Tibetan FAQ (2)

Section B: HISTORICAL ISSUES B1) What are the major events of Tibetan history (timeline)? Year Description of Event 416 BC Nyatri Tsenpo founds a dynasty in Yarlung valley, according to legend 602 AD Tibet is unified under King Namri Songtsen of the Yarlung dynasty 641 King Songtsen Gampo marries Princess Wencheng of China, his 2nd wife 670 Tibet conquers Amdo, Tarim Basin; prolonged warfare with China begins 747 King Trisong Detsen invites Padmasambhava, yogin of Swat, to Tibet 763 Tibet captures Changan, capital of Tang China; tribute paid to Tibet 779 Samye, Tibet's 1st monastery, built by Trisong Detsen & Padmasambhava 792 Exponents of Indian Buddhism prevail in debate with Chinese at Samye 821 Tibet signs its last peace treaty with Tang China: "Tibetans shall be happy in Tibet and Chinese shall be happy in China." [Walt1] 842 King Langdarma murdered by a monk; Tibet splits into several states 1040 Birth of Milarepa, 2nd hierarch of Kagyupa order and a renown poet 1073 Founding of Sakya, the first monastery of the Sakyapa monastic order 1206 An assembly names Genghis Khan first ruler of a unified Mongol nation 1227 Mongols destroy Xi Xia, a Tibetan-speaking kingdom of northwest China 1247 Sakya Pandita submits to Godan Khan; beginning of the first priest/ patron relationship between a Tibetan lama and a Mongol khan 1261 Tibet is reunited with Sakya Pandita, Grand Lama of Sakya, as king 1279 Final defeat of Song by Mongols; Mongol conquest of China complete 1350 Changchub Gyaltsen defeats Sakya and founds the secular Sitya dynasty 1368 China regains its independence from the Mongols under Ming dynasty 1409 Ganden, 1st Gelugpa monastery, built by monastic reformer Tsongkhapa 1435-81 In prolonged warfare, Karmapa supporters gain control of Sitya court 1578 Gelugpa leader gets the title of Dalai ("Ocean") from Altan Khan 1635 Sitya dynasty is overthrown by the ruler of Tibet's Tsang province 1640 Gushri Khan, leader of Khoshut Mongols, invades and conquers Tibet 1642 Gushri Khan enthrones the 5th Dalai Lama as temporal ruler of Tibet 1644 Manchu overthrow Ming, conquer China, and establish the Qing dynasty 1653 "Great Fifth" Dalai Lama meets Qing Emperor Shunzhi near Beijing 1682 Fifth Dalai Lama dies; regent conceals death for the next 14 years 1716-21 Italian Jesuit priest Ippolito Desideri studies and teaches in Lhasa 1717 Dzungar Mongols invade Tibet and sack Lhasa; 5th DL's tomb looted 1720 Dzungars driven out; Qing forces install Kesang Gyatso as the 7th DL 1721 The position of Amban is created by a 13-point Qing decree on Tibet 1724 A Chinese territorial government is created for Qinghai (Amdo) 1750 Ambans murder regent; rioters kill Ambans; Qing troops sent to Tibet 1792 Qing troops enter Tibet to drive out Gorkha (Nepalese) invaders 29-point Qing decree prescribes "golden urn" lottery for picking DL and PL, bans visits by non-Chinese, and increases Ambans' powers 1854-56 Nepal defeats Tibet; peace treaty requires that Tibet pay tribute 1876 China agrees to provide passports for a British mission to Tibet 1885 Tibet turns back British mission, rejects Chinese-granted passports 1890 The boundary between Tibet and Sikkim is set in a Sino-British treaty 1893 China and Britain agree to regulations on trade between India & Tibet 1894 Tibetans build a wall north of Dromo to prevent trade with British The 13th Dalai Lama takes control of the Tibetan government at age 18 1904 British troops under Colonel Younghusband enter Tibet & occupy Lhasa A treaty signed which required Tibet to pay an indemnity to Britain 1906 The 1904 Anglo-Tibetan treaty is "confirmed" in Anglo-Chinese treaty 1907 "Suzerainty of China over Thibet" recognized in Anglo-Russian treaty 1910-12 Qing troops occupy Tibet, shoot at unarmed crowds on entering Lhasa 1912 Last Qing emperor abdicates; Republic of China claims Mongolia,Tibet 1913 13th Dalai Lama proclaims Tibet a "religious and independent nation" Mongolia and Tibet recognize each other in a treaty signed in Urga 1914 Britain and Tibet agree to McMahon Line in a treaty signed in Simla 1917-18 Tibet defeats Chinese forces in Kham, recovers Chamdo (lost in 1910) 1921 Britain recognizes Tibet's "autonomy under Chinese suzerainty" 1924 At a KMT congress, Sun Yat-sen calls for "self-determination of all national minorities in China" within a "united Chinese republic" 1924-25 Pressure from monks causes DL to dismiss his British-trained officers 1928 Chiang Kai-shek defeats the northern warlords and reunites China 1930-33 China captures Derge in Kham in first Sino-Tibetan clash since 1918 1933 Truce ends China/Tibet fighting; the 13th Dalai Lama dies at age 58 1934 Reting Rimpoche named regent; China permitted to open Lhasa mission 1940 The five-year-old Tenzin Gyatso is enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama 1941 Unable to keep celibacy vow, Reting is replaced as regent by Taktra 1942 U.S. army officer goes to Lhasa to present a letter for DL from FDR 1944 U.S. military aircraft crash lands near Samye; crew escorted to India 1945 Newly opened English-language school is closed after monks protest 1947 ex-Regent Reting attempts to kill Regent Taktra with a package bomb Reting dies while under house arrest; he was apparently poisoned British mission in Lhasa is transferred to a newly independent India 1947-49 Tibetan Trade Mission travels to India, China, U.S., and Britain; mission meets with British Prime Minister Clement R. Attlee 1949 People's Republic of China is proclaimed by Chinese Communist Party PRC recognizes Mongolia, announces its intention to "liberate" Tibet 1950 Red China invades Tibet; Tibetan army destroyed in battle at Chamdo 1951 17-point agreement between China and Tibet; Chinese occupy Lhasa 1955 Tibetans in Kham and Amdo (Qinghai) begin revolt against Chinese rule 1956 Dalai Lama visits India for 2,500th anniversary of the Buddha's birth The United States begins to arm the Tibetan resistance via CIA 1959 DL flees to India; 87,000 Tibetans die in anti-Chinese revolt [Walt2] 1960 International Commission of Jurists: "acts of genocide [have] been committed...to destroy the Tibetans as a religious group." [ICJ1] 1960-62 Tibet experiences its first famine as grain is requisitioned by PLA 1962 China-India War: China advances beyond McMahon Line, then withdraws 1962-75 TAR's peasants are herded into communes by collectivization campaign 1963 DL approves a democratic constitution for the Tibetan exile community 1964 The Panchen Lama is arrested after calling for Tibetan independence 1965 China sets up Tibet Autonomous Region in U-Tsang and western Kham 1966 The United States America recognizes China's sovereignty over Tibet 1966-69 Cultural Revolution: Red Guards vandalize temples, attack "four olds" 1969-71 Tibet is put under PLA military rule in order to suppress Red Guards 1971 The United States cuts off military aid to the Tibetan resistance 1974 Nepal forces the Tibetan resistance to abandon its base in Mustang Sikkim votes overwhelmingly to join India; Ladakh opened to tourists 1976 The first permanent ethnic Chinese settlers arrive in TAR [Donnet94] 1977 Resistance burns 100 PLA vehicles in last major military operation 1978 Visitors find 8 temples left in TAR, down from 2,700 in 1959 [Far95] 1979 Tibet is opened to non-Chinese tourism for the first time since 1963 1979-80 China allows a series of three delegations from DL to visit Tibet 1980 CCP leader Hu Yaobang visits Lhasa; he promises to "relax" controls and "restore the Tibetan economy to its pre-1959 level."[Strauss] "Responsibility system" distributes collectivized land to individuals 1982 Writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn calls CCP regime in Tibet "more brutal and inhuman than any other communist regime in the world."[Walt3] 1985 Bomb defused in Lhasa during the TAR 20th anniversary celebration 1987 Police fire on a massive pro-independence demonstration in Lhasa 1988 Qiao Shi, politburo member and internal security chief, visits Tibet and vows to "adopt a policy of merciless repression." [Asia90] Speaking in Strasbourg, France, the Dalai Lama elaborates on his 1987 "five point" proposal for Tibetan self-government within China. 1989 Police kill 80-150 in Lhasa's bloodiest riots in 30 years [Schwartz] Martial law imposed in Lhasa; Dalai Lama receives Nobel Peace Prize 1990 China lifts martial law in Lhasa 13 months after imposing it The Voice of America initiates a Tibetan-language broadcast service 1992 Chen Kuiyuan named CCP leader for Tibet, calls for a purge of those who "act as internal agents of the Dalai Lama clique."[Kristof93] Over 30,000 visitors arrive in TAR's "Golden Year of Tibetan Tourism" 1991 1,000 Tibetan refugees, chosen by lottery, are admitted to the U.S. 1993 Residents of Lhasa protest for independence, against inflation and the charging of fees for formally free medical services [Kaye93] 1994 Potala, former residence of the DL, is restored at a cost of $9 mln. 1995 A report on Chinese human rights violations, including one case where a Tibetan nun was beaten to death, is narrowly rejected by the UN DL recognizes six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as 11th Panchen Lama China denounces the Dalai Lama's choice of Panchen Lama as a "fraud," selects rival candidate Gyaincain Norbu by golden urn process Tibet's worst snowstorm in a century leaves more than 50 dead 1996 Bomb explodes near the Lhasa house of a prominent pro-Chinese lama Earthquake in Lijang rates 7.0 on the Richter scale and kills 200 The U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia begins broadcasting on shortwave Bomb explodes near government offices in Lhasa on Christmas day; A 1 million yuan ($120,000) reward offered for information leading to the arrest of those responsible Issue of Shugdhen dominates the Tibetan buddhist community. 1997 The Dalai Lama makes his first visit to Taiwan -- meets Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui. China slams the visit as dangerous step. B2) What were the roles of the Dalai and Panchen Lamas in Tibetan history? The Dalai Lama was traditionally considered supreme in both temporal and spiritual matters while the Panchen Lama was traditionally considered supreme in spiritual matters. A contradiction is therefore created when the two lamas disagree, a recurring problem in Tibetan history. Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, was born to a Tibetan peasant family in Qinghai in 1935. He was discovered at the age of two by a search party of high-ranking monks who gave him various traditional tests and concluded that he was the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama (1876-1933). He was proclaimed 14th Dalai Lama in 1939 by the Tshongdu. When the Chinese occupied Tibet in 1951, the Dalai Lama at first attempted to cooperate with the new rulers. But concern for his personal safety sparked an anti-Chinese revolt in 1959. He then fled to India, crossing the border just ahead of pursuing Chinese troops. He now heads a government-in-exile which administers Tibetan refugee camps and has its headquarters in Dharamsala, India. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and has met with U.S. presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. His autobiography, entitled _Freedom in Exile_ (1990), is banned in Tibet. "Panchen" is a traditional title of the abbot of Tashilhunpo and means "great scholar." In the 17th century, the "great fifth" Dalai Lama (1617- 1682) declared that his tutor, the fourth abbot of Tashilhunpo (1570-1662), would reincarnate. Although the three earlier abbots did not reincarnated, they are usually counted as the first three Panchen Lamas. As a result of a dispute between the Tibetan government and the Tashilhunpo Monastery over tax arrears, the 9th Panchen Lama (1883-1937) fled to Mongolia in 1923. He died fourteen years later at Jyekundo in Qinghai, still an exile. His officers (_labrang_) chose as 10th Panchen Lama (1938-89) a boy born in Qinghai. At the insistence of China, the Tibetan government confirmed this choice in 1951. The Panchen Lama was then brought to Tibet by a Chinese military escort and enthroned. In 1962, the Panchen Lama sent a "70,000 character letter" to the CCP Central Committee in which he accused China of pursuing a policy aimed at "genocide and elimination of religion." In a 1964 sermon delivered to an enormous crowd in Lhasa, the Panchen Lama hailed the Dalai Lama's leadership and declared that, "Tibet will soon regain her independence." [Dhondup78] In response, the Chinese accused the Panchen Lama of "counterrevolutionary crimes." He was then arrested, imprisoned, and tortured. He was released in 1978, married an ethnic Chinese, and moved to a large house in the center of Beijing. As a vice chair of the National People's Congress, China's national assembly, he often appeared on Chinese television. He died in 1989 of a heart attack, according to reports in the Chinese media. [Southerland89] In 1995, the Dalai Lama recognized the six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama. China denounced this choice as a "fraud" and instead recognized Gyaincain Norbu, the six-year-old son of a security officer. B3) Did slavery exist in old Tibet? The following account was written by Sir Charles Bell, who was the British administrator for Chumbi Valley in 1904-05. At that time, Chumbi Valley was under British occupation pending payment by Tibet of an indemnity which resulted from the Younghusband Expedition of 1904. Slaves were sometimes stolen, when small children, from their parents. Or the father and mother, being too poor to support their child, would sell it to a man, who paid them _sho-ring_, "price of mother's milk," brought up the child and kept it, or sold it, as a slave. These children come mostly from south-eastern Tibet and the territories of the wild tribes who dwell between Tibet and Assam. [Bell24] Although the CCP cites slavery as a justification for liquidating the Dalai Lama's government, the practice was by no means confined to Tibet. It is estimated that in 1930 there were about 4 million child slaves in China proper (Cantonese: _mui1jai_). [Meltzer93] B4) Was human sacrifice practiced in old Tibet? The Chinese Communists put a great deal of emphasis on the ritual use of human body parts in Tibetan Buddhism, especially with regard to human skulls and thigh-bones. It is implied that these body parts were obtained by human sacrifice -- an idea firmly rejected by scholars of Tibetan culture. Another version of the human sacrifice charge is that Tibetans would commonly, "bury living boys beneath important buildings or images, so that they would `stand forever.'" It appears that this version is also uncollaborated by independent scholarship. Perhaps this claim has it's origin in the occasional Tibetan practice of burying bodies in the walls of houses. Human sacrifice was a part of pre-Buddhist Tibetan tradition and there are reports which suggest that it was occasionally practiced in more recent times. [Grunfeld2], [Epstein83]

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