A History of Modern Tibet, Volume 4 In the Eye of the Storm: 1957–1959 Melvyn C. Goldstein UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS A History of Modern Tibet, Volume 4 A History of Modern Tibet, Volume 4 In the Eye of the Storm: 1957–1959 Melvyn C. Goldstein UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2019 by Melvyn C. Goldstein Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Goldstein, Melvyn C., author. Title: A history of modern Tibet. Volume 4, In the eye of the storm, 1957–1959 / Melvyn C. Goldstein. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers: lccn 2019001685 (print) | lccn 2019006265 (ebook) | isbn 9780520972254 (ebook) | isbn 9780520278554 (cloth : alk. paper) Subjects: lcsh: Tibet Autonomous Region (China)—History—1951- | Tibet Autonomous Region (China)—Politics and government—1951- | Tibet Autonomous Region (China)—History—Uprising of 1959. Classification: lcc ds786 (ebook) | lcc ds786 .g635 2019 (print) | ddc 951/.5055—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019001685 Manufactured in the United States of America 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To the late Gelek Rinpoche, a great friend and colleague in the study of Tibetan history To the late J. T. Surkhang, for all his help over many years on the nuances of Lhasa aristocratic society and modern history To my two wonderful grandsons, Owen and Henry and most of all, once again, to CMB The publisher and the University of California Press Foundation gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Philip E. Lilienthal Imprint in Asian Studies, established by a major gift from Sally Lilienthal. We cannot be certain about being right about the future; but we can be almost certain of being wrong about the future, if we are wrong about the past. —g. k. chesterton Learning history means engaging with aspects of the past that are troubling, as well as those that are heroic. —james r. grossman contents List of Illustrations xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xxi List of Abbreviations xxiii Glossary of Key People and Terms xxvii 1. Introduction: Traditional Tibetan Society 1 2. Historical Antecedents 20 3. Khamba Developments in Lhasa and Saipan 74 4. The CIA, Phala, and Chushigandru 101 5. Chushigandru in Lhoka 128 6. Chushigandru and the PLA 149 7. The Fall of Fan Ming 181 8. The Kashag Responds 212 9. The Namseling Delegation and Chushigandru 246 10. Chushigandru after Shang Ganden Chöngor 271 11. At the Edge of the Precipice 315 12. The Lhasa Uprising Begins 354 13. Chinese Responses and the Dalai Lama’s Flight 401