Dharamshala, 19th August: On the 70th anniversary of the formation of the Tibet Autonomous Region on the world’s roof, China issued an appeal for acceptance of the Communist Party’s authority. Since 1951, when the People’s Liberation Army marched in and assumed control in a “peaceful liberation,” Beijing has dominated Tibet.

“Tibet can only develop and prosper under the leadership of the Communist Party and socialism,” Wang Yang, who heads a national organization tasked with integrating all races and parties under the Communist Party’s leadership, said at the ceremony in Lhasa. The event was placed at the foot of the historic Potala Palace, a revered Buddhist location associated with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and was attended by about 10,000 people. A four-story-high picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping towered above the audience in a nationwide live telecast of the celebration.

In the 1950s and 1960s, propagandists used to show Mao Zedong’s photographs prominently at rallies and festivities in order to create a personality cult around him and nurture loyalty. Most presidents following Mao outlawed the practice, but under Xi’s reign, his solo photos, as well as those with four previous leaders, were widely displayed in Tibet. Tibetans, many of whom have devoted Buddhists and regard the Dalai Lamas as their spiritual leaders, have also taken exceptional efforts to foster allegiance among the party’s atheist Han leaders in Beijing.

Beijing regards the current Dalai Lama, who is exiled in India, as a dangerous separatist and instead recognizes the party-installed Panchen Lama as Tibet’s greatest religious figure. At the occasion, Wang presented the Panchen Lama with a commemorative plaque as a symbol of the party’s control over Tibetan Buddhism.

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