The People’s Republic of China (PRC) asserts that Tibet has been a part of China “since ancient times” (‘西藏自古以来就是中国的一部分’). Beijing requires that the Dalai Lama accepts this official position. However, a close examination of pre-1949 primary-source governmental documents and government-sanctioned publications shows that the central court never treated Tibet as part of China before 1949. In this lecture, a small sample of these documents from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) will be presented by Hon-Shiang Lau.
All are welcome.
Originally published at asia.nd.edu.