喇嘛王国的覆灭

A History of Modern Tibet #1

by Melvyn C. Goldstein, 梅·戈尔斯坦, 杜永彬 (Translator)

《喇嘛王国的覆灭（1913-1951）》是西藏现代史研究的著作，作者通过翔实的材料、新颖的方法以及生动有趣的描述，向我们展示了西藏这个喇嘛王国近40年逐渐走向覆灭的历史。《喇嘛王国的覆灭（1913-1951）》刚一问世即得到了国内外学术界的好评，肯定其鲜明的学术见解和较高的学术价值，《喇嘛王国的覆灭（1913-1951）》不仅受到学术界的关注，同时也受到广大读者的喜爱。

Genres: History, China, Buddhism, Nonfiction, Asia

782 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Melvyn C. Goldstein is John Reynolds Harkness Professor of Anthropology and Codirector of the Center for Research on Tibet at Case Western Reserve University, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Reviews

[William Southwell-Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive and detailed history of the brief period of Tibetan de factory independence between the fall of Manchu China and the imposition and agreement of the 17-point plan between the Tibetan Government and the People's Republic of China in 1951. This book presents a detailed, incredibly well-researched and well-sourced insight into the demist of the Lamaist form of government in Tibet and the causes and conditions that led to this. Unlike other books on this topic, Goldstein's approach doesn't fall into either trap of overly romanticising or unfairly condemning Tibet's pre-Chinese form of government. Substantial appendices and a formidable bibliography provide good tools for anyone who wants to conduct some serious research off the back of reading this.

This book may not be suitable for someone with only a limited pre-existing knowledge of modern Tibetan history, as the range of names/personae, specific terms, and assumed background knowledge on Tibetan religion, geography and history can tend to be a little overwhelming. On the other hand, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this book as essential reading to anyone with a sincere interest in the topic and some prior reading under their belt.

[Kenghis Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly well-documented, detailed story of the final years of Tibet leading up to re-integration into China. Goldstein's command of Tibetan allows his uniquely synthetic engagement of British, Indian and American archives as well as interviews with the main Tibetan player make the book a definitive treatment of Tibet since 1913.

Goldstein also appears to have felt a need to present many of the primary sources - these became rather numerous (like a 2 page letter every 3 pages) towards the end and started to distract from his narrative slightly. However, he relegated other primary sources to an appendix. Thus, it seems this book was written over a series of stages and this does come through in the presentation.

No doubt there are much shorter versions of this story that are accessible elsewhere. I read this in preparation for a trip to Tibet. At 800 pages, I didn't finish it all before I left, and it went over considerably greater detail than I, a casual tourist, felt was necessary to get a reasonably good understanding of recent Tibetan history. I think for non-specialists, a shorter and abridged version would be incredibly valuable in getting more people familiar with this fascinating story.

[Tao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched academic work on Tibet history. I first learned this book from Wang Lixiong's work,

天葬：西藏的命运 (Celestial Funeral: the Destiny of the Tibet)

The Celestial Funeral itself is also a well-written work, less academically oriented, more suitable for casual reader. However, the lack of an English translation may have limited it's reach significantly.

On the contrary, this book is more thoroughly researched, with more first hand material, esp. those from British history archives, from the writings of Lord Curzon and Colonel Younghusband.

A must-read for anyone who wants to know more about Tibet beyond the political propagandas from both sides.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely the best Tibetan history book I've ever read, in terms of being astoundingly well-researched and balanced, drawing on a wealthy of Tibetan, Chinese, British, American, and Indian sources, some translated by the author himself, as well as oral histories recorded by the author. Includes a lot of details that aren't found in the more sanitized versions of pre-Communist invasion history, either on the Tibetan government-in-exile side or the CCP side.

It's a very long book with a lot to say. It can get a little dry and slows down a bit after the 600th page, or maybe I was just exhausted. But it's a history book and they tend to be either dry or sensationalized and most Tibetan histories are sensationalized. Definitely recommended, but requires some commitment because of length and complexity.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surely conclusive and with necessary particulars. Both pro- and anti-independence supporters on modern Tibetan politics put their romantic or less romantic fantasies to Tibet, and only few cares about what "old Tibet" really is. For Chinese unionists, by reading this book they should realize that Tibet indeed had its own relatively independent way of political and governing systems which is quite unique to proper China - in many cases, Tibetan Buddhism is nothing but another way of distributing power and way to reach consensus; for some Tibetan independence supporters, by reading this they should recognize that China only plays a minor role on the final failure of the independent modernization of Tibet between 1913 and 1951: the main reason for Lhasa government's failure is among the old system themselves. All in all, Prof. Goldstein's most important message in this book should be: Tibet is Tibet itself, with its unique traditions and ways of life, neither Western romantic oriental fantasy, nor Chinese "internal-oriental" fantansy it is.

[user_fjifods998877 · Rating 5 out of 5]

first read in 2014, time to revisit

[John May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely detailed but pretty dry as well. If you have a strong interest in Tibet, this is the book for you.

[Yuki Kudo · Rating 5 out of 5]

噶厦一次又一次面对现代化良机，然后又一次又一次错过，擦绒、龙厦、阿沛，统统成了三大寺寺院经济的牺牲品。面对三千年未有之大变局，噶厦采取鸵鸟政策，后来又试图通过联合国引起注意，结果只有萨尔瓦多一家支持，碰的头破血流

[Bubba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-researched, and contains a plethora of primary sources--street songs, letters, diplomatic correspondence. The author strikes a decent balance between diplomatic and domestic history. Despite the title, I somehow convinced myself that there would be a lengthy epilogue about the 14th Dalai Lama fleeing Tibet after the Chinese occupation. There wasn't, unfortunately, but, my fault for thinking there would be. My main criticism is that it was incredibly looong (820-odd pages?). But, hard to include all that detail without the high page count.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this mammoth of a book

[Anthony Deonarine · Rating 5 out of 5]

detailed