Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region - Xīzàng Zìzhìqū 2.84 million est. 2007 pop. (this figure is debatable)
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◀ Tiantai
Comprehensive index starts
in volume 5, page 2667.
Tibet (Xizang)
Autonomous Region
Xīzàng Zìzhìqū 西 藏 自 治 区
2.84 million est. 2007 pop. (this figure is debatable) 1.22 million square km
Tibet—“the Roof of the World”—is one of TAR over the last five decades. While around 130,000 Ti-
China’s five autonomous regions. A distinc- betans live in exile in India and elsewhere, estimates of
tion is made between “political” Tibet, the the Tibetan-speaking population of China range between
2 and 5 million.
area governed by the Lhasa government be-
Although the degree to which Tibet was a part of
fore 1950, and “ethnic” or “cultural” Tibet, the China in earlier eras is disputed, Tibet certainly has been
area inhabited by mainly Buddhist people of a part of China since the Chinese Communist invasion
Tibetan origin. Tibet has been the focus of in 1950 and exists today only in the much-reduced area of
international attention because of calls for the TAR. A Tibetan government-in-exile, headed by the
increased autonomy or independence, and Dalai Lama (the spiritual and temporal leader of the Ti-
at the same is being developed as an interna- betan people), has been established in India, and signifi-
cant Tibetan exile communities exist in the United States
tional tourist destination.
and Switzerland. The Tibetan government in exile con-
T
tinues to campaign for self-determination for Tibet, and
the ongoing Sino-Tibetan dispute invests facts and figures
ibet—since 1965 officially known as the Tibet regarding Tibet with political implications. However, a
(Xizang) Autonomous Region (TAR)—is made distinction historically has been made between “politi-
up of the central Asian landmass between the cal” Tibet, the area governed by the Lhasa government
Kunlun mountain range to the north, the Himalayan before 1950, and “ethnic” or “cultural” Tibet, the area in-
Mountains to the south, and the Karakoram range to the habited by mainly Buddhist people of Tibetan origin.
west. It is one of China’s five autonomous regions (areas
dominated by one or more of China’s fi fty-five officially
recognized minority ethnic groups: in this case, the Zang
people).
Geographic Features
On the east Tibet is bounded by a region of three great “Political” Tibet had an estimated population of 1.8–3 mil-
rivers: the Yangzi (Chang), Mekong, and Salween. With lion, around half of whom were seminomadic yak herders.
most of its territory located above 4,500 meters and its The settled urban and agricultural populations were con-
capital, Lhasa, located at 3,607 meters, Tibet has been centrated in the river valleys, particularly in the triangle
called “the Roof of the World.” The total Tibetan popu- formed by the major settlements of Lhasa, Gyantse, and
lation remains uncertain, and is a highly-politicized issue, Shigatse (Xigaze). Today the TAR population includes a
particularly given the movement of Han Chinese into the large number of Han Chinese immigrants, and with the
2280
© 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC
Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region n Xīzàng Zìzhìqū n 西藏自治区 2281
completion of a railroad connecting Lhasa with other Origins
Chinese cities, the Han Chinese are now believed to form
a majority of the Lhasa population. The origins of the Tibetan peoples appear to be linked to
Although Tibet is located at a latitude similar to that central Asian nomadic tribes such as the Yue Zhi (Tokha-
of Algeria, the location and altitude of the Tibetan plateau rians) and Qiang. The first unified Tibetan state was a
produces a cold and generally dry climate, although south- tribal confederacy formed in the seventh century under
eastern Tibet includes tropical jungle. The western Ti- the rule of King Songtsen Gampo (or Srong-brtsan Sgam-
betan area around the Gangdise (Kailas) mountain range po (c. 608–650 ce), who established his capital at Lhasa.
and Lake Mapam Yumco (Manasarowar) is the source of The introduction of a Tibetan script and Buddhist teach-
four great rivers: the Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganges, and ings is among the innovations attributed to his reign. His
Sutlej. Mount Everest, located on the Tibet-Nepal border, dynasty lasted until the assassination of King Langd-
at 8,848 meters is the world’s highest mountain. harma around the year 842.
Tibet’s climate limits its sedentary agriculture. Barley During this period Tibet was a formidable military
is the major crop and, in its roasted form as tsampa, com- power, constantly warring with neighboring powers and
prises, along with yak meat and tea (a traditional import strong enough to sack the Chinese capital of Xi’an in 763.
from Sichuan and other parts of China), the staple diet of At its zenith the Tibetan empire reached as far west as Sa-
most of the Tibetan population. marqand in modern-day Uzbekistan. Buddhism became
A Tibetan girl in traditional dress stands in a courtyard with intricately painted pillars.
© 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC
2282 Berkshire Encyclopedia of China
宝 库 山 中 华 全 书
CHINA
TIBET
(Xizang
Autonomous
Region)
Tibet
(Xizang Autonomous Region)
Lhasa
increasingly important, particularly in the court, and the were translated into the Tibetan language. Of the four ma-
first monastery in Tibet was established at Samye around jor sects of Tibetan Buddhism that developed on the basis
779. However, there was considerable opposition to the of these teachings, the Gelugpa sect eventually emerged as
new religion among aristocratic factions associated with prominent, and from the sixteenth century onward Tibet
followers of the indigenous Tibetan belief system, which was ruled by a line of incarnate Gelugpa monks with the
was later identified with the Bon faith but probably at that title of “Dalai Lama.” Religious factions in Tibet tended to
time was an unsystematized tradition that included ele- seek Mongol or Chinese patronage, and in the eighteenth
ments of divine kingship and sacrifice. century China became increasingly involved in events in
During the eleventh and twelfth centuries Buddhism Tibet. Thus, from 1793 until 1911–1912 China exerted at
became firmly established when Indian Buddhist texts least nominal suzerainty (dominion) over Lhasa.
© 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC
Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region n Xīzàng Zìzhìqū n 西藏自治区 2283
The British imperial government of India in 1903– Communist Chinese invasion in 1950. However, its in-
1904 dispatched a mission to Lhasa that forced Tibetans dependence was not officially recognized by any major
to accept British representatives and effectively opened powers, with China continuing to claim Tibet.
the country to Western influences. However, despite
some modernization during the next couple of decades,
Tibet remained an essentially conservative religious so-
ciety and strongly resisted change. The thirteenth Dalai
Society
Lama (1876–1933), a strong nationalist leader, led Tibet In spite of the continuing existence of the Bon faith and
to independence after the Chinese revolution in 1911, and its many cultural manifestations, the outstanding feature
Tibet survived as a de facto independent state until the of Tibetan culture generally is considered to be its unique
An elderly Tibetan woman
with a prayer wheel.
Photo by Yixuan Shuke.
© 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC
2284 Berkshire Encyclopedia of China
宝 库 山 中 华 全 书
form of Buddhism, a synthesis of the Mahayana and Further Reading
Tantric forms of the faith. Buddhism influenced virtually Coleman, G. (Ed.). (1993). A handbook of Tibetan culture:
all aspects of traditional society. An estimated 20 percent A guide to Tibetan centres and resources throughout the
(although some estimates place the figure as high as 50 world. London: Rider.
percent) of the male population were monks, and more International Commission of Jurists (1959). The ques-
than six thousand monasteries were located throughout tion of Tibet and the rule of law. Geneva: International
the Tibetan cultural world. These were important eco- Commission of Jurists.
nomic and political centers as well as guardians of Ti- Kirk, M. (Ed.). (2009). China by numbers 2009. Hong
betan artistic and cultural expression. Aside from the Kong: China Economic Review Publishing.
monasteries, pilgrimage to sacred cities and mountains Lustgarten, A. (2008). China’s great train: Beijing’s drive
was an especially significant religious expression for all west and the campaign to remake Tibet. New York:
Times Books.
classes of people.
McKay, A. (Ed.). (2002). The history of Tibet (3 vols.).
A small aristocratic class enjoyed considerable privi-
Richmond, U.K: Curzon Press.
lege, although the Tibetan peasantry, in comparison with Mikel, D. (2004). Buddha’s warriors: The story of the CIA-
their contemporaries in neighboring states, were tolerably backed Tibetan freedom fighters, the Chinese invasion,
well treated. Women also enjoyed g reater-t han-average and the ultimate fall of Tibet. New York: Penguin.
freedom, particularly in the economic and social spheres, Richardson, H. (1984). Tibet and its history. Boston:
although they were almost entirely excluded from reli- Shambhala Publications.
gious power. Richardson, H. (1998). High peaks, pure Earth: Collected
Cultural influences from both India and China were writings on Tibetan history and culture. London: Ser-
present, but Tibetan culture was strikingly distinct from india Publications.
the culture of its neighbors. This was particularly true in Samuel, G. (1993). Civilized shamans: Buddhism in Tibetan
such areas as literary traditions (in particular the Gesar societies. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution
of Ling epic), language, and art and architecture, with Press.
Snellgrove, D., & Richardson, H. (1968). A cultural history
buildings such as Lhasa’s Potala Palace and Jokhang Tem-
of Tibet. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
ple, as well as the regional monasteries, being of striking
Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan civilization. Stanford, CA:
originality. Some of this culture has been destroyed in the Stanford University Press.
TAR, but much is remembered or preserved in exile, and Tarthang, T. (Ed.). (1986). Ancient Tibet: Research mate-
the Chinese government has in recent years focused on rials from the Yeshe De Project. Berkeley, CA: Dharma
developing Tibet as a domestic and international tourist Publishing.
destination. The Qinghai-Tibet railway links the Tibetan Tucci, G. (1980). The religions of Tibet. London: Routledge
capital of Lhasa with Beijing and is the world’s highest & Kegan Paul.
railway line, with nearly 1000 km of track at an altitude of
more than 4,000 meters above sea level.
Alex McKAY
Tibetan Uprising of 1959 ▶
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