Serfdom in Tibet controversy

Disagreement exists about the extent and nature of serfdom in Tibet before the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1951. The debate has a political dimension. The Chinese government asserts that Tibetan culture, government, and society were feudal in nature before the PRC takeover of Tibet, and this only changed due to PRC policy in the region. Tibetan independence supporters argue that this is a misrepresentation of history, created as a political tool to justify the sinicization of Tibet.

Despite the debate about the intention of Chinese descriptions of pre-PRC Tibet, the Tibetan class system had divided the population hierarchically into laity (mi ser), noble laity (sger pa) and monks, with further subdivisions within the laity. A caste of untouchables known as ragyabpa performed work considered unclean, including fishing, metalworking, and prostitution.

The Chinese government portrays Tibet from 1912 to 1951 as a feudal society, with 95 percent of Tibetans under serfdom, and the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas as slave owners, citing cases of abuse and cruelty which are allegedly inherent to the traditional Tibetan system.