Dharamshala — Chinese authorities forcefully shutdown a Tibetan School named Gangjong Ancient and Modern Sherig School on Wednesday, which was founded by Tulku Hungkar Dorjee Rinpoche, who was murdered by Chinese police last year. Over past two years, the Chinese government has prevented enroll of new Tibetan students at the Gangjong Ancient and Modern Sherig School, due to Hungkar Dorjee Rinpoche refuse to teach ideologies of the Chinese Communist Party.
Gangjong Ancient and Modern Sherig School (གངས་ལྗོངས་གནའ་དེང་ཤེས་རིག་སློབ་གླིང་།) was established on July 6, 2008 by Tulku Hungkar Dorjee Rinpoche. It taught Tibetan language and Tibetan culture, in addition to offering courses in English, painting, thangka, calligraphy, and other traditional Tibetan arts. Which is located near LungNgon Monastery (ལུང་སྔོན་དགོན་པ), Gage County (དགའ་བདེ།), Golog region, Eastern Tibet.
According to a reliable source, about two years ago, the Chinese government warned that if the “Gangjong Ancient and Modern Sherig school" does not teach courses related to Chinese Communist ideology, it will be shut down. When Tulku Hungkar Dorjee Rinpoche refused to agree to teach courses related to the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party, the government began preventing the enrollment of new students. Recently, after the school’s last 30 students had completed their studies and the Chinese government shut down the school, on June 24,2026.
Students and alumni of the “Gangjong Ancient and Modern Sherig school" have expressed their sadness, helplessness, and anger on their social media accounts following the closure of their school and the assassination of its founder and teacher, Tulku Hungkar Dorjee Rinpoche.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje was a Tibetan spiritual master, scholar, writer, translator, artist and humanitarian. He studied in Tibet, India, China and USA. He set up library, school and hospital in Tibet. He has also visited the United States, Canada, Vietnam, Russia, China and other countries. He was also the author of more than 20 books on Buddhist philosophy, including The Empty Session of the Middle Way and An Excellent Explanation of the Perfect Human Nature, among many others.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche disappeared in September 2024, after Chinese authorities from the Qinghai Provincial Police Department interrogated him about his composition of a long-life prayer for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and accused him of failing to implement Chinese government education policies in his Golok schools. At the end of September 2024 , he fled to Vietnam and lived there until March 25, 2025, under difficult circumstances. Sadly, Rinpoche died on March 29, 2025 in Vietnam, after being arrested by Vietnamese police and Chinese agents on March 25, 2025.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje born in 1969 in the Golok region to Terchen Lama Padma Tumtrag Dorjee (father) and Kaza Dugkar Dolma (Mother), he was recognized at a young age as the reincarnation of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. He studied under the guidance of his father, Terchen Lama Padma Tumtrag Dorjee, and received teachings from many great masters. In 1989, he traveled to India, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama personally ordained him as a fully ordained monk and bestowed upon him numerous empowerments, including the Kalachakra initiation.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje pursued extensive studies at Drepung Gomang Monastery in South India, later continuing his education at Drepung Monastery in Tibet. His scholarship extended beyond the monastic tradition, as he studied at institutions such as the American International Language University (USA), the Chinese Tibetan Buddhist College (China), and Beijing University's Philosophy Department (China).
The Chinese government has forcibly shut down the Tibetan schools founded by lamas, scholars, and Tibetans recent years. The PRC shut down the Gangjong Sherig Nobu School in 2024, the Sengdruk Taktse Middle School in 2021, the Gaden Rabten Namgyal Ling school at Drago Monastery in 2021, Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery in 2024, etc.
