Abstract
ON 28 MARCH 2019, the People’s Republic of China
(PRC) celebrated ‘Serfs Emancipation Day’ 西è—
百万农奴解放纪念日 or, alternatively, the sixtieth
anniversary of ‘democratic reform in Tibet’ 西è—
民主改é©. Exiled Tibetans commemorate 10 March
1959, the date of the Dalai Lama’s flight into exile
in India, as ‘Uprising Day’, when thousands of
Tibetans surrounded the Potala Palace in Lhasa
and skirmished with the military after rumours
circulated that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
planned to kidnap the Dalai Lama and assume
full control over Tibet. According to Beijing,
the PLA ‘peacefully liberated’ Tibet in 1950 and
claimed the territory for the new PRC, citing
Tibet’s historical connection with former Chinese
empires. The PLA allowed the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan
government limited autonomy, which lasted until
the uprising of 1959. However, Tibet had enjoyed
de facto independence since the collapse of the
Qing empire in 1911, and many Tibetan exiles and
their supporters maintain that Tibet was forcefully
invaded in 1950. Some continue to challenge the
legitimacy of Chinese rule, even as all member
countries of the United Nations now recognise the
PRC’s sovereignty over Tibet
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | China Story Yearbook 2019: China Dreams |
Editors | J Golley, L Jaivin, B Hillman & S Strange |
Place of Publication | Canberra |
Publisher | ANU Press |
Pages | 176-187 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Print) | 9781760463731 |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |