28 Facts About Tsarong

Tsarong was a close aide of the 13th Dalai Lama and played an important role in the early twentieth century politics of Tibet.

Eager to accelerate economic progression and pursue the modernization of Tibet, Tsarong believed that the old order in Tibet had to be broken by hierarchical reforms to prepare the way for a more modern society which would be compatible with the outside world.

Tsarong was captured by the People's Liberation Army following the failed March 1959 uprising in Lhasa.

Tsarong died in prison shortly afterwards, before his scheduled "struggle session" in Lhasa.

Tsarong was said to greatly admire the dedication and hard work that Namgangla contributed in his service and became one of his favorites.

Early in 1912, after his appointment as commander, Tsarong was sent to Lhasa to work in close cooperation with the War Department established by the officials of the Tibetan government, Trimon and Chamba Tendar.

Tsarong had risen from the lowest social class and had never been to school.

Tsarong had gained his high position through skill and courage at the time of the flight of the thirteenth Dalai Lama from the Chinese in 1911.

Tsarong was then director of the so-called Drapchi office, which was responsible for technical work and for production of banknotes and coins.

Tsarong's salary was very small, because officials were expected to earn their own income through private trading.

In September 1915 Tsarong visited Sikkim on diplomatic purposes and visited India again on a pilgrimage in 1924.

Tsarong's status was something unique in Tibet, growing to possess military, political and economic power.

Tsarong gained practical and theoretical experiences by visiting neighboring countries and educating himself about their national policies and strategies.

Tsarong learned that for a state to be successful, there must be not only a great value placed on internal domestic unity and prosperity, but the country must exert a strong military presence and engage in active diplomacy with foreign nations to affect the balance of international power in favor of Tibet.

However, although Tsarong was very popular with many ordinary Tibetans throughout Tibet, Tsarong's revolutionary ideas of modernization and a dramatic restructure of local aristocrats and estates made him strongly disliked by many of the aristocracy or authoritative monks in Tibet who viewed him as a serious threat to their historical privileges and order.

On his return from India in 1925, Tsarong was deprived of his Commander-in-Chief title and was demoted out of the Kashag.

Tsarong would continue to make visits back and forth to Sikkim throughout the rest of life, making a memorable trip to Gangtok in 1940 in which he met with the Maharaja of Sikkim, which has been captured in photographs.

Tsarong was prominent in the economic affairs of Tibet throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Tsarong was worried about this situation since we continued to print new paper currency.

Tsarong always used to say that the paper money had to have some hard backing; that a currency note means that the government guarantees the value of the note in gold or some other commodity.

Tsarong used to talk about a foreign country where all the people suddenly came and asked to change paper money into silver and gold and the government had nothing, so the finance minister had to commit suicide.

Immediately after its completion, Tsarong began planning a more ambitious structure across the Kyichu, the Kyichu Bridge which was to be located east of Lhasa.

The project was given the seal of approval from the Tibetan government and Tsarong had organised the purchase of steel girders from Calcutta to be used to construct it.

Tsarong had been appointed to use his diplomatic skills to head a delegation to negotiate with the Chinese authorities in Lhasa but before negotiations could be finalized, Lhasa came under fire with bombing of the Potala and Norbulingka palaces.

Shortly after his arrest, on 14 May 1959, Tsarong died in a Chinese military prison in Lhasa.

Tsarong was said to be able to speak Russian, Hindustani and Mongolian.

Tsarong was described by the British as "the most powerful friend of His Majesty's Government in Tibet" and being "very friendly to British officials".

Tsarong was described as "wealthy, with great energy, sound sense and was progressively minded".