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"Tibet" refers to Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's republic of China.
Under its jurisdiction are Lhasa City, six prefectures (Shigatse, Shannan,
Nyingchi, Chamdo, Nagqu and Ngari) and 76 counties, spread over an area of 1.2
million square kilometers. Its borders are; the Jinsha River in the east, the
Outer Himalaya Mountains in the south, the Karakorum Mountains and the Himalaya
Mountains in the west, and the Kunlun Mountains, and the Tanggula Mountains in
the north. In Tibet's early history this region was divided into four parts,
namely, Wei, Zang, Ngari and Duomai (present-day Chamdo Prefectue). During the
Tang Dynasty (618-907) Songtsan Gambo (?-650) established the Tubo Kingdom here.
During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), this region was called Tubot or
Dbus-gTsang. In an imperial decree issued in 1663 by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911) the "Panchen Hutuktu of Tibet" was mentioned. Snce then, the
region has been called Tibet.
Tibet, located on the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, have been the venues
where various ethnic groups intercourse, clash and blend. In addition to the
Tibetans, there are other ethnic groups living there from generation to
generation, including ancient ethnic minorities such as Xianbei, Huihu and
Dangxiang, and the Mongols, Han, Hui, Salar, Qiang, and Naxi. They have worked
hard to develop these areas. After the collapse of the Tubo Kingdom in the ninth
century, these belonged to different local regimes, or were unified by the
central government. After the founding of the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century,
with support of the central government, the Gelupa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism
ruled Tibet, but the former local government of Tibet headed by the Dalai Lama
never had jurisdiction over the Tibetan areas outside of Tibet. It was after the
founding of the People's Republic of China that the state instituted the system
of regional ethnic autonomy, which gave rise to the establishment of autonomous
regions, prefectures and counties. This not only guarantees the equal rights of
the Tibetan people in various areas, but is also beneficial to the
administration and economic and cultural development of various Tibetan
autonomous area. |
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