「欽差」使命：沈宗濂在西藏(1943-1946)

Abstract

In October 1943, Shen Zonglian replaced Kong Qingzong as the Director of the Mogolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission's Office in Tibet. Shen's appointment attracted the attention of political circles in Chongqing, the capital of wartime China, because he was directly appointed by Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) to take on a position that had normally been filled through nomination by the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission itself. During Shen Zonglian's residency in Tibet, the attitudes of Tibetan authorities and monastaries toward Nationalist China became positive. There are four major reasons for this attitudinal change. First, China had become one of the ”Big Four” in 1940s. Second, the Tibetan people started to doubt Britain's capacity to dominate India after having witnessed the rising of anti-British sentiment there. Third, Shen did an excellent job during his residency in Tibet. In contrast to the bureaucratic mentality and Han chauvinism of Kong Qingzong, Shen Zonglian and his team adopted a practical and flexible approach in dealing with Tibetan issues; accepted the existing relations with Tibet; and quickly earned the trust of Tibetan people. Finally, Shen Zonglian used to be on the personal staff of Jiang Jieshi and had Jiang's full trust and support, which gave Shen considerable autonomy in staffing and budgeting. Nevertheless, Shen did not made a breakthrough in solving the major Tibetan issues due to the three following reasons. First, the frontier administration under Nationalist rule was not on the right track, suffering from a poor understanding of Tibetan affairs. Second, Tibetan authorities had maintained an equal distance from China and Britain and preserved their autonomy. Third, neither China nor Britain was willing to make any compromises on questions of national interest in dealing with Tibetan issues.