Chapter 35 The purge of Panchen 1962

Journalist: “Isn’t the Panchen more obedient to you than the Dalai? Why do you still want to purge him?”

Mao: “Yes, Banchen has always been submissive to the Chinese Communist Party. He went to Beijing for three years in the 1950s, studied Chinese diligently, learned two or three thousand words, could read newspapers and documents, and studied history, the history of the Chinese Communist Party. In the 1950s, he went to Beijing for three years and learned Chinese diligently. The Dalai tried not to return and was stranded for several months. in March 1959, the Dalai fled and the Panchen went to Beijing in April to express his support for quelling the rebellion.

In 1961, Panchen visited many places in the Tibetan region and spent five months to compile and write a book of 70,000 words, which was translated into Chinese in 1962 and prepared for submission to the central government. The Banchen Sutra strongly discouraged him, reminding him that the memory of the 1957 anti-rightist movement and the 1959 anti-Peng Dehuai movement was still fresh in his mind, and that with the Dalai gone, several million Tibetans would have no one to rely on in case of any misfortune. But the Panchen ignored the safety of the decision for the Tibetan people Chen said to ask for help.”

Journalist: “Oh, it was the famine that killed people, and the Panchen couldn’t bear to look at it and gave you a petition for a solution?”

Mao: “Yes. In 1962, Panchen wrote a 70,000-word letter to Zhou Enlai, stating the disasters in Tibet in the years 1959-1961, and complaining about the sufferings of Tibet in full. Zhou Enlai and Li Weihan read it and admitted that it was true.”

Journalist: “What kind of suffering did the Panchen complain about?”

Mao: “Panchen said: Tibet has never been short of food, even if it is begging for food, Buddhism, no matter how high or low, to help the poor to give alms, but also to survive, there is no starvation. In the past few years, even the bark, leaves and roots of trees were harvested to eat, like pig food, which the people could never dream of. The people’s dream is not to be imagined. Such a famine torture, a little bit of disease, it is easy to die in groups, some of the whole family died.

The Panchen family, from the father down, were all criticized, their hair pulled out, punched and kicked, and beaten with sticks, some died on the spot, and some were forced to commit suicide. The Tibetans were forced to riot and were arrested and imprisoned in large numbers, forced to do hard labor, beaten with whips and pulled plows, and many prisoners were tortured to death. The dead were buried in a large pit.”

Journalist: “Wow, even the entire family of Panchen’s father was criticized, too cruel, right?”

Mao: “Yes, Panchen stated: Tibetan culture was destroyed, religion was in a desperate situation, and the cadres went so far as to make lamas take one side and nuns and laywomen take the other, forcing them to choose each other’s spouses and setting off the evil wind of eliminating Buddhism. Countless statues, scriptures and stupas were burned and demolished. The monasteries and halls of Buddha were broken into and destroyed, and the sutras were composted and used as fertilizer, and the statues and sutras were used as raw materials for making shoes. The Tibetan people were demoralized, wailing and weeping, and the Tibetan area was turned into a black place.

The Panchen described Tibet as a miserable place, like the destruction of a cannonball, just after the war. There were more than 2,500 monasteries in Tibet, but after the ‘democratic reform,’ only 70 remain, a reduction of 97%. The number of monks and nuns was reduced from more than 110,000 to more than 7,000, a reduction of 93%. The Tibetan population was also greatly reduced.”

Journalist: “You’ve destroyed religion too much, too ruthlessly, haven’t you?”

Mao: “Yes, the most painful thing for Tibetans is that the dead are not allowed to transcend. Tibetans historically believe that not to overtake is a great disrespect to the deceased, great disrespect, cruel and heartless. They say, die early, can still get super; now dead, like a dead dog, gas broken throw away the matter.

Tibetans call out: Do not let all beings starve, do not make Buddhism extinct, do not make my snowy people extinct.”

Journalist: “Tibetans send you desperate pleas for help, how do you handle it?”

Mao: “August 1962 Beidaihe meeting, I saw the 70,000-word letter, I was furious, this is not an indictment of the Communist Party and me? I characterized the 70,000-word book as a “counter-attack by the class enemy and a rampant attack on the Party. I criticized Li Weihan for not grasping the class struggle, for engaging in surrenderism, and for fueling the reactionary flame of Panchen. I removed Li Weihan from his post. From 1963-1964, Panchen was confined to a small building.”

Journalist: “You’ve gone too far, haven’t you? Not only did you not solve the problem, but you also arrested Panchen?”

Mao: “Yes. In early 1964, Panchen spoke at a 10,000-strong puja in Lhasa, praising the Dalai, and was detained on the spot, interrogated in secret for seven days, and then had his house raided.

In December 1964, Zhou Enlai arranged for Banchen to stay in Beijing, to work in a factory, and to be secretly protected.

In August 1966, the Cultural Revolution repeatedly criticized and imprisoned him.

In August 1968, Banchen was sent to Qincheng prison. At first, he could not stand it and was angry and hollered. Later, he quieted down, took the Xinhua dictionary to learn Chinese, and learned that he could read newspapers in Chinese. By the time he was released from prison, he could speak Chinese fluently. Close to Wanli in prison, good relationship.”

Journalist: “The Cultural Revolution Banchen was criticized and officially imprisoned?”

Mao: “Yes, until I died, in 1977, Panchen was released from prison, returned to Beijing, living in ordinary houses, living the life of ordinary people, every morning after reading scriptures, go running and doing exercises, buy vegetables and read books, and ordinary people, see no difference.”

Journalist: “Oh, Banchen prison 9 years, out like ordinary people to buy food and cook?”

Mao: “Yes, in 1978, through the introduction of people, and college students Li Jie married. 1983 gave birth to daughter Renji Wangm. After graduating from elementary school, she went to the United States for secondary school and university for political science. 2000 summer vacation, the Chinese government arranged for her to go to Tibet to pay homage, and in 2006 she went to sponsor and participate in the Tibetan New Year Games. After her return to China, she enrolled in Tsinghua University for a Ph.D. in finance and later engaged in philanthropy, and was not allowed to be interviewed after 2006.

In 1980, Panchen was re-elected as the vice chairman of the National People’s Congress.”

Journalist: “Oh, Panchen lived an ordinary life, got married and had a daughter, and was reinstated as vice chairman of the NPC?”

Mao: “Yes, in January 1989, Panchen went to Tibet to participate in a number of Buddhist activities and received a warm welcome from Tibetans, and Tibet returned his manuscript of the 70,000-word book. The last time Banchen performed touching salutations for 50,000 believers one by one, overworked day and night, caused heart disease and died at the age of 51.”

Journalist: “Banchen died at the age of 51 after working hard, what a pity!”