Tibet During Dynasty

In 1818, the regent requested, through the amban, that Emperor Jiaqing recognize as the reincarnation of the ninth Dalai Lama the boy that the regent found in Litang and to exempt the regent from drawing lots from the golden urn. The regent’s request was refused and the amban was criticized. On the emperor’s orders, two other boys were selected as candidates for the reincarnation, so there were three claimants to the Dalai Lama’s throne. In 1822, the three were brought to Lhasa as ordered by the emperor, and the drawing of lots from the golden urn established the Litang boy Tsultrim Gyatso (1816-37) as the 10th Dalai Lama. Tsultrim Gyatso was enthroned accordingly.
The eighth Demo Hutuktu died in 1818. The Qing court ordered the second Tsemonling Huiuk“I. who was born in Gannan (southern Gansu) and was abbot of Beijing’s Yonghe Gong, to be regent.
In 1830, amban Xing Ke, together with the 10th Dalai Lama and the regent, sent Kalon Shatra and other people to assess the number of households and residents in Tibet and the amount collected as corvee and tax from the dzongs (counties) and shikas (villages). An inventory was made and submitted to and approved by the amban and the Dalai Lama. This was the largest survey of land, corvee and taxes in Tibet conducted by the Qing court. In 1837, the 10th Dalai Lama died. The regent Tsemonling Hutuktu was responsible for searching for the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. In 1841, the drawing of lots from the golden um confirmed Khedrup Gyatso (1838-55) to be the Ilth Dalai Lama. In the same year, Tibet’s troops and people defeated Senpa invaders who were supported by Great Britain. This was another victory over foreign Invaders achieved by the Tibetan people under the guidance of the amban, following the counterattacks against the two Gurkha invasions.
During the Qing Dynasty, Tibet was ruled by the central government. On the one hand, the central government tightened its control of Tibet, reformed the region’s political system, set up new political institutions, and installed the amban, the Qing’s resident minister in Tibet, who was, responsible for handling Tibet’s affairs on behalf of the central government. On the other hand, Tibet’s system of feudal serfdom developed further, characterized by a merging of secular political and religious rule. Under this politico-religious rule, the ruling cliques of the monasteries gradually took control of all aspects of life in Tibet. The economy of the monasteries made up a large part of Tibet’s overall economy. Monastery buildings still constitute the major cultural sites from this period. Some buildings, such us the Potala palace, were built on a large scale and finally came to fruition during the Qing Dynasty, even though they were founded years before.