Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
ང་ཕོད་ངག་དབང་འཇིགས་མེད་ 阿沛·阿旺晋美
Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office 15 March 1993 – 23 December 2009
Chairman	Li Ruihuan→Jia Qinglin
In office 9 October 1959 – 21 December 1964
Chairman	Zhou Enlai
Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress
In office February 1983 – January 1993
Preceded by	Yang Dongsheng
Succeeded by	Raidi
In office August 1979 – April 1981
Preceded by	new position
Succeeded by	Yang Dongsheng
Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region
In office 1964–1968
Preceded by	Choekyi Gyaltsen
Succeeded by	Zeng Yongya
In office 1981–1983
Preceded by	Sanggyai Yexe
Succeeded by	Doje Cedain
Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress
In office 4 January 1965 – 15 March 1993
Chairman	Zhu De→Ye Jianying→Peng Zhen→Wan Li
Delegate to the National People's Congress
In office September 1954 – December 1964
Chairman	Liu Shaoqi→Zhu De
Kalön of Tibet
In office 1950–1959 Serving with Thupten Kunkhen (until 1951), Kashopa Chogyal Nyima (1945–1949), Lhalu Tsewang Dorje (1946–1952), Dogan Penjor Rabgye (1949–1957), Khyenrab Wangchug (1951–1956), Liushar Thubten Tharpa (since 1955), Sampho Tsewang Rigzin (since 1957), and Surkhang Wangchen Gelek
Monarch	14th Dalai Lama
Governor of Domai
In office August 1950 – October 1950
Monarch	14th Dalai Lama
Preceded by	Lhalu Tsewang Dorje
Succeeded by	title abolished
Personal details
Born	(1910-02-01)February 1, 1910 Lhasa, Tibet, Qing Empire
Died	December 23, 2009(2009-12-23) (aged 99) Beijing, People's Republic of China
Spouse	Ngapoi Cedain Zhoigar
Awards	Order of Liberation (First Class Medal)
Military service
Allegiance	Tibet  People's Republic of China
Branch/service	Tibetan Army  People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Rank	Lieutenant General of the PLA
Commands	Deputy Commander, PLA Tibet Military District Kalön (minister), Kashag Commander-in-chief, Tibetan Army in Chamdo
Battles/wars	Battle of Chamdo

Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme (Tibetan: ང་ཕོད་ངག་དབང་འཇིགས་མེད་, Wylie: Nga phod Ngag dbang 'jigs med, ZYPY: Ngapo Ngawang Jigmê, Lhasa dialect: [ŋɑ̀pø̂ː ŋɑ̀wɑŋ t͡ɕíʔmi]; Chinese: 阿沛·阿旺晋美; pinyin: Āpèi Āwàng Jìnměi; February 1, 1910 – December 23, 2009) was an important Tibetan official. He held many military and political jobs in Tibet both before and after 1951. In English, he is often called Ngapo.

Early Life and Education

Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme was born in Karma Gorge near Lhasa, Tibet. His family was a leading noble family, connected to former kings of Tibet. His father was a governor and military leader in Eastern Tibet.

Ngapoi studied traditional Tibetan literature. Later, he went to Britain for more education. He was married to Ngapoi Cedain Zhoigar, who was a leader in the Tibetan Women's Federation.

Career and Key Roles

After returning from his studies in Britain in 1932, Ngapoi served in the Tibetan army. He started his career as a local official in Chamdo in 1936. As a member of Tibet's government under the Dalai Lama, he supported making reforms. In April 1950, he became the governor-general of Chamdo.

Commander of the Tibetan Army

While serving as governor-general of Chamdo, Ngapoi also became the leader of the Tibetan Army. He believed it was better to talk things out than to fight. He thought the Tibetan forces were not strong enough to stop the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

In October 1950, his forces met the People's Liberation Army. The battle ended quickly. Ngapoi surrendered Chamdo to the Chinese. The PLA treated him well and taught him about China's policies. Within a year, he became a deputy commander for the PLA in Tibet. He became a leader in Tibet and also within the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet.

Tsipon Ngapoi is pictured 2nd from left at Dekyi Lingka in Lhasa, Tibet

Leading Peace Talks in Beijing

Ngapoi (right) offers a khata to Mao Zedong (left) as a delegate to the Beijing peace negotiations, 1951

In 1951, Ngapoi led the Tibetan group sent to talk with the Chinese government in Beijing. There, he signed the Seventeen Point Agreement. This agreement accepted Chinese rule over Tibet. In return, it promised Tibet would have some self-rule and religious freedom.

Some people, especially those in the Tibetan community living outside Tibet, have questioned if his signature was truly valid. They say he was forced to sign. They also claim that as only the governor of Chamdo, he did not have the power to sign such an important agreement for all of Tibet.

However, others, including one of the Tibetan negotiators named Sambo Rimshi, said that the 14th Dalai Lama had given the group permission to go to Beijing and make decisions. Sambo recalled that the Dalai Lama told them to use their best judgment. Historians like Tom A. Grunfeld and Melvyn C. Goldstein also believe the Dalai Lama later approved the agreement.

In 1959, after leaving Tibet, the Dalai Lama said that the "17-point Agreement" was forced upon Tibet.

April 1951, Ngapoi (front left) in Chongqing with Deng Xiaoping (front right)

Supporting Reforms in Tibet

Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme was one of a few Tibetan leaders who wanted to modernize Tibet. He saw the return of the Chinese as a chance to make changes. He was similar to earlier reformers who wanted to improve Tibet but were stopped by conservative leaders.

Lieutenant General Ngapoi photographed in his People's Liberation Army uniform in 1955

Ngapoi was trusted by both the Chinese and the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, who also wanted reforms, often talked privately with Ngapoi about political matters. Because of this trust, Ngapoi helped create new laws in 1953–1954. These laws changed things like interest rates and how counties were managed.

Later Political Roles

After 1951, Ngapoi continued his career within the Chinese government in Tibet. He was a leader of the Liberation Committee of Chamdo Prefecture until 1959. He also served on important national committees in China.

He was a Deputy Commander of the Tibet Military District from 1952 to 1977. In 1955, he was made a lieutenant general and received an award called the "Order of Liberation."

Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme at the First Session of the PRC's 1st National People's Congress

Establishing the Tibet Autonomous Region

In 1956, a committee was set up to prepare for the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme was made its secretary general. In 1959, he became the vice-president of this committee.

Ngapoi and Zhou Enlai in the 1950s

Later, in 1965, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme became the chairman of the People's Committee of the newly formed Tibet Autonomous Region.

National People's Congress

He represented Tibet in China's main law-making body, the National People's Congress. He served as a Vice Chairman of its Standing Committee from 1954 to 1988. He also led groups from the National People's Congress to other countries in the 1980s.

From 1979 to 1993, he was the Chairman of the National People's Congress Ethnic Affairs Committee.

Other Important Positions

Ngapoi was an honorary president of the Buddhist Association of China starting in 1980. He also became an honorary president of the Tibetan Wildlife Protection Association, which helps protect animals in Tibet. In 2004, he became president of the China Association for the Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture.

Death and Legacy

Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme passed away on December 23, 2009, in Beijing. He was 99 years old. His funeral was held a few days later.

Mao Zedong and guest Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme at a banquet after signing the 17-point Agreement, 1951

The Chinese Communist Party called him "a great patriot" and a "good son of Tibetan people." Many top Chinese leaders attended his funeral.

The Tibetan government in exile, led by Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, also spoke kindly of him. They called him an "honest and patriotic" person who worked hard to keep the Tibetan language alive.

A journalist named Kalsang Rinchen noted that both China and the Tibetan government in exile seemed sad about his death. This shows how important Ngapoi was to both sides. Phuntsok Tashi, who was an interpreter during the 1951 peace talks, described Ngapoi as "an honest, clever, intelligent, experienced and far-seeing man."

Depiction in Film

In the 1997 movie Seven Years in Tibet, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme is played by actor BD Wong. The movie shows him as someone who helped cause the defeat of the Tibetan army at Chamdo.

Phuntsok Tashi Takla, Zhandong Jinjimei and Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme