Qamdo Before and After Liberation in 1950

JINZONG GYAINCAIN PUNCOG

I was a fifth ranking monk official with the local government of Tibet under Qamdo Chief Lhalu Cewang Dorje in 1947. In 1950, I followed Ngapoi Ngawang Jigmei, when he replaced Lhalu. In January 1950, the CPC Central Committee headed by Chairman Mao Zedong ordered the PLA to enter Tibet to "drive out imperialist forces and consolidate the defense [of the region]." The broad masses of monks were elated at the news, but a small number of people in the upper echelon of the ruling class in Tibet, headed by Prince Regent Dagzha, opposed the Central Government move. They plotted for "the independence of Tibet", and mustered troops ready to fight. At the same time, a "delegation" was sent to seek aid and support from the British and American governments. The PLA set out for Tibet in March, and the 18th Army moved in two pincers from south and north in July. The northern troops reached Garze via Kangding, Qianning, Daofu and Luohu; the southern troops reached Batang via Kangding, Yajiang and Litang. There were also troops that set out from Lijiang in Yunnan; they reached Zayu via Gongshan and Chawalong.

LIBERATION OF QAMDO. The Gaxag, the local government of Tibet, practiced divination, and the result favored resistance in early July. A huge amount of heavy weapons and munitions were rushed to Qamdo. Qamdo Chief Lhalu ordered preparations for the fight, and the decision was taken in early July for Tibetan troops in Riwoqe to attack the PLA troops stationed in Xianqian and Yushu. The Gaxag advised them to "recover the lost land" or "defend the territory". Lhalus term of office expired at this point, and Ngapoi Ngawang Jigmei was sent to replace him, while Lhalu returned to Lhasa. By September 10, 1950, the Gaxag had sent what they thought were enough troops to Riwoqe, Dengke, Gyangda and Mangkang, which surround Qamdo. The PLA troops attacked the area surrounding Qamdo when the perennial lingka wood festival was celebrated there. Qamdo Chief Ngapoi Ngawang Jigmei summoned a meeting of Qamdo officials, and proposed to halt the military resistance and pursue peace negotiations with the PLA. Most of the officials present, including myself, favored fleeing from the city to Lhasa. On the 18th, Ngapoi and some Qamdo officials began to retreat to Enda at the head of 2,000 troops; some other officials fled southward with their families. I was quickly caught by the PLA and told Qamdo was liberated. The PLA asked us to turn over weapons and munitions, but allowed us to continue to keep our own belongings. Two days later, I was told Ngapoi and some others were tightly surrounded by the PLA in a mountain gully. Soon, Ngapoi returned to Qamdo together with Ford, a British radio operator who had been with the Tibetan troops throughout. I tried to flee to Lhasa, but found it hard to support myself along the way. Two days later, I returned to Qamdo. The PLA troops made good arrangements for me and explained the policies that they were following. I gained a better understanding of the Central Government policies toward Tibet. The PLA officer Wang Qimei talked with Ngapoi, and they decided that I and Garzun Sanglinba Puncog Dorge should go to Lhasa to deliver an official document to the 14th Dalai Lama and the Gaxag government. We reached our destination on horseback in 16 days.

PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. We made a detailed report to the Gaxag government, and told the officials present that the PLA was disciplined and unimaginably tough in fighting. One night, Garzun rushed to my living chamber to tell me that the 14th Dalai Lama had left Lhasa for Yadong. Some days later, the local government announced the 14th Dalai Lama was inspecting Yadong, and the Gaxag would go with him; the acting prince regents were charged to carry on with the routine work, while Ngapoi Ngwang Jigmei would serve as the chief delegate of the Gaxag government in negotiations with the Central Government for the peaceful liberation of Tibet. We returned to Qamdo and Ngapoi asked me to follow him to Beijing for the negotiations. When we reached Chengdu, Deng Xiaoping, then Political Commissar of the PLA Southwest Military Area, greeted us at the airport. When we reached Beijing on April 22, 1951, Premier Zhou Enlai met us at the railway station. May 1 is International Labor Day, and Beijing was celebrating the event in Tiananmen Square. It was that day I saw Chairman Mao Zedong on the Tiananmen Rostrum. Through negotiations, the Central Government and the local government of Tibet reached agreement for the peaceful liberation of Tibet, which was known as the 17-Article Agreement. The signing ceremony took place on May 23 involving Li Weihan, chief Central Government delegate, and Ngapoi Ngawang Jigmei as chief Tibetan delegate. On the evening of May 24, Chairman Mao held a banquet, and I had the honor of sitting at the third table. Chairman Mao proposed toasts to the signing of the peace agreement and to the great unity of all ethnic groups in the big Chinese family. He said: "for hundreds of years, various ethnic groups in China were not united. This was especially the case with the Han and the Tibetan. The Han was not united with other ethnic groups in the country; and the Tibetan ethnic group was not united within itself. This is the aftermath of the suppressive rule of the Qing Dynasty and the Chiang Kai-shek reactionary government, and also the result of imperialist efforts to sow discord among various ethnic groups." Chairman Mao continued: "Through strenuous efforts and bloody fights, we defeated the imperialists and ended the rule of the domestic reactionaries. Now, we have achieved national unity based on mutual respect and mutual benefits. We dont oppress others on the excuse of unity. In the future, on the basis of close unity, we will strive to seek political, economic and cultural progress." A theatrical performance was staged after the banquet. Although so many decades have gone by, what Chairman Mao said is still fresh in my mind.