Tibetan Uprising Day: A Reminder Of China's Cultural Erasure Campaign

Last Updated:March 10, 2025, 15:27 IST

China’s campaign, Tibetans say, aims to supplant their rich heritage with Chinese culture, targeting monasteries and spiritual leaders, particularly the Dalai Lama

An exiled Tibetan waves the national flag as Tibetans mark the 66th anniversary of an uprising in Tibet's capital Lhasa, by participating in a march in Dharamshala. (PTI)

Tibetan Uprising Day observed on March 10 in Dharamshala, home to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), serves as a stark reminder of China’s ongoing efforts to erase Tibetan culture. China’s campaign, Tibetans say, aims to supplant their rich heritage with Chinese culture, targeting monasteries and spiritual leaders, particularly the Dalai Lama.

March 10 marks Tibetan Uprising Day, commemorating the 1959 uprising in Lhasa against China’s oppressive rule. China’s annexation of Tibet, now designated as the Tibet Autonomous Region, occurred in 1950. Despite firmly establishing control by 1951, years of mounting resentment among Tibetans culminated in the 1959 uprising.

The day commemorates the struggle against Chinese oppression, particularly the violent conflict that resulted in tragic loss of life. It stands as a tribute to those who sacrificed themselves for the cause.

A key point of contention for Tibet is the succession of the Dalai Lama, a process considered sacred in Tibetan Buddhism. While the Dalai Lama has asserted his sole authority on his reincarnation, China has propagated the selection of a new Dalai Lama, raising fears among Tibetans. They believe a Chinese-chosen successor would lack legitimacy and become a pawn to assimilate Tibetan culture into the Han Chinese narrative.

China’s occupation, Tibetans say, has unleashed religious persecution, manifested in the destruction of monasteries and forceful assimilation policies designed to dilute their identity. Reports from human rights groups paint a grim picture of arbitrary detentions, torture, and the stifling of free speech in Tibet.

In a statement on the occasion, CTA said: “Under the pretext of strengthening the consciousness of Chinese national unity, the Chinese government is implementing extensive sinicisation policies that is resulting in the gradual annihilation of Tibetans identity and deprivation of the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people."

“Furthermore, under its sinicisation campaign, large scale restrictions are imposed in the monasteries with complete denial of freedom of religion and over a million young Tibetan children have been forcibly enrolled in colonial style boarding schools across Tibet. Under the guise of promoting the national common language, the use and teaching of Tibetan language is severely restricted."

It added: “The Chinese government’s unchecked mining and construction projects have irrevocably caused extensive damage to Tibet’s natural environment with severe implications far beyond its borders. All these Acts & Practices of China defies not only and Domestic laws but even the basic human values."

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