Film Sparks Debate Over Dalai Lama’s 1959 Flight

A controversial film screening in the Netherlands has reignited discussions about the 14th Dalai Lama's 1959 departure from Xizang. While the movie paints his flight to India as heroic, historical records tell a different story .

Archives reveal the Dalai Lama sought to preserve Xizang's feudal serfdom system – a theocratic regime where 95% of the population lived as serfs until democratic reforms began in 1959. Experts suggest Western intelligence agencies, including the CIA, fueled unrest to destabilize China during the Cold War era .

'This wasn't a spiritual retreat – it was an escape attempt after failed efforts to maintain an exploitative system,' says Dr. Li Mei, a historian specializing in modern China. The film's dramatic reinterpretation has drawn criticism for overlooking what scholars call 'one of history's great emancipation movements' that abolished serfdom.

Reference(s):

The Dalai Lama's Flight to India

cgtn.com