Liu Manqing’s visit to Tibet aroused significant interest from the British,who obstructed her activities in every possible way. Some people from Tibet authorities did not want her to enter the region, also attempting to thwart her progress. After various twists and turns, Liu Manqing was finally able to have two successful meetings with the 13th Dalai Lama in Lhasa.

Initially, the Dalai Lama planned to send trumpeters to welcome her with a grand reception, and to meet her immediately on her arrival in Lhasa. However, owing to the obstruction and calumny of the anglophiles , the size of the reception was reduced, and the meeting was postponed. Liu Manqing had the presents and the introduction letter sent to the Dalai Lama, who in return gave her monthly living expenses.

According to the British archives, after her arrival in Chongqing, the British Foreign Office made every effort to learn about Liu Manqing’s westward journey. The British Consulate in Chongqing reported to the British Government that Liu was “quite gifted at language.”

This image, taken in the 1930s, shows Sonam Wangfel Laden La, the British representative, conducting activities in Tibet.

Laden La reported to the British Indian government,the British Raj: “Apparently, Liu Manqing was born in Lhasa, about 24 years ago. At the age of 12, she was taken by her father to China, where she received 12 years of education. It is said that she excels in Chinese, Tibetan, and English. Her ID shows that she graduated college.”

In her first month in Lhasa, Liu Manqing was not permitted to meet the Dalai Lama. However, she threatened to return to Nanjing at the end of March, saying that the opportunity of the Central Government and the Tibetan local government reaching an agreement would be lost if the Dalai Lama refused to meet with her. This time, she received a prompt reply from the Dalai Lama.

Laden La conspired with the anglophiles to prevent her from returning to the inland if they should fail to prevent her from meeting the Dalai Lama.

On May 28, the Dalai Lama met with Liu Manqing at Kalsang Dekyi Palace, Norbulingka. Kalsang Dekyi means “forever safety.” The attendants intended to lead Liu Manqing through the back door, but the Dalai Lama insisted that she use the front door. Radiant with a wide smile, and sitting at a small tea table, the Dalai Lama conversed with Liu Manqing for a long time. She expressed the hope that he would give due consideration to the overall situation and take a clear stand on issues concerning national unification and unity between the Hans and the Tibetans.

For more than a month after the meeting, Liu Manqing heard nothing further from the Dalai Lama. She gave a final warning, saying that,“if you continue to create difficulties after May 20, I will risk my life and return to Nanjing by way of India.” By May 19, she stated that she would leave Tibet alone, without any wula (corvée laborers), if she had not received the official document by May 25.

On May 25, the Dalai Lama met with Liu Manqing again in Norbulingka and they talked for four or five hours. He told her that, “The British truly intend to tempt me, but I know that our sovereignty must not be lost...”