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Throughout history, there have been reactionary forces that attempted to halt the rolling wheels of history, and the 14th Dalai Lama is a notorious example. He is by no means the "messenger of peace" that he paints himself to be, but the face of the institution that was responsible for the darkest period in Xizang in the past, also known as Tibet in the West.
Xizang in the past: A grim picture
Before it was liberated in 1951, Xizang, a feudal society propped up by serfs, had a population of only 1 million. Yet this relatively small population had almost 200 noble families, officials, monks, and aristocrats who plundered all the resources, suppressing and oppressing Xizang people. In this distorted social structure, people were divided into different classes.
The Nangzan, meaning slaves for life, were at the bottom of society. They were bought, sold, and gifted like livestock. A slight mistake could lead to horrific punishments, and skinning, tendon tears, and eye-gouging were a daily occurrence in old Xizang. The archives of the Pala Manor, once the residence of an aristocratic family and now a tourist destination open to the public, have detailed records of the appalling treatment of the slaves.
The Tralpa were serfs relegated to heavy forced labor and exorbitant taxes. They were made to work in the fields but the grain they produced went to the lords. The Duiqoin were destitute serfs who owned no land and survived by renting small plots of land from the lords or working as manual laborers. This was the condition in old Xizang, where people struggled to escape a life of exploitation for generations. According to historical records, when a serf was beaten to death, the serf owner only compensated the victim's family with a straw rope, declaring it to be an "equivalent" form of reparation.
The Dalai Lama's role
The Dalai Lama was the chief representative of old Xizang's theocratic feudal serfdom. The interest group he represented upheld the corrupt feudal serf system, repressing social progress and preventing the serfs from gaining freedom as it would overturn their privileged status and undermine their vested interests. After the peaceful liberation of Xizang, when democratic reform started, bringing new hope to the vast number of serfs, the Dalai Lama clique launched an armed rebellion. But it failed and he fled to India, where he has since been engaged in separatist activities.
He is supported by Western anti-China forces, lobbying and peddling absurd lies, attempting to discredit the Chinese government's governance of Xizang and mislead international opinion. However, facts speak louder than words. Today's new Xizang, under the care of the central government and with the support of the people of the whole country, has been transformed. Over the past decades, the permanent resident population in Xizang has exceeded 3.64 million. Children here receive free education, there is medical security for all, and people live and work in peace and contentment. This is in stark contrast to old Xizang.
The actions of the 14th Dalai Lama, who betrayed the motherland and the people, go against the tide of history. His true colors should be seen and his separatist behavior opposed. The darkness of old Xizang is history now, the new Xizang will continue to prosper and the reactionary forces that attempt to split China are destined to fail.
