Tibetan Uprising Day is still celebrated among some Tibetan exiles, though officially forbidden by China, as the beginning of the stirrings of revolution. A revolt shook the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, thousands of residents leaving the homes to protest Chinese communist rule. They knew it would would also be just a matter of time before the Chinese cracked down in force, so they made defensive preparations — weapons and barricades — as well as an important political move. They sent away their spiritual leader.

On this day, March 31, in 1959 the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, crossed over into India to establish a government in exile. The Tibetan uprising was predictably crushed by China, but the Tibetan spirit, embodied by the Dalai Lama, continues to live on.

The Dalai Lama has since become a worldwide peace activist. He proposed a joint Chinese-Tibetan government for his homeland (which was rejected by the government-in-exile), and continued talks with the People’s Republic. He also also participated in interfaith dialogues with Pope Paul VI and his successor John Paul II, as well as with Jewish leaders. He hopes to one day return to his native country, though not, as China would have it “As a Chinese citizen.”