Sampho Tsewang Rigzin (1904–1973) was a Tibetan politician who served as a Kalön of the Kashag from 1957 to 1959. He was a soldier in the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

in the 1950s and was the Chinese equivalent of a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

( ''shaojiang'').

Biography

Sampho Tsewang Rigzin was born in 1905 to the Sampho noble family of the Tibetan aristocracy and inherited the title of Taiji. A native of Lhasa, he received homeschooling and local private school education before being sent to

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

to study artillery technology. He began his political career at the age of 14, assuming his first post within the Tibetan government in 1919. Following the

annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China Tibet came under the control of People's Republic of China (PRC) after the Government of Tibet signed the Seventeen Point Agreement which the 14th Dalai Lama ratified on 24 October 1951, but later repudiated on the grounds that he rendered hi ...

, he joined the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

and the People's Liberation Army. In 1952 he became a member of the board of directors for Lhasa Primary School, his first position as a member of the Communist Party. In 1956 he served in the standing committee of the

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of ...

and in the following year he was appointed as a Kalön of the Kashag, the highest office in the province. He was promoted to ''shaojiang'', the Chinese equivalent of major general, in 1958 and appointed deputy commander of the Tibetan Military Region. When the Kashag was abolished in 1959, he became Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region government. Sampho Tsewang Rigzin during Cultural Revolution

Sampho Tsewang Rigzin during Cultural Revolution

During the

1959 Tibetan uprising The 1959 Tibetan uprising (also known by #Names, other names) began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the China, People's Republic of China since the Seventeen ...

, he was attacked by Tibetan dissidents while driving near Norbulingka, resulting in serious bodily injuries. He later served as a member of the National Defense Commission and was elected to the 4th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 1965. During the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated go ...

, he was accused of "organizing an armed rebellion, maintaining illicit relations with foreign countries, and being against the ommunistParty and against the proletarian dictatorship." He was subsequently dressed in clothing traditionally worn by Tibetan aristocrats and photographed while being publicly denounced and humiliated in a struggle session in August 1966. His wife was also denounced alongside him, and forced to carry a tray containing various religious instruments while wearing heavy gold and silver pearls. He died in 1973; his wife died shortly after.

Notes

References

{{Reflist 1900s births 1973 deaths Tibetan politicians People from Lhasa Members of the 4th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Victims of the Cultural Revolution