Authenticating Tibet : answers to China's 100 Questions
Since 1959, Tibet has been at the centre of controversy, after China's 'peaceful liberation' of the land of snows led to the Lhasa uprising and the Dalai Lama's escape to India. This work brings together responses to a booklet published by the Chinese government in 1989, which sought to counter criticism of their occupation of Tibet
History
1 online resource (xxix, 364 pages)
608551461
pt. 1. Historical facts
1. Some Tibetans in self-exile have repeatedly claimed that Tibet and China are two different countries. What does history have to say?
The Tibetan Empire / Helga Uebach
The Yuan dynasty / Elliot Sperling
2. Some Tibetans have argued that the Yuan emperor, Kublai Khan, and Pagba, a leading Tibetan lama of the Sagya sect, only established the religious relationship of "the benefactor and the lama" ; Political subordination was not involved. Is this right? / Elliot Sperling
3. How did the Yuan dynasty exercise its sovereignty over Tibet? / Elliot Sperling
4. It has been argued that the Mongolians incorporated Tibet into China by conquest in a manner not too dissimilar to Britain's occupation of India and Burma. What do you think of the claim that just as India cannot now regard Burma as part of its territory, so China cannot claim sovereignty over Tibet? / Elliot Sperling
5. Did the Ming and Qing dynasties continued to exercise sovereignty over Tibet established by the Yuan dynasty?
The Ming dynasty / Elliot Sperling
The Qing dynasty / Anne Chayet
6. Can you outline the origins of the Dalai Lama and the Bainqen Erdini? Did the establishment of these positions have anything to do with the Chinese central government? / Anne Chayet
7. Are there any historical documents which provide evidence that Tibet is part of China? / Anne Chayet
8. Why was the issue of "Tibetan independence" raised early in this century? / Tsering Shakya, Anne-Marie Blondeau
9. It has been claimed that China only has suzerainty over Tibet. Is this right? / Tsering Shakya
10. How did Britain and the United States interfere with China's domestic affairs with regard to Tibet in the past? / Tsering Shakya, Anne-Marie Blondeau
11. What are the views of foreign countries on the "independence of Tibet"? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
12. An American newspaper said that Tibet did not become part of China until 1950, and only in the late 1970s did the Carter administration officially recognize China's sovereignty over Tibet. Does this accord with history? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
13. Under what circumstances did the PLA decide to march into Tibet? / Samten Karmay
14. What was the content of the Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet signed between China's central government and the local government of Tibet? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
15. What was the Dalai Lama's attitude towards this agreement? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
16. Since peaceful liberation, what policies has the Chinese government pursued in Tibet? / Elliot Sperling
17. What caused the 1959 rebellion in Tibet? / Jampa Panglung
18. How did the Chinese government deal with those who participated in the March 1959 rebellion? / Elliot Sperling. pt. 2. Human rights
19. What were the conditions regarding human rights in Tibet before democratic reform? / Robert Barnett
20. What rights do the Tibetan people enjoy? / Robert Barnett
21. Some people have said that Tibet has several hundred prisons holding many thousands of political prisoners. Others have claimed that Tibet has 73 prisons with 80,000 prisoners. What are the facts? / Robert Barnett
22. Some foreign newspapers have claimed that the Chinese killed more than 1 million Tibetans. Is this true? / Robert Barnett
23. In 1987, two men were executed in Tibet. Were they political prisoners? / Robert Barnett
24. What is the true story of Geshi Luosang Wangzhu, a so-called ideological criminal the U.S. Congress has asked to be released? / Robert Barnett
25. It has been claimed that the Chinese have tried prisoners in Tibet at mass rallies, after which they were immediately killed. Is it true? / Robert Barnett
26. Some people have accused China of carrying out "racial segregation" and "racial discrimination" in Tibet. What is the reality? / Robert Barnett
27. Some people have said that Tibetans cannot act freely in Tibet, and that Tibetan cadres and children aged under 18 cannot travel abroad. Is this true? / Robert Barnett
28. The Dalai Lama and others say that Tibetan children have been deprived of the right to education and that Tibet has become an area of illiteracy. Is this true? / Robert Barnett
29. It is reported that there are serious problems of unemployment and child labor among Tibetans. Is that true? / Robert Barnett
30. People at the side of the Dalai Lama also said that the hospitals in Tibet only serve the Han people. Is that true? / Robert Barnett
31. How long is the average life span of Tibetans living in Tibet? How is it compared with what it was before the peaceful liberation of Tibet? / Robert Barnett
32. Some people have claimed that China practiced forced sterilization and the killing of infants in Tibet. Is this true? / Robert Barnett. pt. 3. Policies towards the Dalai Lama
33. What policy has the central government adopted toward the Dalai Lama? / Per Kvaerne
34. If the Dalai Lama returns, can he settle in Tibet? / Per Kvaerne
35. What is the attitude of the Chinese government toward the Dalai Lama's visit to other countries? / Per Kvaerne
36. What is the basic divergence of views between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government and people? / Per Kvaerne
37. What is the Chinese government's attitude towards the "five-point proposal" put forward by the Dalai Lama in the United States during September 1987? / Per Kvaerne
38. How does the Chinese government view the Dalai Lama's "new proposal" on Tibet he put forward in Strasbourg, France, in June 1988? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
39. How does the Chinese government value the idea of a "greater Tibetan autonomous region" suggested by some people around the Dalai Lama? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
40. Why doesn't China agree to apply the "one country, two systems" concept to Tibet? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
41. Will the Chinese government permit the Tibetans who fled abroad with the Dalai Lama and have acquired foreign citizenships to return? If so, what formalities should they go through before their homecoming visit? / Katia Buffetrille
42. The relations does the self-exiled Dalai Lama maintain with the Bainqen Lama? / Anne-Marie Blondeau. pt. 4. Population
43. Has there been a decrease in the number of Tibetans since the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951? / Andrew M. Fischer
44. Dalai and his followers claim that 7.5 million Han have been emigrated to Tibet, and that Tibetans have become a minority nationality in the region. Is that true? / Andrew M. Fischer
45. What is the Tibetan population? How is it distributed? / Andrew M. Fischer
46. How many minority nationalities are there in China? / Andrew M. Fischer
47. How many minority ethnic groups are there in Tibet? / Andrew M. Fischer. pt. 5. Religious belief
48. What policies has the Chinese government adopted toward religious belief in Tibet? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
49. Some people claim that the Chinese Communist Party has eliminated religion in Tibet. is this true? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
50. Did the Chinese government appropriate money for renovating monasteries in Tibet in order to attract more foreign tourists? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
51. Are Tibetans free to take part in religious activities? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
52. How are Tibet's monasteries administered? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
53. Are there any professional schools for training religious workers in Tibet? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
54. Please give a brief account of the lamasery life. Do lamas suffer many privations? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
55. Which monasteries are famous in Tibet? And what is the situation they are in now? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
56. When did Tibetan Buddhism come into being? How many sects does it have? / Anne-Marie Blondeau
57. It has been reported that China will set up a "Tibetan Buddhism Guidance Committee." What will be its tasks? / Anne-Marie Blondeau. pt. 6. Right to autonomy
58. What policies has the Chinese government adopted in regard to minority nationalities? / Thierry Dodin
59. When was the Tibet Autonomous Region founded? How many autonomous regions are there in China? / Thierry Dodin
60. As one of the autonomous regions, what rights does Tibet have? / Thierry Dodin
61. How many decrees on self-government have been formulated by the Tibet Autonomous Region? / Thierry Dodin
62. What is the proportion of Tibetans to Han in the Tibet Autonomous Region's civil service? / Thierry Dodin
63. Who were the heads of all previous governments of the Tibet Autonomous Region? Were they all Tibetans? / Thierry Dodin
64. Who have served as the standing committee chairmen of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress? What nationality were they? / Thierry Dodin
65. How many counties and cities does the Tibet Autonomous Region have under its jurisdiction? What are the nationalities of the county magistrates and mayors? / Thierry Dodin
66. Are there any other Tibet autonomous areas in China apart from the Tibet Autonomous Region? / Thierry Dodin
67. Why are none of the first secretaries of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Tibetans? / Thierry Dodin. pt. 7. Culture and education
68. What is the policy adopted by China regarding traditional Tibetan culture? / Amy Heller, Anne-Marie Blondeau
69. Some foreign newspapers have claimed that China has paid no attention to Tibet's history and culture. What are the facts? / Amy Heller
70. What is the Chinese government's attitude towards traditional Tibetan literature and art? / Amy Heller, Anne-Marie Blondeau
71. What work has been done to protect cultural relics and historical sites in Tibet? / Amy Heller
72. What is the situation of Tibetan studies in China? / Amy Heller, Anne-Marie Blondeau
73. What does the China Tibetan Studies Center do? Who runs it? / Amy Heller
74. It is said that traditional Tibetan medical science is very special. What has China done to develop it? / Fernand Meyer
75. How about the use of Tibetan language? / Amy Heller, Anne-Marie Blondeau. pt. 8. Economic development
Historical comparisons / Andrew M. Fischer
The legacy of state intervention in the Tibetan areas over the past fifty years / Andrew M. Fischer
77. What policies and assistance has the central government provided in regard to economic development in Tibet?
76. What is the status of economic development in Tibet?
Constraints and favorable conditions for development / Andrew M. Fischer
78. What advantages does Tibet have for its economic development?
83. What are the main problems Tibet faces in developing its economy?
Foreign investment and trade / Andrew M. Fischer
79. Are there any Sino-foreign joint ventures or solely foreign-funded projects in Tibet?
80. How does Tibet attempt to cooperate with foreign factories?
81. How do foreign people invest in Tibet?
82. How about Tibet's tourist resources? How do foreign people travel in Tibet? / Katia Buffetrille
84. It is reported that China has deployed nuclear weapons and dumped nuclear waste in Tibet, damaging the environment there. Is that true? / Thierry Dodin. pt. 9. Livelihood of the people
85. How are the living conditions in Tibet today compared with the past? / Katia Buffetrille
86. Why are the living standards of Tibetans lower than [those of] the Han people in other places? / Andrew M. Fischer
87. Do the Tibetan and Han people enjoy equal payment for same work? / Katia Buffetrille
88. What customs and habits are there in Tibet? / Katia Buffetrille, Janet Gyatso
89. What festivals are there in Tibet? / Katia Buffetrille, Janet Gyatso. pt. 10. About the riots in Lhasa
90. Some people have said that the demonstrations which occurred in Lhasa in 1987 and 1988, despite being peaceful, were forcibly suppressed. Is this true? / Robert Barnett
91. What caused the riots, and did it have anything to do with the Dalai clique? / Robert Barnett
92. Some people have said that in putting down the riots in Lhasa, the police arrested and beat people indiscriminately, killing quite a few. What is the truth? / Robert Barnett
93. Of all those arrested in the riots, how many have been set free and how many are still in prison? How well are they treated in prison? What will happen to them? How many rioters, if any, were executed? / Robert Barnett
94. Were any foreign tourists or reporters at the scene of the riots? If there were, were they detained, warned, or deported? / Robert Barnett
95. How do religious leaders and the residents of Lhasa view these riots since September 1987? / Robert Barnett
96. Why were foreigners not allowed to travel nor foreign reporters permitted to cover news in Tibet during riots? / Robert Barnett
97. After the riots in Lhasa, were any leaders of the Tibet Autonomous Region dismissed or promoted? Are more soldiers or policemen to be sent to Tibet? / Robert Barnett
98. What countermeasures have the Tibetan authorities taken since the riots? Are the masses allowed to hold parades and demonstrations? / Robert Barnett
99. What is the situation in Tibet now? / Robert Barnett
100. Some foreign newspapers said recently that the Tibet authorities have dispatched people to temples and monasteries to throw out those lamas and nuns who participated in the riots. Is this true? / Robert Barnett
A comparative chronology of Tibet and China
Glossary
Electronic reproduction, [Place of publication not identified], HathiTrust Digital Library, 2010
Translated from the French