China’s Latest Propaganda Ploy: The Tibet Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo
September 9, 2010 3 Comments
THE SO-CALLED ‘HEAVEN IN TIBET’ PAVILION AT THE SHANGHAI EXPO is China’s latest propaganda ploy against Tibetan culture and society. Last week a protest against the Expo by Students For A Free Tibet projected images of jailed Tibetan artists, writers, musicians against the walls of the Chinese Consulate in New York City (video, above).
Tenzin Dorjee, president of the SFT, expressed the group’s opposition to the expo’s “Tibet Week”:
While the Chinese government parades state-sponsored Tibetan culture on the stage in Shanghai, scores of Tibetan artists, writers, musicians, bloggers, and other public figures have been arrested, imprisoned, harassed, or disappeared for speaking out about the aspirations, the hardships, and the deepening pride and unity of Tibetans living under Chinese occupation.
Meanwhile, a performance of Pete Wyer’s ballet The Far Shore, which was to be performed at the Expo, was cancelled last week because he dedicated it to the people of Tibet. The British Council and English National Ballet preemptively did the cancelling, a cowardly move of self-censorship.
The ballet’s cancellation is more evidence of organizations and governments remaining silent for fear of Chinese annoyance, or worse, working with China against the Tibetan cause. Tibetan refugees in the region are increasingly in danger as Nepal continues to detain and hand Tibetans over to China.
This follows the fatal incident in which Chinese fired on Tibetan protesters, claiming one person was accidentally shot, while independent media reports placed the number at four killed, and as many as 30 hurt in the peaceful protest against mining activities.
As witnesses to China’s abysmal human rights record, it’s up to us to speak out, defend, and protect the rights of the Tibetan people. The Expo’s Tibetan pavilion is a cruel reminder of the cultural erosion Tibetans endure every day. How then, do we respond to the question, “Heavenly Tibet—or Hell on Earth“?
Wow, I had no idea this was going on. But I’m confused, what’s the reason Britain is giving for cancelling the ballet?
Hi Lisa,
The British felt the composer was making a political statement with his dedication to the Tibetan people. The composer himself said he had no intention of politicizing the work, but that’s how they took it. Ironically, if they had just left it alone, the performance would have gone on without any of this negative press.
True Records’ of Chinese atrocities in Tibet—–
Over 1.2 million Tibetans died as a direct result of Chinese atrocities.
Over 6000 monasteries and institutes of learning have been destroyed.
Precious Tibetan artifacts were vandalized and sold in Hong Kong markets.
Over 7000 Tibetan religious and historical literature have been destroyed.
Tibetans in Tibet are second class citizen without any basic Human Rights.
Tibetan women (even KIDs) are subjected to gang RAPEs; forced abortion and sterilization by the chinese. 70% of Tibetans living in Tibet now are illiterate.
Arbitrary arrests, torture, intimidation and imprisonment without trial for Tibetans in their country by the chinese. Tibet has been divided into different parts and incorporated with Chinese provinces, thereby removing the existing Tibetan identity.Thousands of Tibetans are still in prisons in China. Tibet’s natural resources and fragile ecology are irreversibly destroyed. 6 Million Tibetans have been outnumbered by 7.5 Million Han Chinese inducted into Tibet, causing Tibetans to be minorities in their own country. The above ways are also used against the Xinjiang Uyghurs’ by the Han Chinese.