Sampho Tsewang Rigzin (1904–1973) was a

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

politician who served as a Kalön of the

Kashag The Kashag (; ), was the governing council of Tibet during the rule of the Qing dynasty and post-Qing period until the 1950s. It was created in 1721, and set by Qianlong Emperor in 1751 for the Ganden Phodrang in the 13-Article Ordinance for ...

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 Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. T ...

. A native of Lhasa, he received

homeschooling Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

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 so ...

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 his ...

, he joined the

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

and the People's Liberation Army. In 1952 he became a member of the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

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 Provinces of China, province-level Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China in Southwest China. I ...

and in the following year he was appointed as a Kalön of the

, 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, he was attacked by Tibetan dissidents while driving near

Norbulingka Norbulingka ( bo, ནོར་བུ་གླིང་ཀ་; Wylie: ''Nor-bu-gling-ka''; ; literally "Jeweled Park") is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet, built from 1755.Tibet (1986), p.71 It served as the traditional summer resid ...

, 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 goal ...

, 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 Denunciation rallies, also called struggle sessions, were violent public spectacles in Maoist China where people accused of being "Five Black Categories, class enemies" were public humiliation, publicly humiliated, accused, beaten and tortured by ...

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