michelleplanning

===**__Inquiry Question:__** //What would autonomy mean for the Tibetans-Could they govern without the support of China? //  ===


===**Research Questions: ** **Key words:  **   === ===Has China ever had a good relationship with Tibet? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">‘Chinas relationships with other countries’  === ===<span style="font-family: 'Agency FB','sans-serif'"> <span style="font-family: 'Agency FB','sans-serif'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Did Tibet survive well enough without Chinas support? '<span style="font-family: 'Agency FB','sans-serif'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">‘Tibet’s survival before China stepped in’  === ===<span style="font-family: 'Agency FB','sans-serif'"> <span style="font-family: 'Agency FB','sans-serif'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">How was Tibet surviving without China, was their way of life better than now? <span style="font-family: 'Agency FB','sans-serif'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">‘Tibet’s way of life’ ===

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> How bad is the human rights in China? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> 'Human rights in China'
__**My Info:**__

Human rights in the People's Republic of China!
Civil liberties

Freedom of speech
//Main articles: Censorship in the People's Republic of China and Government control of the media in the People's Republic of China// Although the 1982 constitution guarantees freedom of speech,[6] the Chinese government often uses the subversion of state power clause to imprison those who are critical of the government.[7] Also, there is very heavy government involvement in the media, with most of the largest media organizations being run directly by the government. Chinese law forbids the advocacy of independence or self-determination for territories Beijing considers under its jurisdiction, as well as public challenge to the CCP's monopoly in ruling China. Thus references to democracy, the Free Tibet movement, Taiwan as an independent state, certain religious organizations and anything remotely questioning the legitimacy of the Communist Party of China are banned from use in publications and blocked on the Internet. PRC journalist He Qinglian in her 2004 book //Media Control in China//[8] examined government controls on the Internet in China[9] and on all media. Her book shows how PRC media controls rely on confidential guidance from the Communist Party propaganda department, intense monitoring, and punishment for violators rather than on pre-publication censorship. Recently, foreign web portals including Microsoft Live Search, Yahoo! Search, and //Google Search China//[10] have come under criticism for aiding in these practices, including banning the word "Democracy" from its chat rooms in China. Yahoo! in particular, stated that it will not protect the privacy and confidentiality of its Chinese customers from the authorities,[11] and was criticised by Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders of having "taken on the role of censor."[12]

Freedom of movement
//For more details on this topic, see Hukou.// The Communist Party came to power in the late 1940s and instigated a command economy. In 1958, Mao set up a residency permit system defining where people could work, and classified an individual as a "rural" or "urban" worker.[13] A worker seeking to move from the country to an urban area to take up non-agricultural work would have to apply through the relevant bureaucracies. The number of workers allowed to make such moves was tightly controlled. People who worked outside their authorized domain or geographical area would not qualify for grain rations, employer-provided housing, or health care.[14] There were controls over education, employment, marriage and so on.[13] One reason for instituting this system was to prevent the possible chaos caused by the predictable large-scale urbanization. It is alleged that people of Han nationality in Tibet have a far easier time acquiring the necessary permits to live in urban areas than ethnic Tibetans do.[15] Urban dwellers enjoy a range of social, economic and cultural benefits while peasants, the majority of the Chinese population, are treated as second-class citizens.[16] An article in The Washington Times, reported in 2000 that although migrant laborers play an important part in spreading wealth in Chinese villages, they are treated "like second-class citizens by a system so discriminatory that it has been likened to apartheid."[17] Another author making similar comparison is Anita Chan, who posits that China's household registration and temporary residence permit system has created a situation analogous to the passbook system in apartheid South Africa, which was designed to regulate the supply of cheap labor.[18] Abolition of this policy was proposed in 11 provinces, mainly along the developed eastern coast. The law has already been changed such that migrant workers no longer face summary arrest, after a widely publicised incident in 2003, when a university-educated migrant died in Guangdong province. This particular scandal was exposed by a Beijing law lecturer, Mr Xu, who claims it spelt the end of the hukou system. He further believes that, at least in most smaller cities, the system had already been abandoned. Mr Xu continues: "Even in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, it has almost lost its function".[19] Special administrative regions Also as a result of the one country, two systems policy initiated in the late 20th century, Chinese citizens must gain permission from the government to travel to the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao.

Religious freedom
//Main article: Freedom of religion in the People's Republic of China// During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), particularly the Destruction of Four Olds campaign, religious affairs of all types were persecuted and discouraged by the Communists with many religious buildings looted and destroyed. Since then, there have been efforts to repair, reconstruct and protect historical and cultural religious sites.[20] Critics say that not enough has been done to repair or restore damaged and destroyed sites.[21] The 1982 Constitution technically guarantees its citizens the right to believe in any religion, however this is not to be confused with the general concept of "Freedom of Religion" as is commonly referred to in the West as the right to practice religion in any way you see fit without government interference.[22] This freedom is subject to restrictions, as all religious groups must be registered with the government and are prohibited from having loyalties outside of China. In addition, the communist government continually tries to maintain control over not only religious content, but also leadership choices such as the choosing of bishops and other spiritual leaders. Considering all party leaders must be communist, the ability of such officials to intelligently choose religious leaders is highly questionable. For example, the recently appointed Bishop in China was not appointed by the Pope as has been the Catholic Church's practice up until this time.[23] The government argues that such restriction is necessary to prevent foreign political influence eroding Chinese sovereignty, though groups affected by this deny that they have any desire to interfere in China's political affairs. This has led to an effective prohibition on those religious practices that by definition involve allegiance to a foreign spiritual leader or organization, (see Catholicism in China) although tacit allegiance to such individuals and bodies inside these groups is not uncommon. "Unregistered religious groups ... experience varying degrees of official interference, harassment, and repression."[24] Particularly troubling is the lack of transparency involved in recently chosen Tibetan spiritual leaders. China attempts to intervene in the reincarnation of Tibetan spiritual leaders and has indicated it will oversee the search for a new leader after the Dalai Lama passes away. Beijing indicates that spiritual leaders must obtain approval before they reincarnate.[25] Even more troubling is China's dealings with previously identified reincarnations of past leaders. For example, the child who was identified as the new Panchen Lama by Tibetan spiritual leaders was first detained by Chinese authorities and then disappeared. The child has not been seen since, has spent the last 12 years in detention and has effectively been robbed of his childhood. Repeated requests have been made by visitor heads of state, including the Canadian prime minister.[26] Reporters and tourists visiting Tibet note that monasteries are subject to video surveillance. Other examples of the lack of religious freedom are:[27] Numerous other instances of detention for unpatriotic acts have also been recorded, an example of this would be the detention of monks celebrating the reception of the US Congressional Gold Medal by the Dalai Lama.[28] The effects have been drastic, whereas one large temple in Tibet once was a place of worship for over 10,000 monks, it is now only home to 600 and Beijing now restricts total membership in any monastery to 700.[27] Another instance of religious discrimination is the fact that members of the Communist Party are officially required to be atheists.[29] While many party members privately violate this rule,[30] being openly religious can limit their economic prospects. The government of the People's Republic of China tries to maintain tight control over all religions, so the only legal Christian Churches (Three-Self Patriotic Movement and Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association) are those under the Communist Party of China control. It has been claimed by many that the teachings in the state-approved Churches are at least monitored and sometimes modified by the Party. Because Chinese House Churches operate outside government regulations and restrictions, their members and leaders are sometimes harassed by local government officials. This persecution may take the form of a prison sentence or, more commonly, reeducation through labour. Heavy fines also are not uncommon, with personal effects being confiscated in lieu of payment if this is refused or unavailable. Unlike Falun Gong, however, house churches have not officially been outlawed, and since the 1990s, there has been increasing official tolerance of house churches. Most observers believe that the harassment of house churches by government officials arises less from an ideological opposition to religion and support of atheism than out of fears of a center of popular mobilization outside the control of the Communist Party of China. [//citation needed//]
 * 1) quotas instituted by Beijing on the number of monks to reduce the spiritual population
 * 2) Forced denunciation of the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader or expulsion
 * 3) Government expulsion from monasteries of unapproved monks
 * 4) Forced recitation of patriotic scripts supporting China or expulsion
 * 5) Restriction of religious study before age 18.

Political freedom
<span style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); border-width: 2px; font-size: 0px; background-image: none; vertical-align: middle"> A famous photo, taken on 5 June 1989 by photographer Jeff Widener (AP), depicting a lone protester who tried to stop the PLA's advancing tanks during the Tiananmen Square protests The PRC is known for its intolerance of organized dissent towards the government. Dissident groups are routinely arrested and imprisoned, often for long periods of time and without trial. One of the most famous dissidents is Zhang Zhixin, who is known for standing up against the ultra-left.[31] Incidents of torture, forced confessions and forced labour are widely reported. Freedom of assembly and association is extremely limited. The most recent mass movement for political freedom was crushed in the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, the estimated death toll of which ranges from about 200 to 10,000 depending on sources.[32][33] Political reforms towards better information disclosure and people empowerment is under way. "The Chinese government began direct village elections in 1988 to help maintain social and political order in the context of rapid economic reforms. Today, village elections occur in about 650,000 villages across China, reaching 75% of the nation's 1.3 billion people."[34] In the year 2008, the city of Shenzhen, which enjoys the highest per capita GDP in China, is selected for experimentation. Over 70% of the government officials on the district level will be directly elected.[35]

Impact of the Olympics
//Main article: Concerns over the 2008 Summer Olympics// In anticipation of the 2008 Summer Olympics, China has faced international criticism regarding its human rights record. [//citation needed//] China has acknowledged "the need to keep advancing human rights,"[36] and resumed a human rights dialog with the United States.[37] A number of foreign protesters were deported from China during the Games.[38] Others were detained until the closing ceremony and then deported.[39][40] An unauthorised protest by seven activists protesting about China's involvement in Tibet at the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park, blocking its entrance, was cleared away by the authorities.[41] The Chinese government had promised to issue permits allowing people to protest in so-called 'protest parks' during the Games,[42] but on 18 August it was reported that of 77 applications, 74 were withdrawn, two suspended and one vetoed.[43][44] Two elderly Chinese women were reported to have been sentenced to "re-education through labour" having applied for a permit.[45] The Chinese authorities stated they had no record of the sentences.[45] Their sentence was suspended subject to proper behaviour, and to restrictions on movement.[46] The authorities apparently feared that if Chinese petitioners' protest applications were approved, it would lead to an avalanche of others seeking to voice their grievances. Furthermore, many rights lawyers and political dissidents were rounded up; the armies of migrant workers who built the Olympic stadiums have been encouraged to leave town, lest their dishevelled appearances detract from the image of a clean, modern nation. A Chinese lawyer explained, "For Chinese petitioners, if their protest applications were approved, it would lead to a chain reaction of others seeking to voice their problems as well" and an academic observed that: "When you have guests coming over for dinner, you clean up the house and tell the children not to argue."[47] Critics also argue that the Chinese authorities failed to live up to their promises on press freedom. ITV News reporter John Ray was arrested while covering a pro-Tibet protest.[48][41] Foreign journalists also reported that their access to certain websites, including those of human rights organisations, was restricted.[49][50] International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge stated at the end of the Games that "The regulations might not be perfect but they are a sea-change compared to the situation before. We hope that they will continue".[51] The Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) issued a statement that "despite welcome progress in terms of accessibility and the number of press conferences within the Olympic facilities, the FCCC has been alarmed at the use of violence, intimidation and harassment outside. The club has confirmed more than 30 cases of reporting interference since the formal opening of the Olympic media centre on July 25, and is checking at least 20 other reported incidents"


 * Bibliography:**

http://en.wikipedia.org/ http://www.zoo-m.com/flickr-storm http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/

Mongol Empire
<span style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); border-width: 2px; font-size: 0px; background-image: none; vertical-align: middle"> Painting of Kublai Khan on a hunting expedition, by the Chinese court artist Liu Guandao, c. 1280<span style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); border-width: 2px; font-size: 0px; background-image: none; vertical-align: middle">  Drogön Chögyal Phagpa‎, one of the five founders of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, was appointed as a king of Tibet by the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan (r. 1260–1294). Tibet was once a strong power contemporaneous with the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618–907). Until the Tibetan Empire's collapse in the 9th century, it was the Tang's major rival in dominating Inner Asia.[3][4] The Yarlung rulers of Tibet also signed various peace treaties with the Tang, culminating in a treaty in 821 that fixed the borders between Tibet and Tang China.[5] During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960) in China, while the fractured political realm of China saw no threat in a Tibet which was in just as much political disarray, there was little in the way of Sino-Tibetan relations.[6][7] Few documents involving Sino-Tibetan contacts survive from the Song Dynasty (960–1279).[8][7] The Song were far more concerned with countering northern enemy states of the Khitan-ruled Liao Dynasty (907–1125) and Jurchen-ruled Jin Dynasty (1115–1234).[8] In 1207, the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan (r. 1206–1227) conquered and subjugated the ethnic Tangut state of the Western Xia (1038–1227).[9] In the same year, he established diplomatic relations with Tibet by sending envoys there.[10] The recent conquest of the Western Xia alarmed Tibetan rulers, who then decided to pay tribute to the Mongols.[9] However, when they ceased to pay tribute after Genghis Khan's death, his successor Ögedei Khan (r. 1229–1241) launched an invasion into Tibet.[11] The Mongol Prince Godan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, raided as far as Lhasa.[12][9] During his attack in 1240, Godan summoned Sakya Pandita (1182–1251), leader of the Sakya Tibetan Buddhist sect, to his court in what is now Gansu province in Western China.[12][9] With Sakya Pandita's submission to Godan in 1247, Tibet was officially incorporated into the Mongol Empire during the regency of Töregene Khatun (1241–1246).[12][13] Michael C. van Walt van Praag writes that Godan granted Sakya Pandita temporal authority over a still politically fragmented Tibet, stating that "this investiture had little real impact" but it was significant in that it established the unique "Priest-Patron" relationship between the Mongols and Tibetan Sakya lamas.[9] Since 1236, the Mongol prince Kublai (who later ruled as Khagan from 1260–1294) was granted a large appanage in North China by his superior Ögedei Khan.[14] Karma Pakshi (1203–1283)—the head lama and second Karmapa of the Tibetan Black Hat sect—rejected the invitation of Kublai to appear in his court, so instead Kublai invited Drogön Chögyal Phagpa (1235–1280), successor and nephew of Sakya Pandita, who came to his court in 1253.[15][16][17] Kublai instituted a unique relationship with the Phagpa lama, which recognized Kublai as a superior sovereign in political affairs and the Phagpa lama as the senior instructor to Kublai in religious affairs.[15][18][17] Kublai also made Drogön Chögyal Phagpa the ruling priest-king of Tibet, which comprised thirteen different states ruled by myriarchies.[18][19][17] Kublai Khan did not conquer the Song Dynasty of China until 1279, so Tibet was a component of the early Mongol Empire before it was combined into a larger empire with the whole of China under the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368).[17] Van Praag writes that this conquest "marked the end of independent China," which was then incorporated into the Yuan Dynasty that ruled China, Tibet, Mongolia, parts of Korea, Siberia, and Upper Burma.[20]

=Tibet during the Ming Dynasty=

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search<span style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); border-width: 2px; font-size: 0px; background-image: none; vertical-align: middle"> A 17th century Tibetan thangka of Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra; the Ming Dynasty court gathered various tribute items which were native products of Tibet (such as thangkas),[1] and in return granted Tibetan tribute-bearers with gifts.[2] The exact nature of Sino-Tibetan relations during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) of China is unclear. Some modern scholars living and working in the People's Republic of China assert that the Ming Dynasty had unquestioned sovereignty over Tibet, pointing to the Ming court's issuing of various titles to Tibetan leaders, Tibetans' full acceptance of these titles, and a renewal process for successors of these titles that involved traveling to the Ming capital. Scholars within the PRC also argue that Tibet has been an integral part of China since the 13th century, thus a part of the Ming Empire. But most scholars outside the PRC say that the relationship was one of suzerainty, that Ming titles were only nominal, that Tibet remained an independent region outside Ming control, and that it simply paid tribute until the reign of Jiajing (1521–1566), who ceased relations with Tibet. Some scholars note that Tibetan leaders during the Ming frequently engaged in civil war and conducted their own foreign diplomacy with neighboring states such as Nepal. Some scholars underscore the commercial aspect of the Ming-Tibetan relationship, noting the Ming Dynasty's shortage of horses for warfare and thus the importance of the horse trade with Tibet. Others argue that the significant religious nature of the relationship of the Ming court with Tibetan lamas is underrepresented in modern scholarship. In hopes of reviving the unique relationship of the earlier Mongol leader Kublai Khan (r. 1260–1294) and his spiritual superior Drogön Chögyal Phagpa (1235–1280) of the Tibetan Sakya sect, the Ming Chinese Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424) made a concerted effort to build a secular and religious alliance with Deshin Shekpa (1384–1415), the Karmapa of the Tibetan Black Hat sect. However, Yongle's attempts were unsuccessful. The Ming initiated sporadic armed intervention in Tibet during the 14th century, but did not garrison permanent troops there. At times the Tibetans also used armed resistance against Ming forays. The Wanli Emperor (r. 1572–1620) made attempts to reestablish Sino-Tibetan relations after the Mongol-Tibetan alliance initiated in 1578, which affected the foreign policy of the subsequent Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) of China in their support for the Dalai Lama of the Yellow Hat sect. By the late 16th century, the Mongols were successful armed protectors of the Yellow Hat Dalai Lama, after increasing their presence in the Amdo region. This culminated in Güshi Khan's (1582–1655) conquest of Tibet from 1637–1642.