The Chinese Invasion and the Rape of Tibet
“All I want is for my people to be happy and free from suffering”. This is what the Dali Lama has stated to be his only wishes for the people of Tibet, what should be referred to as their basic human right. Over one million Tibetans have died since 1959; the deaths are a direct result of the Chinese occupation, either through harsh prison conditions, summary executions or starvation.[1]
In the years since the Chinese government has taken over Tibet, Tibetans still in the country and those living in exile in Darsalma, India, have depended on the assistance of others for basic needs such as health care and education. The standards of life have not been the same since China has taken
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They are focused on rebuilding infrastructure and similar expenditures which are insignificant when people are dieing. From my research I have discovered that China and International Governments are only interested in Tibet as an economic center. Although they do give money to the Tibetans, and some Tibetans are happy, China is leading a cultural genocide in Tibet by demolishing the Tibetan culture for those Tibetans who still remain in the country. Forty-Five years after China’s takeover, Tibetans are still facing the same social issues they did in 1959.[2] I believe for any changes to occur within Tibet, International Governments need to begin to pressure China for the end of their oppression and cultural genocide of the Tibetan people, instead of promoting it by giving to China’s projects for Tibet’s economy.
Education
Three key sociological components which are essential for Tibetans to receive the happiness which the Dali Lama wants for them are education, the right to practice their culture, and health care. Historically in Tibet, the most important knowledge was Buddhism and children would go to the monasteries to learn.[3] There were no real schools, in the western sense of the word, there was no need.[4] People became herdsmen and monks, therefore an education was irrelevant. Because, of the Chinese government and their modernization plan for
Nepal is considered one of the poorest countries in the world. It suffers in many aspects due to its immense state of poverty and political violence. The civil war in Nepal, stimulated by the Communist Party against the Nepalese State, stretched over the course of 10 years lasting from 1996 to 2006. This war, also known as the “Peoples War”, was launched because the Communist Party believed that there was an insufficiency in ensuring freedom, justice and welfare by the Nepalese State (Panday 67). Numerous casualties became a result of this war. Insight on Conflict states that, “The conflict claimed the lives of 17,000 people, displaced an estimated 100,000 more, and brought about the end of a 240-year old monarchy.” (“Nepal: Conflict Profile.”). The civil war in Nepal has caused many issues within the country, including a decline in medical care, increased risk for doctors, a decrease in tourism, poor living conditions for children, and many political struggles.
China is located in East Asia. Ancient China is surrounded by Gobi Desert in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Himalayan Mountains in the southwest, and the Taklimakan desert in the west. This land has a wide variation of animals because of the different habitats provided for them. Most farming was done in the very fertile lands of the Yangtze valley. Present China is much bigger than Ancient China, which means that over time, the kings and different dynasties went gaining more and more land and wealth.
Although China still has not yet given Tibet its freedom, the country of Nepal has offered refuge to monks, artists, and other Tibetans. Despite being away from their homeland, these people will be able to preserve their culture and with a leader like the Dalai Lama, perhaps one day Tibet will be free again.
The Republic of China never attained direct control over Tibet, and so there was a de facto independent Tibetan state. This unofficial and unrecognized country continued to exist for about forty years. During this time, Tibet was controlled by a very conservative people. Refusing to modernize and/or industrialize. When the communist revolution in China occurred, and the former government fled to Taiwan, they would have to face a new threat: the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic claimed that the Tibetan government was exploiting the citizens as serfs, and that they should be liberated from them by none other than the People’s Liberation Army. Although Tibet actually had a high resemblance to medieval European feudalism, the government never exploited the citizens per se. When the PLA was at their doorstep, they were nowhere near prepared and were conquered by the Chinese. They were eventually officially annexed into China, and the 14th Dalai Lama was exiled to India. Under the PRC, the Tibetans endured many hardships that were brought upon them. The so-called Great Leap Forward led to widespread starvation, and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution led the Red Army to destroy thousands of cultural artifacts and sites,
Both U.S. and Chinese school systems have strengths and weaknesses. However, education for children with disabilities in Afghanistan continues to lag well behind China and the United States. There does not seem to be any conclusive and accurate data on the number of children with disabilities in Afghanistan. However, due to injuries as a result of conflict and war, physical impairment is one of the largest groups (Miriam et al., 2009, p. 33). There are limited educational facilities for children with disabilities in Afghanistan and the majority of them are deprived of education. Afghanistan can learn how China and the U.S. provide access to their students with physical disabilities through creating accessible environments.
In keeping with the historic Chinese conviction(never actually formalized) that Tibet was at the very least a vassal state of China, the Nationalist government took the official stated view that Tibet was an integral part of the Republic of China (Xu 1063). Therefore, we deferred to the Nationalist point of view when considering Tibet’s legal status in the 1940s. The fact that the KMT believed Tibet to be part of China would be a factor in the US Tibet policy as long as the KMT remained in power in mainland China ( Norbu 264). In fact, if the KMT somehow managed to hold on to power in China in the Civil War against the Communists, the US would have declined to support Tibetan independence. However, by 1948 the KMT’s defeat was imminent and the US Ambassador in India recognized the possibility that if the “Communists succeed in controlling all of China…we should be prepared to treat Tibet as independent to all intents and purposes” (Knaus 55). At this early stage, even with such statements bringing up the issue of recognizing Tibetan independence, the US continued to make an effort to avoid alienating Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT (Roberts 2).
Over 125 Tibetans have performed acts of self-immolation in the last two years as a protest against Chinese forces in Tibet. Some protesters were as young as 15. The status of Tibet has been a long disputed issue. It was it’s own independently ruled country until it was conquered by the Mongolians of the Yuan dynasty. Once the Yuan fell, the new Qing rulers recognized Tibet as its own state, since it had been in Mongolian control and not Chinese control (Tibet and China: Two Distinct Views). However, in 1950, Mao Zedong invaded Tibet with the promise of Peaceful Liberation. This entailed being liberated from “Western Imperialists,” and even though Tibetans did not understand this, they agreed to it because of Mao’s upbeat sounding speeches. Soon, the innocent people of Tibet were being tortured under the control of Mao and his followers (Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion). Because of the ongoing torture by the Chinese in Tibet and the lack of freedoms for Tibetans, Tibet needs to become independent for the better of the people of both China and Tibet.
Our history is speckled with attempts at freedom from various colonies around the world. The sentiment of nationalism is usually the prime trigger of the decolonization of colonies. The first attempt at overthrowing foreign governments by natives of the land is hard to pinpoint, but one of the earliest successful decolonization effort is credited to the thirteen colonies of Britain, in what is now known as the United States. The motivating factors included, but are not limited to: harsh ruling, sense of identity and nationalism, and different ideals. This event, known as the American Revolution, has sparked and set the model for many decolonization attempts. Fast forwarding to the 1800s, British imperialistic efforts increased greatly towards Asia after China’s sense of ethnocentrism caused their lag in development, with the primary motive being economic. The scope of this paper will focus on the
the Dalai Lama has remained in exile in India. There has been sympathy for the Tibetan cause but insufficient international, political will to provide practical support, largely because China has enormous military and economic power. The Dalai Lama might have done more However, he did not do so and, instead, apparently speaks according to his principles rather than for political advantage. In spite of his absence, the Dalai Lama retains the devotion of his people and his reputation remains intact.
difference ,try sleeping with a mosquito ". The Dalai Lama 's words. He is a charismatic speaker, teaching Tibetan Buddhist and political leaders for the six million Tibetan. The Dalai Lama is a Buddhist monk who has made it his life's mission to bring happiness and peace to this world .
Before assessing the pivotal role of the fourteenth Dalai Lama in the twentieth century, it is important to examine the traditional role of the Dalai Lama in Tibet. The official religion of Tibet is Buddhism, a major tenet of which is reincarnation. Each Dalai Lama is considered to be an incarnation of Chenrezig, who was the patron deity of Tibet, and an enlightened Buddha of compassion. Up until 1950 the Dalai Lama was the supreme religious authority of Tibet. Isolated from most of society, he had a deep sense of mystery about him. Gedun Truppa was the first Dalai Lama, and he lived from 1391 to 1475. He studied at several monastic colleges, and was a teacher, a prolific writer, and a builder of monasteries. It is interesting to point out that he was posthumously declared as the first Dalai Lama. Perhaps at that point in history the need for a central religious force necessitated the institution of the Dalai Lama. The second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso, was a monk and an abbot of two monasteries. He was given a suite of buildings in Lhasa from the king, so probably from this point on the residence of the Dalai Lama became situated in the city of Lhasa. The third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso, converted Mongolia to the Buddhist religion, and the fourth
Tibet is located at the western part of China into the Himalayas with disputed country origin (Crowe 2013). In addition to the central Tibet, it also forms the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) along with Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces composed of a total population of approximately 5 million (Crowe 2013). There are also Tibetans living in regions of India composed of different religions and Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal (Crowe 2013). The relationship between Tibet and China has drawn significant attention worldwide as each state view themselves as the superior state. In Tibetans’ perspective, they are the “agents of their own civilizing project with regard to the spiritual life of the Mongols.”
Tibet is located to the south-west of China, bordering India, Nepal, Burma and Bhutan. Originally, Tibet was made up of 3 provinces: U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo. The mainstream religion in Tibet is Tibetan Buddhism, different than regular Buddhism. Tibet was ruled by the Dalai Lama, a political and spiritual leader for the Tibetans. The practices of Tibetan Buddhism are part of the Tibetan people’s culture and are incorporated into their everyday life. This way of life is one that values all beings on Earth and is followed by very few people around the globe. Today, Tibet is not governed by the Dalai Lama, and the practice of Tibetan Buddhism is diminishing. On October 9, 1950, China invaded the country of Tibet. The Chinese, under communist rule, overthrew the Dalai Lama as a political leader. Since then, the Tibetan people have set up a government-in-exile that still helps with some Tibetan problems. The Chinese, however, are the ones who own Tibet’s borders and control the government. The people who live there, influenced by the
As a Tibetan Buddhist, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been a key figure in my life. He is my spiritual leader and the person who has impacted me the most. For Tibetans, the Dalai Lama was the pride and jewel of Tibet and the Tibetan people. As far as my memory stretches, the Dalai Lama held the preeminent authority in my household. Growing up, my parents always told me to pray to him, prostrate to his pictures and worship him because he is an enlightened being and the leader of the Tibetan people. I used to believe that he was god king and that he could solve any problems with his divine powers. The reverence or faith Tibetans has on the Dalai Lama is actually inspiring and scary as the same time. Many Tibetans view him as a living Buddha. To the West, this would seem a little
” In the wake of the invasion, the Dalia Lama, Tibet spiritual and temporal leaders, and nearly 100,000 Tibetans fled into exile in India. Prior to Chine invasion in 1950, Tibet maintained unique culture, religion and language for many centuries. However; this didn’t last for long time. Tibet is governed by the Chinese Communities Party with active support of military. The party rules through branch offices in each