The Battle of Dartsedo was fought on January 28, 1701 between the Qing and Tibetan armies over the control of the strategic border town of Dartsedo. The town of Dartsedo was an important trade center between

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

and

China proper China proper, Inner China, or the Eighteen Provinces is a term used by some Western writers in reference to the "core" regions of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China. This term is used to express a distinction between the "core" regions pop ...

, and for centuries its importance lay on the tea-horse trade.Yingcong 2009, p. 57 Sino-Tibetan trade in Dartsedo continued to expand as the demand for Chinese products in Tibet grew. The Tibetan interest in Dartsedo led to a growing official presence in the town and taking advantage of the anarchy that created after the fall of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, the Tibetans took control of the town and stationed a garrison and officials in it.Yingcong 2009, p. 57 After the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

had consolidated its hold on China the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...

maned official displays of his sovereignty over Dartsedo but he allowed the Tibetans to maintain ''de facto'' control of the town.Yingcong 2009, p. 58 Tensions began to grow in 1698, when the Chinese General

Yue Shenglong Yue or Yueh ( ) may refer to: Places * Guangdong, abbreviated (), a province of China * Yue Nan (), the Chinese name for Vietnam * Zhejiang, commonly abbreviated (), a province of China Languages * Yue Chinese, a branch of Chinese, spoken ...

began a military buildup in the town of Muya, west of Dartsedo. General Yue had warned to the court the importance of Dartsedo giving the fact that it occupied an important position in the road between

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

and

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhasa ...

he recommended its capture.Yingcong 2009, p. 58 The next year Changcejilie, the Tibetan official responsible for the area, countered Yue's move by sending thousand of soldiers to cover the route between

Yazhou Yazhou () is a county-level district under the jurisdiction of the city of Sanya Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China. Accordin ...

and Dartsedo. Yue's aggressive stance had been opposed by the Governor of Sichuan, Yu Yangzhi, and both officials were suspended by the Emperor after an inquiry that found them guilty of illicit enrichment.Yingcong 2009, p. 59 Yue successor, Tang Xishun, put Xierda in charge of military operations in Sichuan.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 Xierda petitioned the Emperor to put Changcejilie under arrest for the murder of a local chief, and he recommended the transfer of the garrison of Hualin to Dartsedo.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 The Emperor agreed to Xierda's recommendations and in an edict addressed to the Tibetan regent,

Desi Sangye Gyatso Desi Sangye Gyatso (1653–1705) was the sixth regent (''desi'') of the 5th Dalai Lama (1617–1682) in the Ganden Phodrang government. He founded the School of Medicine and Astrology called Men-Tsee-Khang on Chagpori (Iron Mountain) in 1694 an ...

, he clearly claimed sovereignty over Dartsedo and demanded its surrender to the Qing forces as well as Changcejilie's delivery.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 The Tibetans resisted the Qing garrison of Hualin and killed the soldiers who were paving a road and pulled down bridges to try to slow down their advance.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 The Emperor resolved to solve the problem with war and sent 2000

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) an ...

Bannermen Bannerman is a name of Scottish origin (see Clan Bannerman) and may refer to Places ;Canada * Bannerman, Edmonton, a neighbourhood in Edmonton, Canada ;United States * Bannerman, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community * Bannerman's Castle, an a ...

from

Jingzhou Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...

, in

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...

.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 The Manchus attacked Dartsedo on January 28, striking at the town from 3 different directions.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 Tibetan resistance was overpowered and the Qing force soon had control of the town. The defeat of the Tibetan garrison was followed by a slaughter of almost all of the Tibetan men in Dartsedo.Yingcong 2009, p. 61 Later in 1720 Tibet became ruled by the Qing after the Chinese expedition to Tibet of that year.

References

Sources

* {{Tibet topics 1701 in China Dartsedo Dartsedo Dartsedo 1701 in Asia 18th century in Tibet