What is "basang"

Basang or Pasang (; ; born March 1937) is a retired Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. A former slave, she joined the People's Liberation Army and rose to prominence during the Cultural Revolution, when she became Vice-Chairwoman of the Revolutionary Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). She was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for 14 years and was the only woman leader in the TAR government from 1979 to 2002.