In an effort to annex Tibet, China invaded and has occupied it for the last fifty years. Throughout its occupation of Tibet, China has used its political and military power to rid Tibet of its religious culture. The case of China in Tibet exemplifies that sometimes religious persecution is not simply a persecution of a group of people because of their faith. China's persecution of the Tibetan Buddhists is not driven by religious motives but by a realization that weakening the Tibet' religious culture would undermine their strength to defend themselves. One of China's motivation for destroying Tibet's religious culture was to assimilate the Tibetans to the more technologically advanced, modernized culture of China. It can also be interpreted that the destruction of Tibet's religious culture is the result of war.

According to Premier Zhou Enlai: "The Chinese are greater in number and more developed in economy and culture but in the regions they inhabit there is not much arable land left and underground resources are not as abundant as in the regions inhabited by fraternal nationalities." [22] China's intent to annex Tibet is to benefit from their agricultural and natural resources. Most of Tibet's agricultural production has been exported to China. Furthermore, China has also exploited Tibet's natural resources. "Deposits of uranium in the hills around Lhasa are said to be the largest in the world. Tibet is also rich in gold, copper, zinc, lithium, and other minerals." [23] By annexing Tibet, China profits from Tibet's extensive resources.

China's policy of re-education in Tibet bans any religious studies in schools. In secular countries such as the United States, banning religious studies in schools is not uncommon. However, most Tibetans' lives have evolved around religion and religious studies play a major role in their lives. Moreover, a large number of Tibetans have been forced to attend schools in China. Those Tibetans forced to live in China were cut-off from their own Tibetan culture and heritage. This is one way in which China is attempting to make the younger Tibetan generation adopt Chinese culture. China has also made Chinese the official language in Tibet. This is further evidence of China's aim at annexing Tibet.

Over 6,000 monasteries Tibet have been destroyed since China invaded the country. Monasteries are the religious centers of Tibet, and they also house the schools and universities. Nuns and monks live in and study Buddhism in these monasteries. Not only has the destruction of monasteries left many nuns and monks homeless, it has also caused a major disruption in the educational system of Tibet.

"In the administration of monasteries, the Chinese authorities have attempted to destroy the relationship between monastic institutions and the community - a relationship which is central to Tibetan society. The idea of religion and nationhood is so connected that an erosion of Buddhism leads to an erosion of the Tibetans' sense of identity." [24]

The destruction of the monasteries inevitably hinders Tibetans in the practice of their faith. The Tibetan people are among the most religious people in the world, and their religion is a significant part of their everyday life. Therefore, the destruction of monasteries has severely damaged Tibet's religious culture.