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28-669: Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme was born in Karma Gorge of Lhasa as the son of a leading Tibetan aristocratic family descended from former kings of Tibet, the Horkhang. His father was governor of Chamdo in Eastern Tibet and commander of the Tibetan armed forces. After studying traditional Tibetan literature, he went to Britain for further education. He was married to Ngapoi Cedain Zhoigar , Vice President of

56-758: A member of the Preparatory Committee for the Special Administrative Region of Macau . From 1979 to 1993, he was Chairman of the National People's Congress Ethnic Affairs Committee . He was an honorary president of the Buddhist Association of China beginning in 1980. He was also an honorary president of the Tibetan Wildlife Protection Association, which was founded in 1991. In April 1992, he became chairman of

84-596: A result, in 1953–1954, the Reform Assembly crafted new laws reforming interest rates, old loans, and the administration of counties. After 1951, Ngapoi's career continued within the ranks of Chinese Communist administration of Tibet. He served as the leader of the Liberation Committee of Chamdo Prefecture until 1959. He was also a member of the Central People's Government 's State Ethnic Affairs Commission and

112-555: The 1st National People's Congress (NPC) was elected to draft the new constitution of China . The government ceased to exist after the enactment of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China on September 20, 1954, and was reformed into the constitutional government of China . Since 1954, the "Central People's Government" has been synonymous with the " State Council " in the current government of China . On September 27, 1949,

140-715: The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee between 1951 and 1954. He was Deputy Commander of the Tibet Military District between 1952 and 1977, and a member of the National Defence Council from 1954 through the Cultural Revolution . He was appointed as lieutenant general and awarded the "Order of Liberation" first class in 1955. When in April 1956 a Preparatory Committee for

168-593: The Seventeen Point Agreement with the Chinese Communist government in 1951, accepting Chinese sovereignty in exchange for guarantees of autonomy and religious freedom. The validity of his acceptance on behalf of the Tibetan government has been questioned. The Tibetan exiled community claims that his signature of the Agreement was obtained under duress, and that, as only the governor of Chamdo, signature of

196-536: The chairman of the People's Committee of the newly established Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in 1965. He represented Tibet in seven National People's Congresses as a Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee from the 1st National People's Congress in 1954 to the 7th in 1988 . He was head of the NPC delegations to Colombia , Guyana , West Indies , Sri Lanka and Nepal in the early 1980s. In 1999, he became

224-468: The "17-point Agreement" as having been "thrust upon Tibetan Government and people by the threat of arms". Ngapoi Ngawang Jigmé was one of a small number of progressive elite Tibetans that were eager to modernize Tibet and saw in the return of the Chinese an opportunity to do so. They were in a sense a continuation of the movement for reform that emerged in the 1920s with Tsarong Dzasa as its main proponent but

252-463: The Dalai Lama's authorization and instructions As Sambo Rimchi recalled, Dalai Lama's instruction to the negotiators clearly states: Here are ten points. I have faith that you will not do anything bad, so you should go and achieve whatever you can. According to Sambo, the young Dalai Lama also told the negotiators to use their best judgment according to the situation and circumstances and report back to

280-649: The Establishment of the Autonomous Region of Tibet was set up in accordance with the central government's decision, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme was appointed its secretary general. He was appointed vice-president of the Committee in 1959, the 10th Panchen Lama being its president. After his appointment as acting chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region in 1964, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme became

308-671: The Kashag in Yadong. Sambo recalled that the negotiators brought a secret codebook so that they could establish a wireless link with Yadong and discuss issues as they arose. According to historians Tom A. Grunfeld, Melvyn C. Goldstein and Tsering Shakya, the young Dalai Lama did ratify the Seventeen Point agreement with Tsongdu Assembly's recommendation few months after the signing. In 1959, the Dalai Lama on his arrival in India after he fled Tibet repudiated

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336-724: The New China's policies toward minor nationalities. Within a year, he was the deputy commander-in-chief for the PLA forces in Tibet. He became a leader not only of Tibet but also the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet. As a delegate of the government of Tibet sent to negotiate with the Chinese Government, he headed the Tibetan delegation to the Beijing peace negotiations in 1951, where he signed

364-408: The People's Liberation Army in the purchase of food, fodder, and other daily necessities"). Ngapoi was appointed by the Tibetan government to head the newly formed Reform Assembly. He was the Kashag minister (Kalön) most trusted not only by the Chinese but also by the Dalai Lama. The latter, who was in favour of reforms and modernization, frequently discussed political issues with Ngapoi in private. As

392-536: The Seventeen Point Agreement: Ngapoi is portrayed as "an honest, clever, intelligent, experienced and far-seeing man." In the 1997 film Seven Years in Tibet , based on the memoir of the Austrian explorer and mountaineer Heinrich Harrer , Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme is played by the actor BD Wong . In the movie he is depicted as being responsible for destroying a Tibetan ammunition depot, thus sealing

420-676: The Tibetan Women's Federation, hence his name Ngapoi. Upon returning in 1932 from his studies in Britain, he served in the Tibetan army. Ngapoi began his career as a local official in Chamdo in 1936. As a cabinet member of the former government of Tibet under the Dalai Lama , he advocated reform. In April 1950 he was appointed governor-general (commissioner) of Chamdo, but took office only in September, after

448-483: The Tibetan government in exile remembered him for calling on the Central Government in 1991 'to implement articles of the 17-point Agreement in general and specifically those articles which state that Tibet's political status will not be changed'." A rare comment on Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme can be found in the memoirs of Phuntsok Tashi, a Tibetan who served as an interpreter in the 1951 peace negotiations and signing of

476-495: The Tibetan language. "He was someone who upheld the spirit of the Tibetan people." As journalist Kalsang Rinchen observes, both Beijing and Dharamsala appear saddened by the demise of the man who signed the 17-point agreement. "[The] Chinese state run news agency Xinhua hailed him for ushering in 'major milestones in Tibet, such as the democratic reforms and the founding of the Autonomous Regional Government,' while

504-451: The agreement exceeded his powers of representation and is therefore invalid. In his biography My Land and My People , the Dalai Lama claims that in 1952, the acting Tibetan Prime Minister Lukhangwa told Chinese representative Zhang Jingwu that the Tibetan "people did not accept the agreement". However, according to Sambo Rimshi, one of the Tibetan negotiators, the Tibetan delegation, including Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, went to Beijing with

532-717: The birthplace of Songtsen Gampo . The site of the Karma Palace of the Tubo Kingdom exists in the gully. It is the birthplace of the former Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme . Karma Chikang is one of the ancient paths leading to Samye Monastery , which is just one mountain away from it, making it an interesting hiking tour. Central People%27s Government of the People%27s Republic of China (1949%E2%80%9354) The Central People's Government

560-534: The defeat of the Lhasa loyalist army at Chamdo . Karma Gorge Karma Gully ( 甲玛沟 ), or Karma Gorge , is located 15 kilometers west of Mozhugongka County , Lhasa , Tibet Autonomous Region . Karma Gorge can be reached along National Highway 318 . The average altitude of Karma Gorge is around 4,000 meters above sea level. There are many attractions in Karma Gorge, such as the palace ruins of "Jangpa Minjurin",

588-408: The enactment of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China by the 1st National People's Congress (NPC). The Central People's Government ceased to exist and was reformed into the new constitutional government of China . The Central People's Government was then composed of: Between 1953 and 1954, there were 6 regional administrative councils: In September 1954, with the enactment of

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616-549: The first plenary session of the 1st National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) passed the Organic Law of the Central People's Government . It also elected the Central People's Government Committee on September 30, 1949. The government was then promulgated by Mao Zedong at the ceremony of Proclamation of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. On September 20, 1954, with

644-601: The newly established Aid Tibet Development Foundation . He was also president of the China Association for the Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture, which was established on June 21, 2004. Ngapoi died at 16:50 on December 23, 2009, from an unspecified illness in Beijing at the age of 99 (or 100 according to East Asia's custom of counting a person's age by starting from 1 at the time of his or her birth). His funeral

672-631: The previous governor, Lhalu, had left for Lhasa. While serving as governor-general of Chamdo, he also became commander-in-chief of the Tibetan Army . While his predecessor, Lhalu, had made elaborate military plans and fortifications and asked the Kashag for more soldiers and weapons to stop the People's Liberation Army from entering Tibet, Ngapoi had the fortifications removed, refused to hire Khampa warriors and to install two portable wireless sets as he thought it

700-433: Was better to negotiate. In October 1950, his forces confronted the People's Liberation Army. The battle was quickly over. As he had warned before his departure for Chamdo, "the Tibetan forces were no match for the PLA who [...] had liberated the whole of China by defeating several million Kuomintang soldiers". Ngapoi surrendered Chamdo to the Chinese. The PLA surprised him by treating him well and giving him long lectures on

728-1088: Was held at the Funeral Parlor of the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery on the morning of December 28. He was described as "a great patriot, renowned social activist, good son of Tibetan people, outstanding leader of China's ethnic work and close friend of the CPC", by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party . Almost all the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party turned up to pay him respects at his funeral, including CCP general secretary Hu Jintao , ex-general secretary Jiang Zemin , Wu Bangguo , Wen Jiabao , Jia Qinglin , Li Changchun , Xi Jinping , He Guoqiang , Zhou Yongkang , etc. The Tibetan government in exile headed by Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche called him an "honest and patriotic" person who made great efforts to preserve and promote

756-504: Was stopped short by the 13th Dalai Lama under the pressure of conservative clerics and aristocrats. Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme was instrumental in solving the food problems of the People's Liberation Army in 1951–1952 by creating a Kashag subcommittee tasked with inventorying grain stores with a view to selling some to the PLA in accordance with point 16 of the Seventeen Point Agreement ("The local government of Tibet will assist

784-552: Was the central government of the People's Republic of China between October 1, 1949 and September 20, 1954. The government was formed in accordance with the Common Program and the Government Organic Law promulgated by the 1st National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The Central People's Government served as the provisional government for exercising state power before

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