Fiftieth Anniversary of Democratic Reform in Tibet （Part Two）

II. Momentous Democratic Reform in Tibet

　　Carrying out democratic reform and abolishing the feudal serfdom of theocracy were inevitable requirements for social progress, and they were major tasks of the people’s democratic revolution led by the Communist Party of China, and were the only solution for social development in Tibet. Moreover, they reflected the yearning of the overwhelming majority of the Tibetan people. In 1959, the Central People’s Government carried out a great historical reform in Tibetan history, and profoundly changed the fate of the Tibetan people by launching the democratic reform and abolishing serfdom, a grim and backward feudal system.

　　The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) won decisive victories over Kuomintang troops. Beiping (now Beijing) and provinces like Hunan, Yunnan, Xinjiang, and Xikang were all liberated peacefully from the rule of the Kuomintang government. In light of the actual situation in Tibet, the Central People’s Government also decided to use peaceful means to liberate Tibet. In January 1950, the Central People’s Government formally notified the local authorities of Tibet to“send delegates to Beijing to negotiate its peaceful liberation.” In February 1951, the 14th Dalai Lama sent Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme as his chief plenipotentiary, and Kemai Soinam Wangdui, Tubdain Daindar, Tubdain Legmoin and Sampo Dainzin Toinzhub as his representatives to Beijing to handle with full power the negotiations with the Central People’s Government. On May 23, 1951, the “17-Article Agreement” was signed in Beijing, thus bringing about the peaceful liberation of Tibet. This enabled Tibet to shake off the trammels imposed by imperialist aggressors, brought to an end to it long-term isolation and stagnancy of its social development, thus creating favorable conditions for democratic reform and social progress in Tibet.

　　However, some members of the Tibetan ruling class were hostile to reform, and wanted to preserve serfdom forever so as to maintain their own vested interests and privileges. They deliberately violated and undermined the “17-Article Agreement,” and intensified their efforts to split the motherland, and finally they staged an armed rebellion. In March and April 1952, acting Silon (chief minister) Sicab Lukangwa and Losang Zhaxi of the local Tibetan government gave secret support to the People’s Conference – an illicit organization – to oppose the “17-Article Agreement” and create disturbances in Lhasa, demanding that the PLA pull out of Tibet. In May 1955, as the 14th Dalai Lama returned to Tibet via Sichuan Province, two accompanying local Tibetan government officials –Galoin Surkang and the Junior Tutor Trigyang – took two different routes on the pretext of participating in Buddhist activities. The former took the northern route through Garze and Derge, while the latter followed the southern route via Chatreng and Lithang. On their way, they met with local headmen and abbots of various monasteries, plotting an armed rebellion against democratic reform. The leader of the “People’s Conference,” Gyale Choze, and four others, on the pretext of welcoming the return of the Dalai Lama, made a special trip to Yanga and Kangding. They helped Trigyang organize an armed rebellion in collaboration with reactionary headmen, the abbot of Litang Monastery and some Kuomintang secret agents long-hidden at the monastery. They pledged by mixing their blood to stage an armed rebellion. In 1957, Losang Samten (third elder brother of the Dalai Lama) incited Chimed Gonpo, headman of Jomda Dzong in Qamdo to act upon the Dalai Lama’s orders and gather rebels to launch a local armed uprising. In May 1957, with the support of galoins Neuxar Tubdain Tarba and Xainga Gyurme Doje, a rebel organization named “Four Rivers and Six Ranges” (namely, the four main rivers and six mountain ranges in Tibet and the Tibetan-inhabited areas of Sichuan Province), and later rebel armed forces named “religious guardians” were founded. They raised the slogan of “Independence of Tibet” and “Oppose Reform,” and further intensified their rebellious activities. The armed rebels harassed Qamdo, Dengqen, Heihe and Shannan. They disrupted communication lines, attacked institutions and troops stationed there by the central authorities. They looted, cruelly killed officials, persecuted people, and raped women.

　　In view of the situation, the Central People’s Government repeatedly urged the local government of Tibet to punish the rebels and maintain public order. However, the reactionary clique of the upper social strata in Tibet took the extreme forbearance of the central government as a sign of weakness. They declared, “For nine years, the Hans have not dared to touch our most glorious and sacrosanct system. When we attacked them, they could only parry our blows without being able to strike back. So long as we transfer a large number of troops to Lhasa from outside, the Hans will surely flee at the first blow. If they don’t run away, we will carry His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Shannan, and gather our strength there to launch a counterattack and seize back Lhasa. Ifall these efforts fail, we can go to India.”

　　With the support of foreign anti-China forces, the reactionary clique of Tibet’s upper class elaborately plotted and instigated a full-scale armed rebellion in Lhasa on March 10, 1959. However, on the evening of March 17, the Dalai Lama, together with galoins Surkang, Neuxar, and Xaisur and other rebel leaders, fled from Lhasa to Shannan, a base of the armed rebel forces. When the armed rebellion failed, the rebels fled to India.

　　After the Dalai Lama left Lhasa, about 7,000 rebels gathered towage a full-scale attack on the Party, government and military institutions early in the morning on March 20, 1959. The PLA was driven beyond forbearance, so it launched a counterattack at 10 AM the same day under an order of the central government. With the support of all ethnic groups in Tibet, the 1,000 plus PLAtroops completely put down the armed rebellion in Lhasa within two days. Before long, the PLA rapidly quelled armed rebellions in other places in Tibet.

　　Just as Chairman Mao Zedong pointed out, “The Dalai Lama’s plotting to launch a rebellion started just after his return from Beijing in 1955. He prepared this rebellion for two years – from early 1957, when he returned from India, to 1958.” After they fled China in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama and his clique went further and further down the road to splitting the motherland. They established the so-called “Tibetan government-in-exile,” publicly declared “Tibetan independence,” reorganized rebel forces to carry out military harassment along the Chinese border for many years, engaged in long-term international anti-China activities, and instigated many riots in Tibet and other Tibetan-inhabited areas in China.

　　The armed rebellion in Tibet was supported by foreign anti-China forces from the very beginning. After the reactionary Tibetan ruling class took the road of betraying their country, on March 28, 1959, Premier Zhou Enlai promulgated a State Council decree dissolving the local Tibetan government. The Preparatory Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region with the 10th Panchen Lama as its chairman took over local government power. At the same time, the Central People’s Government implemented a policy of “quelling the rebellion while conducting the reform,” and led the Tibetan people to start the surging tide of democratic reform, wrecked the feudal serfdom of theocracy, and helped the million serfs and slaves realize their lifelong wish of being their own masters.

　　– Abolishing the oppression and exploitation of feudal serfdom system, and liberating the million serfs and slaves. After the quelling of the armed rebellion in 1959, the Central People’s Government immediately dissolved the Kasha regime and its armed forces, courts and prisons, which had oppressed the Tibetan people for hundreds of years. At the same time, it repealed the old Tibetan Code and barbarous punishments. This was followed by a planned and step-by-step campaign in the rural areas against rebellion, corvee labor and slavery, and for reduction of rent for land and of interest on loans; a campaign launched in the pastoral areas against rebellion, corvee labor and slavery, and helping hired herdsmen and herd owners; a campaign launched in the monasteries against rebellion, feudal privileges and exploitation, and to square accounts with political persecution, hierarchical oppression and economic exploitation; and a campaign launched in the urban areas against rebellion, the feudal system, exploitation and privileges, and on reduction of rent for land and of interest on loans. In addition, the democratic reform was conducted in the border areas by stages, abolishing the bondage of the serfs and slaves to their feudal masters, as well as the feudal system, exploitation and privileges, and corvee labor and high-interest loans.

　　The one million serfs and slaves in Tibet were liberated. They became the masters of their country, as well as Tibet. Their lives and personal freedom are now protected and safeguarded by the Chinese Constitution and law. They no longer suffer from the serf-owners’ political oppression, forced labor and inhuman treatment, as well as heavy corvee taxes and usurious exploitation. Nyima Tsering, who was elected the first chairman of the Farmers’ Association during the democratic reform, used to be a serf of Surkhang Wangchen Gelek, a galoin of the local Tibetan local government. Wangchen Gelek once said, “Nyima Tsering is my property. I will do whatever I like to him. If I like, I can roll him into a ball and put him in my pocket, or stretch him into a belt and tie it around my waist.” After the democratic reform, Nyima Tsering said, “Now my personal freedom is protected by law. I am no longer someone else’s private property. How wonderful this is!” Tsering Lhamo had been a serf for more than 30 years. After the democratic reform, she organized the first Nangsan Mutual Aid Team at Kyerpa Township, in Nedong County, Shannan Prefecture. Later, she held the position of vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of People’s Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

　　– Implementing land reform, abolishing the feudal land ownership, and making serfs and slaves masters of the land. On September 21, 1959, the Preparatory Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region passed the Decision on Abolishing the Feudal Land Ownership System and Implementing Farmers’ Land Ownership,” stipulating that farmland and other means of production originally occupied by those serf-owners involved in the armed rebellion were to be confiscated and distributed to landless serfs and slaves, and the land and other means of production of serf-owners who had not participated in the rebellion were to be redeemed by the state and then distributed to the serfs and slaves. This made Tibet’s one million serfs and slaves become masters of the land and other means of production for the first time. Their unprecedented enthusiasm for production and life gave rise to a rapid change in Tibet’s social situation and their living conditions.

　　– Abolishing theocracy, separating religion from state, and protecting religious freedom. During the democratic reform, on the one hand, citizens’ freedom of religious belief, and patriotic and law-abiding monasteries were protected by law. Citizens have the freedom to become monks or nuns, and monks and nuns can choose to resume secular life, regular religious activities as well as historical monasteries and cultural relics were all protected. On the other hand, the policy of “political unity, freedom of religious belief and separation between politics and religion” was adopted, abolishing monasteries’ feudal economic and political privileges, repealing monasteries’ feudal occupation and exploitation, and personal slavery, as well as feudal management and hierarchy inside the monasteries, and ensuring that all religious beliefs were politically equal. Public funds and properties inside the monasteries were managed democratically, serving as production funds and for supporting monks and nuns as well as regular religious activities; the monasteries’ management committees uniformly administered the land distributed to monks and nuns in accordance with their labor ability, and managed production. When the income of a monastery was unable to cover its regular expenses, the government would grant a subsidy. Through the democratic reform, all the monasteries in Tibet elected their own management committees, and conducted democraticmanagement. The democratic reform enabled the true features of religion to emerge, effectively safeguarded the Tibetan people’s freedom of religious belief, and laid a foundation for the introduction of the political system of people’s democracy in Tibet.

　　– Establishing the people’s democratic state power, and ensuring that the people enjoy rights as their own masters. After overthrowing the system of feudal serfdom, the liberated people of various ethnic groups in Tibet established people’s democratic organs of state power. The number of cadres of Tibetan and other ethnic groups exceeded 10,000 in Tibet. Among them, township-level ones were all Tibetans, more than 90 percent of leaders at the district-level were Tibetans, and over 300 Tibetan cadres held leading positions at or above the county level. More than 4,400 liberated serfs and slaves were trained as cadres at the primary level. In 1961, a general election was held in Tibet. For the first time, former serfs and slaves were able to enjoy rights as their own masters. In September 1965, the First Tibet People’s Congress was convened, at which the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region was officially proclaimed. The founding of the people’s democratic organs of state power politically guaranteed the Tibetan people’s rights as their own masters.

　　The surging tide of democratic reform took only a few years to overthrow the feudal serfdom system which had been practiced in Tibet for centuries. The reform liberated Tibet’s one million serfs and slaves politically, economically and socially, brought an entirely new look to Tibet’s society, and ushered in a new era for Tibet’s development.