Not all Chinese are cruel to Tibetans. For much of history,
since the T'ang Dynasty, China and Tibet have been peaceful
neighbors and even allies at times. Buddhism has played a big role
in this. The prevailing belief during the Q'ing Dynasty in the
region was the Three Bodhisattvas theory where the Emperor of China
was Manjusri Bodhisattva of wisdom, the Dalai Lama of Tibet was
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva of Compassion, and the King of Nepal
was Vajrapani Bodhisattva or Enlightened Power.
Today many Chinese have a reverent view of Tibet and His
Holiness the Dalai Lama as a modern expression of these old
traditions.
This all changed in the modern era with the introduction of
three Western concepts - Colonialism, Nationalism, and Materialism
(of which Communism is an out growth). These concepts rationalised
the aggressive relocation of population from one country to
another, the enforced centralisation of control by elites over a
geographic area, and replacing of profound spiritual traditions
with superficial focus on the material pleasures of a single life.
These were combined with bad Chinese cultural habits such as
Imperialism, Feudalism, and Nepotism to create a very painful
situation for the ordinary Chinese people themselves, and they take
out their pain on the Tibetans who are less powerful.
There are many other positive modern concepts, such as science,
human rights, ecology and democracy, that have developed in the
West specifically to protect ordinary people against these
degenerate attitudes.
China could find a wonderful new way forward that blends the
best of the traditional wisdom of the East with the best modern
Western institutions to relieve their own suffering and by
extension, the suffering of the Tibetans.