Ask Questions on Tibetan Protests

The motivations for the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 are complicated. It is perhaps useful to think of the People's Republic of China as the current Chinese dynasty, one which sought a territory as large as any previous Chinese empire. During periods of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Tibet was regarded as part of its empire. Tibet gained its independence in 1913 and retained it until 1951. In 1950, Tibet, which had a small and poorly equipped army, could be easily "liberated" by the People's Liberation Army, thus greatly increasing the geographical area of the PRC and giving China a border with India.

The Chinese claim that Tibet "has always been a part of China" is made on the basis of dubious historical claims that Tibet was part of the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) empires. However, neither of the official histories of the Yuan or the Ming describes Tibet as part of their territories. Beginning in the 18th century, the Qing emperor garrisoned troops, and later government officials, in Lhasa, but their authority waxed and waned, and their administration was not organized like that of a Chinese province.

It is also important to note that both the Yuan and Qing were "non-Han" dynasties, in the sense that the rulers were respectively Mongols and Manchus. For a more detailed discussion of Chinese claims over Tibet, see the recently published Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China's 100 Questions, edited by Anne-Marie Blondeau and Katia Buffetrille.

The Dalai Lama went into exile in 1959 in the midst of an uprising against the Chinese troops occupying the Tibetan capital. The uprising began with rumors that the Chinese were seeking to harm him. The Dalai Lama's summer palace, where he was residing at the time, was shelled by Chinese artillery on March 17 and he escaped that night, eventually making his way to India, pursued by Chinese troops.

Chinese scholars say that since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 A.D.), Tibet has been part of China. They make the claim based on a number of facts. It would be a mistake to think of dynastic China and its relations with neighboring kingdoms as akin to those of sovereign states in modern Europe. Kingdoms around China's periphery often had tributary relations with China's Emperor, paying tribute (gifts) to China as a form of subordination to earn favor and protection. The Dalai Lamas who have ruled Tibet have performed the kowtow to Chinese Emperors, a sign in the Imperial system of submission to the Emperor.

Until 1911, the Chinese imperial court generally had an official presence in Tibet. The Chinese court deemed this presence a symbol of imperial authority. In addition, there were small detachments of Chinese troops in Tibet at various times throughout China's dynastic history. Tibetans have generally ruled themselves, with greater or lesser official Chinese presence and intervention. The number of Han Chinese living in Tibet was very small.

From 1911 till 1949, the Republic of China period, there was no Chinese official or military presence in Tibet. The Tibetan government proclaimed itself to be an independent state. It was not recognized, however, by foreign governments.

After the Communist Party assumed power in 1949, the People's Liberation Army moved into Tibetan areas in stages. In 1951, the Chinese and Tibetan governments signed a 17-point agreement, under which Tibetans were allowed to continue ruling themselves with minimal interference by Beijing but Tibet was recognized as part of China.

That agreement broke down over the following 8 years, as China increasingly asserted its control over Tibet. A revolt broke out in 1956 in the Kham region of historic Tibet (outside the borders of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, inside what is now Sichuan province of China). The revolt was triggered mainly by anger over Communist land reform, which involved seizing land previously controlled by the monasteries. In March 1959, there was an uprising in Lhasa, triggered by Tibetan fear that the Dalai Lama was about to be kidnapped by the Chinese authorities. He fled to India where he has remained ever since.