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Tibet
Tibet
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Autonomous region of southwestern China; area 1,221,600 sq km/471,700 sq mi; population (2000 est) 2,620,000 (many Chinese have settled in Tibet; 2 million Tibetans live in China outside Tibet). The capital is Lhasa. Although Tibet has its own People's Government and People's Congress, Tibetan nationalists regard the province as being under colonial rule. The controlling force in Tibet is the Communist Party of China, represented locally by First Secretary Wu Jinghua from 1985. There is a government-in-exile in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, where the Dalai Lama lives. The religion in the region is traditionally Lamaism (a form of Mahayana Buddhism).
History
Tibet was an independent kingdom from the 5th century AD. It came under nominal Chinese rule in about 1700.
From 1910–13 the capital, Lhasa, was occupied by Chinese troops, after which independence was re-established. China invaded Tibet in 1949, signing a treaty in May 1950 which recognized Chinese sovereignty but Tibetan local autonomy. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) controlled Tibet 1951–59, although the Dalai Lama remained as nominal spiritual and temporal head of state. In response to repeated breaches by the Chinese of the 1950 agreement, including forcing the monks (who formed 25% of the population) out of the monasteries, in 1959 a Tibetan uprising spread from bordering regions to Lhasa and was supported by Tibet's local government. The rebellion was suppressed by the PLA, prompting the Dalai Lama and 9,000 Tibetans to flee to India. The Chinese proceeded to dissolve the Tibet local government, abolish serfdom, collectivize agriculture, and suppress Lamaism. In 1965 Tibet became an autonomous region of China. Chinese rule continued to be resented, however, and the economy languished.
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The mon, the central red disc, is called Hi-no-maru or sun-disc. The disc is set slightly towards the hoist. White symbolizes honesty and purity. Effective date: 5 August 1854.
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