications between Central Asia and Kashmir. Gao Xianzhi (d January 24, 756) ( Revised Romanization Go Seon-ji) was an ethnic Goguryeo (one of the Three kingdoms of Korea Central Asia 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 Pakistan in the south This article is about the geographical region of greater Kashmir By 750 the Tibetans had lost almost all of their central Asian possessions to the Chinese. The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by However, after Gao Xianzhi's defeat by the Arabs and Qarluqs at the Battle of Talas river (751), Chinese influence decreased rapidly and Tibetan influence resumed. The Karluks (obs Qarluqs, Qarluks, Karluqs, Arab/Persian Halluh,, customary phonetic Gelolu, Gelu, Khololo The Battle of Talas in 751 CE was a conflict between the Arab Abbasid Caliphate and the Chinese Tang Dynasty for control 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 Jokhang temple in Lhasa. The Jokhang, () also called the Qokang, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Tsuklakang (gTsug lag khang, is the first [14] Tibet continued as a Central Asian empire until the mid-9th century.
Tibet and the Mongols
At the end of the 1230s, the Mongols turned their attention to Tibet. The Mongol Empire ( Mongolyn Ezent Güren or mn Их Mонгол улс Ikh Mongol Uls; 1206–1368 was the largest contiguous Empire 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 Güyük, entered the country in 1240. Güyük ( cyrillic:Гүюг хаан c. 1206–1248 was the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. A second invasion led to the submission almost all Tibetan states. In 1244, Göden summoned the Sakya Pandita 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". Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen or Kunga Gylatshan Pal Zangpo (1182&ndash1251 was a Tibetan spiritual leader and Buddhist scholar and the fourth of the Five [15] When Kublai Khan founded Yuan Dynasty in 1271, Tibet became a part of the Yuan Dynasty. Early years Kublai Khan studied Chinese culture and became enamoured of it
Between 1346 and 1354, towards the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the House of Pagmodru toppled the Sakya. Early years Kublai Khan studied Chinese culture and became enamoured of it 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 Sera monasteries near Lhasa. The Gelug or Gelug-pa, also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419 a Philosopher Tsongkhapa ( (1357 &ndash 1419 whose name means "The Man from Onion Valley" was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led later to the formation Ganden Monastery (also Gaden or Gandain) or Ganden Namgyeling is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet Drepung Monastery (literally “Rice Heap” monastery) located at the foot of Mount Gephel, is one of the "great three" Gelukpa university monasteries Sera Monastery ( (Se ra Theng chen gling is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet. After the 1430s, the country entered another period of internal power struggles. [16]
In 1578, Altan Khan of the Tümed Mongols invited Sönam Gyatso, a high lama of the Gelugpa school. Altan Khan (1507-1582 Mongolian Алтан хан whose given name was Anda, was the ruler of the Tumed Mongols and de facto ruler of the Right Wing or western They met near Khökh Nuur, where Altan Khan first referred to Sönam Gyatso as the Dalai Lama; Dalai being the Mongolian translation of the Tibetan name Gyatso, or "Ocean". (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. [17]
In the 1630s, Tibet became entangled in the power struggles between the rising Manchu and various Mongol and Oirad factions. The Manchu people ( Manchu: Manju;, Mongolian: Манж Russian: Маньчжуры are a Tungusic people who originated in This article deals with the Oirat ethnic group For the obsolete term for the Turkic Altays see Altay people. Ligden Khan of the Chakhar, on the retreat from the Manchu, set out to Tibet to destroy the Yellow Hat school but died on the way near Koko Nur in 1634. Ligdan qutuɣtu qan, also Ligden or Lindan (ruled 1604-1634 was the last in the Borjigin clan of Mongol Khans who ruled from Čaqar Qinghai Lake ( Hanyu Pinyin: Qīnghăi hú) historically known as Kokonor (from the Mongolian name is a Salt lake situated in [18] His vassal Tsogt Taij continued the fight but was defeated and killed by Güshi Khan of the Khoshud in 1637, who, in turn, became the overlord over Tibet, and acted as a "Protector of the Yellow Church"[19]. Choghtu Khong Tayiji, born Tümengken ( Classical Mongolian: Tümengken čoγtu qong tayiǰi modern Mongolian: mn Цогт Хун Тайж Tsogt Khun Güshi (or Gushri Khan (1582-1655 a Khoshut-Oirat prince and leader of the Khoshut Mongol tribe who had supplanted the Tumed descendants of Altan Güshi helped the Fifth Dalai Lama to establish himself as the highest spiritual and political authority in Tibet and destroyed any potential rivals. Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama (1617 &ndash 1682 was a political and religious leader in seventeenth-century Tibet.
In 1705, Lobzang Khan of the Khoshud used the 6th Dalai Lama's escapades as excuse to take control of Tibet. Lha-bzang Khan (Tibetanལྷ་པཟང་ (d1717 was the grandson of Güshi Khan and the last Khoshut - Oirat King of Tibet. Tsangyang Gyatso ( Tibetan: 'ཚངས་དབྱངས་རྒྱ་མཚོ' Wylie transliteration: Tshangs dbyangs Rgya mtsho) (1683 &ndash The regent was murdered, and the Dalai Lama sent to Beijing. He died on the way, also near Koko Nur, ostensibly from illness. Qinghai Lake ( Hanyu Pinyin: Qīnghăi hú) historically known as Kokonor (from the Mongolian name is a Salt lake situated in 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 Koko Nur. Kelzang Gyatso ( Wylie: Bskal-bzang Rgya-mtsho) (1708 – 1757 also spelled Kelsang Gyatso and Kezang Gyatso, was the 7th Dalai Lama The Dzungars 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. Dzungar (also Jungar or Zungar; Mongolian: Зүүнгар Züüngar) is the collective identity of several Oirat tribes that 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. The Kangxi Emperor ( Mongolian Enkh Amgalan Khaan, May 4, 1654 &ndash December 20, 1722) was the third Emperor of [20][21]
Emperor Kangxi finally expelled the Dzungars from Tibet in 1720 and the troops were hailed as liberators. Dzungar (also Jungar or Zungar; Mongolian: Зүүнгар Züüngar) is the collective identity of several Oirat tribes that 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. Kelzang Gyatso ( Wylie: Bskal-bzang Rgya-mtsho) (1708 – 1757 also spelled Kelsang Gyatso and Kezang Gyatso, was the 7th Dalai Lama Year 1721 ( MDCCXXI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a [22][23] However, the Manchu Qing put Amdo under their control in 1724, and incorporated eastern Kham into neighbouring Chinese provinces in 1728. The Manchu people ( Manchu: Manju;, Mongolian: Манж Russian: Маньчжуры are a Tungusic people who originated in Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the [24] The Qing government sent a resident commissioner, namely Amban, to Lhasa. Amban ( pl: ambasa is a Manchu word meaning "high official" which corresponds to a number of different official titles in the Qing In 1751, Emperor Qianlong installed the Dalai Lama as both the spiritual leader and political leader of Tibet leading the government, namely Kashag. Emperor Qianlong (Chinese 乾隆 Qiánlóng, Wade-Giles' Ch'ien-Lung', Mongolian Tengeriig Tetgesen Khaan, born Hongli (弘历 September [25]
Tibet under Qing
While the ancient relations between Tibet and China are complicated, there can be no question regarding the subordination of Tibet to Manchu-ruled China following first decades of the 18th century. [26] In 1788, Gurkha forces sent by Bahadur Shah, the Regent of Nepal, invaded Tibet, occupying a number of frontier districts. Prithvi Naraya Shahdev and Sri Teen Maharaja Jung Bahadur The Way of Sacrifice The Rajputs Pages 28-30 Graduate Thesis South Asian Studies Department Dr Two Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. The young Panchen Lama fled to Lhasa and Qing Emperor Qianlong sent troops to Lhasa, upon which the Nepalese withdrew agreeing to pay a large annual sum. Emperor Qianlong (Chinese 乾隆 Qiánlóng, Wade-Giles' Ch'ien-Lung', Mongolian Tengeriig Tetgesen Khaan, born Hongli (弘历 September In 1791 the Nepalese Gurkhas invaded Tibet a second time, seizing Shigatse and destroyed, plundered, and desecrated the great Tashilhunpo Monastery. Tashilhunpo Monastery ( founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important Monastery next to 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 30 km of Kathmandu. Kathmandu (काठमांडौ येँ is the Capital and the largest city of Nepal. [27]
The first Europeans to arrive in Tibet were Portuguese missionaries in 1624 and were welcomed by the Tibetans who allowed them to build a church. Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband KCSI KCIE ( 31 May, 1863 - 31 July, 1942, Dorsetshire The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west The 18th century brought more Jesuits and Capuchins from Europe who gradually met opposition from Tibetan lamas who finally expelled them from Tibet in 1745. The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin ( OFM Cap; in England and Ireland, O Lama ( is a title for a Tibetan teacher However, at the time not all Europeans were banned from the country — in 1774 a Scottish nobleman, George Bogle, came to Shigatse to investigate trade for the British East India Company, introducing the first potatoes into Tibet. George Bogle (1747-1781 was a Scottish adventurer and diplomat the first to establish diplomatic relations with Tibet and to attempt recognition by the Chinese Empire Trade is the willing exchange of goods, services, or both Trade is also called Commerce. The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae [28]
However, by the 19th century the situation of foreigners in Tibet grew more tenuous. The British Empire was encroaching from northern India into the Himalayas and Afghanistan and the Russian Empire of the tsars was expanding south into Central Asia and each power became suspicious of intent in Tibet. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Tsar csar and tzar redirect here For other uses see Tsar (disambiguation. Central Asia 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 Pakistan in the south Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, the Hungarian scientist spent 20 years in British India (4 years in Ladakh) trying to visit Tibet. Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, also known as Alexander Csoma de Kőrös, born Csoma Sándor ( March 27, 1784 - April 11, 1842 Ladakh ( Ladakhi lad̪ɑks लदाख لدّاخ "land of high passes" is a region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between He created the first Tibetan-English dictionary.
By the 1850s Tibet had banned all foreigners from Tibet and shut its borders to all outsiders.
In 1865 Great Britain began secretly mapping Tibet. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Trained Indian surveyor-spies disguised as pilgrims or traders counted their strides on their travels across Tibet and took readings at night. A pilgrim is one who undertakes a Pilgrimage, literally 'far afield' Then, in 1904 a British mission under the command of Colonel Francis Younghusband, accompanied by a large military escort, invaded Tibet and reached Lhasa. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband KCSI KCIE ( 31 May, 1863 - 31 July, 1942, Dorsetshire
The principal pretext for the British invasion was a fear, which proved to be unfounded, that Russia was extending its power into Tibet and possibly even giving military aid to the local Tibetan government. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending But on his way to Lhasa, Younghusband slaughtered many Tibetan troops in Gyangzê who tried to stop the British advance. Gyangze may refer to Gyangzê Town, town in Tibet Gyangzê County, county in Tibet
When the mission reached Lhasa, the Dalai Lama had already fled to Urga in Mongolia, 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. Sera Monastery ( (Se ra Theng chen gling is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet. Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East The treaty made provisions for the frontier between Sikkim 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. Sikkim ( Nepali:, also Sikhim) is a Landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas It is the least populous state in India The provisions of this 1904 treaty were confirmed in a 1906 treaty Anglo-Chinese Convention signed between Britain and China. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 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". [29][30]
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. [31]
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. Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The Dalai Lama once again fled, this time to British India, in February 1910. The Dalai Lama returned to Tibet from India in July 1912, and by the end of the year the Chinese troops in Tibet had returned, via India, to China Proper. China proper (also known as Inner China) refers to the historical lands of China where the Han Chinese are the majority Ethnic group, in contrast
Proclaiming independence
In early 1913, Agvan Dorzhiev and two other Tibetan representatives signed a treaty in Urga, proclaiming mutual recognition and their independence from China. Agvan Lobsan Dorzhiev, Agvan Dorjiev, Dorjieff, or Tsenyi Khempo (1854-1938 a Khory Buryat Mongolian, and a Russian subject was A Treaty of friendship and alliance between the Government of Mongolia and Tibet was signed on February 2, 1913 at Urga (now Ulaanbaatar) Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaatar (Улаанбаатар is the Capital and largest city of Mongolia. The 13th Dalai Lama himself, however, denied he authorized Agvan Dorzhiev to conclude any treaties on behalf of Tibet. [32][33] The Tibetan government never ratified this treaty and no Tibetan version of this treaty was published by Tibetan government. [33] A Russian diplomat pointed out to the British ambassador that since Agvan Dorzhiev himself is a Russian subject, his legal ability to sign such a treaty is in question. [34]
Some British authors have even disputed the mere existence of the treaty,[35] but scholars of Mongolia generally are positive it exists[36], as were contemporary authors [37][38]. The Mongolian text of the treaty has, for example, been published by the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in 1982. [39]
John Snelling says: "Though sometimes doubted, this Tibet-Mongolia Treaty certainly existed. It was signed on 29 December 1912 (OS) [that is, by the Julian Calendar - thus making it 8 January 1913 by the Gregorian Calendar that we use] by Dorzhiev and two Tibetans on behalf of the Dalai Lama, and by two Mongolians for the Jebtsundamba Khutukhtu. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today " He then quotes the full wording of the treaty (in English) from the British Public Records Office: FO [Foreign Office] 371 1609 7144: Sir George Buchanan to Sir Edward Grey, St. Petersburg, dated 11 February 1913. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [40].
Nevertheless, pursuits of complete independence were officially renounced by Tibet and Mongolia respectively in 1914 and 1915. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year On 3 July, 1914, The Tibetans signed the Simla Convention which reaffirmed Chinese suzerainty and Tibet's status as "part of Chinese territory"[41][42], and on 25 May, 1915, Mongolia signed a tripartite treaty reaffirming, at least nominally, subordination to China. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Suzerainty (ˈsjuːzərənti RP or /ˈsjuːzəreɪnti/ RP) (/ˈsuːzərənti/ GA) is a situation in which a Region or people is a Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. [43][44]
The subsequent outbreak of World War I and the division of China into military cliques ruled by warlords caused the Western powers and the infighting factions within China to lose interest in Tibet, and the 13th Dalai Lama ruled undisturbed until his death in 1933. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Warlord era is the period in the History of the Republic of China, from 1916 to the late-1930s when the country was divided among military cliques, a division A warlord is a person with power who has military control over a subnational area due to Armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority At that time, the government of Tibet controlled all of Ü-Tsang (Dbus-gtsang) and western Kham (Khams), somewhat larger than the Tibet Autonomous Region today. For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR also called Xizang Autonomous Region (བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས་ Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs Eastern Kham, separated by the Yangtze River, was under the control of Chinese warlord Liu Wenhui. Liu Wenhui, or Liu Wen-hui ( Chinese: 刘文辉 1895-1976 was one of the Warlords of Sichuan Province during China's Warlord era
In 1935 the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso was born in Amdo in eastern Tibet and was recognized as the latest reincarnation. Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub ( 6 July 1935 in Qinghai) He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile He was taken to Lhasa in 1937 where he was later given an official ceremony in 1939. Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the In 1944, during World War II, two Austrian mountaineers, Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschnaiter came to Lhasa, where Harrer became a tutor and friend to the young Dalai Lama giving him a sound knowledge of western culture and modern society, until he was forced to leave in 1959. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Heinrich Harrer ( July 6, 1912 – January 7, 2006) was an Austrian mountaineer sportsman Geographer Peter Aufschnaiter ( 2 November 1899 - 19 October 1973) was an Austrian Mountaineer
Since 1951, Tibet has been under China's control. According to a 1951 agreement between the Tibetan government and the PRC, Dalai Lama-ruled Tibetan area was supposed to be a largely autonomous region of China. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES
'Feudal serfdom'
The PRC government makes regular claims that, prior to 1959, some 95% of Tibetans were subject to a very oppressive system which they describe as “feudal serfdom. ” The vast majority of Tibetans are said to have had no land or freedom, lived under appalling conditions, were regarded as saleable property and were subject to extreme punishments and torture.
Many Western scholars dispute these assertions and, especially, the moral implications and value judgments implied, and even that the term “serf” is applicable to peasants within the system then in force in Tibet. They point out that similar situations applied to “most sectors of any society in Asia and elsewhere until recently, including China, and is still true today in many areas. ”
The Chinese accusations of systematic torture and abuse are based on little evidence. Since the early 20th century only rather isolated incidents have been recorded and these few were, in fact, illegal, as mutilation and other such extreme punishments had been banned by the 13th Dalai Lama in a proclamation in 1913. [45] He also abolished capital punishment. Living conditions in jails were also improved, and officials were designated to see that these conditions and rules were maintained. "[46][47].
Tibetans-in-exile have claimed that the serfs and their masters formed only a small part of Tibetan society, and argued that Tibet would have modernized itself without China's intervention. The Chinese government, on the other hand, claims that most Tibetans were still serfs in 1951,[48], and have proclaimed that the Tibetan government inhibited the development of Tibet during its self-rule from 1913 to 1959, and opposed any modernization efforts proposed by the Chinese government. [48]
A rebellion led by noblemen and monasteries broke out in Amdo and eastern Kham in June 1956. Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the The insurrection, supported by the American CIA, eventually spread to Lhasa. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all 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. [49]
Tibet under PRC 1959-
The Central Tibetan Administration states that the number that have died in the Great Leap Forward, of violence, or other indirect causes since 1950 is approximately 1. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA officially the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a Government in exile headed by Tenzin The Great Leap Forward ( of the People's Republic of China (PRC was an economic and social plan used from 1958 to 1960 which aimed to use China 's vast population 2 million,[50] which the Chinese Communist Party denies. The Chinese Communist Party'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[51]. According to Patrick French, 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 made from census reports of Tibet which show 200,000 "missing" from Tibet. [52][53]
The Dalai Lama has stated his willingness to negotiate with China for genuine autonomy, but according to the government in exile and Tibetan independence groups, most Tibetans still call for full Tibetan independence. The Dalai Lama 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 Wangdi, 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 Chinese in Tibet. Tashi Wangdi is the Representative to the Americas for the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub ( 6 July 1935 in Qinghai) He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile China Western Development ( also China's Western Development, Western China Development, Great Western Development Strategy, or the Open Up the West "[54]
Projects that the PRC claims to have benefited Tibet as part of the China Western Development economic plan, such as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, have roused fears of facilitating military mobilisation and Han migration. China Western Development ( also China's Western Development, Western China Development, Great Western Development Strategy, or the Open Up the West The Qingzang railway, Qinghai–Xizang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway ( mtsho bod lcags lam མཚོ་བོད་ལྕགས་ལམ། is a high-altitude [55] 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. [56]
The PRC, on the other hand, claims that its rule over Tibet is an unalloyed improvement, but foreign governments continue to make occasional protests about aspects of PRC rule in Tibet because of frequent reports of human rights violation in Tibet by groups such as Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. 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. [48]
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. [57]
The Cultural Revolution and the cultural damage it wrought upon Tibet and, indeed, the entire PRC is generally condemned as a nationwide catastrophe, whose main instigators, in the PRC's view, the so-called Gang of Four, have been brought to justice. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into The Gang of Four ( was the name given to a leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist party officials The China Western Development plan is viewed by the PRC as 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. China Western Development ( also China's Western Development, Western China Development, Great Western Development Strategy, or the Open Up the West
These claims are, however, largely discredited by many Tibetans. In 1989, the Panchen Lama was finally allowed to return to Shigatse, where he 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. [58]. Five days later, he mysteriously died of a massive heart attack at the age of 50. [59]
In 1995 the Dalai Lama named 6 year old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama without Chinese approval, while the PRC named another child, Gyancain Norbu in conflict. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (born April 25 1989 is the eleventh Panchen Lama as interpreted by most Tibetan Buddhists Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (born April 25 1989 is the eleventh Panchen Lama as interpreted by most Tibetan Buddhists Jizün Losang Qamba Lhünzhub Qoigyijabu Baisangbu (born Gyaincain Norbu, February 13 1990) commonly known as Qoigyijabu, is the 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. [60] exile. [61]
In 2001 representatives of Tibet succeeded in gaining accreditation at a United Nations-sponsored meeting of non-governmental organizations. On August 29 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. [62]
In 2005, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's 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 Post "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. The South China Morning Post, together with its Sunday edition the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Newspaper of Hong " A statement that was seen as a renewed diplomatic offensive 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. Tibetan government-in-exile, called on the Chinese government to respond. [61] The move was seen to be unpopular with many Tibetans.
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. [63]
Talks between representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government began again in May, 2008 with little result, but more are scheduled to be held in June. [64]
Geography
Tibet is located on the Tibetan Plateau, the world's highest region. This article concerns the geography of Historic Tibet, which includes but is not the same as the present-day Tibet Autonomous Region. The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang Plateau is a vast elevated Plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Most of the Himalaya mountain range, one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world at only 4 million years old, lies within Tibet. Its most famous peak, Mount Everest, is on Nepal's border with Tibet. Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. The average altitude is about 3,000 m in the south and 4,500 m in the north.
Several major rivers have their source in the Tibetan Plateau (mostly in present-day Qinghai Province). These includeYangtze, Yellow River, Indus River, Mekong, Brahmaputra River, Ganges, Salween and the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho ( Hatan Gol Queen river) is the second-longest river in China (after the Yangtze River) and the The Indus River { Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: urd {{Nastaliq سندھ}} Sindh; Sindhi: snd The Mekong is one of the world’s major Rivers It is the 11th-longest river in the world and 7th longest in Asia The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is a Trans-boundary river and one of the major Rivers of Asia. The Ganges (ˈgænʤiːz also Ganga, Devanāgarī: hi गंगा in most Indian languages) is the major river in the Indian subcontinent The Salween River (သံလွင်မြစ် θànlwìn myiʔ also spelled Salwine) rises in Tibet ( after which it flows through Yunnan The Indus, Brahmaputra rivers originate from a lake (Tib: Tso Mapham) in Western Tibet, near Mount Kailash. Kailasa redirects here For the band see Kailasa (band Mount Kailash (Devanagari कैलाश पर्वत( Kailāśā Parvata The mountain is a holy pilgrimage for both Hindus 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 Lake Manasarovar, Namtso, Pangong Tso, Yamdrok Lake, Siling Co, Lhamo La-tso, Lumajangdong Co, Lake Puma Yumco, Lake Paiku, Lake Rakshastal, Dagze Co and Dong Co
The atmosphere is severely dry nine months of the year, and average annual snowfall is only 18 inches, due to the rain shadow effect whereby mountain ranges prevent moisture from the ocean from reaching the plateaus. Lake Manasarovar or Lake Manasa Sarovar Hindi: मानसरोवर झील Tibetan: མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ། Mapham Yutso Namtso (officially Nam Co; Mongolian: Tengri Nor; “Heavenly Lake”) is a mountain lake at the border between Damxung County of Pangong Tso (or Pangong Lake; Tso: Ladakhi for lake is a Lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4250 m (13900 ft Yamdrok Lake ( Chinese: 羊卓雍錯 is one of the three largest sacred Lakes in Tibet ( Siling Co is a Lake in central Tibet on the Tibetan plateau. Doijiang is located near the lake Lhamo La-tso or Lhamo Latso ( Tibetan:ལྷ་མོ་བལ་མཙོ། Wylie: Lha mo bla mtsho) the small oval 'Oracle Lake' is where Lumajangdong Co is a Lake in China with an area of 250 km² It is located at 34° 2' 0" and 81° 40' 0" Lake Puma Yumco is a lake located at 5030 meters (16503 ft Above mean sea level on the southern Tibetan Plateau. Lake Paiku is located on the Tibetan Plateau, “The Roof of the World” at 4591 meters (15070 ft ( Lake Rakshastal ( officially: La'nga Co; Tibetan in Wylie transliteration: lag-ngar-mtsho; Chinese: 拉昂错 Pinyin Dagze Co (Lake is one of many inland Lakes in Tibet, with a present area of 260 km² (100 square miles Dongco is a Village in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in central Tibet For the Australian television series see Rain Shadow (TV series. 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 monsoon exerts some influence on eastern Tibet. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months Northern Tibet is subject to high temperatures in the summer and intense cold in the winter.
Historic Tibet consists of several regions. These include Amdo (A mdo) in the northeast, incorporated by China into the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan. Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. ( is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. , Kham(Khams) in the east, divided between Sichuan, northern Yunnan and Qinghai. For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the , Western Kham, part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region and Ü-Tsang (dBus gTsang) (Ü in the center, Tsang in the center-west, and Ngari (mNga' ris) in the far west), part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
Tibetan cultural influences extend to the neighboring states of Bhutan, Nepal, adjacent regions of India such as Sikkim and Ladakh, and adjacent provinces of China where Tibetan Buddhism is the predominant religion. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Sikkim ( Nepali:, also Sikhim) is a Landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas It is the least populous state in India Ladakh ( Ladakhi lad̪ɑks लदाख لدّاخ "land of high passes" is a region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including
On the border with India, the region popularly known among Chinese as South Tibet is claimed by China and administered by India as the state of Arunachal Pradesh. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Arunachal Pradesh (अरुणाचल प्रदेश Aruṇācal Pradeś is the easternmost state of India
Cities, towns and villages
- Further information: List of towns and villages in the Tibet Autonomous Region
There are over 800 settlements in Tibet, Lhasa is Tibet's traditional capital and the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. A comprehensive A-Z List of cities towns and villages in the Tibet Autonomous Region of western China. The Jokhang, () also called the Qokang, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Tsuklakang (gTsug lag khang, is the first Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Lhasa contains the world heritage site the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, the residences of the Dalai Lama. The Potala Palace () is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Norbulingka also refers to the Norbulingka Institute. Norbulingka (ནོར་བུ་གླིང་ཀ་ Wylie: Nor-bu-gling-ka The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. Lhasa contains a number of significant temples and monasteries which are deeply engrained in its history including Jokhang and Ramoche Temple. The Jokhang, () also called the Qokang, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Tsuklakang (gTsug lag khang, is the first Ramoche Temple () is a Buddhist monastery is considered the most important temple in Lhasa after the Jokhang Temple
Shigatse is the country's second largest city, west of Lhasa. Gyantse, Chamdo are also amongst the largest. Gyantse (rGyal rtse also spelled Gyangtse, Gyangdzê; ( Chinese: 江孜镇 Wylie: rgyal rtse; Tibetan: རྒྱལ་རྩེ་ This article refers to the town of Chamdo For other uses see Qamdo.
Other cities in Historic Tibet include, Nagchu, Nyingchi, Nedong, Barkam, Sakya, Gartse, Pelbar, Lhatse, and Tingri; in Sichuan, Kangding (Dartsedo); in Qinghai, Jyekundo or Yushu, Machen, and Golmud. Nagchu may refer to Nagchu Prefecture, prefecture in Tibet Nagchu County, county in Tibet Nagchu Town, town in Nyingchi may refer to Nyingchi Prefecture, prefecture in Tibet Nyingchi County, county in Tibet Nedong may refer to Nêdong County, county in Tibet Nêdong (village, village in Tibet Barkam may refer to Barkam County, in Sichuan China Barkam (town, county seat of Barkam County Lhatse is a small town of a few thousand people in Tibet, just West of the mountain pass leading to Shigatse. Tingri may refer to Tingri County, county in Tibet Tingri (town, main town in Tingri County ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. Kangding or Dardo ( Chinese: 康定 Pinyin: Kāngdìng; Tibetan in official transcription: Dardo or Darzêdo (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. Gyêgu is the modern town which developed from the old Tibetan trade mart called Jyekundo ( skye dgu mdo, skye rgu mdo) in Tibetan and most Western sources Golmud, sometimes spelled Ge'ermu or Geermu ( Mongolian: Голмуд meaning "Rivers" in local Western Mongolian dialect; Tibetan There is also a large Tibetan settlement in South India near Kushalanagara. Kushalanagara is a town located in the east of Kodagu district near the Kaveri river in the state of Karnataka, India. India created this settlement for Tibetan refugees which had fled to India.
Economy
Tibet's GDP in 2001 was 13. 9 billion yuan (USD1. 8billion). [65] The Central government exempts Tibet from all taxation and provides 90% of Tibet's government expenditures. [66] The Tibetan economy is dominated by subsistence agriculture. Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficient farming in which farmers grow only enough food to feed the family and to pay taxes or feudal dues Due to limited arable land, livestock raising is the primary occupation mainly on the Tibetan Plateau, among them are sheep, cattle, goats, camels, yaks and horses. However, the main crops grown are barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye, potatoes and assorted fruits and vegetables. Buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the Dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus
In recent years, due to the increased interest in Tibetan Buddhism, tourism has become an increasingly important sector, and is actively promoted by the authorities. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel The Tibetan economy is heavily subsidized by the Central government and government cadres receive the second-highest salaries in China. [67]
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 rugs and carpets. Tibetan rug making is an ancient art and craft in the tradition of Tibetan people The Qinghai-Tibet Railway which links the region to Qinghai in China proper was opened in 2006. The Qingzang railway, Qinghai–Xizang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway ( mtsho bod lcags lam མཚོ་བོད་ལྕགས་ལམ། is a high-altitude (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. China proper (also known as Inner China) refers to the historical lands of China where the Han Chinese are the majority Ethnic group, in contrast [68] The Chinese government claims that the line will promote the development of impoverished Tibet. [69] But 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. [70]
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. [71] 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. "[72]
In January of 2007, the Chinese government issued a report outlining the discovery of a large mineral deposit under the Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang Plateau is a vast elevated Plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous [73] The deposit has an estimated value of $128 billion and may double Chinese reserves of zinc, copper, and lead. China sees this as a way to alleviate the country's dependence on foreign mineral imports necessary for its growing economy. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES However, critics worry that mining these vast resources will harm Tibet's fragile ecosystem as well take valuable resources away from the Tibetan people. [73]
Demographics
Historically, the population of Tibet consisted of primarily ethnic Tibetans. The Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper Other ethnic groups in Tibet include Menba (Monpa), Lhoba, Mongols and Hui Chinese. The Monpa ( Tibetan: མོན་པ། are an Ethnic group in the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of 50000 centered The Lhoba (珞巴 is currently an officially recognized ethnic group in China. The Hui people ( Xiao'erjing: حُوِ ذَو) are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam. 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.
The issue of the proportion of the Han Chinese population in Tibet is a politically sensitive one. Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. The Central Tibetan Administration, an exile group, says that the People's Republic of China has actively swamped Tibet with Han Chinese migrants in order to alter Tibet's demographic makeup. [2]
View of the Tibetan exile community
Between the 1960s and 1980s, many prisoners (over 1 million, according to Harry Wu) were sent to laogai camps in Amdo (Qinghai), where they were then employed locally after release. Harry Wu (born 1937; Chinese: 吳弘達 Wu Hongda) is an activist for Human rights in the People's Republic of China. Laogai ( the abbreviation for Láo dòng Gǎi zào (勞動改造 which means "reform through labor" is a slogan of the Chinese criminal Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. Since the 1980s, increasing economic liberalization and internal mobility has also resulted in the influx of many Han Chinese into Tibet for work or settlement, though the actual number of this floating population remains disputed. Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. This article is about internal migration within the People's Republic of China.
The Government of Tibet in Exile claims that, despite official statistics to the contrary, in reality non-ethnic Tibetans (including Han Chinese and Hui Muslims) outnumber ethnic Tibetans. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA officially the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a Government in exile headed by Tenzin Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. The Hui people ( Xiao'erjing: حُوِ ذَو) are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam. It claims that this is as a result of an active policy of demographically swamping the Tibetan people and further diminishing any chances of Tibetan political independence. [3] The Dalai Lama has recently been reported as saying that the Tibetans had been reduced to a minority "in his homeland", by reference to population figures of Lhasa, and accusing China of "demographic aggression". The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the [74]
The Government of Tibet in Exile questions all statistics given by the PRC government, since they do not include members of the People's Liberation Army garrisoned in Tibet, or the large floating population of unregistered migrants. The People's Liberation Army ( PLA) ( is the unified Military organization of all land sea and air forces of the People's Republic of China. [4] The Qinghai-Tibet Railway (Xining to Lhasa) is also a major concern, as it is believed to further facilitate the influx of migrants. The Qingzang railway, Qinghai–Xizang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway ( mtsho bod lcags lam མཚོ་བོད་ལྕགས་ལམ། is a high-altitude Xining ( Simplified Chinese: 西宁 Traditional Chinese: 西寧 Tibetan: ཟི་ནིང་ Pinyin: Xīníng Wylie: Zi-ning Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the [5]
The Government of Tibet in Exile quotes an issue of People's Daily published in 1959 to claim that the Tibetan population has dropped significantly since 1959. The People's Daily ( a daily Newspaper, is the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, published worldwide with a circulation According to the article, figures from the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China show that the autonomous region of Tibet was populated by 1,273,969 persons. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES In the Tibetan sectors of Kham, 3,381,064 Tibetans were counted. For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the In Qinghai and other Tibetan sectors that are incorporated in Gansu, 1,675,534 Tibetans were counted. ( is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. According to the total of these three numbers, the Tibetan population attained 6,330,567 in 1959. [75]
In 2000, the number of Tibetans as a whole of these regions was about 5,400,000 according to National Bureau of Statistics[76].
The Tibetan exile Government's analysis of these statistics originating from National Bureau of Statistics shows that in 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 world-wide population increased by 3-fold. [77] 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. [78] These numbers were taken by the Government of Tibet in Exile as the population of Tibetans in each province.
View of the People's Republic of China
The PRC government does not view itself as an occupying power and has vehemently denied allegations of demographic swamping. The PRC also does not recognize Greater Tibet as claimed by the government of Tibet in Exile, saying that the idea was engineered by foreign imperialists as a plot to divide China amongst themselves, (Mongolia being a striking precedent, gaining independence with Soviet backing and subsequently aligning itself with the Soviet Union) and that those 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. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Imperialism has two meanings one describing an action and the other describing an attitude Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 [79]
The PRC gives the number of Tibetans in Tibet Autonomous Region as 2. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR also called Xizang Autonomous Region (བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས་ Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs 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 Lhasa. Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Population control policies like the one-child policy only apply to Han Chinese, not to minorities such as Tibetans [80]. The one-child policy is the Population control policy (or planned birth policy of the People's Republic of China (PRC Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world.
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. Qiangba Puncog (； Chinese: 向巴平措 Pinyin: Xiàngbā Píngcuò； born in 1947 is the current Chairman of the government of Tibet Autonomous Region [81]
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. [82]
This table[83] includes all Tibetan autonomous entities in the People's Republic of China, plus Xining PLC and Haidong P. In a similar fashion to the former Soviet Union 's Titular nations a number of areas associated with one or more ethnic minorities are designated as '''autonomous''' 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 Army in active service. The People's Liberation Army ( PLA) ( is the unified Military organization of all land sea and air forces of the People's Republic of China.
| Major ethnic groups in Greater Tibet by region, 2000 census. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Tibetans | Han Chinese | others | ||||
| Tibet Autonomous Region: | 2,616,329 | 2,427,168 | 92. The Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR also called Xizang Autonomous Region (བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས་ Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs 8% | 158,570 | 6. 1% | 30,591 | 1. 2% |
| - Lhasa PLC | 474,499 | 387,124 | 81. Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the 6% | 80,584 | 17. 0% | 6,791 | 1. 4% |
| - Qamdo Prefecture | 586,152 | 563,831 | 96. Qamdo Prefecture (also Changdu Prefecture) (ཆབ་མདོ་ས་ཁུལ་ Wylie: chab-mdo sa khul Simplified Chinese: 昌都地区 2% | 19,673 | 3. 4% | 2,648 | 0. 5% |
| - Shannan Prefecture | 318,106 | 305,709 | 96. Shannan Prefecture ( Simplified Chinese: 山南地区 Pinyin: Shānnán Dìqū is a prefecture in the Southeastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region 1% | 10,968 | 3. 4% | 1,429 | 0. 4% |
| - Xigazê Prefecture | 634,962 | 618,270 | 97. Xigazê (also Rikaze, Shigatse) (Chinese 日喀则 Rìkāzé) is a prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region in China. 4% | 12,500 | 2. 0% | 4,192 | 0. 7% |
| - Nagqu Prefecture | 366,710 | 357,673 | 97. Nagqu Prefecture (also Naqu or Nagchu) Tibetan: ནག་ཆུ་ས་ཁུལ་ Wylie: Nag-chu Sa-khul Simplified Chinese: 5% | 7,510 | 2. 0% | 1,527 | 0. 4% |
| - Ngari Prefecture | 77,253 | 73,111 | 94. Ngari Prefecture (also Ali Prefecture) ( Tibetan: མངའ་རིས་ས་ཁུལ་ Wylie: mnga' 6% | 3,543 | 4. 6% | 599 | 0. 8% |
| - Nyingchi Prefecture | 158,647 | 121,450 | 76. Nyingchi Prefecture (also Linzhi Prefecture) (ཉིང་ཁྲི་ས་ཁུལ་ Wylie: nying-khri sa khul) is a prefecture in southwestern Tibet 6% | 23,792 | 15. 0% | 13,405 | 8. 4% |
| Qinghai Province: | 4,822,963 | 1,086,592 | 22. (青海 qīnghǎi is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake. 5% | 2,606,050 | 54. 0% | 1,130,321 | 23. 4% |
| - Xining PLC | 1,849,713 | 96,091 | 5. Xining ( Simplified Chinese: 西宁 Traditional Chinese: 西寧 Tibetan: ཟི་ནིང་ Pinyin: Xīníng Wylie: Zi-ning 2% | 1,375,013 | 74. 3% | 378,609 | 20. 5% |
| - Haidong Prefecture | 1,391,565 | 128,025 | 9. See Haedong for disambiguation Haidong ( Simplified Chinese: 海东 Traditional Chinese: 海東 Pinyin: Hǎidōng 2% | 783,893 | 56. 3% | 479,647 | 34. 5% |
| - Haibei AP | 258,922 | 62,520 | 24. Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( Simplified Chinese: 海北藏族自治州 Pinyin: Hǎiběi Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu Tibetan: མཚོ་བཡྣང་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་ 1% | 94,841 | 36. 6% | 101,561 | 39. 2% |
| - Huangnan AP | 214,642 | 142,360 | 66. Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( Simplified Chinese: 黄南藏族自治州 Pinyin: Huángnán Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu Tibetan: རྨ་ལྷོ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་ 3% | 16,194 | 7. 5% | 56,088 | 26. 1% |
| - Hainan AP | 375,426 | 235,663 | 62. Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( Simplified Chinese: 海南藏族自治州 Pinyin: Hǎinán Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu Tibetan: མཚོ་ལྷོ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་ 8% | 105,337 | 28. 1% | 34,426 | 9. 2% |
| - Golog AP | 137,940 | 126,395 | 91. Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( Simplified Chinese: 果洛藏族自治州 Pinyin: Guǒluò Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu Tibetan: མགོ་ལོག་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་ 6% | 9,096 | 6. 6% | 2,449 | 1. 8% |
| - Gyêgu AP | 262,661 | 255,167 | 97. Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an Autonomous prefecture in Qinghai. 1% | 5,970 | 2. 3% | 1,524 | 0. 6% |
| - Haixi AP | 332,094 | 40,371 | 12. Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( Simplified Chinese: 海西蒙古族藏族自治州 Pinyin: Hǎixī Měnggǔzú Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu Tibetan 2% | 215,706 | 65. 0% | 76,017 | 22. 9% |
| Tibetan areas in Sichuan province | |||||||
| - Ngawa AP | 847,468 | 455,238 | 53. ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. The Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture ( Tibetan: རྔ་བ་བོད་རིགས་ཆ་བ༹ང་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་ 7% | 209,270 | 24. 7% | 182,960 | 21. 6% |
| - Garzê AP | 897,239 | 703,168 | 78. Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( Tibetan: དཀར་མཛེས་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་, Wylie transliteration 4% | 163,648 | 18. 2% | 30,423 | 3. 4% |
| - Muli AC | 124,462 | 60,679 | 48. Muli Tibetan Autonomous County ( Tibetan: སྨི་ལི་རང་སྐྱོང་རྫོང་ / smi-li rang-skyong-rdzong is in the Liangshan (Cool Mountains 8% | 27,199 | 21. 9% | 36,584 | 29. 4% |
| Tibetan areas in Yunnan province | |||||||
| - Dêqên AP | 353,518 | 117,099 | 33. 1% | 57,928 | 16. 4% | 178,491 | 50. 5% |
| Tibetan areas in Gansu province | |||||||
| - Gannan AP | 640,106 | 329,278 | 51. ( is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( Tibetan: -དཀར་ལྷོ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་ / Dkar-lho Bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul 4% | 267,260 | 41. 8% | 43,568 | 6. 8% |
| - Tianzhu AC | 221,347 | 66,125 | 29. Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County (天祝藏族自治县 Tiānzhù Zàngzú Zìzhìxiàn Tibetan: -ཐེན་ཀྲུའུ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ 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% |
Human Rights
According to the non-government Save Tibet website, the Tibetan people are denied most rights guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the rights to self-determination, freedom of speech, assembly, movement, expression, and travel. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly ( 10 December 1948 at Palais [84] Elliot Sperling, an Associate Professor of Tibetan Studies at Indiana University, in a statement to the Human Rights Watch, also detailed human rights violation in Tibet. [85] The Tibet Justice. org claims that according to UN Development Programme data, Tibet is ranked the lowest among China’s 31 provinces [86] , and is ranked 153 out of the 160 countries on the Human Development Index. [87]
Amnesty International has stated that political prisoners are often beaten and tortured, and sometimes summarily executed. Since the 1988 ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture by China, 69 Tibetans are recorded as having died as a result of torture in Chinese prisons. Human rights groups have confirmed by name over 700 Tibetan political prisoners in Tibet, many of them detained without charge or trial. [88]
Tibetologist Thomas Laird claims that there is no evidence to support China's claim that Tibet is autonomous,[89] 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. [90] [91] 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. [92]
Thomas Laird also claims that China continues to encourage the transfer of Chinese settlers into Tibet. This threatens the survival of the Tibetan religious, cultural and national identity. [93][94] The Free Tibet website claims that unemployment in schools, discussion of Tibetan cultural, religious and social issues is discouraged, and Chinese culture is promoted. [95]
The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy claims that unemployment among Tibetans is high. An unequal taxation system further exacerbates the conditions of poverty for Tibetans in rural areas. [96] Many basic rights, such as the right to housing, education and health, remain unfulfilled.
Culture
Religion
Tibetan Buddhism
Religion and spirituality is extremely important to the Tibetans and has a strong influence over all aspects of lives; ingrained deeply into their cultural heritage. Tibetan civilization boasts a rich culture Tibetan culture is greatly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism which is reflected through arts and ritual practices Tibetan Buddhist Gendun Drup also Gendun Drub and Kundun Drup (1391&ndash1474 is retrospectively considered to be the first of the Dalai Lamas of Tibet, who Labrang Monastery (Tibetan བླ་བྲང་བཀྲ་ཤིས་འཁྱིལ་ Wylie bla-brang bkra-shis-'khyil Chinese 拉卜楞寺 Pinyin lābǔlèng sì is one of Bön ( is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, has recognized the Bön tradition as the fifth principal spiritual Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Bön is the ancient traditional religion of Tibet, but following the introduction of Tantric Buddhism into Tibet by Padmasambhava this became eclipsed by Tibetan Buddhism, a distinctive form of Vajrayana. Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and Padmasambhava () The Lotus Born, is said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century. Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism is practiced not only in Tibet but also in Mongolia, parts of northern India, the Buryat Republic, the Tuva Republic, and in the Republic of Kalmykia. Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Buryat Republic (Респу́блика Буря́тия Буряад Республика is a federal subject of Russia (a Republic) Tyva Republic (Респу́блика Тыва́ Respublika Tyva, rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva Тыва Республика Tyva Respublika) or Tuva The Republic of Kalmykia (Респу́блика Калмы́кия Kalmyk: Хальмг Таңһч is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a
Tibetan Buddhism has four main traditions (the suffix pa is comparable to "er" in English):
- Gelug(pa), Way of Virtue, also known casually as Yellow Hat, whose spiritual head is the Ganden Tripa and whose temporal, the Dalai Lama. The Gelug or Gelug-pa, also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419 a Philosopher The Ganden Tripa or Gaden Tripa ("Holder of the Ganden Throne" is the title of the spiritual leader of the Gelug (Dge-lugs school of Tibetan Buddhism The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. 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 Tsongkhapa, based on the foundations of the Kadampa tradition. Tsongkhapa ( (1357 &ndash 1419 whose name means "The Man from Onion Valley" was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led later to the formation The Kadam ( tradition was a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist school Dromtönpa a Tibetan lay master and the foremost disciple of the great Indian Buddhist 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[97].
- Kagyu(pa), Oral Lineage. The Kagyu or Kagyupa school also known as the " Oral Lineage " or Whispered Transmission school is one of four main schools of Himalayan This contains one major subsect and one minor subsect. The first, the Dagpo Kagyu, encompasses those Kagyu schools that trace back to Gampopa. Gampopa ( (1079-1153 "the man from Gampo" — who was equally well known in Tibet as Sonam Rinchen ( Dagpo Lhaje ( ("the Physician from Dagpo" In turn, the Dagpo Kagyu consists of four major sub-sects: the Karma Kagyu, headed by a Karmapa, the Tsalpa Kagyu, the Barom Kagyu, and Pagtru Kagyu. Karma Kagyu ( or Kamtsang, is the largest lineage within the Kagyu school one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Karmapa (officially His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa) is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa ( Tibetan 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. Drikung Kagyu or Drigung Kagyu ( Wylie: 'bri-kung bka'-brgyud is one of the eight "minor" lineages of the Kagyu school of Drukpa (disambiguation The Drukpa ( Tib. འབྲུག་པ / ’brug pa) Druk ~ "dragon" pa ~ "person" — or Drukpa Kagyu The once-obscure Shangpa Kagyu, which was famously represented by the 20th century teacher Kalu Rinpoche, traces its history back to the Indian master Niguma, sister of Kagyu lineage holder Naropa. The Shangpa Kagyu is known as the "secret" lineage and different origins than the better known Dagpo Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche ( 1905 - May 10, 1989) was a Buddhist Meditation master Scholar and Teacher. Nāropā ( Tibetan; Sanskrit: Nādapradā, 956-1041 was an Indian Buddhist mystic and Monk, the disciple of 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 Ancient Ones. The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug) This is the oldest, the original order founded by Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava () The Lotus Born, is said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century.
- Sakya(pa), Grey Earth, headed by the Sakya Trizin, founded by Khon Konchog Gyalpo, a disciple of the great translator Drokmi Lotsawa. This articles concerns the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism For information on the ancient Śākya tribe see Shakya. The Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism refers to its head as the Sakya Trizin. Sakya Pandita 1182–1251CE was the great grandson of Khon Konchog Gyalpo. Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen or Kunga Gylatshan Pal Zangpo (1182&ndash1251 was a Tibetan spiritual leader and Buddhist scholar and the fourth of the Five This school very much represents the scholarly tradition.
Islam
In Tibetan cities, there are also 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. The Tibetan Muslims, also known as the Kachee ( Kache) form a small minority in Tibet. The Tibetan Muslims, also known as the Kachee ( Kache) form a small minority in Tibet. 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. [98] There is also a well established Chinese Muslim community (gya kachee), which traces its ancestry back to the Hui ethnic group of China. The Hui people ( Xiao'erjing: حُوِ ذَو) are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam. It is said that Muslim migrants from Kashmir and Ladakh first entered Tibet around the 12th century. Marriages and social interaction gradually led to an increase in the population until a sizable community grew up around Lhasa. Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the
Buddhist monasteries in Tibet
Tibetan art
Tibetan representations of art are intrinsically bound with Tibetan Buddhism and commonly depict deities or variations of Buddha in various forms from bronze Buddhist statues and shrines, to highly colorful thangka paintings and mandalas. Tashilhunpo Monastery ( founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important Monastery next to Tibet is home to numerous Buddhist monasteries: Ani Tsankhung Nunnery (Lhasa Trandruk Temple (Lhokha Tibetan art refers to the art of Tibet and other present and former Himalayan kingdoms ( Bhutan, Ladakh, Nepal, and Sikkim Sikkim ( Nepali:, also Sikhim) is a Landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas It is the least populous state in India Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Mandala ( Sanskrit maṇḍala मंड "essence" + ल "having" or "containing"
Architecture
Tibetan architecture contains Oriental and Indian influences, and reflects a deeply Buddhist approach. Tibetan civilization boasts a rich culture Tibetan culture is greatly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism which is reflected through arts and ritual practices Tibetan Buddhist India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices The Buddhist wheel, along with two dragons, can be seen on nearly every Gompa in Tibet. The Dharmachakra ( Sanskrit) or Dhammachakka ( Pāli) Tibetan chos kyi 'khor lo, Chinese fălún 法輪 Gompa and ling are ecclesiastical Fortifications of learning lineage and Sadhana (that may be understood as a conflation of a fortification a Monastery The design of the Tibetan Chörtens can vary, from roundish walls in Kham to squarish, four-sided walls in Ladakh. A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the Ladakh ( Ladakhi lad̪ɑks लदाख لدّاخ "land of high passes" is a region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between
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 Palace is considered as the most important example of Tibetan architecture. The Potala Palace () is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Formerly the residence of the Dalai Lama, it contains over one thousand rooms within thirteen stories, and houses portraits of the past Dalai Lamas and statues of the Buddha. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. 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 Tibetan groups are found in India, Bhutan, Nepal and further abroad. The Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. First and foremost Tibetan music is religious music, reflecting the profound influence of Tibetan Buddhism on the culture. Religious music (also sacred music) is Music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including
Tibetan music often involves chanting in Tibetan or Sanskrit, as an integral part of the religion. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Chant (from Old French chanter) is the Rhythmic speaking or Singing of Words or Sounds often primarily on one or two Tibetan refers to a group of languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia as well as by overseas Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical These chants are complex, often recitations of sacred texts or in celebration of various festivals. A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community Yang chanting, performed without metrical timing, is accompanied by resonant drums and low, sustained syllables. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells 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. The Gelug or Gelug-pa, also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419 a Philosopher The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug) This articles concerns the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism For information on the ancient Śākya tribe see Shakya. The Kagyu or Kagyupa school also known as the " Oral Lineage " or Whispered Transmission school is one of four main schools of Himalayan
Nangma dance music is especially popular in the karaoke bars of the urban center of Tibet, Lhasa. Nangma (bo ནང་མ་ is a genre of Tibetan Dance music closely related to Toeshey. (kɑːrɑːˌoʊkɛ in Japanese karaoke) is a form of Entertainment in which Amateur Singers sing along with recorded Music (and/or a Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Another form of popular music is the classical gar style, which is performed at rituals and ceremonies. The Gar style is a Tibetan form of Chanting and dancing Lu 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. The Epic of King Gesar is the central epic poem of Tibet and much of Central Asia.
Festivals
Tibet has various festivals which commonly are performed to worship the Buddha throughout the year. In Tibet, the Tibetan calendar lags approximately four to six weeks behind the Solar calendar. Monlam, also known as The Great Prayer Festival, falls on 4th -11th day of the 1st Tibetan month in Tibetan Buddhism. Losar is the Tibetan New Year Festival. Losar ( is the Tibetan word for "new year" Lo holds the Semantic field "year" "age" sar holds the semantic 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 calendar, falling on the fourth up to the eleventh day of the first Tibetan month. Monlam, also known as The Great Prayer Festival, falls on 4th -11th day of the 1st Tibetan month in Tibetan Buddhism. The 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 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
Historically, Tibet is considered the home of the ancient art of paper folding known as Origami. (from oru meaning "folding" and kami meaning "paper" is the ancient Japanese Art of Paper folding. The tradition started as an artistic way of folding chanted or meditated mantras into decorative shapes in order to help spread their influence.
The Potala Palace, former residence of the Dalai Lamas, is a World Heritage Site, as is Norbulingka, former summer residence of the Dalai Lama. The Potala Palace () is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Norbulingka also refers to the Norbulingka Institute. Norbulingka (ནོར་བུ་གླིང་ཀ་ Wylie: Nor-bu-gling-ka
Since 2002, Tibetans in exile have allowed a Miss Tibet beauty contest in spite of concerns that this event is considered a Western influence. A beauty contest or beauty pageant is a competition based mainly though not always entirely on the physical beauty of its contestants and often incorporating Personality The beauty contest is condemned by the Tibetan government in exile.
Cuisine
The most important crop in Tibet is barley, and dough made from barley flour called tsampa, is the staple food of Tibet. The cuisine of Tibet is quite distinct from that of its neighbours since only a few crops (not including Rice) grow at such high altitude Butter tea, also known as po cha ( "Tibetan tea" cha süma ( "churned tea" Mandarin Chinese: su you cha ( 酥[[wiktionary Barley ( Hordeum vulgare) is an annual Cereal Grain, which serves as a major animal Feed crop, with smaller amounts used for Tsampa ( is a Tibetan staple foodstuff, particularly prominent in the central part of the country A staple food is a Food that forms the basis of a Traditional diet. This is either rolled into noodles or made into steamed dumplings called momos. A momo ( is a type of Tibetan and Nepali Dumpling, similar to Mongolian Buuz or Chinese Jiaozi. Meat dishes are likely to be yak, goat, or mutton, often dried, or cooked into a spicy stew with potatoes. In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer The yak ( Bos grunniens) is a long-haired Bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Qinghai - The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Lamb, 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 A stew is a combination of Solid Food Ingredients that have been Cooked in Water or other water-based liquid typically by Simmering The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae Mustard seed is cultivated in Tibet, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine. Mustard seeds are the small seeds of the various Mustard plants The seeds are about 2 mm in diameter and may be colored from yellowish white to black Yak yoghurt, butter and cheese are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yoghurt is considered something of a prestige item. Yoghurt, yogurt, yoghourt, youghurt or yogourt (see spelling below is a Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Cheese is a Food made from Milk, usually the milk of cows, Buffalo, Goats or sheep, by coagulation. Butter tea is very popular to drink and many Tibetans drink up to 100 cups a day. Butter tea, also known as po cha ( "Tibetan tea" cha süma ( "churned tea" Mandarin Chinese: su you cha ( 酥[[wiktionary
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 Tibet, starring Brad Pitt, and Kundun, a biography of the 14th Dalai Lama, directed by Martin Scorsese. Seven Years in Tibet is a 1997 film based on the book of the same name written by Austrian Mountaineer and onetime SS Nazi William Bradley "Brad" Pitt Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys Kundun is a 1997 film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. Both of these films were banned by the Chinese government because of Tibetan nationalist overtones. Other films include Samsara, The Cup and the 1999 Himalaya, a French-American produced film with a Tibetan cast set in Nepal and Tibet. Samsara is a 2001 independent Italy / France / Indian German film which tells the story of a Buddhist The Cup ( Phörpa) is a 1999 Tibetan Film directed by Khyentse Norbu. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. In 2005, exile Tibetan filmmaker Tenzing Sonam and his partner Ritu Sarin made Dreaming Lhasa, the first internationally recognized feature film to come out of the diaspora to explore the contemporary reality of Tibet. Dreaming Lhasa (Tibetan lha sa'i mi lam) is the 2005 Tibetan language debut feature film of veteran documentary filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol, is a film made by National Geographic about a Chinese reporter that goes to Tibet to report on the issue involving the endangerment of Tibetan Antelope. Kekexili Mountain Patrol ( (ཨ་ཆེན་གངས་རྒྱལ། in Tibetan is a 2004 film by Chinese director Lu Chuan (陆川 It won numerous awards at home and abroad.
In 1995 a British electronic music act Banco de Gaia released the album Last Train to Lhasa, dedicated to the music of Tibet, with many samples of Tibetan chantings. Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production Banco de Gaia is an Electronic music band from England, formed by Toby Marks (born 1964 South London) in 1991 Last Train to Lhasa is a double CD by Banco de Gaia which was released in 1995 (there was also a single-disc version The music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region centered in Tibet but also known wherever ethnic Tibetan groups are found in Chant (from Old French chanter) is the Rhythmic speaking or Singing of Words or Sounds often primarily on one or two
Gallery
 Monks at Sakya Monastery |  Gyantse |  Monks at Sera |  Yumbo Lhakang |
 Drepung Monastery |  Sera Monastery |  Former quarters of the Dalai Lama |  Thangka painting |
 Tibetan children in Lithang |
References
- ^ Shakabpa, Tsepon; Victor C. Litang ( Tibetan in Wylie transliteration: li thang; Chinese: 理塘 Pinyin: Lǐtáng) is a county in the southwest of Falkenheim and Turrell V. Wylie "Tibet". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2008-04-27. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated
- ^ a b The historical status of the Dalai Lamas as actual rulers is disputed. A. Tom Grunfeld's The Making of Modern Tibet, p. 12: "Given the low life expectancy in Tibet it was not uncommon for incarnations to die before, or soon after, their ascendancy to power. This resulted in long periods of rule by advisers, or, in the ease of Dalai Lama, regents. As a measure of the power that regents must have wielded it is important to note that only three of the fourteen Dalai Lamas have actually ruled Tibet. From 1751 to 1960 regents ruled for 77 percent of the time"
- ^ a b Partridge, Eric, Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, New York, 1966, p. 719.
- ^ a b c Behr, W. , "Stephan V. Beyer, The Classical Tibetan Language" (book review), Oriens 34 (1994): 557–564.
- ^ a b Sellheim, R. "Oriens - Journal of the International Society for Oriental Research: 1994". Brill Publishers, 1994. Founded in 1683 in Leiden, The Netherlands, Brill (known as E page 559
- ^ Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization (1922). English edition with minor revisions in 1972 Stanford University Press, p. 31. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7.
- ^ China Tibet Information Center "The Origin of the Name of Tibet"
- ^ See Transliteration into Chinese characters for more information on the relationship between literal meanings and sound transliterations. Transliteration is known as yinyi ( in Chinese. While it is not uncommon to see foreign names left as they are in their original forms (for example in Latin
- ^ "现代汉语词典","遠東漢英大辭典".
- ^ Kapstein, Matthew T. The Tibetans, p. 19. (2006). Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-0-631-22574-4.
- ^ Kapstein, Matthew T. The Tibetans, p. 22. (2006). Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-0-631-22574-4.
- ^ Beckwith 1987: 146.
- ^ Marks, Thomas A. (1978). "Nanchao and Tibet in South-western China and Central Asia. " The Tibet Journal. Vol. 3, No. 4. Winter 1978, pp. 13-16.
- ^ 'A Corpus of Early Tibetan Inscriptions. H. E. Richardson. Royal Asiatic Society (1985), pp. 106–43. ISBN 0-94759300/4.
- ^ Laird, Thomas (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 112-113. Grove Press, N. Y. ISBN 978-0-8021-827-1.
- ^ Karenina Kollmar-Paulenz, Kleine Geschichte Tibets, München 2006, p. 98-104
- ^ Laird, Thomas (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 142-143. Grove Press, N. Y. ISBN 978-0-8021-827-1.
- ^ Micheal Weiers, Geschichte der Mongolen, Stuttgart 2004, pp. 182ff.
- ^ Rene Grousset, The Empire of the Steppes, New Brunswick 1970, p. 522.
- ^ Richardson, Hugh E. (1984). Tibet and its History. Second Edition, Revised and Updated, pp. 48-9. Shambhala. Boston & London. ISBN 0-87773-376-7 (pbk)
- ^ Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization. (1972), p. 85. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7. (paper)
- ^ Richardson, Hugh E. (1984). Tibet and its History. Second Edition, Revised and Updated, pp. 48-9. Shambhala. Boston & London. ISBN 0-87773-376-7 (pbk)
- ^ Laird, Thomas (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, p. 226. Grove Press, N. Y. ISBN 978-0-8021-827-1.
- ^ Wang Jiawei, "The Historical Status of China's Tibet", 2000, pp. 162-6.
- ^ Wang Jiawei, "The Historical Status of China's Tibet", 2000, pp. 170–3.
- ^ Goldstein, M. C. , A History of Modern Tibet: The Demise of the Lamaist State, University of California Press, p44
- ^ Teltscher, Kate (2006). The High Road to China: George Bogle, the Panchen Lama, and the First British Expedition to Tibet, pp. 244-246. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York. ISBN 978-0-374-21700-6.
- ^ Teltscher, Kate. (2006). The High Road to China: George Bogle, the Panchen Lama and the First British Expedition to Tibet, p. 57. Bloomsbury, London, 2006. ISBN 0374217009; ISBN 978-0-7475-8484-1; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York. ISBN 978-0-374-21700-6
- ^ Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting Tibet (1906)
- ^ Bell, 1924, p. 288.
- ^ McKay, 1997, pp. 230–1.
- ^ Tom A. Grunfeld, in his The Making of Modern Tibet, p. 65, says: "However, the Dalai Lama denied his letter authorized Dorjieff to negotiate a treaty and, besides, neither the cleric or his government ever ratified the treaty"
- ^ a b Bell, Charles, Tibet Past and Present, 1924, pp. 150-151
- ^ UK Foreign Office Archive: FO 371/1608
- ^ Quoted by Sir Charles Bell, "Tibet and Her Neighbours", Pacific Affairs(Dec 1937), pp. 435–6, a high Tibetan official pointed out years later that there was "no need for a treaty; we would always help each other if we could. "
- ^ Gerard M. Friters: The Prelude to Outer Mongolian Independence, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 10, No. 2. (Jun. , 1937), p. 173f
- ^ Alfred L. P. Dennis: "Diplomatic Affairs and International Law 1913", The American Political Science Review, Vol. 8, No. 1. (Feb. , 1914), p. 38
- ^ E. T. Williams: "The Relations Between China, Russia and Mongolia", The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 10, No. 4. (Oct. , 1916), p. 803f
- ^ Udo B. Barkmann, Geschichte der Mongolei, Bonn 1999, p. 380ff
- ^ Snelling, John. (1993). Buddhism in Russia: The Story of Agvan Dorzhiev, Lhasa's Emissary to the Tsar. (1993) Element Inc. , pp. 150-151; 292. ISBN 1-85230-332-8
- ^ Treaty text of the Simla Convention of 1914
- ^ The Chinese government initialed but refused to ratify the Agreement. See Goldstein, Melvyn C. , A History of Modern Tibet, p75 for details
- ^ Mongolia - Modern Mongolia, 1911-84, Country Studies US
- ^ Treaty text quoted from B. L. Putnam Weale, The Fight For The Republic In China
- ^ ”What were the conditions regarding human rights in Tibet before democratic reform?” By Robert Barnett in: Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China’s 100 Questions, pp. 81-83. Eds. Anne-Marie Blondeau and Katia Buffetrille. (2008) university of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24464-1 (cloth); ISBN 978-0-520-24928-8 (paper).
- ^ Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin M. (1968). Tibet: An account of the history, the religion and the people of Tibet. Reprint: Touchstone Books. New York. ISBN 0-671-20559-5, p. 317.
- ^ Laird, Thomas. (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, p. 244. Grove Press, New York. ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1.
- ^ a b c Jiawei, Wang, "The Historical Status of China's Tibet", 2000, pp 194-7
- ^ Laird, Thomas (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 320-328. Grove Press, N. Y. ISBN 978-0-8021-827-1.
- ^ 'Tibet: Proving Truth from Facts', The Department of Information and International Relations: Central Tibetan Administration, 1996. p. 53
- ^ Peng Xizhe (彭希哲), "Demographic Consequences of the Great Leap Forward in China's Provinces," Population and Development Review 13, no. 4 (1987), 639–70.
For a summary of other estimates, please refer to this link - ^ Tibet, Tibet ISBN 1-4000-4100-7, pp. 278–82
- ^ Warren W. Smith, Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations ISBN 0-8133-3155-2, p. 600
- ^ Interview with Tashi Wangid, David Shankbone, Wikinews, November 14, 2007. Wikinews is a free-content News source Wiki and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.
- ^ Train heads for Tibet, carrying fears of change
- ^ Personnel Changes in Lhasa Reveal Preference for Chinese Over Tibetans, Says TIN Report
- ^ Peter Hessler, 'Tibet Through Chinese Eyes', The Atlantic Monthly, Feb. 1999
- ^ The petition of 10th Panchen Lama in 1962
- ^ "Panchen Lama Poisoned arrow", BBC, 2001-10-14. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Retrieved on 2007-04-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans.
- ^ 'Tibet: 6-year old boy missing and over 50 detained in Panchen Lama dispute', Amnesty International, January 18, 1996
- ^ a b Spencer, Richard. "Tibet ready to sacrifice sovereignty, says leader", The Daily Telegraph, 2005-03-15. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Retrieved on 2007-08-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman
- ^ Goble, Paul. "China: Analysis From Washington — A Breakthrough For Tibet", World Tibet Network News, Canada Tibet Committee, August 31, 2001.
- ^ "Accept Tibet as part of China: Dalai Lama", The Hindu, 2007-01-24. The Hindu is a single-edition English-language Indian newspaper Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Retrieved on 2007-08-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman
- ^ "Dalai Lama's Envoys To Talk With Chinese. No Conditions Set; Transparency Calls Are Reiterated. " By PETER WONACOTT, Wall Street Journal May 1, 2008. [1]
- ^ "China's Tibet Fact and Figures 2003", China Tibet Information Service, 2002-08-26. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Retrieved on 2006-02-24. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the
- ^ "Tibet's economy depends on Beijing", NPR News, 2002-08-26. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Retrieved on 2006-02-24. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the
- ^ "High wages in Tibet benefit the privileged", Asia Labour News, 2005-02-21. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Retrieved on 2006-02-24. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the
- ^ "China opens world's highest railway", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2005-07-01. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Retrieved on 2006-07-01. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song.
- ^ "China completes railway to Tibet", BBC News, 2005-10-15. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Retrieved on 2006-07-04. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples
- ^ "Deemed a road to ruin, Tibetans say Beijing rail-way poses latest threat to minority culture", Boston Globe, 2002-08-26. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Retrieved on 2006-07-04. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples
- ^ "China Opens 1st Train Service to Tibet", Washington Post, 2006-06-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Retrieved on 2006-07-04. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples
- ^ "Dalai Lama Urges 'Wait And See' On Tibet Railway", Deutsche Presse Agentur, 2006-06-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Retrieved on 2006-07-04. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples
- ^ a b Valuable mineral deposits found along Tibet railroad route. Reuters (2007-01-25). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Retrieved on 2007-11-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany)
- ^ Dalai Lama accuses China of 'demographic aggression'
- ^ People's Daily, Beijing, November 10, 1959, in Population transfer and control
- ^ 5,416,021 At the time of the census of 2000: (English)(Chinese) China Statistical Yearbook 2003, p. 48
- ^ L'évolution démographique dans le monde : I - La Chine
- ^ 1954 Chinese Census Report (Chinese)
- ^ Xinhua News report (Chinese)
- ^ The law of birth control, The People's Republic of China
- ^ SINA News report (Chinese)
- ^ Population of Tibet 1950-1990 (Chinese)
- ^ Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (国家民族事务委员会经济发展司), eds. Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China (《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (民族出版社), 2003 (ISBN 7-105-05425-5).
- ^ International Campaign for Tibet: Tibet: Human Rights in Tibet
- ^ Human Rights Violations in Tibet, Statement by Elliot Sperling, June 2000
- ^ Globalization To Tibet
- ^ Tibet Environmental Watch - Development
- ^ Document - People's Republic of China: Call for accountability for Tibetan deaths in custody in Drapchi Prison | Amnesty International
- ^ Laird, Thomas (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 352-357. Grove Press, N. Y. ISBN 978-0-8021-827-1.
- ^ Human Rights in Tibet at a glance
- ^ Reporters sans frontières - China
- ^ Tibet: Tightening of Control [TCHRD - Publications - 1999]
- ^ Laird, Thomas (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 357-358. Grove Press, N. Y. ISBN 978-0-8021-827-1.
- ^ http://www.radicalparty.org/onu_case/29_3_96.htm
- ^ http://www.freetibet.org/info/facts/fact1.html
- ^ Violation of Subsistence Rights [TCHRD - Publications - 1999 - Tibet: Tightening of Control]
- ^ Avalokitesvara, Chenrezig
- ^ Masood Butt, 'Muslims of Tibet', The Office of Tibet, January/February 1994
Further reading
- Allen, Charles (2004). Avalokiteśvara ( Nepali: अवलोकितेश्वर, lit Avalokiteśvara ( Nepali: अवलोकितेश्वर, lit 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.
- Goldstein, Melvyn C. ; with the help of Gelek Rimpoche. A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951: The Demise of the Lamaist State. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers (1993), ISBN 81-215-0582-8. University of California (1991), ISBN 0-520-07590-0.
- Grunfeld, Tom (1996). The Making of Modern Tibet. ISBN 1-56324-713-5.
- 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.
- Shakya, Tsering (1999). The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11814-7.
- Smith, Warren W. (Jr. ) (1996). Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-3155-2.
- Stein, R. A. (1962). Tibetan Civilization. First published in French; English translation by J. E. Stapelton Driver. Reprint: Stanford University Press (with minor revisions from 1977 Faber & Faber edition), 1995. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1.
- Thurman, Robert (2002). Robert Thurman on Tibet. DVD. ASIN B00005Y722.
- Wilby, Sorrel (1988). Journey Across Tibet: A Young Woman's 1,900-mile (3,060 km) 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
See also
 | This article contains Chinese text. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. Mojibake is the happenstance of incorrect unreadable characters (garbage characters shown when Computer software fails to render a text correctly according to its associated A Chinese character, also known as a Han character ( is a Logogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi Japanese ( |
 | This article contains Indic text. The Brahmic family is a family of syllabaries (writing systems used in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of Central Asia and East Asia, Without rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes or other symbols instead of Indic characters; or irregular vowel positioning and a lack of conjuncts. Mojibake is the happenstance of incorrect unreadable characters (garbage characters shown when Computer software fails to render a text correctly according to its associated |
- Amdo and Kham in eastern Tibet
- Évariste Régis Huc (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. Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the Évariste Régis Huc, or Abbé Huc, (1813 - 1860 was a French Missionary traveller famous for his accounts of China, Tartary and
- Francis Younghusband led a punitive military expedition to Tibet in 1904. Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband KCSI KCIE ( 31 May, 1863 - 31 July, 1942, Dorsetshire The British expedition to Tibet in 1903 and 1904 was an invasion of Tibet by British Indian forces, seeking to prevent the Russian Empire from interfering
- Alexandra David-Neel visited Lhasa in 1924, and wrote several books about the country and its culture. Alexandra David-Néel born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David (born in Saint-Mandé on October 24, 1868, and died in Digne-les-Bains Lhasa, ( in English l̥ʰásə or in Tibetan; Chinese: 拉萨 Pinyin: Lāsà sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the
- Human rights in the People's Republic of China
- Central Tibetan Administration aka Tibetan Government in Exile
- International Tibet Independence Movement aka Free Tibet Movement
- List of active autonomist and secessionist movements
- Tibetan American
- Seven Years in Tibet
- Lobsang Rampa
- Kundun
- Last Train to Lhasa
- Tibetan Buddhism
- South Tibet
- Nangpa La killings
- Ladakh
- Baltistan
- Phuntsog Nyidron
External links
Against PRC rule and policies in Tibet
- Website of the Office of Tibet,London
- Tibetan Government in Exile's government site
- Students for a Free Tibet's website
- People's Movement For An Independent Tibet
- Tibetan Review
- The International Campaign for Tibet
- Tibet News Site
- Tibet Online
- Canada Tibet Committee
- Australia Tibet Council
- Save Tibet-Austria
- Team for Tibet (Belgium)
- Etudiants pour un Tibet Libre (Students for a Free Tibet - France)
- de l'association France Tibet
- Tibet Info (France)
For PRC rule and policies in Tibet
- Tibetan History on the China Tibet Information Center of the PRC
- White Paper on Tibetan Culture and Homa
Apolitical
- Tibetan Studies Internet Resources
- Pictures of Tibet
- Haiwei Trails - Timeline of Tibet
- The Language of Tibet
- Tibet Photo Gallery - A complete Travel Photos
- Tibet travel guide from Wikitravel
Dictionary
Tibet
-proper noun
- A plateau region in Central Asia, where the Tibetan people traditionally live, encompassing what is now Tibet Autonomous Region (also called Xizang), most of Qinghai, the western half of Sichuan, a small part of Yunnan and a small part of Gansu in the People's Republic of China, and also the country of Bhutan, and the Indian regions of Sikkim and Ladakh.
- A independent kingdom formerly existed in Central Asia where Tibet Autonomous region is.
- A common shorthand name for Tibet Autonomous Region, previously mostly coterminous with the independent portion of Tibet until 1950.
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