The Dalai Lama spent the next years of his life in a deep study of Buddhism. Government remained in the hands of regents until the assumption of full authority by the Dalai Lama im November 1950. He was only sixteen at the time. The reason for such a dramatic step was the rise of The Peoples Republic of China, which made clear its intentions of seizing Tibet. Such a step came only just in time, the Chinese People's Liberation Army rolled across the frontier in October 1950 and gained foothold in the country. Less than a year later, troops entered Lhasa. Within months, there were over 20,000 Chinese troops in Lhasa alone. The young Dalai Lama, accepting the reality of the situation, entered negotiations with the Chinese. Negotiations were useless, and some believed that the Chinese might even go as far as kidnapping the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama was forced to flee the country. Dressed as a soldier and wearing a fur cap, he traveled with his closest companions. Now faced with the enormous task of creating a government in exile, he received help from India, who let him set up his government in exile in Dharmasala, India. He has never returned to Tibet. The flight of the Dalai Lama signaled the escape of tens of thousands of Tibetans into India and Nepal. Most who survived the trip-many died in the mountains or were shot on sight by Chinese troops for trying to leave the country-found themselves in refugee camps, where the principle means of surviving was to dig roads and build other camps for the constant flow of refugees. Working with the Indian government, the Dalai Lama tried to improve the conditions and to prepare his people for a long and painful exile. Dharmasala became the center of the Tibetan government in exile.