For Westerners, Tibet has long evoked romantic images of mysterious plateaus, holy cities, and breathtaking mountains. Designated an "autonomous region" within the PRC, Tibet (Bod in Tibetan, Xizang in Mandarin) sits an average 4,000 m (13,100 ft) above sea level, earning it the title "The Rooftop of the World"—an epithet that plays to the notion of a remote and exotic land. However, the complex reality of today's Tibet is often a long way from romantic, and many visitors find it to be quite a different place from what they had imagined.
It's not that Tibet doesn't deliver on the promise of encounters with a fascinating people, outdoor adventures in stunningly beautiful terrain, and exhilarating moments, whether spiritual, physical or aesthetic, but the incursions of modernity and outsider cultures are indeed rapidly changing this ancient land. One of the most recent changes is the Qinghai-Tibet Railroad cutting right into the capital, Lhasa, allowing direct land access to what one of the most remote cities on earth and bringing in more tourists and immigrants from eastern China.
Once you're in Tibet (make sure you have your permits in order before you set out) you'll find much to marvel at. Lhasa's Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple embody Tibet's majestic architectural and cultural heritage. Visits to the holy sites scattered across the country offer insight into Tibetan Buddhism and the even older Bon religion. Down south, a trek into the Everest Base Camp or is sure to inspire awe in even the most worldly of travelers. Finally, the tough, resilient Tibetan people themselves can delight and inspire. Just don't expect an exotic Shangri-La.
History
Only recently has it been feasible to visit Tibet for most of the world. Before the British invaded in 1904, Tibetan rulers had strictly forbidden foreigners and restricted trade for almost a century. In those years, Tibet largely remained a realm of the imagination for Westerners—an exotic land of lamas and mystics. Following its 1950 "liberation" by the Red Army, Tibet fell into a different kind of isolation, as it, along with the rest of the PRC, was cut off from the rest of world while the Communist party sought to reorder a vast and diverse nation emerging from long years of struggle against Japan and Western colonial powers.
Tibet hadn't always been so isolated. In fact, the legendary ruler Songsten Gampo (605-650 AD) extended his country's boundaries far into the outside world while championing the imported faith of Buddhism at home. He converted to Buddhism in part because of two of his wives—Chinese and Nepali princesses whom he'd won as concessions to his power. By the time he died, Songsten's empire stretched from northern India well into China. His successors further expanded Tibet's boundaries, even sacking the Tang Dynasty capital of Chang'an (Xi'an) in 763.
Prior to Songsten, Tibet had been ruled by a succession of 32 kings, descendants of the nomadic Ch'iang people. Their shamanistic Bon faith slowly gave way to Buddhism under Songsten and others, until 838 AD, when Bon made a devastating return. Under the rule of Langdarma, who assassinated his brother to gain the throne, Buddhist temples were burned, monks were driven out and the empire fragmented into a handful of factious realms. Buddhism would return and flourish, however, and by the end of the 10th century, scholars had developed a Tibetan alphabet, allowing monks easier access to sacred texts and helping spread their teachings far and wide.
Though Tibet's imperial era was over, its fortunes soon became entangled in those of a new empire—the largest the world would ever see. When the Genghis Khan's hordes set out on their epic path of conquest in the early 13th century, Tibet's rulers decided to submit to Mongol overlordship rather than fight a losing war. This prudent decision allowed the Sakya Order to retain significant power and spared Tibet the devastation that the Mongols visited upon China, Central Asia and Europe. Tibetans lived much as they had before, with nomads and peasants eking out livelihoods in a harsh land dominated by lamas and monks. The Sakya lamas were politically savvy; not only did they retain a high degree of control over Tibet but they also influenced Mongol rulers impressed by their religious knowledge. But their power also engendered jealousy among rival Buddhist orders, giving rise to internal power struggles and division.
In 1368, the Ming succeeded the Mongol Yuan Dynasty in China and Tibet found itself largely free of outside interference. This period lasted until the 17th century, when Mongol power was again ascendant. Again, Tibet's rulers chose to submit to the Mongols in exchange for religious and cultural autonomy. Under this arrangement, the Mongol-supported Fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), was able to unify a land that had been divided internally for centuries. New temples were built, Potala Palace was expanded, and scholarship flourished. Subsequent Dalai Lamas were able to retain the religious authority won by Lobsang, but lost political power both to Mongolian factions and Qing Dynasty China, whose Manchu liaisons, known as ambans, dominated Lhasa after Qing troops drove out the Mongols in 1720.
By the early 18th century, Western missionaries had penetrated Tibet, building churches and seeking converts; by 1745, they'd worn out their welcome. Tibet remained tolerant of foreign visitors, so long as they were not on religious missions, but as British power in India and Russian power to the north began to pressure Tibet, its leaders grew increasingly distrustful. By the onset of the 19th century, Tibet was off limits to foreigners, limited trade with India and China aside.
This period of isolation came to an end in 1904. Making short work of outmatched peasant soldiers, a British expeditionary force quickly found itself in Lhasa, and Tibet was forced to meet British terms in order to retain sovereignty. For the next 30 years, the 13th Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso, tried to preserve Tibet's independence as two world wars swept the planet, changing the balance of global power. After World War II, Britain couldn't maintain its colonial empire, China's civil war ended with the birth of the PRC, and the Soviet Union and the US initiated the Cold War. Tibet, always an important strategic region, was caught up in events originating far beyond its borders, and in 1950 the PRC sent troops in, ostensibly to restore order and overturn feudal rule. By 1951, Tibet's leadership, unable to resist militarily, had signed a treaty granting the PRC overarching control of the region.
China promised modernization, but many Tibetans resented what they saw as the forced impositions, and traditionalists feared the erosion of Tibetan culture. Circumstances were aggravated by Cold War maneuvering, as the United States began supporting an armed Tibetan resistance movement. Things came to a head in 1959, and the 14th Dalai Lama fled in the midst of a bloody uprising that took months to put down. In the years that followed, Tibet, designated the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in 1965, suffered hard times during the Cultural Revolution, as temples, monasteries, artifacts and monuments were destroyed—many by young Tibetan Red Guards—and many Tibetans perished from famine.
Despite the turmoil, Tibetans endured and Buddhism made a comeback in the '80s as conditions improved. Today, Tibet is changing rapidly as settlers from elsewhere in the PRC pour in and the government seeks to develop tourism and industry while balancing the needs of a restive Tibetan population against those of China as a whole-hardly ever without controversy. Today, Tibet remains a remarkable place that has a powerful effect on those who take the time to get to know it, not as it has been depicted—whether exotic Shangri-La or impoverished, backward land—but as it actually is.
