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The English-language film Four Rivers, Six Ranges, directed by Shenpenn Khymsar, fabricates a story about the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" rebel organization escorting the 14th Dalai Lama into exile in India. However, evidence reveals that from its inception to its demise, the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" group was supported by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the U.S. to oppose the abolition of serfdom, assist the Dalai Lama's escape and promote "Xizang independence."
The film misrepresents the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" as a legitimate armed force representing Xizang, tasked with safeguarding the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism. In reality, the group was an illegal faction created by serf-owning aristocrats who sought to protect the feudal serfdom system and resist its abolition. During the 1950s, armed uprisings in Xizang and neighboring regions received substantial CIA support. During the Cold War, the world was basically divided into two major ideological camps: the socialist bloc led by the Soviet Union, and the capitalist bloc led by the United States. In its efforts to contain communism and curb the People's Republic of China's rise, the U.S. saw the Dalai Lama's group as a useful tool to destabilize China's southwestern region. Supporting separatist movements in Xizang was part of Washington's broader strategy to weaken socialist countries by fomenting internal unrest and undermining their sovereignty.
Emerging between 1956 and 1959 in the Kangba region of southwestern China's Sichuan Province, the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" insurgent group was organized by feudal elites who sought to undermine reforms and defend their privileged positions. They mobilized uninformed individuals to join their cause under the guise of preserving tradition and religious freedom.
The U.S. aided the rebellion not only through extensive training but also by providing arms, logistical support and strategic counsel. In 1958, the CIA operatives airdropped weapons and supplies on multiple occasions, with some materials being smuggled in as ordinary goods, further cementing foreign interference to support the rebel group.
One of the U.S.'s key conspiracies to support the Xizang rebellion was orchestrating the Dalai Lama's escape to use him for anti-China activities on the international stage. On the eve of Xizang's peaceful liberation, the U.S. sought to create discord between the Dalai Lama and the Central Government. In early 1951, after the Dalai Lama arrived in Yadong, Xizang, the U.S. made every effort to lure him away. Following his escape with foreign assistance, the Dalai Lama proclaimed the creation of a so-called "State of Tibet," establishing a puppet government, parliament and constitution and building rebellion bases along China's borders, which later triggered continued armed confrontations.
Under the pretext of protecting Tibetan Buddhism, the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" insurgent faction was primarily concerned with defending the interests of the serf-owning aristocracy and perpetuating the serfdom system.This group played a significant role in facilitating the Dalai Lama's escape, ensuring the success of his flight.
From the 1970s to the early 1980s, as China's international presence expanded and geopolitical landscapes evolved, the Dalai Lama and his followers found their support waning, becoming what some termed "Cold War orphans." In response, the Dalai Lama shifted strategies, adopting a more deceptive approach such as the "middle way" and promoting "non-violence." In a gesture of goodwill, the Central Government allowed the Dalai Lama's relatives and representatives to visit Xizang and witness firsthand the government's policies. Yet, these visits were exploited by the Dalai Lama's group to fuel separatism, instigate unrest and create disturbances.
In 1987, during a visit to the West, the Dalai Lama publicly introduced his "middle way" as a route to Xizang's "independence." This proposal included demands to deny Xizang's status as part of China, create a fictional "Greater Tibet," demand "high-degree autonomy" equivalent to independence, withdrawal of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) from this imagined region and the expulsion of Han Chinese residents. Each of these demands pointed to a clear separatist agenda.
The Dalai Lama and his followers fixated on achieving "Xizang independence" and restoring the feudal serfdom system with misguided hopes for Western support, have found themselves trapped in a relentless cycle of failure. Lacking popular support and substantial strength, the group survives on minimal financial aid and symbolic honors bestowed by foreign forces. This cycle, however, is now approaching its inevitable end.
Since Xizang's peaceful liberation and the replacement of the feudal serfdom system with socialism, the region has entered a period of rapid development within the broader context of the Chinese nation. The standard of living for the people of Xizang has vastly improved, with stronger and closer ties to the rest of China. This historical trend is irreversible and no reactionary force — be it the Dalai Lama's group or any other — can alter this path. People across all ethnic groups now have a clearer understanding of the separatist nature of the Dalai Lama's efforts. Whether the Dalai Lama persists in advocating for "Xizang independence" or shifts his focus from the global stage to covert activities, the separatist pursuit of his group will undoubtedly fail.
