Daughter of the Snow Mountains: From Nepalese Noble girl to Soldier of the 18th Army

​In the early 20th century, Tibet was undergoing profound social upheavals. In the city of Lhasa, a wise and beautiful Nepalese girl met a meteorologist from Qinghai, China. From then on, her fate became intertwined with the modern history of Tibet, creating a legendary story. She is my grandmother—Shanli.

Shanli was originally a noble girl from a Brahmin family in Nepal. Her father served as a tax official at the Nepalese consulate in Lhasa. In her youth, she lived a life of privilege and comfort. However, after meeting my grandfather, Cao Xu, her life took a dramatic turn.

Shanli was born in the mysterious and beautiful city of Lhasa. Her father was a Brahmin diplomat stationed at the Nepalese consulate in Lhasa, responsible for taxing and registering Nepalese merchants and pilgrims visiting the city. She was the third child in the family, and her family called her “Sanli” in Nepali, which means “third sister.”

In 1934, at the initiative of the renowned Chinese meteorologist Zhu Kezhen, the first modern meteorological observation station in Tibet—the Lhasa Weather Station—was established. In 1940, my grandfather, Cao Xu, graduated from the Meteorology Department of the National Central University in Nanjing. He was selected by Zhu Kezhen to go to Lhasa to conduct climate measurements on the Tibetan Plateau. In July of the same year, he was officially appointed as the director of the Lhasa Weather Station by the Central Meteorological Research Institute of the National Government. Cao Xu was born into a wealthy family in Qinghai  Province. At the end of 1940, he was dispatched by the National Government to Lhasa to oversee the work of the weather station, thus beginning his connection with Tibet. It was there that he met the love of his life—a Nepalese girl named Sanli.

Sanli’s father sent her to a prestigious school, hoping to raise her to be a gentle and refined lady. In addition to Nepali, she was also fluent in Tibetan. In Lhasa, her beauty and intelligence became widely known. At a gathering, she met Cao Xu. Two hearts from different lands met, grew close, and fell in love on this mysterious land. However, their cross-border love was not without challenges. Sanli’s family had reservations about the relationship, worried that the significant cultural differences would create difficulties in their married life. Faced with the opposition of Sanli’s family, Cao Xu did not back down. He worked hard to learn Tibetan, understand Nepalese culture, and eventually won the understanding and support of Sanli’s family with his sincerity and efforts. In the end, he became a Chinese son-in-law recognized by Sanli’s family. After their marriage, Cao Xu wrote her Chinese name as “Shanli,” and this name stayed with her for life.

On July 8, 1949, the Tibetan local government, under the instigation of the British “Tibet Representative” in India, Rigzin, and others, carried out the “July 8 Incident,” expelling all personnel and their families of the National Government’s Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission and other agencies stationed in Tibet. On July 20, Cao Xu and other staff members of the weather station were forced to evacuate Lhasa. They set off from Lhasa with their families, crossing the border through the Yadong Port to Gangtok, India, and then making their way to Kolkata. When leaving Lhasa, the situation was urgent. To salvage and protect the meteorological data, Cao Xu abandoned many valuable items from their home, including some of Shanli’s dowry. He said, “Things can be bought again, but if these precious meteorological data are lost, I would be guilty for eternity.” Among those items were the complete meteorological data records of the Lhasa Weather Station from its establishment in 1934 until its evacuation in 1949, spanning 15 years. Upon arriving in Kolkata, the Indian government contacted Cao Xu, attempting to buy the precious data at a high price and even offering him Indian citizenship. However, Cao Xu firmly rejected their offers. He said, “My home is in China. I have my elderly mother there, and I want to go home.” He then led his family back to Chongqing from India.

On November 30, 1949, Chongqing was liberated. On January 20, 1950, the Aviation Department of the Southwest Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) took over the former Central Meteorological Bureau office and the Chongqing Meteorological Observatory. Cao Xu resolutely handed over the complete set of precious meteorological data to the PLA and continued his meteorological research work in Chongqing. For Shanli, this long journey across mountains and rivers was her first time leaving Lhasa. She was only twenty-five years old at the time.

At that time, China was undergoing profound historical changes, and the situation in Tibet was complex and tense. By chance, Shanli learned that the PLA’s 18th Army was preparing to march into Tibet from Chongqing, aiming to liberate the Tibetan people from the feudal serfdom system and bring them a brighter future. This great liberation cause deeply moved Shanli. She believed that helping the serfs, who had lived under the oppression of the three major estate-holders for generations, to break free from their oppression and become independent and masters of their own lives, was a noble cause worth dedicating herself to. From a religious perspective, it was also a meritorious deed. With firm conviction, Shanli went to the army recruitment office to inquire about joining the military. The military leaders told her, “Proletarians all over the world are one family. No matter which country or ethnicity you come from, as long as you are willing, you can join our ranks.” These words deeply touched Shanli, and she decisively decided to sign up and become a member of the PLA’s 18th Army.

Shanli and Cao Xu’s choices were firmly supported by each other. Together, they joined the PLA’s 18th Army and actively participated in the liberation of Tibet. Cao Xu, as a meteorological expert, provided meteorological support for the construction of the Ganzi Airport. Shanli was assigned to the 18th Army headquarters, serving as a translator (known as “Tongsi”) for Commander Zhang Guohua and Political Commissar Tan Guansan. Her role was to build a bridge of communication between the army and the Tibetan people, as well as the upper-class nobility. Though seemingly ordinary, this role was crucial. Shanli was not only fluent in Tibetan but also had a deep understanding of Tibetan culture and society, making her an indispensable link within the 18th Army. Her responsibilities went beyond translation; she also undertook educational and propaganda work, introducing the PLA’s principles and the policies of the Chinese Communist Party to the Tibetan people, helping them understand the true mission of the 18th Army.

In March 1950, the 18th Army set out from Leshan, Sichuan, traveling westward through Ya’an, Kangding, and Ganzi. As the army marched from Ganzi, Shanli and her comrades began their arduous journey. They walked thousands of kilometers on foot, crossed more than ten snow-capped mountains over 4,500 meters above sea level, traversed countless rivers and ice fields, and passed through uninhabited virgin forests and dangerous swamps and grasslands. Yet, none of these challenges shook her resolve. During the long march, Shanli deeply felt the profound bond between the PLA soldiers and the Tibetan people. Everywhere they went, the PLA would exchange goods with the locals and purchase grain, always adhering to the discipline of “not taking a single needle or thread from the masses.” Shanli witnessed firsthand the scenes of the PLA and the Tibetan people striving together, and how the PLA helped them break free from serfdom, achieving liberation and becoming masters of their own destinies. All of this deeply moved her and made her better understand that the ideals proposed by the Chinese Communist Party were not just political slogans, but real actions to fight for the happiness of the Tibetan people. Shanli gradually transformed from a foreigner into a firm participant in the Tibetan liberation cause, integrating into this new big family alongside her comrades. Her heart and sense of mission became deeply connected to this land and its people.

On October 26, 1951, Commander Zhang Guohua and Political Commissar Tan Guansan led the 18th Army’s command headquarters and main forces into Lhasa. When Shanli set foot on this sacred land once again, her heart was filled with immense pride and awe. She firmly believed that everything she had done was for the liberation of the Tibetan people, to help them break free from long-standing oppression and stand up to live happy lives.

In 1955, on August 1, China and Nepal formally established diplomatic relations. The following year, on September 20, the two sides signed the China-Nepal Friendship Agreement. According to the agreement, individuals born in the Tibetan region of China to parents with Chinese and Nepalese nationalities, respectively, could choose Chinese nationality upon reaching the age of 18 and completing the necessary procedures with the Chinese government. Upon completing these procedures, they would automatically lose their Nepalese nationality. Shanli’s four sisters, their husbands, and their children chose to return to Nepal. However, Shanli decided to stay in China and applied for Chinese citizenship. Later, she was assigned to the Social Affairs Department of the Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau, where she continued to use her language skills to foster deeper communication and understanding between the government and the Tibetan people. In 1956, Shanli became one of the first students in the Tibet Cadre Training Class at the Central University for Nationalities. This was not only a recognition of her personal abilities but also an affirmation of her contributions to the Chinese revolutionary cause.

In 1959, a rebellion broke out in Tibet, and the situation suddenly became tense. Some monks and Tibetan nobles, incited by external forces, launched violent actions against the central government. The Sera Monastery, one of the three major monasteries in Lhasa, became one of the centers of the rebellion. At this critical moment, Shanli was urgently recalled from Beijing and dispatched to Sera Monastery to carry out tasks related to quelling the rebellion and maintaining stability. Facing an extremely tense and dangerous situation, Shanli did not hesitate to throw herself into this complex operation. As a translator and coordinator, she not only had to communicate with the monks and Tibetan people to eliminate misunderstandings and stabilize public sentiment but also had to assist the government in maintaining order to ensure the smooth progress of the rebellion suppression. Under extremely harsh conditions, Shanli deeply felt the responsibility and mission she bore. She was not just carrying out a military task but also contributing to the peace and stability of Tibet. Every effort and every moment of perseverance strengthened her belief—that for the long-term peace and stability of Tibet, she must fear no danger and move forward bravely.

In 1986, after retiring in Lhasa, Shanli decided to move to Nepal to reunite with her long-separated family. Although she had left the years she spent in Tibet behind, she still maintained a deep emotional connection and sense of responsibility toward Tibet. Under her influence, her large Nepalese family—over four hundred members—has always maintained profound friendship with China. Every summer, she would take her family back to Lhasa to witness the rapid development of the region. From reform and opening-up to modernization, Tibet is no longer the closed and backward place it once was but has instead regained new vitality and energy. Whenever she sees these changes, her heart is filled with contentment, and she feels that all her past choices and hard work were worthwhile. She often tells her family that she has never regretted her decisions because she witnessed and experienced the historical process of millions of Tibetan serfs moving from suffering to light and becoming masters of their own lives.

Shanli’s story transcended the boundaries of nations and cultures, forging a deep bond between her and the PLA. From a girl of a Nepalese noble family to a female soldier who dedicated her life to the Tibetan liberation cause, Shanli’s life witnessed the grandeur of that era. She not only witnessed the tremendous changes in Tibetan history but also actively participated in them, becoming an important part of that history. Her name will forever be engraved in the historical memory of the PLA’s 18th Army.