The Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) issued numerous imperial edicts regarding Tibetan affairs, so which one is the earliest?

On Jul. 1 the Tibet Museum provided the answer: an edict issued by the Qing Emperor Hong Taiji (1592-1643 A.D.) urging the Sakya Hierarch to meet him in Beijing.

The edict debuted at the exhibition themed "Witness to history: Relationship history between Tibet region and the motherland" on Jul. 1.

An imperial edict was the command or speech of an Emperor in China’s old feudal society.

This particular edict was written both in Manchu and Tibetan on a piece of silk that measures 124 centimetres long and 41centimetres wide.

The edict, completed in 1643, is a reply from Emperor Hong Taiji to the Sakya Hierarch, in which emperor dispatched envoys to invite the Sakya Hierarch to come to Beijing for a meeting and receive gifts, said He Xiaodong, a researcher in Tibet Museum.

The edict is sealed with the Manchu words "Emperor’s Treasure", which was created by Hong Taiji, and its dates and names are entirely consistent with historical records.

According to He Xiaodong, this cultural relic is of great importance in the study of relationship history between the Qing Dynasty and Tibet region.

The exhibition also shows for the first time the imperial edict issued by Ming Emperor Hongwu (1368-1398) in which the emperor granted the chief of Gyemen Wanhu(communities of 10,000 households each) to Dondrup Gyaltsen in 1379(the 12th year of Hongwu Period).

At the same time, relevant central authorities examined and made notes of this case.

In addition to the above pieces, the painting given by the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) as a gift to the 13th Dalai Lama was also put on display for the first time.

Meanwhile, nearly 200 pieces of cultural relics from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were exhibited.

All items together unfolded thousands of years of Tibetan history and revealed the historical facts that the Tibetan region has throughout been indubitably under the jurisdiction of China’s Central Government.

At the exhibition opening ceremony, Tamdrin, deputy curator of Tibet Museum, said that because this year is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous region, the exhibition aims to promote the heritage of Chinese traditional culture while strengthening protection of cultural relics; "Let history talk, bring the heritage to life".