5.2 - Changing Identities And Culture

Question 1

Where is Tibet

Answer 1

Tibet is one of the most remote and isolated places on Earth. It is high up in the Himalayas and often described as “the roof of the world”.

Question 2

How did Tibets politics change and when did this start

Answer 2

following the 1949 Chinese Revolution and the creation of the People’s Republic of China, Tibet’s independence largely vanished. China invaded Tibet in 1950, and in 1951 compelled Tibet to sign an agreement giving China control over Tibet’s external relations and the establishment of the Chinese military in Tibet, in return for guaranteeing Tibet’s political system and religious freedom.

Question 3

How did Tibet’s population feel about the Chinese rule

Answer 3

Tibet’s population believes that the Chinese colonial rule of their country has eroded their culture. Their desire for political self-determination and an end to Chinese rule led to an uprising in 1959, when Tibet’s Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was forced to flee and seek refuge in northern India. About 80,000
Tibetans followed him. In 1965 the Chinese government created the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) as part of the People’s Republic of China.