ABSTRACT
In 1950 Radio Peking announced in a New Year's broadcast that the People's Liberation Army's tasks for the coming year would include the 'liberation' of Tibet, Hainan Island, and Formosa. The war between China and Japan had ended. The communists had defeated the Guomindang, and driven by the new political, social, and military agendas they were ready to move outward. By May 1950, Chinese troops had begun to assemble on the banks of the upper Yangtze River, on Tibet's eastern border. The Tibetan government sought help from the United States, India, and Great Britain, but after receiving none, it reluctantly sent delegates to Beijing to try to negotiate with the Chinese. By September 1951 Chinese troops and officials began to appear in Lhasa. The Chinese also established a radio station and set up a loudspeaker in the Barkhor, the central market area, so we could listen to the broadcasts every day.
