Chiefdom of Lithang (), or Chiefdom of Litang (), was an autonomous

Tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain ...

chiefdom that ruled Litang (present day Litang County of

Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, often shortened to Ganzi Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture in the western arm of Sichuan province, China bordering Yunnan to the south, the Tibet Autonomous Region to the west, and Gansu to the north ...

) during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

period. Lithang, Bathang, Chakla and

Derge Derge (), officially Gengqing Town (; ), is a town in Dêgê County in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan, China. It was once the center of the Kingdom of Derge in Kham. History Historically, Derge, which means "land of mercy", was ...

were called the "Four Great Native Chiefdoms in

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibet, Tibetan regions, the others being Domey also known as Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The official name of this Tibetan region/province is Dotoe (). The original residents of ...

" (康区四大土司) by the Chinese.清王朝敕封的康区土司
/ref> At first Lithang was ruled by the

Khoshut Khanate The Khoshut Khanate was a Mongols, Mongol Oirats, Oirat khanate based in the Tibetan Plateau from 1642 to 1717. Based in modern Qinghai, it was founded by Güshi Khan in 1642 after defeating the opponents of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism in ...

Lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...

s of Lithang Monastery were appointed the ''

desi Desi ( or or ; Hindustani language, Hindustani: देसी , , ) also Deshi, is a loose term used to describe the ethnic groups in South Asia, peoples, culture of South Asia, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their Sout ...

'' (governor) to govern the region. In 1719, a Chinese army under Yue Zhongqi marched to conquer Tibet, and the Lithang Lama surrendered to the Chinese. The

7th Dalai Lama The 7th Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso (, also spelled Kalzang Gyatso, Kelsang Gyatso and Kezang Gyatso; 1708–1757), was recognized as the authentic 7th Dalai Lama of Tibet. He was seen as the true incarnation of the 6th Dalai Lama, and was enthr ...

's stepfather was appointed chieftain by China; Lithang Lama was appointed the vice chieftain. In 1725, Lithang was separated from

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. From then on, it was under the jurisdiction of

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

. Lithang revolted against Qing China in 1905. However, the rebellion was soon put down by Zhao Erfeng.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lithang, Chiefdom Of Tusi History of Sichuan Kham States and territories established in 1719 States and territories disestablished in 1906