Why Tibet Matters
Tibet has a long-standing connection to Britain. Prior to the Chinese invasion in 1949-50, Britain was the only country to formally recognize Tibet as an independent nation. British representatives were stationed in Lhasa from 1904 to 1947 to liaise with the Tibetan government. In 1949 the newly-victorious leader of the China Communist Party Mao Zedong announced, over the radio waves, his intention to "liberate" Tibet from this "foreign imperialism."
Over the past 60 years, Tibet has been anything but "liberated" by the Chinese Communist Party.
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/11426-focus-why-tibet-matters
I have a big interest in Tibet, as do some of you here. I was really hoping while I was there last year that in addition to seeing the Forbidden City and Great Wall (which I never got to do), I could somehow travel further southwest to see something in Tibet. Maybe next year.