Imperial Stele Inscriptions of the Pacification of Tibet

The Imperial Stele Inscriptions of the Pacification of Tibet (Xizang) (Chinese: 御制平定西藏碑 Tibetan Wylie translit.: rgyal po rang nyid kyis bris pa'i bod yul bd'jags su Manchu Mollendorff: han i araha wargi dzang be necihiyeme [toktobuha] be bithe. Mongol (Poppe): qayan-u bicigsen barayun tobed oron-i [tubsidgen] toytayaysan kosiy-e cilayun-u bicig)^[1] is located to the west of the southern gate of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region. It was erected in 1724 AD to commemorate the Qing army's suppression of the Dzungar Rebellion and control of Xizang. The inscriptions are an imperial edict of Emperor Kangxi, the edict was written in 1720 AD (the 59th year of his reign). Starting from this edict, the term Xizang (西藏) was officially used to designate the region, the Tibetan term for Xizang is Bod, the Manchu term for Xizang is Wargi Dzang, and the Mongol term for Xizang is Töbed.^[2]

In the 57th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1718) and the 59th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1720), the Qing army entered Xizang twice to quell the Dzungar Rebellion. To commemorate this victory, in the 60th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1721), Emperor Kangxi personally wrote an inscription in Manchu, Han, Mongolian, and Tibetan languages, recording the merits of the Qing Dynasty in sending troops to quell the Mongol Dzungar invasion of Xizang.

In the second year of Emperor Yongzheng's reign (1724), the cabinet scholar E Ben (鄂贲) and others carved and erected it in front of the Potala Palace. During Emperor Qianlong's reign, a pavilion with glazed tiles on the top of the mountain was added. The stele faces the imperial stele of the Ten Perfections in the east and west. In 1965, the stele and pavilion were moved to Longwangtan Park together with the imperial stele of the Ten Perfections and the pavilion. In 1990, the two steles and pavilion were moved back to the south gate of the Potala Palace.

The Imperial Stele Inscriptions of the Pacification of Tibet is well preserved. The shape of the stele is exactly the same as that of the imperial stele of the Qing Dynasty in the mainland. This stele has a square forehead with a dragon head, which is 1.13 meters wide, 1 meter high and 0.42 meters thick. The two characters "imperial construction" are engraved in seal script on the right side of the front of the stele, and 4 columns of Tibetan characters are engraved on the left side of the front; a vertical line of Mongolian characters is engraved on the right side of the back of the stele, and a vertical line of Manchu characters is engraved on the left side of the back. There are 15 vertical lines of small regular script Chinese characters engraved on the right side of the front of the stele, and 46 columns of printed Tibetan characters are engraved on the left side of the front; there are 15 vertical lines of Mongolian characters engraved on the right side of the back, and 15 vertical lines of Manchu characters engraved on the left side of the back. The stele is 1.05 meters wide, 1.84 meters high and 0.35 meters thick. There are 0.16-meter-wide cloud-band pattern frames engraved on the top, bottom, left and right of the front and back of the stele. The stele base is a stacked square base, divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. The upper step is 1.23 meters wide, 0.45 meters high, and 0.54 meters thick, with sea water, sun, and cloud patterns carved on the front and back; the middle step is 1.44 meters wide, 0.25 meters high, and 1.47 meters long; the lower step exposed to the ground is 2 meters wide, 0.2 meters high, and 2 meters long. The total height of the stone tablet is 3.74 meters, with a tortoise-shaped base and a pavilion built to protect it.

After Emperor Kangxi wrote the Imperial Monument to the Pacification of Xizang, the term Xizang officially appeared, replacing terms Tubo (Tibetan Empire) used since the Tang and Song dynasties, and Kokham (朵甘), Ü-Tsang (乌思藏), and Ali Sankor (阿里三廓, "Nari Sugulusun" in the Yuan and Ming dynasties) in China. ^[3]

In 1996, the Imperial Stele for the Pacification of Xizang was listed as a cultural relic protection site in the Xizang Autonomous Region.

According to the Records of the Kangxi Reign, Volume 293, in September of the 60th year of the Kangxi reign:^[4]

The Mongolian king, Beile, Beizi, Gong, Taiji, and Tubo chieftains reported that Xizang had been pacified and requested that a monument be built in Zhaodi (招地) to commemorate the great feat and pass it down to future generations. The emperor agreed to the request. The imperial inscription reads:

In the past, in the seventh year of Emperor Taizong Wen’s Chongde reign, the Panchen Erdeni, the Dalai Lama, and Güshi Khan said that a saint had emerged in the East, so they sent envoys from unreachable areas, through enemy countries, and after several years, they finally arrived in Shengjing. Eighty years have passed since then, and they have been doing good deeds together and have become donors, and the country has been quite peaceful. After the death of the Dalai Lama, the Diba hid and did not report it for sixteen years, and acted arbitrarily. Lazang destroyed it and revived its Dharma, so it agreed to the common request of the people of Lazang and Qinghai. In the meantime, Tsewang Arabtan created trouble and mobilized the people of Dzungar. He acted treacherously, destroyed the Dalai Lama, abolished the stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama, insulted the Panchen Lama, destroyed temples, killed lamas, and claimed to promote Dharma but actually destroyed it, and wanted to steal the Tubo Kingdom. I appointed my son as the general because his actions were illegal. I also sent my descendants to mobilize Manchuria, Mongolia, and Green Banner soldiers, each numbering tens of thousands. They traveled through the smoky and malaria-ridden areas, and the soldiers and horses arrived safely. The bandits attacked our camp three times at night, but our soldiers fought hard to kill them, and the bandits were all frightened and fled far away. Without firing a single arrow, we pacified Xizang and revived the Dharma. We bestowed upon the present Khubi'er Khan the seal of the emperor, and named him the 6th Dalai Lama. We settled him on the meditation bed, and pacified the monks and laymen of Tubo, so that they could resume their livelihoods. Therefore, the civil and military officials all said that the king's army had gone west to fight through the malaria-ridden and dangerous areas, and had achieved extraordinary feats in less than half a year, which was unprecedented in history. The Mongolian tribes and Tubo chiefs also jointly said: The emperor is brave and powerful, surpassing all previous generations. The heavenly army has come, the evil spirits have been swept away, and the Dharma that Mongolia has always respected has been revived. The people of the Kanma, Tibetan, and Wei tribes have all been able to escape from the flames and live in peace in a happy land. Such great virtues and great deeds cannot be fully praised by me. Please grant me an imperial inscription, engraved on the stele, to be passed down forever. What have I done, yet the people keep asking for it. I will record this inscription and erect it on a stone in Xizang. Let the Chinese and foreigners know the sincerity of the three dynasties of the Dalai Lama and the intention of the tribes to worship the Dharma for generations. I am doing this to eliminate the rebellion, pacify the people, and promote the religion.

• Thirteen Articles for the Settlement of Qinghai Affairs