Liangzhou Parley, in its four episodes respectively titled The Hero, The Wise, The Parley and Unification, uses historical moments and evidences to present the context, progresses and far-reaching impacts of the peace talk between Sakya Pandita and Godan in Liangzhou (today’s Wuwei, Gansu Province). The documentary helps the public understand that Tibet is an inseparable part of China, the formation and development of a multinational China, the great contributions of Chinese ethnic groups to the country.
Episode 1 The Hero
On a peaceful afternoon, Godan - a Mongol prince commanding a garrison, in a strategic town along the Hexi Corridor -received an emergency communication delivered by hand from the Tibetan Plateau.
The message was from his general Dorta Napo.
It said that his 3,000 cavalrymen, had arrived in Lhasa as he had instructed. Dorta asked, “It’s a quite different place. Shall I settle down or launch an attack?”
Godan became lost in thought. The aggressive Mongol Empire was destined to end the existing turmoil and rule the whole world. In just a few decades, horsemen from the Mongolian Steppe had flooded most of Eurasia. The Tibetan Plateau, towering though it was, would be no exception.
But, was war the only option? Godan, always a resolute man, hesitated. Was there, perhaps, a better way?
Presented by Gansu Ethnic Affair Commission
Co-Presented by the Publicity Department of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee, United Front Work Department of Gansu Provincial Party Committee and Gansu Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television Bureau