History UsefulNotes / Tibet

For centuries, Tibet was a [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddhist]] [[TheTheocracy theocracy]] ruled by a duo known as the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Erdeni, both the Tibetans believed to be the {{Reincarnation}} of great Lamas from the early 1700s. From the era of Kublai Khan until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Tibet was under some level of control by ImperialChina. Disagreements over how much control tend to center around what political ax the speaker wants to grind. In any case, the chaos of the Xinhai Revolution allowed Tibet to slip out of Chinese control and achieve ''de facto'' independence in 1912. During the period between 1911-1949, Tibet is largely closed to outsiders, with the exception of the British based in India. It is during this period in which a romanticized depiction of Tibet, as a land of Buddhist mysticism, became widespread in works of popular culture, such as "Lost Horizon".

In 1950, Tenzin Gyatso became the current (and possibly last) Dalai Lama. That same year, with the Soviets handing Xinjiang over to RedChina and the People's Liberation Army crushing the last Guomindang holdouts in Qinghai and Inner Mongolia, UsefulNotes/MaoZedong decided Tibet needed to be "liberated" from "imperialist forces". Even though it was essentially independent, Tibet had the potential to become a security problem if it fell under increased Indian or Soviet influence and the PRC had no desire to be forced to play a diplomatic game with them over a state that could be annexed fairly easily. The PRC then proceeded to use Maoist Marxist-Leninism to save Tibet from theocratic feudalism. For most of the 1950s, the Dalai Lama cooperated with China's new communist rulers, but he fled Tibet during a 1959 rebellion against Chinese rule. He arrived in India, where he established a GovernmentInExile and is based there to this day. The Dalai Lama has since become an international celebrity and met with various world leaders. For the first twenty years of his exile, the Dalai Lama argued in favor of Tibetan independence, but he has since moderated his position to favoring greater Tibetan autonomy within China.

* '''The pro-Tibet view''': The dominant view in western countries, it casts the Dalai Lama as the wise old sage and the People's Republic of China as TheEmpire. It argues that the PRC illegally annexed a ''de facto'' independent country and has been an oppressive, exploitative imperialist power destroying their people's culture and being generally rather nasty to their people ever since.
* '''The pro-PRC view''': This view casts the Dalai Lama as a deposed third-world dictator trying to get back his personal fiefdom. It argues that, since Tibet was incorporated into two Mongol and one Chinese Empires starting 800 years ago and was only ''de facto'' independent for the century before its (re-)conquest by RedChina, it is as much part of China as Britanny is part of France or the Czech Republic is a part of Germany.[[note]] To use two contrasting examples of countries that were, respectively, independent and part of the entities that were in an ''extremely'' loose sense 'France' and 'Germany. This exercise effectively demonstrates the limitations of the 'that country used to be part of an Empire that later became our country, therefore their country belongs to us' argument - other classic examples being [[{{UsefulNotes/Algeria}} French North Africa/Algeria]], Roman/Italian Europe, Ottoman Egypt, Mughal-Indian Afghanistan, etc.[[/note]] It also points out that [[WhatTheRomansHaveDoneForUs PRC rule has brought economic development and improved Tibetan living standards]]. Of course, claims of heavy-handed repression of all dissent and destruction of Tibetan culture are generally denied - or deemed to be 'the price of modernity'.
* '''The [[TakeAThirdOption third option]] view''': This view argues that while Tibet was a backwards, medieval theocracy dominated by one pan-Chinese and two Mongol Empires and thus shared a certain amount of high-culture with the Chinese nations, like the Mongolians its people were quite distinct from those of most of China's various peoples and the PRC has also been an oppressive imperialist power of the kind it used to condemn so strongly.
* '''The other [[TakeAThirdOption third option]]''' is that independent Tibet was a small and incredibly underdeveloped country with some serious problems that the PRC has alleviated somewhat by being a remarkably oppressive and unpleasant imperialist power... but that changes to Tibet's GovernmentInExile mean it'd be rather nicer at running the country than either the PRC or the pre-PRC Tibetan aristocracy (e.g. the Dalai Lama recommending the removal of his position as head of state).

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tibet_map.png]]

* '''The [[TakeAThirdOption third option]] view''': This view argues that while Tibet was a backwards, medieval theocracy dominated by one pan-Chinese and two Mongol Empires and thus shared a certain amount of high-culture with the Chinese nations, like the Mongolians its people were quite distinct from those of most of China's various peoples and the PRC has also been an oppressive imperialist power of the kind it used to condemn so strongly. Therefore, the conflict is one of GreyAndGrayMorality.

On a related note, while popular media often portrays the Tibetans as peaceful Buddhists, it should noted that the Tibetans were historically known for their warlike nomadic [[BornInTheSaddle horse culture]] prior to the introduction to Buddhism in the region [[note]]Which would make some sense in a degree since most of the Tibetan geography is mostly consist of mountains, rivers, hills, and lakes which makes it difficult to travel through by foot[[/note]]. At one point, the Tibetans even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Empire had an empire]] that rivaled the Tang dynasty and even temporarily occupied the Tang capital at one point (which is modern day Xian). Much of their warlike nomadic culture slowly died down once Buddhism was introduced in the region, but some of the Tibetan past nomadic lifestyle is still seen today in some areas (as there are many Tibetan nomads who still practice archery and horseback riding as sports). The Tibetan Mastiff is known to be held in high regards by Tibetans.

On a related note, while popular media often portrays the Tibetans as peaceful Buddhists, it should noted that the Tibetans were historically known for their warlike nomadic [[BornInTheSaddle horse culture]] prior to the introduction to Buddhism in the region [[note]]Which would make some sense in a degree since most of the Tibetan geography is mostly consist of mountains, rivers, hills, and lakes which makes it difficult to travel through by foot[[/note]]. At one point, the Tibetans even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Empire had an empire]] that rivaled the Tang dynasty and even temporarily occupied the Tang capital at one point (which is modern day Xian). Much of their warlike nomadic culture slowly died down once Buddhism was introduced in the region, but some of the Tibetan past nomadic lifestyle is still seen today in some areas (as there are many Tibetan nomads who still practice archery and horseback riding as sports).

There is considerable debate whether there will be another Dalai Lama after the current one dies. He claims that he will not reincarnate in Tibet unless it is free. The Chinese government claims that it has the authority to select the next Dalai Lama since the Republic of China (Taiwan) does not offer to oversee the process and the reincarnation of the Panchen Erdeni is stable.

* ''Anime/TheBraveFighterOfLegendDaGarn'' has Hawk Saber debuting in one of its cave and was later revisited.

[[caption-width-right:350:UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} owns this now. Damn commies!]]

[[caption-width-right:350:China owns this now. Damn commies!]]

For centuries, Tibet was a [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddhist]] [[TheTheocracy theocracy]] ruled by a duo known as the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Erdeni, both the Tibetans believed to be the {{Reincarnation}} of great Lamas from the early 1700s. From the era of Kublai Khan until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Tibet was under some level of control by ImperialChina. Disagreements over how much control tend to center around what political ax the speaker wants to grind. In any case, the chaos of the Xinhai Revolution allowed Tibet to slip out of Chinese control and achieve ''de facto'' independence in 1912.

For centuries, Tibet was a Buddhist [[TheTheocracy theocracy]] ruled by a duo known as the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Erdeni, both the Tibetans believed to be the {{Reincarnation}} of great Lamas from the early 1700s. From the era of Kublai Khan until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Tibet was under some level of control by ImperialChina. Disagreements over how much control tend to center around what political ax the speaker wants to grind. In any case, the chaos of the Xinhai Revolution allowed Tibet to slip out of Chinese control and achieve ''de facto'' independence in 1912.

In 1950, Tenzin Gyatso became the current (and possibly last) Dalai Lama. That same year, with the Soviets handing Xinjiang over to RedChina and the People's Liberation Army crushing the last Guomindang holdouts in Qinghai and Inner Mongolia, MaoZedong decided Tibet needed to be "liberated" from "imperialist forces". Even though it was essentially independent, Tibet had the potential to become a security problem if it fell under increased Indian or Soviet influence and the PRC had no desire to be forced to play a diplomatic game with them over a state that could be annexed fairly easily. The PRC then proceeded to use Maoist Marxist-Leninism to save Tibet from theocratic feudalism. For most of the 1950s, the Dalai Lama cooperated with China's new communist rulers, but he fled Tibet during a 1959 rebellion against Chinese rule. He arrived in India, where he established a GovernmentInExile and is based there to this day. The Dalai Lama has since become an international celebrity and met with various world leaders. For the first twenty years of his exile, the Dalai Lama argued in favor of Tibetan independence, but he has since moderated his position to favoring greater Tibetan autonomy within China.

On a related note, while popular media often portrays the Tibetans as peaceful Buddhists, it should noted that the Tibetans were historically known for their warlike nomadic [[BornInTheSaddle horse culture]] prior to the introduction to Buddhism in the region [[note]]Which would make some sense in a degree since most of the Tibetan geography is mostly consist of mountains, rivers, and lakes which makes it difficult to travel through by foot[[/note]]. At one point, the Tibetans even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Empire had an empire]] that rivaled the Tang dynasty and even temporarily occupied the Tang capital at one point (which is modern day Xian). Much of their warlike nomadic culture slowly died down once Buddhism was introduced in the region, but some of the Tibetan past nomadic lifestyle is still seen today in some areas (as there are many Tibetan nomads who still practice archery and horseback riding as sports).

* '''The pro-Tibet view''': The dominant view in western countries, it casts the Dalai Lama as TheObiWan and the People's Republic of China as TheEmpire. It argues that the PRC illegally annexed a ''de facto'' independent country and has been an oppressive, exploitative imperialist power destroying their people's culture and being generally rather nasty to their people ever since.

On a related note, while popular media often portrays the Tibetans as peaceful Buddhists, it should noted that the Tibetans were historically known for their warlike nomadic [[BornInTheSaddle horse culture]] prior to the introduction to Buddhism in the region [[note]]Which would make some sense in a degree since most of the Tibetan geography is mostly consist of mountains, rivers, and lakes which makes it difficult to travel through by foot[[/note]]. At one point, the Tibetans even [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Empire had an empire]] that rivaled the Tang dynasty and even temporarily occupied the Tang capital at one point (which is modern day Xian). Much of the warlike nomadic culture slowly died down once Buddhism was introduced in the region, but some of the Tibetan past nomadic lifestyle is still seen today in some areas (as there are many Tibetan nomads who still practice archery and horseback riding as sports).

* 1997 saw two DuelingMovies, ''Film/SevenYearsInTibet'' and ''Kundun'', take on the life story of the Dalai Lama. Not only were the movies BannedInChina, so were the people who worked on them (Jean-Jacques Annaud, who directed ''Seven Years in Tibet'', has since had his ban lifted). Although both are in the pro-Tibet camp, ''Kundun'' was nice enough to portray the Chinese as {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s.

For centuries, Tibet was a Buddhist [[TheTheocracy theocracy]] ruled by a duo known as the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Erdeni, both the Tibetans believed to be the {{Reincarnation}} of great Lamas from the early 1700s.From the era of Kublai Khan until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Tibet was under some level of control by ImperialChina. Disagreements over how much control tend to center around what political ax the speaker wants to grind. In any case, the chaos of the Xinhai Revolution allowed Tibet to slip out of Chinese control and achieve ''de facto'' independence in 1912.

In 1950, Tenzin Gyatso became the current (and possibly last) Dalai Lama. That same year, with the Soviets giving handing Xinjiang over to RedChina and the People's Liberation Army crushing the last Guomindang-holdouts in Qinghai and Inner Mongolia, MaoZedong decided Tibet needed to be "liberated" from "imperialist forces". Even though it was essentially independent, Tibet had the potential to become a security problem if it fell under increased Indian or Soviet influence and the PRC had no desire to be forced to play a diplomatic game with them over a state that could be annexed fairly easily. The PRC then proceeded to use Maoist Marxist-Leninism to save Tibet from theocratic feudalism. For most of the 1950s, the Dalai Lama cooperated with China's new communist rulers, but he fled Tibet during a 1959 rebellion against Chinese rule. He arrived in India, where he established a GovernmentInExile and is based to this day. The Dalai Lama has since become an international celebrity and met with various world leaders. For the first twenty years of his exile, the Dalai Lama argued in favor of Tibetan independence, but he has since moderated his position to favoring greater Tibetan autonomy within China.

There is considerable debate whether there will be another Dalai Lama after the current one dies. He claims that he will not reincarnate in Tibet unless it is free. The Chinese government claims that it has the authority to select the next Dalai Lama since ROC does not offer to oversee the process and the reincarnation of the Panchen Erdeni is stable.

* '''The pro-PRC view''': This view casts the Dalai Lama as a deposed third-world dictator trying to get back his personal fiefdom. It argues that, since Tibet was incorporated into two Mongol and one Chinese Empires starting 800 years ago and was only ''de facto'' independent for the century before its (re-)conquest by RedChina, it is as much part of China as Britanny is part of France or the Czech Republic is a part of Germany[[note]] To use two contrasting examples of countries that were, respectively, independent and part of the entities that were in an ''extremely'' loose sense 'France' and 'Germany. This exercise effectively demonstrates the limitations of the 'that country used to be part of an Empire that later became our country, therefore their country belongs to us' argument - other classic examples being [[{{UsefulNotes/Algeria}} French North Africa/Algeria]], Roman/Italian Europe, Ottoman Egypt, Mughal-Indian Afghanistan, etcetc. [[/note]]. It also points out that [[WhatTheRomansHaveDoneForUs PRC rule has brought economic development and improved Tibetan living standards]]. Of course, claims of heavy-handed repression of all dissent and destruction of Tibetan culture are generally denied - or deemed to be 'the price of modernity'.

'''Khruschev:''' ''"Of course."''\\

The stereotypical setting of TheShangriLa and the subject of a popular political cause.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tibet_1693.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:China owns this now. Damn commies!]]
The stereotypical setting of TheShangriLa and the subject of a popular political cause.

* 1997 saw two DuelingMovies, ''Seven Years in Tibet'' and ''Kundun'', take on the life story of the Dalai Lama. Not only were the movies BannedInChina, so were the people who worked on them (Jean-Jacques Annaud, who directed ''Seven Years in Tibet'', has since had his ban lifted). Although both are in the pro-Tibet camp, ''Kundun'' was nice enough to portray the Chinese as {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s.

In 1950, Tenzin Gyatso became the current (and possibly last) Dalai Lama. That same year, MaoZedong decided Tibet needed to be "liberated" from "imperialist forces". Even though it was essentially independent and that's sort of the opposite of imperialism, Tibet is seen as under the circle of British influence and the Theocracy needs to be removed. So in reality, China proceeded to use socialism to save Tibet from theocratic feudalism. For most of the 1950s, the Dalai Lama cooperated with China's new communist rulers, but he fled Tibet during a 1959 rebellion against Chinese rule. He arrived in India, where he established a GovernmentInExile and is based to this day. The Dalai Lama has since become an international celebrity and met with various world leaders. For the first twenty years of his exile, the Dalai Lama argued in favor of Tibetan independence, but he has since moderated his position to favoring greater Tibetan autonomy within China.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tibet_1693.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:China owns this now. Damn commies!]]
The stereotypical setting of TheShangriLa and the subject of a popular political cause.