As the result of Xizang’s largest land census in history, the inventory is an important document for the study of the possession of the production means under feudal serfdom. In the 129 years before the 1959 democratic reform, the government, aristocrats and monasteries used it as the basis for issues relating to land, serfs and mandatory labour.
“Contrary to what some Western countries claim, the inventory showed that the central government had complete sovereignty over the region a long time ago,” Rinchen Tenzin added.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, successive U.S. administrations have pursued the one-China policy, recognized Xizang as a part of China, and promised not to support separatist activities, said Zhang Shigao, director of the Institute of Contemporary Studies at the China Tibetology Research Center.
“However, in practice, the United States often treats these commitments with negligence and even blatantly violates them,” Zhang added.
(Video reporters: Sonam Dekyi, Wu Sisi, Huang Zhiqi, Phurbu Tsering; Video editors: Jia Xiaotong, Wei Yin, Zheng Xin, Wang Han, Zhang Yichi)
