Que:Does #Tibet want to be part of #China. by Paul Denlinger Most of the posts here are one sided or simplistic. I lived in Sichuan on the Han border of Tibet for some years, and am ethnically Han but born in the US. I dated a Tibetan woman. I had some Tibetan friends and acquaintances. Generally Id say Tibetans do not like Chinese rule. Would the Chinese like Japanese rule? Not likely at all. The feelings are similar: resentment, fear, rage, injustice. Any sort of debate must understand that these feelings do not go away just because the Chinese have built modern hospitals and infrastructure and thereby raised the standards of average Tibetans. This is the point where the Han Chinese usually cannot understand. They see themselves as liberators lifting the impoverished and enslaved Tibetans out of their centuries old form of religious enslavement. But to put it simply, even you if give a people money and progress, it doesnt change their feelings about you and the history of the past. Its like the US government and Native Americans. The Tibetans have lost their autonomy and are quickly losing their religion and culture to the incessant march of Han media and materialist influence. My Tibetan friends often would complain that they would be turned away at hotels when forced to display their ID cards. Han business owners didnt want trouble they said. Job discrimination is rampant. Han generally dont want to deal with what the Tibetans in business or socially. Except to hear them sing or dance like Disney characters in a parade on TV... On the other hand, some Tibetans have prospered under Han rule. A lot of rich Tibetans own land and run businesses. They speak fluent Chinese. They play the game. They can have more children than the Han limit of 1. They are allowed into higher education at a sliding scale much like the affirmative action program in the US. So there are some things China has tried to do to improve the situation. But when we talk about China, regardless of the whatever 100 ethnic minorities that exist in China, we are essentially talking about Han culture. Always Han culture. There will never be a Tibetan politician at a national level. The Han will do what it has always done to deal with foreigners. Like the Mongolians who conquered China, the Han will use patience and the power of its culture to assimilate. The Khans eventually became Chinese emperors. Give the Tibetans 50..100 years, and slowly as the old die off and the young are schooled, they will forget about wanting independence. And so they will win in the end. The West often talks about autonomy for Tibet. This is ridiculously naive and plain stupid. It wont happen. The Chinese would never let this happen given history and prevailing emotions of western fragmentation of China. Also, the Tibetans would simply be unable to run their country without the Han at this point. Many Tibetans actually agree that Tibet is bound to Chinas future. A more realistic approach is to try to improve Tibetans right to maintain their culture while accepting Han government fully. This is a best worst deal. Same goes for the Uyghurs, Mongolians, Kazhaks, etc. I feel for them all.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 12:04:55 +0000
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