In 1950, Tibet was a peaceful kingdom isolated from the rest of the world in the heart of the Himalayas. Its citizens led simple lives and the kingdom was guided by the spiritual authority of the Dalai Lama, the foremost Buddhist spiritual authority of the Gelug Mahayana school. However, its strategic location, which gave it control over many of China's most important river basins, made it the target of a violent invasion by the Chinese Communist army, which made the formal excuse that it wanted to 'liberate' Tibet from the rule of Tibetan monks.

The People's Republic of China, then led by Mao, declared that it wanted to destroy the feudal organisation of Tibet and modernise the kingdom. In October 1950, a Chinese army of about 40,000 men crossed the border into Tibet, advancing towards the town of Chamdo, located near the Dricho River. The Tibetan army could only count on 8,000 men, who were ill-equipped and poorly trained. The Tibetan forces were soon routed and forced to surrender by the Chinese who rapidly advanced into the country. Tibet was annexed to China.

After years of occupation, the first great popular uprising broke out in 1959 in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The uprising was harshly suppressed and the Dalai Lama, in order to avoid capture, was forced to leave his home country and undertake a perilous journey across the Himalayan mountains to India to seek political asylum. With him, tens of thousands of Tibetans chose exile instead of witnessing the humiliating destruction of their country. Most of them settled in Dharamsala, North India, where Tibetan culture continued to survive and develop during the exile.

Meanwhile, in Tibet, the Chinese authorities began the progressive and methodical destruction of every monastery and testimony of Tibetan culture, especially during the Cultural Revolution. Despite the drama of the situation, the Tibetan people, under the enlightened leadership of the Dalai Lama, continue their peaceful resistance and dream of one day being able to see their land liberated once again.