Website Commemorating Tibet's British Invasion

June 8, 2006

On April 5, 1904, the British invaded Gyangze. The Tibetan army and civilian population rose to resist with ancient powder guns and stones, and Gyangze Zong Hill Castle became a fortified point for defense. [full text] Preface: The myth of "Tibetan independence," which evolved during the late 19th century, is actuallythe product of the imperialist invasion of China, with the British invaders in Tibet as the chief architects. [full text] First British Invasion: In the 1860s, the British invaders in Sikkim started to build roads and bridges leading to Tibet. They also sent recruited vagrants across Rina by the Tibet-Sikkim border to Mount Lungdo to explore paths. [full text] Second British Invasion: From 1894 to 1902, Britain repeatedly forced the Qing court to pressure the Tibetan government and the 13th Dalai Lama to implement the unequal

treaties. The local government of Tibet and the 13th Dalai Lama, however, refused to do so. [full text] British Move to Cultivate Pro-British Forces in Tibet: After the two aggressive wars, Britain found that Tibet could not be subdued by military force. It changed tactics by cultivating pro-British elements in the upper echelon of the ruling class in Tibet, with a view to controlling Tibet. [full text]

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- Recollection of 100-year history of Zongshan in Gyangze

- Postcards for 100 anniversary of Gyangze Anti-British Battle

- Commemoration for 100th anniversary of Gyangze Anti-British Battle

- Monument erected for marking anti-British Battle in Tibet

- Recollections on Tibet’s fight against British invasion in Gyangze

- Tibet holds mass meeting for the 100th anniversary of Gyangze anti-British Battle

- 100 years in Tibet

- "Spirit of Zong Mountain": commemoration of fallen heroes

- Relic exhibition for Anti-British Battle

- Recollections on Tibet’s Fight Against British Invasion in Gyangze

- British invasion of Yadong in history

- British invasion of Tibet causes century of pain

- Photo: Zongshan Castle in Gyangze

- Tibetans’ fight against British invasion

- Commemoration to be held for Gyangze Anti-British Battle 100th anniversary

- A heroic and civilized city

- The Red River Valley

- Spirit of Zongshan Mountain

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Second British Invasion of Tibet:1904

Upon winning a protectorate over Sikkim from Tibet, the British erected a boundary tablet at the Sikkim-Tibet border. In 1893, the Qing court signed with Britain the Regulations Regarding Trade, Communication, and Pasturage to Be Appended to the Sikkim-Tibet Convention of 1890. According to the new treaty, a trade market was to be established at Yadong. It was open to all British subjects. The British thus gained access to Yadong also for trade purpose. The door to Tibet was finally jarred open for the British, which leads to the economic plunder that is their nature. Like other parts of China, Tibet was gradually reduced to a semi-colonial society.

The local government of Tibet and the broad masses of the Tibetans were strongly resentful of these unequal treaties. They rose to obstruct the British trade and surveys of the Tibet-Sikkim borders and destroyed the boundary tablet the British had moved north without the consent of the Tibetan government. From 1894 to 1902, Britain repeatedly forced the Qing court to pressure the Tibetan government and the 13th Dalai Lama to implement the unequal treaties. The local government of Tibet and the 13th Dalai Lama, however, refused to do so. Cherishing deep hatred of the British invaders, the 13th Dalai Lama, who came to power in 1895, regretted the weakness of the Qing court in resisting the British invasion. Lured by Czarist Russia's political stance, he ventured to establish ties with Russia.

A strange situation surfaced. While the Qing Dynasty court, which had sovereignty over Tibet, failed to see to the implementation of some of its laws and regulations (especially those which proved to be wrong) in Tibet when it was weakening and its influence in Tibet was dwindling, the local government of Tibet, which hated the British invasion, still demanded the British contact the Qing court when it was obliged to deal with the British face-to-face. The result was that the Qing Dynasty court negotiated with the British government and reached an agreement that was detrimental to state and Tibetan interests (such as the 1890 and 1893 treaties), while the local government of Tibet refused to implement these treaties. Having failed to obtain its expected goal through concluding treaties with the Qing Dynasty court, the British decided to bypass the Qing court and deal directly with the local government of Tibet. This marked the beginning of the British plot to tear Tibet

from China. For this purpose, Lord Curzon, the British viceroy of India, sent three letters to the 13th Dalai Lama, first in 1899, and then in 1900 and 1901, urging him to observe the 1890 and 1893 treaties. The 13th Dalai Lama refused to accept these letters.

The British worried about Czarist Russia's possible intervention in Tibetan affairs. To subdue the Tibetan authorities and rule out the possibility of Russia having a finger in the pie, the British plotted the second armed invasion of Tibet. On May 26, 1902, Barre, a British tax official stationed in Yadong to assist the Qing court in dealing with the British, wrote a letter to An Cheng, the Qing Banbai Minister in Tibet. The letter said "the reasons for the recent Indian government invasion included the fact that the Tibetans refused to implement treaties the British had signed with Sheng Tai, and, as the Qing Dynasty court turned a blind eye to this, some were unwilling go through the Chinese." Barre relayed the British opinion on the Tibetan issue:

The Indian government, which finds the Chinese officials enjoy no real power to govern Tibet, plans to re-sign treaties with the Tibetan officials who hold the real power in Tibet. And the Chinese officials will have no power to rule Tibet in the future;

If the Tibetan government does not send people to negotiate with the Indian government, it will enter Tibet for administrative purpose;

It fears Russia will send troops from the north in a pincer attack, with India in the south and Russia in the north, to make Tibet independent, just like Korea;

Your Excellency should consult with the Dalai Lama as early as possible to send fully-empowered officials to work together with the Chinese officials. Please keep the Tibetan officials from getting in touch with foreigners and signing secrete treaties with them. (Wu Fengpei: A Report From An Cheng, Vol.2, pp.16-17 Reports on Tibetan Affairs During the Qing Dynasty)

>From these statements one sees clearly that Britain planned to deprive China of the power to rule Tibet and turn Tibet into an independent state just like Korea.

In July 1903, Britain sent Commander Francis Younghusband and J. Claude White, the British administrative commissioner in Sikkim, to lead about 300 British troops into Gampa Zong of Tibet via northern Sikkim, claiming this force had come to negotiate with the Tibetan authorities.

Tibetan authorities were indignant about this. The 13th Dalai Lama was staunch in resisting the invading British. And the majority of the Tibetan government officials and lamas with the three major monasteries opposed negotiations with Britain. They strongly demanded the British troops withdraw from Gampa Zong. A small number of Tibetan officials, who had been bought by the British, stood for talks with the British. They included Galoon Xazha Benjor Doje. Angry, the 13th Dalai Lama dismissed four Tibetan officials who stood for talks with the British and detained them in Norbu Lingka for interrogation. They were Galoon Xazha Benjor Doje, Galoon Xoikang Cedain Wangqug, Galoon Lama Qamqen Ngawang Baisang and Galoon Zhasa Horkang Soinam Doje. Under the leadership of the 13th Dalai Lama, the local government of Tibet mobilized troops and the militia and sent them to Gampa Zong to fight the invading British.

The British troops were entrenched in Gampa Zong for months. They conducted espionage activities in the surrounding area. This diverted the attention of the local government of Tibet. Taking advantage of this change, Younghusband retreated suddenly from Gampa Zong to northern Sikkim in October. Soon after this, Britain rushed 3,000 troops to the area north of Mount Lungdo. Led by J. Macdonald and Younghusband, they moved northward. The advance troops led by Younghusband secretly crossed the Zhelilha mountain pass on December 12, advanced through Rinqengang and Chunpi, captured Pagri on December 21 and occupied Duina on January 4, 1904. The advance troops were followed closely by troops led by J. Macdonald.

The Tibetan government rushed some 1,000 crack forces, led by Duiboin Generals Ladingse and Namseling, to Duina and Doqen, and mobilized 2,000 more Tibetan troops and numerous militiamen.

In early March 1904, the British invaders confronted the Tibetan troops in Qoimishango and Gulhu, which are located between Duina and Doqen. The British troops claimed they would advance further so as to be able to directly deal with the Tibetan government, while the Tibetan troops claimed that the meeting would be possible only when the British troops had retreated to Sikkim. They each refused to budge. At this point, the British troops demanded on-the-spot negotiations with the Tibetan troops. The Gaxag government advised the Tibetan troops to enter into negotiations with the British troops and then launch an attack according to their original plan should the talks break down. Thus, Ladingse and Namseling invited the British representatives to Qoimishango for negotiations.

When Younghusband and others came to the negotiation table, the British troops surrounded the Tibetan troops in a tight battle formation. The situation was favorable tactically only for the British troops. When Younghusband and other British military representatives met with Ladingse and Namseling, they noted: "Since we came for peace talks, our troops will remove the bullets from their rifles as a token of our sincerity. But you should put out the fuses of your fire arms." At the order of Younghusband, the British troops present on the occasion each removed one bullet from their rifles but, immediately, loaded another without the Tibetans becoming aware. The Tibetans were not aware of the danger, simply because they had no rifles and so had no idea how to use them. Thinking the British rifles were empty, the Tibetan troops put out the fuses of their fire arms.

After the negotiation had gone on for only 15 minutes, one British officer drew his pistol and killed Ladingse, Namseling and other Tibetan representatives. The British troops attacked the Tibetan troops, killing more than 500 in just a few minutes. The surviving Tibetan troops fought hand-to-hand with the British troops. Although they killed some British, they were routed. During the battle, some 1,000 Tibetans were killed, and only 380 won a narrow escape. The springs at Qoimishango ran red with Tibetan blood.

The British troops continued to advance northward from Qoimishango. All along the way, they set fire to Buddhist monasteries, ransacked the homes of the Tibetans and performed other evil deeds. Tibetan troops, monks and militiamen, totaling some 4,000, exploited the perilous geography, intercepting the invading British troops at the Zaqam Valley between Kangma and Shaogang. On April 9, when some 30 mounted British troops entered the valley, they were ambushed and killed by the Tibetans armed with fire arms, clubs and stones. The British troops rushed forward to fight the Tibetans with rifles, machine guns and cannon. The fighting lasted one day, claiming a loss of 280 British soldiers and 150 Tibetans. The Tibetan troops and militiamen failed to stop the invading British troops.

The British reached Gyangze on April 11. Younghusband left to garrison Gyanglu and Pala villages at the head of 500 troops, while Macdonald, faced with food shortages, brought his troops back to Yadong. This was closely followed by the establishment of British logistics posts in the area between Yadong and Gyangze. In early May, 360 British troops left Gyangze to attack the Tibetan troops in Kari La, in the direction of Nanggarze. Only 130 or more British troops stayed to guard Gyangze. Under the cover of night, more than 1,000 Tibetan troops attacked the British stationed in Pala Village, narrowly failing to kill Younghusband. The British only managed to extricate themselves when other British troops at Kari La came to their rescue. On May 26, further British reinforcements rushed to Gyangze from Yadong, recapturing Pala Village.

The local government of Tibet managed to amass about 16,000 troops, monks and militia, armed with home-made weapons, to reinforce the defenses at Gyangze. Part of the Tibetan army, led by Galoon Yutog, the commander-in-chief of the Tibetan army, was stationed in Yade, Nyemo, as the first defense line; and part of the Tibetan army was deployed in Xigaze and Rinbung, and also in Nanggarze as the second defense line. The Tibetan militia, led by Duiboin Minglingba, set out to attack the British logistics posts via Nanggarze, Ralung and Kamma.

Younghusband returned to Yadong from Gyangze in early June, where he plotted with Macdonald to attack Lhasa to force the Tibetan government to surrender. To this end, the British Indian government reinforced them. Macdonald and Younghusband finally set out for Gyangze in late June.

At this time, the Tibetan militia, led by Duiboin Minglingba, had seized the Nai'nying Monastery located between Gyangze and Shaogang, posing a serious threat to the British logistics posts in the surrounding area. The militia from Gongbo ambushed and killed some 30 British soldiers in the area between Kamma and Shaogang. To ensure the smooth operation of their logistic stations, the British troops left Shaogang and Gyanglu, launching a pincer attack at the Nai'nying Monastery. Tibetan militia braved the British heavy artillery, fighting the invaders tenaciously. Hand-to-hand fighting broke out when the British broke the monastery walls. Ngada Nyima Zhaba and his brother, heads of the Gongbo militia, and Dordobur, a militia from the Kam area, killed a British officer and some 120 of the invaders. But they themselves died a heroic death during the battle, their blood dripping from the upper steps of the monastery.

People of Ngada Nyima Zhaba's hometown--Joimo Town, Nyingchi County--hold horse racing, archery and other activities on the first day of the 10th month of each Tibetan year (the day of Ngada Nyima Zhaba leaving to fight the British invaders) in memory of the two heroic brothers.

British gunfire caused heavy losses on the part of the Tibetan militiamen, who were forced to withdraw from Nai'nying Monastery. The British ransacked the monastery, taking away all cultural relics and other valuables before burning it down.

The British reinforcements joined forces with the troops formerly stationed in Gyangze. They seized control of the area south of the Nyang Qu River. Prior to their attack on downtown Gyangze, British troops took the Zijing Monastery, northwest of Gyangze, with a view to cutting off Gyangze's ties with Xigaze. More than 1,000 gilded statues of Buddha, large amounts of satins embroidered with images of Buddha, Gangyur and other Buddhist classics, and gold, silver and bronze objects were looted.

The British then surrounded Gyangze from the east, south and northwest, and cut off water supply to Zongshan Hill in Gyangze in preparation for a concentrated attack on the downtown area.

The 13th Dalai Lama sent Galoon Yutog and some others to negotiate with Younghusband in Gyangze on July 1. The British general demanded the Tibetan troops pull out of Gyangze before July 5, but the demand was rejected. At noon on July 5, the British troops started their attack.

The British troops made a breach of the Gyangze county castle with heavy gunfire, and organized assaults. The Tibetan troops and militiamen retaliated bravely. They treated the charging British troops with powder guns and stones. When drinking water had been finished, they sneaked out under the cloak of darkness to fetch muddy water from a pit at the foot of the hill. When the pit dried up, they drank their own urine. Even under the most difficult conditions, the Tibetans never wavered. When their powder had run out, they fought with knives, spears and clubs, suffering a heavy toll. Finally, they managed to break the British encirclement in the north and southwest and continued fighting from the Palkor Monastery. A British army reporter named E. Candler wrote later that, in the face of British shrapnel, machine guns and rifles, the Tibetan army and militiamen braved death to fight back with stones. When Gyangze castle was captured, Palkor Monastery also fell. The British

occupants took away all the precious relics and Buddhist scriptures, turned the Buddhist halls into dining rooms, and drove nails into the prayer wheels to turn them into food conveyors although the Tibetans considered all of these as holy objects. The battle caused heavy loss to the Tibetan army and militiamen.

With the fall of Gyangze, Galoon Yutog deployed the survivors in Kari La, Nanggarze, Nyangsoi La and Kamba La. On July 14, Macdonald set out from Gyangze to Lhasa at the head of an army of 4,000. On the 17th, they were confronted in Kari La. The British fought and broke the defense line of the 1,000 Tibetans and reached Yamzhog Yumco Lake. After this, they met little resistance from the routed Tibetans, and finally entered Lhasa on August 3.

Under the threat from the British and with the pressure from High Commissioner You Tai, the local government of Tibet signed the Treaty of Lhasa with the British on September 7. Under this unequal treaty, (1) Tibet was not allowed to cede any land and mineral resources to any foreign country. This brought Tibet firmly into the British sphere of influence; (2) Tibet had to pay a war indemnity to Britain; (3) Tibet was required to raze all forts and fortifications in area from India to Gyangze and Lhasa; (4) Tibet had to open Yadong, Gyangze and Gartog as commercial ports; (5) Tibet was required to accept the 1890 treaty delineating the boundary between Tibet and Sikkim; and (6) Britain was allowed to station troops in Yadong. Although the Qing imperial court refused to accept the treaty, it was forced to sign the Treaty of Peking with the British in 1906. The Treaty of Peking was drafted on the basis of the Treaty of Lhasa, with the addition that British India personnel had

the right to deal with foreign affairs in the three commercial ports in Tibet, erect post offices and postal stations between Yadong and Gyangze, and station troops in Yadong and Gyangze. These additional privileges enjoyed by British India were, in the final analysis, rooted in the 1904 Treaty of Lhasa.

Following the signing of the Treaty of Lhasa, the British troops, who had killed 4,000-5,000 Tibetans and looted and burned down many lamaseries, returned victoriously from Lhasa to India in mid- and late September.

In his book entitled Twenty Years in Tibet, David Macdonald recorded what British troops had brought back from Tibetan lamaseries: In January 1905 I was sent to Calcutta to categorize books and treasures, which others and I gathered in Tibet and were brought back using more than 400 mules. They included Buddhist classics, statues of Buddha, religious works, helmets, weapons, books and ceramics. The bulk of ceramics were sent to specialists for examination. All these treasures were formerly preserved in the India Museum, where I worked, and later in the British Museum, the Indian Museum, the Bodleian Library and the Indian Administrative Library. When I was categorizing them, George Nathaniel Curzon came for visit on several occasions in the capacity of the viceroy of India. He chose a few pieces he favored the most for collection by the Calcutta Victoria Memorial Hall. (Selected Materials on the History of Tibet, p.210)

The above is a brief account of Britain's second invasion of Tibet in 1904. As it took place in the Tibetan Year of Wood Dragon, the Tibetans call it the "War in Wood Dragon Year."

In his book, The Status of Tibet, Van Praag makes a very brief account of the two British invasions of Tibet in the Tibetan Year of Earth Rat and the Tibetan Year of Wood Dragon respectively. Refraining from using such word as "invasion" or "aggression," he describes the British troops led by Younghusband as a "delegation," adding that "this delegation," replenished with about 3,000 soldiers and with the support of people twice the size of itself, captured Chunpi Valley (namely Yadong), advanced to Gyangze and finally reached Lhasa on August 3, 1904. All along the way, Van Praag says the British soldiers were forced to fight stubborn, but ineffective attacks by the Tibetan army.When Van Praag says the British troops were forced to fight battles seemingly in a defensive manner, he is turning a blind eye to the facts that the British troops conducted merciless slaughter in Qoimishango, destroying and looting the Nai'nying, Zijing and Palkor monasteries, and conducting looting

and raping in Gyangze. His efforts to absolve the British troops from guilt for their crimes in Tibet serve only to show him as a defender of colonialists and imperialists.

With regard to the Treaty of Lhasa, Van Praag says it brought Britain closer than the Qing government to the status of suzerain power over Tibet. Here, Van Praag admits the facts that Britain invaded Tibet and forced the local government to sign the treaty with a view to replacing the Qing court's role in Tibet and turning Tibet into the spheres of influence of Britain. From this we see what Britain claimed as "Tibetan independence" is actually a call for Tibet to seek independence from China instead of from Britain; and also for Tibet to be attached to Britain and take Britain as the suzerain power. Seeking independence from China instead of Britain was the dual standard of Britain in engaging in "Tibetan independence" then. According to the dual standard, Tibet endeavored to get rid of the motherland while seeking rule by Britain. It became the dual standard for Tibetan separatists to carry out "Tibetan independence" activities. The claim for "Tibetan independence" was,

from the very beginning, rooted in the British efforts to turn Tibet into a semi- or full colony. Various privileges enjoyed by Britain, following the signing of the Treaty of Lhasa, to station troops, open trading ports, handle foreign affairs and set up postal offices and stations in Tibet highlight the implementation of the British effort to turn Tibet into one of its semi- or full colonies.

Xagabba describes the war during the Tibetan Year of Wood Dragon in his book entitled Tibet: A Political History. While quoting historical records to make a "purely objective" description of the war, he does not, however, use "aggression" or "invasion" to describe the British move. He says nothing of the causes that led to border conflicts between the British and Tibetan troops; facts as to how Xazha and some others were bought over by the British; and atrocities of the British troops in Qoimishango and Gyangze, including killing, raping, burning and looting. In addition, he refrains from condemning Britain for forcing the local government of Tibet to sign the unequal Treaty of Lhasa, and also refrains from lauding the heroic anti-aggression struggles waged by Tibetan soldiers and civilians. People who read the book see nothing wrong in Britain's invasion of Tibet, and nothing correct of Tibetans' struggle against this invasion. Xabagga manages to detach himself from the

reality or take a "neutral" stand in dealing with the British invasion of Tibet. But in doing so, he becomes a loyal supporter of the British invaders.

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