On-the-spot record of the advance detachment of the 18 th Army entering Tibet
Disclaimer: This article was originally published in the 8th issue of Party History Expo in 2016, and was published by communist party News Network of China authorized by Party History Expo magazine. Please do not reprint.
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In October 1950, Qamdo was liberated. In February 1951, the local government of Xizang sent Ngapoi Ngawangjigme to Beijing for peace talks, and signed the Agreement between the Central People’s Government and the local government of Xizang on the Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Xizang (the "Seventeen-Article Agreement") on May 23rd.
The Party Committee of the 18th Army, headed by the commander Zhang Guohua and the political commissar Tan Guansan, followed the instructions of the Southwest Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Southwest Military Region, and formed an advance detachment of more than 300 Tibetan and Han comrades, with Wang Qimei, deputy political commissar of the 18th Army, as commander and political commissar, Chen Jingbo as chief of staff, Gu Caoping as deputy chief of staff and Lin Liang as director of the political department. Ngapoi Ngawangjigme, chief representative of Xizang local government, and his wife Ngapoi Caidan Zhuoga are traveling with the advance detachment of Tibet. The tasks of the advance detachment in Tibet are: to take the lead and create conditions for the main force to enter Xizang; Publicize the party’s ethnic and religious policies in an exemplary manner, and publicize and implement the "17-Article Agreement" in an exemplary manner. The advance detachment of Tibet started from Qamdo on July 25, 1951 and arrived in Lhasa on September 9, which lasted more than 40 days and traveled more than 2,000 kilometers. The author also joined the advance detachment of Tibet with her husband Wang Qimei.
Before departure, all the officers and men of the advance detachment in Tibet carefully studied the "17-Article Agreement", the relevant instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Southwest Bureau and the political mobilization order for marching into Xizang jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Southwest Bureau, Southwest Military Region and the Second Field Army Command. The mobilization order called for: "All commanders and combatants who marched into the army and all Communist party member should carry forward their infinite loyalty to the revolutionary cause, deeply understand the great political significance of marching into Xizang, make full preparations ideologically, organizationally and at work, carry forward the glorious tradition of the people’s army’s heroic and tenacious struggle, carry forward the spirit of class friendship of unity and mutual assistance, and resolutely complete the task of marching into Xizang."
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From Qamdo to Lhasa, we have to cross the Hengduan Mountains, the Lancang River, the Nujiang River and other rivers. The roads we pass through are rugged, sparsely populated, ice and snow, and the air is thin. At that time, there was no detailed map of Xizang, and the road conditions were not clear, so the advance team in Tibet could only explore and move forward.
Here, only the fragments of the advance detachment entering Tibet passing through the "poor eight stops" are described:
From Changdu to Lhasa, Xizang local government has set up 24 post stations along the way. The masses call it "eight stops poor, eight stops rich, and eight stops neither poor nor rich". On August 13, 1951, the advance detachment of Tibet set out from Charansondo, arrived in Ojug, rested for two days, and then went on to enter the "poor eight stations". Because the conditions of the "poor eight stations" are extremely difficult, and there is a lack of food and grass, the command of the advance detachment into Tibet divides the troops into three echelons. About 55 kilometers from Arendo to Rendo, it is full of virgin forests and deep mountain canyons, and it has to go through a dangerous plank road. There are cliffs on one side, cliffs more than 20 feet deep on the other, and rushing rapids below. The road is only one or two feet wide. In many places, only a few pieces of wood are placed on the cliffs in mid-air, and each section is one or two feet long. Some plank roads are in disrepair, and the wood has rotted or loosened. There are also some slopes that are steep and steep, and the people in front of the troops are like walking on the heads of the people behind them. They walk and stand for a while and move very slowly.
On August 19th, the advance detachment of Tibet set out from Renduo and completely entered the area without firewood. At the foot of Nugongla Mountain, there is a place called Duodong. It is said that there used to be two or three families. For some reason, the houses were burned down and the residents moved into the deep mountains. Before the advance detachment arrived in Tibet, the local people heard that the People’s Liberation Army had implemented the "17-Article Agreement" and had to pass through here to March into Lhasa, and they all came back automatically. They and several families in nearby villages took the initiative to form a transport team, cut firewood from the mountains more than 70 miles away, and transported it to the roadside with yaks to support the PLA. When the advance detachment arrived in Tibet, it found firewood supported by the masses in the ruins, and everyone was deeply moved by the enthusiastic support of the Tibetan people.
On the 20th, the advance detachment of Tibet crossed Nugongla Mountain. This is a veritable rocky mountain, 5 kilometers up and 5 kilometers down, all of which are stone roads. Only the gurgling sound of running water in the mountains seems to be boiling, but there is no running water. People must be very careful when walking on the rugged rocky road. When the troops were approaching the top of the mountain, a soldier in his twenties suddenly fainted. He was short of breath, trembling all over, and his face was livid, while his gun, backpack and dry food bag were still on his back. When Comrade Wang Qimei learned about it, he immediately followed the cavalry to the scene of the accident, asked the guards to take down the soldier’s things as soon as possible, untied his neckline, helped him onto his horse, and sent him down the mountain.
After going down the mountain, there is still a long way to go from the campsite. Because there was no firewood in the campsite, everyone took a bundle of firewood supported by the masses when they passed the herdsmen’s tent in the Zhuka pasture, and then headed for the campsite. The climate on the plateau is really like a naughty child, moody. After a while, the scorching sun was on the head, and the sun made people dizzy; After a while, the rainstorm poured down, drenching people like a drowned rat. The troops were marching, and suddenly a strong wind came with dark clouds, and a hail hit everyone’s heads and bodies violently. People can’t walk, so they have to stand on the road, cover their heads with backpacks and firewood, and accept the relentless hail attack. About half an hour later, the hail passed and we continued to March. The troops camped in a meadow 2.5 kilometers west of Mozhuka. Comrades in each class perform their duties according to the specific division of labor before departure. Some set up tents, some cook in pots, and some release their horses in an orderly way. Leading comrades called the relevant personnel of the department, the government and the post-March to report the day’s March, sum up experience, and study and arrange the tasks for the next day. Unexpectedly, before the rice was cooked, the hail suddenly came again, and the wind roared, blowing the tent like a boat on a rough wave, swaying. If the iron piles were not firmly laid and the ropes were strong, the tent might be blown away. Hail rattled the grass, tents and iron pots, as if playing a large symphony. That night, the wind blew out the lights in the tent, and the hail put out the fire under the cooker. A pot of uncooked rice was soaked in hail and rain. A thick layer of hail on the ground filled up the drainage ditch dug around the tent. After a day of marching,极为疲劳和饥饿，但因为冰雹、狂风捣乱，结果连热饭也没吃成，仅吃了几口糌粑，就摸黑睡觉了。
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进藏先遣支队经过艰难的行程，于1951年9月5日到达拉萨东郊的达孜。其时，张经武同志作为中央人民政府和毛主席的代表，绕道印度，已先于我们到达拉萨。张代表派乐于泓和李天柱同志前来看望进藏先遣支队。
9月9日，进藏先遣支队进入拉萨并举行了隆重的入城仪式。全体指战员身着草绿色呢子军服，排成长队，几名年轻的战士抬着毛主席、朱总司令的画像走在队伍前列，继而是军乐队和腰鼓队。拉萨主要街道上红旗飘扬，军乐齐鸣，进藏先遣支队的指战员们个个精神焕发，队列整齐，气势雄壮。西藏地方政府搭起彩色帐篷，并派西藏地方政府和谈代表成员凯墨·索南旺堆、柳霞·土登塔巴率文武官员、僧俗各界代表前来欢迎。僧俗藏胞身穿节日盛装，倾城而出，古城拉萨呈现出一片欢乐景象。进藏先遣支队领导人和噶厦的主要官员互献哈达。王其梅等先遣支队领导按照西藏的民族风俗，到各大寺庙发放布施，拜会达赖喇嘛和寺庙僧侣、政府官员等各界知名人士。西藏上层爱国人士也行回拜和宴请。
On October 26th, 1951, the commander of Zhang Guohua and the political commissar of Tan Guansan led the main force of the 18th Army to Lhasa, which opened a new chapter in Tibetan history.
(Wang Xianmei was born in Xiaoxian County, Anhui Province in 1924. He joined the revolution in March 1938 and the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the same year. He used to be the director of the office of the Bureau of Retired Veteran Cadres of the Ministry of Light Industry. Died in 2009)
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