Shangri-La, Tibet (Historical Memory of the 1904 Anti-British Struggle)

Author: Li Guozhu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: This book is based on interviews and surveys of anti-British eyewitnesses half a century ago, as well as local historical records from that time, to recreate the real scene of the anti-British struggle in Shigatse a century ago. The war against aggression had occurred even earlier in 1888. The location was on the southern edge of Tibet, known as the Battle of Longtu Mountain, which also ended in failure due to the vast disparity in strength, and Sikkim, the country, lost its territory. Before the military invasion, the British Empire's ambition to covet Tibet became inevitable when they replaced France in involvement with the South Asian subcontinent, seeking to expand their colonial interests. At first, rigorously trained spies alternately infiltrated Tibet to survey and map the region. They disguised themselves as Buddhist pilgrims, walking with disciplined steps: each step was exactly 31.5 inches, and every two thousand steps accurately covered one mile. They spun prayer wheels, but the intelligence records they concealed inside were not Buddhist scriptures; they counted steps by rolling prayer beads, with one bead moved for every hundred steps; they murmured words, but the chants were not Buddhist prayers but a series of Tibetan place names. This book is composed of vivid and detailed field investigation materials and authentic documentary sources, and also includes relevant articles by comrades such as Wei Ke, Wang Gui, and Shan Chao. From this book, we can see the heroic deeds of the people of Tibet in their relentless resistance against imperialist aggression back then, and we can once again feel the truth that backwardness invites humiliation. More importantly, it allows us to deeply understand the significance of a strong, unified country and the close unity of all ethnic groups. Let us remember the lessons of history, cherish and uphold today's prosperous and flourishing situation, and strive to build a strong socialist motherland.