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The Mekong River originates in the Tibetan Plateau of Southeast Tibet, bordering the Qinghai and Sichuan Provinces of China. This history reflects the relationship of Tibet with China, as the Mekong is located at this border.
From the 7th to the 11th century a series of emperors ruled Tibet (See List of emperors of Tibet).
Around AD 635, the Tibetan emperor, Songtsän Gampo, attacked and defeated an important area that controlled trade routes into China, thus convincing the Chinese emperor to allow him to marry the Chinese princess Wen Cheng. Buddhism is first thought to have come into Tibet with her. China and Tibet were at peace during the rest of his reign.
From approx. AD 660, there were a long string of battles with the Chinese Tang Dynasty, with a small period of contractual peace from 700-730, over areas in central Asia under Tibetan control. Power struggles between the Tang Dynasty and Tibetan emperors continued until the mid-9th century. Throughout the centuries the power of the empire gradually increased over a diverse terrain so that by the reign of the emperor Ralpacan at the beginning of the 9th century its influence extended as far south as Bengal and as far north as Mongolia. He was a generous supporter of Buddhism and invited many craftsmen, scholars and translators to Tibet from neighboring countries. He also promoted the development of written Tibetan and translations, which included standard Tibetan equivalents for thousands of Sanskrit terms. He negotiated the Sino-Tibetan peace treaty in AD 822, which lasted for 2 decades.
Centralized control broke down when there was confusion over heredity to the empire and a civil war ensued. Thus from 842-1247 Tibet was politically divided.
At this point history is told differently:
The Chinese version states that the Mongol empire took control of Tibet. Then during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), China took Tibet from the Mongols. The Tibetan version states that Genghis Khan took control of both China and Tibet, leaving Tibet under Mongolian rule and not Chinese rule.
Though most government institutions established by the Mongols were either the same or resembled the ones in earlier Chinese dynasties, Tibet never adopted the imperial examinations or Neo-Confucian policies. Thus the legal and administrative systems remained intact.
The Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism became the official religion of the state and ruling Mongol khans around 1247. This was not without challenge and bloody enforcement. Sakya was the first to be titled "Dalai Lama" (although was the third of his lineage so is referred to as the Third Dalai Lama). The area was divided into many administrative districts (myriarchies). One of these districts was under the Phagmodru family, which revolted and assumed power over the region from 1354-1434.
Following this blip there was control by the Dalai Lama lineage and therefore Buddhist ideology. The Sixth Dalai Lama was not favored by the people, so when an outside leader from Central Asia took control of the region in 1717 they were welcomed. However when they began to desecrate holy places, the Qing Dynasty ruler, Kangxi, stepped in. The emperor brought with them a man who was installed as the 7th Dalai Lama in 1721. In fact, in 1751 the Manchu (and Qing) Emperor Qianlong established the Dalai Lama as both the spiritual leader and political leader of Tibet and no efforts were made to incorporate Tibet into China. Subsequent invasions and periods of unrest from the outside forced Tibetan leaders to call on China for help. These cries for reinforcement led to an increase in control by China over Tibet. Tibetans and Chinese disagree on the amount of Chinese control and Tibetan independance during the time of Manchu political relationship.
In 1904, after a failed British attack on Tibet, a treaty was signed that allowed for the British to trade freely in the region. Russians and British agreed in 1906 in a treaty with China to consult China first in all matters pertaining to Tibet. In 1912 the Republic of China was established and the Dalai Lama returned to Tibet from India, stated that Tibet was independent, and expelled Chinese troops. Debates by Tibet, China, India, Britain, and Russia have left the area's boundaries blurry. Between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lama has been the head of the Tibetan Government, although the extent of the lineage's political authority and rulership over territory has been contested. Currently he is exiled (as of 1959) yet remains the spiritual leader of the government.
From Wikipedia:
History of Tibet, Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai, Princess Wen Cheng, Dzungars, Dalai Lama [tli]