Editor's note: More than 120 years ago, British imperialism launched the second war of armed aggression against Tibet. On the Gyantse Zong Mountain in Tibet, the clarion call to resist aggression and defend the country was sounded. In July 2024, the "Zongshan Horn - Theme Exhibition to Commemorate the 120th Anniversary of the Gyantse War to Resist the British" opened at the Tibet Culture Museum, and at the same time, the "Academic Seminar to Commemorate the 120th Anniversary of the Gyantse Anti-British Struggle" jointly organized by the China Association for the Protection and Development of Tibetan Culture and the China Tibetology Research Center was also successfully held. Today, 120 years later, let's listen to what experts have to say about what kind of inspiration this history has for reality.
Zhang Yongpan, researcher of the Institute of Chinese Frontier Studies, director of the Tibet Research Office, and doctoral supervisor of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, mainly researches modern Tibet and Sino-Indian border history, and has presided over a number of national social science fund projects.
The picture shows researcher Zhang Yongpan Photo: Zhang Mengmeng
The patriotic spirit of the soldiers and people of all ethnic groups in Tibet in heroically resisting the British imperialist aggressors is touching
More than a century ago, on the slowly flowing Gyantse Fortress on the banks of the Nianchu River on the snowy plateau, the sons and daughters of all ethnic groups in Tibet fought bloody battles to defend the motherland and homeland from invasion in the face of the bayonets and Makqin machine guns of the imperialist invaders. The patriotic battles in which the soldiers and people of all ethnic groups in Tibet bravely resisted the British imperialist aggressors were touching and worthy of remembrance. The deeds of these heroes are a symbol of the unremitting struggle of the Chinese nation's spirit.
Why did the British imperialist invaders come to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to trample on Chinese territory and destroy Chinese culture? We know that after the Industrial Revolution, the United Kingdom East India Company benefited greatly from the spice and opium trade in South Asia. The British Empire destroyed the Mughal dynasty and established the British India government in 1858. However, United Kingdom's goal did not stop at the plains, but sought to continue its strategic and commercial interests in the Himalayas. United Kingdom successively controlled Jemengxiong (Sikkim) and Bulukba (Bhutan) in the Himalayas, and used Darjeeling as a base to develop in the direction of Tibet. In 1888, United Kingdom launched the first war of aggression against Tibet and signed the Sino-British Tibet-India Conference Treaty with the Qing government. United Kingdom acquired not only substantial territorial interests, but also commercial interests in Tibet. However, in the face of the imperialist invasion, the Tibetan army and people refused to succumb to their invasion. At the same time, after Curzon became the governor of India, he always suspected that Tsarist Russia would make strategic deployments in Tibet, and with the advancement of his forward policy, United Kingdom launched a second war of aggression against Tibet in 1904.
According to historical records, the weapons of the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet to resist the United Kingdom invaders at that time were very backward, most of them were large knives and spears, although some soldiers were equipped with arquebuses, but the rate of fire was low, the firing range was short, and the accuracy was poor. The British army has generally used modern rifles, and is equipped with a certain number of Maxim machine guns and mortars. At the same time, the United Kingdom had accumulated a wealth of military combat experience during their wars around the world around the 19th century. Despite this, the fighting spirit of the Tibetan soldiers and civilians who know that they have no chance of victory and who are not afraid of sacrifice and stubbornly resist is still worthy of our admiration.
The picture shows the bows and arrows, spears, Tibetan knives and other weapons used by the Tibetan army in the Gyantse Anti-British Memorial Hall taken in 2019 Photo: Yang Yueyun
Today, 120 years later, whether it is a vertical or horizontal comparison, our national defense capability and scientific and technological development far exceed that era. The commemoration of the historical events of Gyantse's resistance to Britain is of profound positive significance to our defense of the frontier and the promotion of border stability.
The changes and developments in the border areas are exciting
The picture shows Zhang Yongpan conducting research in Chayu County, Nyingchi City, Tibet Autonomous Region
The first time I went to Tibet was in 2006, the year when the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was fully opened. Since then, I have been to Tibet at least twice a year, and I have been there more than 30 times. In recent years, especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the construction of border areas has been greatly improved in all aspects.
In terms of electricity, many border villages used small hydropower in the past, generating electricity during the wet season and only cutting off the power during the dry season. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the State Grid has continued to extend to the border areas, and the border counties have been connected to the East Tibet Power Grid and the Central Tibet Power Grid, with a power supply reliability rate of more than 99.54%. Most of the towns and villages in the region have been connected to the national power grid, realizing 24-hour uninterrupted power supply 365 days a year. Some border areas have implemented the "preferential housing price" electricity price policy, and the electricity price is very low.
The picture shows Zhang Yongpan of Chentang Town, Dingjie County, Shigatse City, Tibet Autonomous Region, in 2023
In terms of housing, the action of rejuvenating the border and enriching the people started before the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was funded by the state to improve the housing conditions of the masses, and after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a series of projects benefiting the people such as the construction project of well-off villages on the border were successively implemented, and some old houses, especially those facing geological disasters, were repaired or even relocated. Like the Yadong River Valley, the geological conditions are quite dangerous, originally not suitable for building houses, but the state has invested a lot of money, supported by Shanghai Baosteel Group, and the foundation is particularly deep, both earthquake-resistant and bright. I have also been to some of the newly built villages in Yadong, Chayu, and Motuo many times, and the housing has improved very well and is very comfortable to live in.
In terms of increasing the income of the masses, the border areas have long distances and small populations, and the development of industries has lagged behind before, and the income of the masses is relatively small. After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, some people introduced the cultivation of Ganoderma lucidum, gastrodia or other Chinese herbal medicines, and cooperated with some enterprises in the mainland and Hong Kong. In recent years, the government has attracted ordinary people to Tibet's thriving tourism industry through a variety of models, participated in management services, and paid dividends at the end of the year. Ordinary people in some border villages can earn more than 100,000 yuan a year. In addition, the government also hires ordinary people to serve as border guards, and each border guard has a subsidy of 1,700 yuan per month, which improves the standard of living at the same time, and walks on the border line of our country as a border guard, and has a sense of honor.
In terms of ecological civilization, there are many snow-capped mountains in the border areas, which have formed the source of many rivers and even international rivers. In recent years, ecological protection has been carried out very well, and industries that are not conducive to the ecological environment have been banned, and indiscriminate logging is strictly prohibited. We are now going to Nyingchi, which includes the border counties of Shannan and Shigatse, which is lush and has a very high forest coverage.
It is our responsibility to show the true side of Tibet
At present, in the arena of international public opinion, at the instigation of US and Western politicians, some Western media and scholars have distorted and attacked Tibet's history and reality, creating many rumors and creating a very bad impact. In view of this situation, on the one hand, China should increase the popularization of Tibet-related knowledge, so that the academic achievements in the study of Tibet can be more accessible to the public, so that more ordinary people can know what Tibet's history is all about, and what achievements Tibet has made in the economic, social, health, educational, and other fields since its peaceful liberation in 1951. On the other hand, our media, academic research institutions, higher education institutions, etc., all have the responsibility and mission to disseminate the real Tibet to the people of the world, to show the tremendous achievements made by Tibet in terms of stability, development, ecology and strengthening the border since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and to effectively reflect the true side of Tibet to the Western people, political circles and academic circles. (China Tibet Network Reporter/Yang Yueyun Zhang Mengmeng)