The Evolution Of Tibetan Policies Of Qing Government After The Opium War

After the first Opium War in 1840, the imperialists with gunboats opened the door to China, breaking the pattern of feudal rule in closed-door policy, which caused the fundamental change of Chinese feudal society lasting more than two thousand years . China had began gradually to enter the semi-feudal society. Tibet region as an inalienable part of Chinese territory, did not escape, either. However, Tibet was located in the southwest border, whith such a special geographical location, it had suffered the first direct invasion of foreign capitalism with a delay in 1888, which was half a century later than the mainland. Therefore, before 1888, Tibet still closed to the conservative society of feudal serfdom. The rule of Qing Dynasty in Tibet, remained the establishment of the caliphate system.In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, world capitalism began to monopoly by the free stage of the transition. The struggles to compete for the world market among the major capitalist countries were becoming increasingly fierce. China had also become the target of competition and aggression of the imperialist powers. At that time, China was still in decadent feudal society, precarious. Faced imperialist aggression and madness, in order to maintain their dominance, Qing government in late rule time, implemented a series of modern capitalism, the nature of the reforms.Tibet is located in the southwest border, called"Asian throat". The location is very important. In the early seventies of the nineteenth century, as a part of the plan on aggression against China, Tibet was well thought by the United Kingdom, Russian. They attempted to open the gateway from the southwestern to the Mainlan by the occupation of Tibet, and then realized their aggressive goal agaist China, ultimately the strategic objectives of the Asian expansion. In the early nineteenth century, British colonists controlled Nepal. As a base, its forces was stretching Himalayas. Subsequently, the United Kingdom had controlled Zhe Mengxiong, Bhutan, constitute half of siege situation of China Tibet.In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Britain and Russia intensified the struggle for Tibet. Particularly the United Kingdom launched the second war of aggression against Tibet, and invaded Lhasa, forced Tibet's top to sign the"Lhasa Convention", which had made the situation of Tibet become more critical and complicated. Faceed the international situation, Qing government well knew, if not as soon as possible to take measures to rectify the Tibetan government, to change the lax situation of Tibet's weapons and equipment, the status of Tibet would be difficult to ensure, which could lead to the lose of the barrier to the adjacent of Tibet: Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai. If that, they would finally fall into the hands of the aggressors. Thus, Qing government was forced, under the serious international and the pressure of public opinion in the country, to began to take measures in"Tibetan government reorganization".In 1905, the Qing Dynasty sent Zhao Erfeng implemented the"Chieftain"in western Sichuan, opened the regiment"Tibetan government reorganization". His"Chieftain", involved the Sichuan border political, economic and social life in all aspects. It limited and changed greatly temples economic privileges, the land system, taxation, social customs."Chieftain"had broken and weaken the Sichuan border chieftain, carved out long-term situation of the monastery, which was in line with the masses of Tibetan people's fundamental interests, in line with the objective laws of social development, and won the majority of Tibetan people's support and response. However, Chao's "Chieftain" did not respect the customs of Tibetan people, forced everyone to accept the"etiquette"advocated of Confucius and Mencius, which greatly hurt Tibetan people's feelings, to some extent, also deepened and expanded the inter-ethnic conflicts. With the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911, the subversion of Qing dynasty, Zhao Erfeng's reforms came to an end.When Zhang Erfeng Carried on vigorously the"Chieftain"in western Sichuan, in 1906, Zhang Yintang, as Imperial Commissioner also came to Tibet to investigate and deal with Tibetan affairs. At that time, Tibet's situation was so critical. As the Resident Minister You Tai pursued a line of capitulation, and suppressed Tibetan people's Anti-British struggle, which had resulted in the intense conflicts between Qing Central government and local government Tibet. To change this situation, fully won the support of the Tibetan people, the appropriate political measures must been taken. So the first important thing for him was to rectify the official. By rectifing the official Zhang Yintang had won praise from Tibetan people, set a great prestige. At the same time, he also cracked down on the pro-British elements, reused Anti-British people, which laid a good social foundation for him to implement the New Deal. Zhang Yintang's reforms related to the content of Tibet's political, economic, military, diplomatic and other aspects, embodied in as a semi-feudal society, all requirements of the people in national liberation, getting rid of colonial status, the urgent desire of the development of the national economy, which had reflected the thought of bourgeois reformers profoundly swepting through the country at that time. However, His reform damaged to some extent self-interest of a large serf owners, part of Manchu nobility against the acts of corruption and bribery, which caused panic and jealousy from part of the Manchu nobility. Defamation followed. In that case, Qing government listened to calumny, lest he was too hasty to cause"Incident". In July 1907 he was transferred to India Simla trade negotiations with the British constitution, withdrawed the right of investigating and dealing with Tibetan affairs. Zhang Yintang's reforms failed.Yintang unfinished reforms, but reforms in Tibet did not stop because Yintang left. Instead, the Resident Minister Lian Yu, under extremely difficult conditions, inherited his reforms, followed by a series of reform measures and promoted the process of historical development of Tibet. From a pragmatic point of view, Lian Yu based on Yintang's reforms, and implement the new reform measures in army building, cultural development, economic prosperity, the establishment of the police system and so on. Lian Yu respected the special circumstances in Tibet, and take a careful, limited, gradual approach to the implementation of his reform, had made some achievements. Butbecause of many complex social background and historical reasons, his untimely reform eventually ended up in bankruptcy.Qing government's"Rectification of Tibetan Affairs"was encountered in China, a comprehensive border crisis, a crisis situation that the old ruling system was difficult to maintain. It had a certain arbitrary compulsory and rigid nature. Although it promoted the social development of Tibetan society at the time, it had led to increased conflicts between Tibet and the Center, provided for the imperialists an opportunity to to split China, which had an extremely negative impact on safeguarding national unity and territorial integrity.