China’s gradual military conquest of eastern territories of Tibet was swiftly followed by the renaming of newly annexed places.
-by Dhundup Gyalpo for The Tribune
THE term ‘South Tibet’ frequently pops up in Indian media, uncritically disseminating misinformation from Chinese news outlets. A recent report claimed that China has renamed 30 more places in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing asserts are part of ‘South Tibet’.
In common parlance, Tibetans may refer to the eastern, western, central or northeastern regions of Tibet, but there is no term ‘South Tibet’ as a geographic proper noun in the Tibetan lexicon – a fact easily verified by consulting any Tibetan dictionary or encyclopaedia. This term is an entirely new Chinese construct.
Beijing truly deserves recognition for its exceptional mastery in the politics of names. Their prowess in manipulating names — whether of people, places or concepts — as strategic political tools to assert power, control narratives, shape identities and influence public perception is a masterclass in propaganda.
A classic example of China’s dominance in shaping the narrative on the Sino-Tibetan conflict is evident from their definition of ‘Tibet’ itself. The ‘Tibet’ referred to by China is geographically distinct from the Tibet that exists in the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people. The People’s Republic of China, established in 1949, considers only the ‘Tibet Autonomous Region’ (TAR), created in 1965, as Tibet — an ancient nation with a rich history spanning thousands of years! Traditionally, Tibet consisted of three regions: U-tsang, Kham and Amdo. When Tibetans speak of ‘Tibet’, they mean all three regions, encompassing approximately 2.5 million square km.
In line with the classic colonial divide-and-rule policy, the so-called TAR includes only U-tsang and parts of Kham, with the remaining areas fragmented as autonomous prefectures and counties, and incorporated into the neighbouring Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu. Qinghai, for example, is composed entirely of the traditional Amdo and parts of Kham. Click here to read more.
