Tibet

Famous in the U.S. for crusaders like Richard Gere and other famous Hollywood types, there is an interesting history to Tibetan-Chinese relations. Historically, Tibet existed as a mostly autonomous region and culture for most of its 2,000 plus year history, coming into contact with China in the early seventh century. Neither nation operated with today’s nation-state conception of national borders, and China may or may not have considered Tibet part of the “middle kingdom.” What is clear is that after the arrival of missionaries, British, and in 1951, while Mao was consolidating his hold on China, Tibetan leaders signed a treaty essentially transferring sovereign rule to China. Mao got a nice end of the deal, his photo still prominently displayed here in the Dalai Lama's summer palace.

The current Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a Tibetan uprising failed, and China completed its hold on political control. The Dalai Lama has his own website, I also learned upon returning to the states–which, surprisingly, looks for all the world like a U.S. Senator’s web site, complete with photo albums, a biography, press releases, and current issues. I guess even the Dalai Lama has a political constituency.


While in Tibet, several things about this situation struck me. First and foremost was the overwhelming presence of the military. It seemed every hour, another military truck for an “exercise” passed by. As Tibet is not exactly a high value strategic target for China’s enemies, the military could only be there as a naked show of force by Beijing.

Second was the demographics. As mentioned, we arrived on a railway only completed last year. From what I understand, this is part of a coordinated effort to open Tibet to the outside world. With such treasures as the Potala Palace, Tibet’s tourist value is certainly clear, but we got the sense more was going on. Our suspicions found some fulfillment when we learned that Lhasa’s population had, in the course of a decade, more than doubled from 200,000 to 400,000–most of them mainland Chinese citizens settling in. The fact that many of the new businesses are Chinese owned and operated, employing local Tibetans as workers, lends credence to the notion that Beijing may want more Chinese citizens in Tibet to consolidate its hold on the region.

What is at stake in Tibet?

Wealth: As mentioned in my writings about the Potala Palace, there are literally hundreds of millions of dollars–if not more–in gold alone in the palace. When you add the wealth found in the countless rooms we did not see to the unimaginable historical value, it has to be one of the richest human constructions in the world.

History: Apart from the economic value, the Potala Palace alone holds the written and recorded history of an entire people stretching back thousands of years. Whoever controls history, it is often said, controls the present, and it is clear who wants control of this building. After all, didn’t we pay our cash to the central government when entering?

Religion: China, from what I understand, also seeks to control Tibet religiously as well. Reading the Dalai Lama’s writings, one finds that Beijing has been systematically manipulating the leadership of Buddhism for years. Briefly, a man now concurrently gain approval from both the Buddhist leaders and the Chinese government to become a monk. One suspects that those with dreams of Tibetan independence will not be allowed into the ranks. The second thing to understand is that once the current Dalai Lama dies, the monks as a caste will select the new incarnation (the “next”) Dalai Lama–roughly analogous to the selection of the Pope by the Cardinal Electors. Putting two and two together, if Beijing controls who the monks are, and the monks control who the next Dalai Lama is . . .