Background
Mr. Panchen was born in Inner Tibet in 1883.
Mr. Panchen was born in Inner Tibet in 1883.
Lama Panchen came to Shigatse in 1822. He accompanied the Crown Prince of England to India in 1903. Then he returned to Tibet in 1904 and introduced reforms in education and other administrative measures. In the first year of the reign of Emperor Hsuan Tung, following the dispatch of Szechuen troops into Tibet by the Manchu Government which aroused misunderstandings among the Tibetans and resulted in complications in Tibet. After that he was appointed by the Manchu Government both secular and religious ruler of Inner and Outer Tibet. Although he did go to Lhassa, however, he declined the appointment and promised only to maintain order and peace in Inner Tibet. In spite of his refusal to accept the appointment, misunderstandings arose between him and the Dalai Lama, who had hitherto been the ruler of Outer Tibet and the two became intolerant of each other.
After the 1911 Revolution, as a result of the mutiny of the Szechuen troops in Tibet and internal disturbances, the Tibetan situation became further confused. In 1924, at the request of the Tibetan people, Mr. Panchen came to China to plead for peace and visited many provinces in the interior. Owing to the disturbed situation in China and her neglect of border affairs, he remained in Manchuria and Mongolia for many years. He was the most pronounced pro-Chinese leader in Tibet and has rendered great assistance to the Chinese residing there.
Following the establishment of the National government at Nanking he was invited to visit the Capital and was much honored by the government leaders. He held the following posts : member of the Chinghai Provincial Government since 1929, Cultural Commissioner for the Western Border since 1934, State Councillor of the National Government since 1934, also a member of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission. Following the death of the Dalai Lama in 1933, he was invited to return to Tibet.