Sherab Nyima

Vice President of the Chinese Association for Nationality History, Professor of Minzu University of China.

Liu Manqing was deemed a miraculous heroine, of the kind who appears “only once in 500 years,” even during the period of the National Government. The words may be exaggerated, but there are reasons for this. In A Mission to Xikang and Tibet, she mentions some of the 13th Dalai Lama’s statements:“My greatest wish is for real peace and the unification of China,”“Since it is all Chinese territory, why distinguish between you and us?” These words clearly express the willingness of Tibetan locals to “not to affiliate with the British nor forsake the Central Government.” In September 1992, the State Council Information Office issued the White Paper 1992: Tibet—Its Ownership and Human Rights Situation, which cites the above statements authoritatively. In May 2015, the State Council Information Office of China issued the White Paper 2015: Tibet’s Path of Development is Driven by an Irresistible Historical Tide,which also calls Liu Manqing “a representative of the then Central Government.”As a historical figure, Liu Manqing clearly had special and important significance.

Today, with the exception of a few historians, very few people are aware of her unique life experiences and historical contribution. I was moved by the deeds of Liu Manqing, who was viewed as simply a delicate woman when I was first involved in the study of Tibetan history. In order to allow more people to remember the woman who made important contributions to the improvement of relations between the Central Government and the Tibetan local government, and to promote national unity and ethnic unity during the period of the Republic of China, I wrote an article entitled “The Special Envoy of the Nanjing Government,” which was published in China’s Tibet (winter edition) in 1990.Later, I also wrote areading guide for the reprint of A Mission to Xikang and Tibet. I also spoke to my students about Liu Manqing many times during my teaching and research work, which helped to arouse many people’s attention.

In modern times, people’s understanding of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso,involves mainly the two great anti-British wars of 1888 and 1904. However, academic circles hold different views of the political attitude of the 13th Dalai Lama during the Warlord Era, which began in 1912. We can see that,at the establishment of the Republic of China, it continued to make clear that Tibet would always be a part of China. In contrast, the British tried very hard to solicit the 13th Dalai Lama, who had, at one time, done things that brought pain to his kin and made his foes happy. However, his true attitude towards the country can be seen in his dialogue with Liu Manqing, in the paragraph recorded in A Mission to Xikang and Tibet,which provides the clearest and most explicit expression of his political attitude. As a result, the attitude of the Tibetan local government to the Central Government became clearer. Liu Manqing’s trip to Tibet to speak with the 13th Dalai Lama provide to be fruitful. It helped in the study of Han-Tibetan ethnic relations during the National Government period and was even more conducive to observing some of the strategic changes in the British invasion of Tibet during the period.

Liu Manqing was a true heroin of her country, who gave priority to the national interest both in spirit and in practice. She relayed the twists and turns of her trip to Tibet, giving clear explanations for her unique insights and pursuing grand ambitions, all of which greatly inspired her contemporaries. Public opinion at that time also paid her high regard: “A Mission to Xikang and Tibet that you wrote, is also a mission you left uncompleted, a mission that belongs to us all, and we try our best to accomplish it. Ah! Manqing! By then, we will honor you with the word ‘accomplish.’”

As an important representative of the exchanges between the modern Han and Tibetan ethnic groups, Liu Manqing actively safeguarded the relationship between the Tibetan local government and the Central Government, as well as safeguarding national unity and promoting ethnic unity.This eloquently explains why she is seen as a model from which future generations can learn.

Sherab Nyima

December 10, 2018

Source: Excerpt from the first preface to Love to Tibet:Liu Manqing’s Mission to Xikang and Tibet.