One would be hard-pressed to find anyone on the planet who doesn't know the 14th Dalai Lama at sight, whether they know anything about the plight of Tibetans (or can even find Tibet on a map) or not. But the 13th? Who was he?
He was the only Dalai Lama since the fifth to hold both Religious AND secular power over Tibet for an entire lifetime. He was the Dalai Lama who successfully wrested Tibet from the control of the Qing, the only "Chinese (sort of)" dynasty to ever actually hold any sway over Tibet, and returned this proud nation to their rightful state of independence.
Did you know that?
I certainly didn't. I didn't know anything about him prior to beginning my "Year of Tibet" study in 2021. I read enough about him in Thomas Laird's "The Story of Tibet and Warren Smith's Tibetan Nation though, that when I learned a biography of this fierce priest-king had been written by Sir Charles Bell, I knew I had to obtain a copy of it.
My first hint that this book was going to be a rather scathing broadside against China was the fact that no one in the US or UK seemed to print it anymore.
Yes, you read that correctly. Despite how China loves to beat their chests about the Western media's "anti-China bias," the truth is the unabashedly pro-China biased Western media has been sweeping China's dirty laundry under the rug for fear of being labelled the dreaded "r" word (and to cash in on the fantasy of Chinese money, which never seems to materialize, more on that farther down), for decades. Anything that criticizes China too harshly gets pulled from the shelves. And this biography, first published in 1946 (now re-released as part of the "Yellow Series" by Wisdom Publications, the same publisher who re-printed Jamyang Norbu's Warriors of Tibet) only exists in used bookstores and in beat-up used copies on Amazon.
My second clue was when I opened the book in the airport in Antalya, Turkey, and a snorting, slobbering, belching, Buddha-bellied peasant who smelled like he slept in a sewer (proudly waving a Chinese passport, of course) saw the cover and tried to snatch the book away, screaming something I couldn't understand in that damnably nasal language of theirs, all the while trying to attack me, until a swift gizama-geri to whatever he had in lieu of balls followed up by a falling shoto-impi to the base of his now-bent-over skull persuaded him that an American ex-soldier and ex-cop might not be as docile as the starving Uighur children and pacifist Tibetan monks he was accustomed to bullying.
Anyway, all that was to say the level of hatred China clearly has for this book was enough to let me know purchasing it was a good move. And OH, was it ever!
Advocatus Diabolii
The first page ends with this.
Though I did not meet him face to face till he was thirty-four years old, I knew him better than any other European did; indeed better than any Chinese or other Asiatic, except his own Tibetans and a few Mongols.
Though historical accounts from other sources (Laird, Smith, and others I've not yet reviewed here) indicate this is almost assuredly true, this tendency to begin a book on Tibet with "I knew better than any others so you should believe me," was a little too reminiscent of Chinese propaganda for my tastes. And of course, just as I roll my eyes at the way Chinese propaganda spends half its pages pouting about "the West says such and such and such but it's all lies! But they have unfair coercive advantages so we are never heard! I know I offer no proof, but you have to believe me," this book has this to say on its final page (454, in the edition being reviewed here).
The Tibetan Government allowed a Chinese envoy, Mr. Wu Chungshin [Zhongxin], to come to Lhasa for the [enthronement of the 14th Dalai Lama], and the British Representative was also admitted. The report was issued in the Chinese Press that Mr. Wu had escorted the Dalai Lama to his throne and announced his installation, that the Dalai Lama had returned thanks, and prostrated himself in token of his gratitude. Every one of these Chinese claims was false. He did no more than present a ceremonial scarf, as was done by others, including the British Representative. But the Chinese have the ear of the world, and can later refer to their Press records and present an account of historical events that is wholly untrue. Tibet has no newspapers, either in English or Tibetan, and has therefore no means of exposing these falsehoods.
"China says such and such and such but it's all lies! But they have unfair coercive advantages so we are never heard! I know I offer no proof, but you have to believe me!" Gee, that sounds totally unlike anything I've ever heard before, right?
So, while I cannot deny that I personally find Bell's account perfectly believable as it lines up perfectly with my own experiences with Chinese and Tibetans (and China's habit of twisting narratives is documented by Tibetan, Western, Middle-Eastern, Soviet, Post-Soviet-Federal-Russian, Indian, Japanese and Southeast Asian sources), I am forced, in the spirit of open debate, to acknowledge that this biography opened and closed with a rhetorical style which, when compared with the Chinese propaganda I force myself to digest from time to time so I can refute it, would be best described as the "oppo-same:" a lot of vitriolic adjectives, a self-serving insistence upon superior qualifications to discuss the issue, and no proof (or at least not as much as I would have preferred) of anything other than emotional insistence that the other side is preposterous.
With THAT Out of the Way...
The most shocking thing about this book, considering it describes events near the beginning of the 20th century, is how little has changed from then to now.
In modern times, China has a well-earned reputation for things like predatory behavior toward her neighbors, re-writing history to stake mythical "claims" over territory that has never been theirs, and whining propaganda that portrays them as somehow simultaneously victim and invincible victor. Their petulant, childish, thin-skinned character wrapped around scarcely fathomable arrogance is visible in basically every article Global Times ever writes or every speech to come from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And there is a tendency among Westerners, who, by virtue of post-enlightenment values, are averse to the idea of casting an entire culture in a negative light (an aversion our Chinese rivals do not share) to say "that's not China, just the CCP."
This book, which chronicles events before the CCP existed, absolutely guts that notion like a fish.
Secondly, China might be told that we would not tolerate interference in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, but seeing us abandon Tibetan interests she was sure to interfere in those three States, whenever an opportunity presented itself, as indeed the Dalai Lama had always pointed out. "The Chinese way," he told me, "is to do something rather mild at first; then to wait a bit, and if it passes without objection, to say or do something stronger. But if we take objection to the first statement or action, they urge that it has been misinterpreted, and cease, for a time at any rate, from troubling us further." (p. 112, emphasis mine)
The Chinese Amban [Imperial Representative in conquered states under occupation] violated the Trade Regulations of 1908 by forbidding the Panchen Lama and his officials to communicate with the British Trade Agent at Gyangtse. The Chinese denied this had been done, but we obtained a photograph of the prohibitory order, after which the denials ceased. (p. 397, emphasis mine)
We are always being told about the vast potentialities of trade with China. To my recollection we were told this fifty years ago, but during those fifty years no such vast development has materialized; the potentialities are still no more than potentialities. However, the foreign nations wish to gain a good share of this trade, and to that end try to please China. But it is an outrage that they should sell Tibet in order to increase their own commercial profits in China. (P. 396, emphasis mine)
Salami-slicing, ignoring treaties, vigorously denying everything when they are called out, and Western nations turning a blind eye to China's barbarism in the vain hope of making a buck off of the so-called "Chinese market," only to find the door to that non-existent market slammed in their faces by Chinese protectionism. Does any of this sound familiar? I remind you the book was written in the '40's, about events from 1900 - 1937.
And yet, a recurring theme of the book is "Tibet is a sovereign nation (and a more advanced, refined and civilized one than China) whose people have fought against Chinese occupation over the centuries while China lies in virtually every word and the West looks the other way."
My, my... how little has changed. This shows that the Party is not the problem in China. The culture of ethnocentric arrogance, rampant corruption and troglodytic primitivity is. The Party is just the symptom.
Unflattering Comparisons
Another running theme throughout the book is how much more advanced Tibet was than China, culturally, politically, economically, and socially.
They [the Chinese] have always professed to regard the Tibetans as savages, though such few Europeans as are well acquainted with both usually say that educated Tibetans are often far more civilized than educated Chinese. (p. 133)
He [the 13th Dalai Lama] told me that he had stayed at Singan, the old capital of China in bygone centuries, in the palace of the Chinese emperor, and found the buildings in decrepit repair. And as he passed through China he had been much struck with the great poverty of the Chinese farmers. (p. 134)
Although Tibet is a wild, desolate region, it is on the whole governed in an orderly manner. More so than the close-packed lands of China, ravaged as these have been by banditry and other disorders. (p. 178)
I have always pointed out to my government how much better Tibet is governed than China is. (p. 369)
The Tibetan Government is truthful. It can be slow, obstinate and secretive in dealing with foreigners, but it has a strong regard for the truth. But the Chinese authorities from time to time made statements which were deliberately untrue. (p. 397)
The status of women in Tibet is higher than in China; the kinder treatment of animals; and the more orderly government. (p. 398)
Frankly, this meshes well with the accounts of Heinrich Harrer and others, who commented on the vastly superior standard of living enjoyed by Tibetans compared to their Chinese counterparts. Bear this in mind when China claims they have "developed" Tibet.
The Lesser of Two Evils
Before I begin this paragraph, I have to admit that the possibility of bias on the author's part does exist. I mentioned above that the rhetorical similarities to Chinese propaganda do force a reader to acknowledge that Sir Charles Bell could be distorting the facts in his nation's favor as badly as China Intercontinental Press does (though if he is, he does a better job of making it believable than they do).
Now with that disclaimer out of the way as well, one of the most damning indictments against the brutality of Chinese rule is found within the pages of this book. That is, that the Tibetans, having experienced a British invasion and years of Chinese occupation (complete with routine assaults by their so-called "protectors," the Qing Empire) stated repeatedly that they wanted to be part of the British Empire!
They [the Tibetan delegation] had brought their seals of office with them, and hoped to establish a close relationship with Britain. They were well acquainted with the treaty that we had recently concluded with Bhutan, and wished to be put in the same position that Bhutan now stood. (p. 114)
They [the Dalai Lama's ministers] were very emphatic that the Indian States, being made safe by the British power from external aggression, and granted freedom by the same power in their internal administration, were in an ideal position. They sighed and said, "That is how we should like Tibet to be." (p. 137)
There is perhaps less reason to be skeptical of this when one considers that, since the Cho-Yon system was established by the Mongolian Empire, Tibet had almost always looked outside her own borders for a patron and protector. Gone with the arrival of Buddhism were the warrior days of Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Ghampo, who brought China to their knees at his feet.
Of course, having made the admittedly bold claim that the Tibetans actually sought to be under British suzerainty, the book also lays bare the reasons for this.
On page 91, the author includes the translated text of a delightfully ridiculous (and typically petulant) note posted around Lhasa by the Qing Occupation Force there.
Do not be afraid of Amban Chao [Er Feng] and his soldiers. They are not intended to do harm to the Tibetans, but to other people. If you consider, you will remember how you felt ashamed when the foreign soldiers arrived in Lhasa and oppressed you with much tyranny.
What makes this glimpse into the parallel universe where the average Chinaman lives so hilarious is two things. The first is that Chao Er Feng, the Amban in question, was notorious for his butchery of Tibetan civilians and monks (Laird, 228 & 233; Smith, 169 - 174). The second is that the Tibetans themselves later looked upon the British army's behavior in Lhasa with fondness compared to the Chinese.
The British army left Lhasa of their own accord, but the Chinese army stayed, took all government into their own hands, and oppressed the Tibetans. the British invasion was compared by the Tibetans to a frog, symbolically regarded as a fierce animal by reason of its leaping and its peculiar aspect; but the Chinese invasion was figured as a scorpion, a creature far more virulent. Tibetans quoted the proverb, "When one has seen the scorpion, one looks on the frog as divine." (p. 115)
It is also worth noting, lest any should cite this as evidence of the above-mentioned hypothetical bias, that other accounts, including that of the 14th Dalai Lama, have agreed that Tibetans DO remember it so (Laird, 224).
Now, nobody (including Sir Charles Bell) is attempting to claim that the European empires were some kind of ambassadors of mercy on a mission civilsatrice. The crimes of the European empires are well-known. How barbaric, then, must China be, that the Tibetans, having seen both, would openly prefer Western Imperialism to Chinese Imperialism?
So who Should Read It?
It's not a light read, and in parts it's not entertaining. It certainly doesn't cover subject matter that the average joe will find useful in his day-to-day life. However, it does have its uses. Of course, to anyone studying Tibet and the plight of its people, this book is one of a rare few written in English that sheds any light on Tibet before the time of the PRC, and gives a glimpse into the formative moments of modern Tibet's struggle for freedom. But there is another target group who should read this: policy-makers whose job even tangentially brushes with China.
As I mentioned above, it shows that the character of China did not dramatically change with the arrival of the CCP, or Xi Jinping. Indeed, this book shows that China's character has changed very little across centuries, and it is time for Westerners to shed this "we're not at war with China; just with the Party" concept. If you're going to go to war to destroy China, then do so. Tibet, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea would ALL be thankful to have their longest-running and most-oppressive nemesis out of the way. But do not think that destroying the Party will do the job. If the CCP collapsed tomorrow, the Zhonghua Minzu would raise something just as putrid in its place. If you doubt it, read this book and see that the fragmented "Republic" of the Warlord Era before the PRC was no different from the Party, nor was the Qing Empire before that any different either.
Do you truly think any other dynasty has been different either?
...Do you truly think any future dynasty ever will?
Works Cited
Laird, Thomas. The Story of Tibet - Conversations With the Dalai Lama. New York, 2006. Grove Press.
ISBN 978-0-8021-4327-3
Smith, Warren. Tibetan Nation - A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations. 1996, Boulder. Westview Press.
ISBN 978-0-813-332-802