In 1954, the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama traveled to Beijing to meet with Mao and to attend the 1st National People’s Congress as delegates in order to discuss China’s constitution. This ceramic plaque, painted in a photorealistic style and based on an iconic photograph, celebrates this meeting and projects an image of harmony amongst the three leaders. However, the work glosses over the hostility and tension between China and Tibet, which had been under Chinese control since the Qing dynasty. Under the PRC, it was designated as an autonomous region of the country but sought independence from the PRC. In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India following a failed Tibetan uprising, while Chinese officials branded him as a traitor.
