1959 Tibetan uprising

Lore & Background

The 1959 Tibetan uprising began on 10 March in Lhasa as protests driven by fears that Chinese authorities intended to arrest the Dalai Lama. Over ten days, the demonstrations shifted from supporting the Dalai Lama to demanding independence and reversing the 1951 annexation. After protesters obtained weapons, the People's Liberation Army shelled the Dalai Lama’s summer palace and deployed tanks, leading to three days of bloody fighting during which the Dalai Lama escaped to India. Thousands of Tibetans were killed, though the exact number remains disputed. The uprising had precursors in 1956, when armed conflict between Tibetan guerrillas and the PLA began in the Kham and Amdo regions, where socialist land reforms were imposed. Guerrilla warfare later spread across Tibet, continuing through 1962. The CIA provided extensive support, training fighters, using camps in Nepal for logistics, and organizing aerial supply missions. The 10 March anniversary is observed by exiled Tibetans as Tibetan Uprising Day and Women’s Uprising Day, while the PRC-designated 28 March is Serfs Emancipation Day, described by one scholar as counter-propaganda following the 2008 unrest.

Reader's Guide

The 1959 Tibetan uprising began on 10 March in Lhasa, driven by fears that Chinese authorities planned to arrest the Dalai Lama. Over ten days, protests shifted from supporting the Dalai Lama to demanding independence and reversing the 1951 annexation. After protesters obtained weapons, the People's Liberation Army shelled the Dalai Lama’s summer palace and deployed tanks, leading to three days of bloody fighting while the Dalai Lama fled to India. Thousands of Tibetans died, though exact figures remain disputed. The uprising was preceded by armed resistance in the Kham and Amdo regions starting in 1956, where socialist land reforms were enforced. Khampa fighters, who had initially assisted the Chinese invasion, later turned to guerrilla warfare. The CIA provided extensive support, including training, logistical camps in Nepal, and aerial supply missions. The 10 March anniversary is observed by exiled Tibetans as Tibetan Uprising Day and Women’s Uprising Day. In 2009, the PRC-controlled legislature designated 28 March as Serfs Emancipation Day, a move described by scholar Warren W. Smith Jr. as counter-propaganda following the 2008 unrest. The uprising’s legacy influences Tibetan identity and international discourse on Tibet.

Did You Know?

• Thousands of Tibetans were killed, but the exact number is disputed.
• The 10 March anniversary is observed by exiled Tibetans as Tibetan Uprising Day.

The Ten Days of Lhasa

What began as spontaneous demonstrations driven by widespread fear that Chinese authorities intended to seize the 14th Dalai Lama quickly transformed in character. The situation turned violent when demonstrators obtained weapons, prompting the People's Liberation Army to open fire on crowds gathered near the Dalai Lama's summer palace and to roll tanks into the city. Three days of intense, bloody street fighting followed before the Dalai Lama managed to slip out of Lhasa and reach Indian soil. The human cost was enormous; thousands of Tibetans lost their lives, though the precise toll remains a matter of dispute to this day.

Guerrilla War in Kham and Amdo

Long before the Lhasa demonstrations, a separate and equally bloody conflict had already taken root in the eastern Tibetan regions of Kham and Amdo. Monastic networks became vital channels for relaying messages and sheltering fighters. The Lhasa government, still bound by the seventeen-point agreement, dispatched a delegation to negotiate with the rebels, but the envoys instead joined the insurgency.

Covert Alliances and the CIA Question

The uprising did not occur in a geopolitical vacuum. The Central Intelligence Agency played a significant behind-the-scenes role, providing training for Tibetan fighters, maintaining logistical camps in Nepal, and coordinating aerial supply drops into contested territory. The relationship between Washington and the Tibetan resistance was complicated by bureaucratic caution: under President Eisenhower, the CIA initially demanded an official request from the Lhasa government before extending support to the Khampa and Amdo rebels. Lhasa, still formally bound by the seventeen-point agreement, never issued such a request. Nevertheless, the CIA eventually began channeling covert assistance to the guerrillas without waiting for Lhasa's approval.

Commemoration and Counter-Narratives

In the diaspora, 10 March is observed annually as Tibetan Uprising Day and also as Women's Uprising Day, marking the anniversary of the protests that began in Lhasa. In a direct counter-move, the PRC-controlled legislature in the Tibet Autonomous Region designated 28 March as Serfs Emancipation Day, a celebration rooted in the narrative of liberation from feudal serfdom. American Tibetologist Warren W. Smith Jr.