"For reference:
http://www.wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2009/03/pabongka-rin...
"As a matter of fact, freedom of religious belief is one of the basic
rights endowed to the Chinese citizens by the Chinese Constitution.
Article 36 of the Constitution says, "Citizens of the People's
Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ,
public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in,
or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against
citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion. The
state
protects normal religious activities. No one may make use of religion
to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health
of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state.
Religious bodies and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign
domination."

In addition to the Constitution, other Chinese laws, including the
Criminal Law, the Civil Code, the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy,
the
Military Service Law, the Law on Compulsory Education, the Law on
Education, the Electoral Law for the National People's Congress and
the Local People's Congresses, the Organic Law of Village Committees,
the Labor Law and the Law on Advertising all stipulate that citizens'
freedom of religious belief is protected and public organizations and
individuals should not discriminate against citizens who believe in
or
do not believe in any religion.

But one thing should be clarified. Freedom of religious belief does
not mean religious activities are also free from government
regulation
or legal obligations. To believe in a religion or not is a personal
issue and a free choice, but religious activities, which might affect
other people, must be bound by law.

To protect citizens' freedom of religious belief, maintain social
harmony and regulate religious affairs, the State Council issued the
Regulations on Religious Affairs in 2004. Article 2 of the
Regulations
says that no organization or individual may compel citizens to
believe
in or not to believe in any religion. Nor may they discriminate
against citizens who believe in any religion or citizens who do not
believe in any religion.

Religious citizens and non-religious citizens shall respect each
other
and co-exist in harmony, and so shall citizens who believe in
different religions.

The provisions concerning protection of citizens' freedom of
religious
belief in the Constitution and the laws have been implemented in
earnest in Tibet. Tibet now has more than 1,780 religious sites,
about
46,000 monks and nuns, four mosques and one Catholic church.
Religious
groups co-exist harmoniously and their religious activities are held
in an orderly manner in Tibet.

Without genuine freedom of religious belief, this would be
impossible......

The old regime didn't benefit Tibet. Instead, it impeded Tibet's
social development. According to the Tibetan Annals written in the
Qing Dynasty, Tibet had a total population of 1.3 million in 1737.
During the following 200 years, Tibet's population didn't increase.
Instead, it declined to 1 million in 1951.

Its economic situation was even worse. In 1951, Tibet was still a
feudal serfdom with no modern industries and education. What the
situation would be if the old system were restored in Tibet in which
one tenth of the population were monks and nuns? By 2007, Tibet
recorded a population of 2.83 million. If 280,000 people were monks
or
nuns and did not work, the pressure on laymen to support them would
be
crippling.
Education is the foundation for social development. Article 2 of the
Law on Compulsory Education says, "Compulsory education is the
education which is implemented uniformly by the state and shall be
received by all school-age children and adolescents. It is a public
welfare cause that shall be guaranteed by the state."

Article 4 says, "All children and adolescents who have the
nationality
of the People's Republic of China and have reached the school age
shall have equal right and have the obligation to receive compulsory
education, regardless of gender, nationality, race, status of family
property, religion, belief, etc."
And Article 5 stipulates, "The people's governments at all levels and
their relevant departments shall perform all functions as described
by
this Law and shall ensure the right to compulsory education of all
school-age children and adolescents. The parents or other statutory
guardians of school-age children and adolescents shall ensure that
school-age children and adolescents go to school to receive and
complete compulsory education."