Population and Society in Contemporary Tibet

2. The Geographic Distribution and Changes in the Tibetan Population of China

2 The Geographic Distribution and Changes in the Tibetan Population of China For a long time the size of the Tibetan population has been a mystery because of limited data sources and the unreliability of records. I’ve tried to put together information gleaned from data on the Tibetan population throughout history published in books and articles at different times. This chapter is a review of the relevant literature, especially literature in Chinese before the 1950s. Owing to the lack of population records in Tibet, even as late as 1953 and 1964 censuses conducted by the People’s Republic of China were derived either from reports by local authorities or indirect surveys. The 1982 census was the first time that the Tibetan population was recorded through a process of direct interviews by census staff. Nevertheless, enumerators asked only half the number of questions that they had asked in other parts of China and about 28,000 people were still counted solely through administrative registration records in 1982. The 1990 and 2000 censuses covered all Tibetan regions. The accuracy of the data from the 1982, 1990 and 2000 censuses is widely accepted around the world as well as by the United Nations. For the first time there is an opportunity to study the population dynamics in Tibet with some degree of confidence. This chapter examines the changes in Tibet’s population and the geographic distribution patterns based on analyses of the census data. The Geographic Distribution of the Tibetan-Inhabited Areas In order to study the population dynamics of an ethnic group it is necessary first to identify its geographic breadth. Historically, the territory of the Tibetan Kingdom (A.D. 610 to A.D. 846) covered the present-day Tibet Autonomous Region, the western part of Sichuan Province and the southwestern part of Qinghai Province (Huang Fensheng, 1985: 57). These areas gradually developed into the three major parts of China inhabited by ethnic Tibetans: i.e., the TibetArea (the central provinces 18 Population and Society in Contemporary Tibet of U and Tsang and Ngari in the present TAR), the Kham area (including the two Tibetan autonomous prefectures and Muli Tibetan autonomous county in western Sichuan, Chamdo prefecture in the TAR, and the Dechen Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Yunnan Province) and the Amdo area (including the Kanlho Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Tianzhu Tibetan autonomous county in Gansu Province and most parts of Qinghai Province) (Figure 2.1). These three constitute Tibetans’ major residential areas today. Each area has its own distinct Tibetan dialect. Their written languages share many similarities but their spoken language is so different that it is difficult for them to understand each other. From the 13th to the early 20th centuries (during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties) the central Chinese government practiced indirect rule over the Tibetan areas. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) the emperors appointed leaders of the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism as local administrators. During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) the emperors appointed prominent local Buddhism monks and certain members of the aristocracy as local leaders. During the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) the emperors conferred the titles of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama (the two leaders of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism) and established the local Kashag government in 1721. The Emperor Qian Long established resident commissioners Figure 2.1. Traditional Tibetan-inhabited Areas in China Changthang Ari Amdo u-tsang Kham Chamdo 19 The Geographic Distribution and Changes in the Tibetan Population of China (Ambans) and garrisoned a small number of troops in Lhasa as well as in important towns in Tibet. Tibet has always been considered a remote periphery in the far west, and the political, economic and personal interactions between Tibet and central China have been very limited. During the Qing Dynasty, the Kham (the eastern part) and Amdo areas (the northeastern part) were ruled directly by the central government under a system of native rule called the Tusi system. This system was first established by the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century in Tibet and minority areas in southwestern China. Tusi were selected from local minority tribal leaders who showed their loyalty to the central government. These two areas were under the administration of central government commissioners: the Sichuan Governor based in Chengdu for the Kham area and the Xining commissioner based in Qinghai for the Amdo area (Huang Fensheng, 1985: 229; Goldstein, 1997: 16). Tusi were...