advance came to us bringing their rifles with them. They declared that to fight the "New Hans" would incur the wrath of the gods. Within a fortnight, some 3,000 "militiamen" and "lama soldiers" came over to our side, bringing their arms. The reactionaries' plot to use these men to tie us down was completely smashed. It was in such circumstances that in response to our Party's call for the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the ninth dapon which guarded the lower reaches of the Kinsha River staged an uprising at Ningching and came over to the banner of patriotic anti-imperialism.

The enemy at Chamdo had counted much on the difficult terrain we faced. So they were taken by surprise when our advance units arrived while they were still asleep. On the morning of October 18, the commander-in-chief of the Tibetan army defending Chamdo beat a hasty retreat in the direction of Lhasa with four dapon and the Viceroy Guards. But they were too late. Our forces had encircled all ten dapon of the Tibetan army in the area. With the exception of a few Tibetan troops who got away, all the rest had to lay down their arms.

Peaceful Liberation and Imperialist Meddling

On October 19, the five-starred red flag flew over the ancient town of Chamdo. The Chamdo campaign which started on October 7 was brought to a conclusion after 21 engagements in which a total of 5,700 enemy troops were put out of action. As a result of this serious military reverse, a political split rapidly developed within the ruling clique of the Tibetan upper social strata. The Tibetan local government finally sent a delegation to hold talks. It arrived in Peking in April 1951. On May 23,after a month of negotiations, the 17-article agreement on measures for the peaceful liberation of Tibet was signed by the delegates of the Central People's Government and those of the Tibetan local government.

At the very moment that the Tibetan people and the people throughout the rest of China were acclaiming the signing of the 17-article agreement, the reactionaries of the upper social strata in Tibet raised the cry that they wouldn't recognize the Peking agreement. The imperialists who were backing them also did their best to stir up trouble. Immediately after the conclusion of the Chamdo campaign, the then U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson, speaking at a Washington press conference, openly slandered the Chinese people's action in liberating their own territory of Tibet as "aggression" and ranted that the United States regarded this as a most unfortunate and most serious incident. Even as our forces were advancing towards the Kinsha River, the U.S. Government had clamoured for direct military assistance to the Tibetan reactionaries. It stirred up the domestic and foreign reactionaries and the pro-imperialist secessionists in Tibet in an attempt to provoke an international religious nationalities war. The Indian Government sent three notes to the Chinese Government on October 21 and 28 and November 1, 1950, openly interfering in China's internal affairs and asserting that "the invasion by Chinese troops of Tibet cannot but be regarded as deplorable." One may ask why it was that the Indian Government also took such an interest in China's Tibet. A look at what it is doing today will give the answer.

On the Way to Lhasa

After the liberation of Chamdo, the People's Liberation Committee of the Chamdo Area was formed in accordance with the principle, laid down by the Central People's Government, of introducing national regional autonomy in the minority areas. The committee worked under the leadership of the Communist Party and drew in representative personages from all Tibetan circles and strata, thereby expanding the patriotic anti-imperialist united front. The fullest consultation preceded the settling of any matter and no action was taken before full agreement had been reached. This fully testified to our Party's policy of national unity and respect for the right of the Tibetan people to regional autonomy.

In July 1951, together with some members of the delegation of the former Tibetan local government for peace talks, we set out from Chamdo for Lhasa. To reach our destination we had to cover some 2,300 li. climb 19 snow-capped mountains and traverse vast and virtually uninhabited areas. Once we left the Chamdo area the supply problem became a most serious one.

At that time, in accordance with Chairman Mao's instructions to "build on the march," work had begun on the Chinghai-Tibet Highway; the Sikang-Tibet Highway was already being extended beyond Kantse. The imperialists and foreign reactionaries ridiculed us, branding as "illusory" our efforts to build these motor roads on the "roof of the world." Nevertheless, the road building went ahead successfully. Working at times above the snow-line where even birds could not fly, the road builders suffered great and many hardships but they displayed a dauntless, militant spirit fully worthy of the Chinese people; they opened up a road to happiness for the Tibetan people. Lorry convoys moved supplies day and night. When they could not keep pace with the advancing troops, the people's air force conquered the forbidding air space over the Sikang-Tibet Plateau. Braving the erratic weather, its air crews supported our troops by air-dropping supplies over Kantse, Chamdo and Taichao.

Having endured and overcome considerable difficulties, we finally arrived in Lhasa.

More Struggles

The patriotic people of all walks of life in Lhasa, lamas as well as laymen, gave the People's Liberation Army a rousing welcome. They burnt pine branches and green grass on the rooftops to send clouds of smoke up into the air according to the Tibetan custom in welcoming dear ones from afar. They offered us piping hot buttered tea and greeted us most heartily. Released prisoners of war--members of the Tibetan army who had been captured in the Chamdo campaign -- and travelling merchants had told them long before about the policies of our Party on nationalities and religion, about the perfect discipline of our army. They knew that the army sent by Chairman Mao, the "Buddhist soldiers" whom they had so long prayed for, had come. They were exalted and excited. But we also noticed a certain number of people who behaved quite differently. The reactionaries threw stones and spat at us from their high towers and called our gay drummers with their waist drums "devils."

The arrival of the People's Liberation Army, the signing of the 17-article agreement and the peaceful liberation of Tibet was a cause for great rejoicing in the big family of China's many nationalities. But it was undoubtedly a bitter tragedy for the imperialists, the other foreign reactionaries and their lackeys. It was only natural that they should rant and rave. They deployed four dapon on both banks of the Lhasa River, dug trenches, and built fortifications and gun emplacements. They