Tibet in Agony
eBook - PDF

Tibet in Agony

Lhasa 1959

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Tibet in Agony

Lhasa 1959

About this book

The Chinese Communist government has twice invoked large-scale military might to crush popular uprisings in capital cities. The second incident—the notorious massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989—is well known. The first, thirty years earlier in Tibet, remains little understood today. Yet in wages of destruction, bloodshed, and trampling of human rights, the tragic toll of March 1959 surpassed Tiananmen.

Tibet in Agony provides the first clear historical account of the Chinese crackdown in Lhasa. Sifting facts from the distortions of propaganda and partisan politics, Jianglin Li reconstructs a chronology of events that lays to rest lingering questions about what happened in those fate-filled days and why. Her story begins with throngs of Tibetan demonstrators who—fearful that Chinese authorities were planning to abduct the Dalai Lama, their beloved leader—formed a protective ring around his palace. On the night of March 17, he fled in disguise, only to reemerge in India weeks later to set up a government in exile. But no peaceful resolution awaited Tibet. The Chinese army soon began shelling Lhasa, inflicting thousands of casualties and ravaging heritage sites in the bombardment and the infantry onslaught that followed. Unable to resist this show of force, the Tibetans capitulated, putting Mao Zedong in a position to fulfill his long-cherished dream of bringing Tibet under the Communist yoke.

Li's extensive investigation, including eyewitness interviews and examination of classified government records, tells a gripping story of a crisis whose aftershocks continue to rattle the region today.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Tibet in Agony by Jianglin Li, Susan Wilf in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & 20th Century History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Preface to the English Edition
  6. Maps
  7. Prologue
  8. Chapter 1. The Seeds of War
  9. Chapter 2. Summit in Delhi
  10. Chapter 3. Tragedy at Lake Qinghai
  11. Chapter 4. Uneasy Spring in Lhasa
  12. Chapter 5. The Exorcists’ Dance at the Potala Palace
  13. Chapter 6. Peril at the Prayer Festival
  14. Chapter 7. The Dalai Lama May Not Bring Bodyguards!
  15. Chapter 8. The Most Momentous Day in Tibetan History
  16. Chapter 9. The Undercover Men of Kham
  17. Chapter 10. Protect the Norbulingka! Protect the Dalai Lama!
  18. Chapter 11. The Gathering Clouds of War
  19. Chapter 12. A Secret Plan
  20. Chapter 13. Go! Go! Tonight!
  21. Chapter 14. The Night Ferry
  22. Chapter 15. Into the Himalayas
  23. Chapter 16. Battle at Daybreak
  24. Chapter 17. The Death of the Medicine Buddha
  25. Chapter 18. River of Blood
  26. Chapter 19. Inferno
  27. Chapter 20. Surrender, and Save the Temple!
  28. Chapter 21. The Aftermath
  29. Chapter 22. The Eternal Crossing
  30. Epilogue
  31. Notes
  32. Glossary of Names
  33. Wylie Transliteration of Tibetan Names
  34. Bibliography
  35. Acknowledgments
  36. Illustration Credits
  37. Index
  38. Illustrations