reportage Under a Chinese cloud
The Beijing government, nervous about potential revolt, is accelerating its determined policy of Sinicization. The Communist Party has vowed to eradicate the Dalai Lama’s influence from every sphere of Tibetan society, suppressing religious activities and even interfering with the nomination of religious representatives. Lhasa is due for further extensive ‘modernization’, which in practice means tearing down traditional Tibetan architecture, replacing it with uniform housing blocks, and the arrival of western discos, karaoke, gambling and prostitution. For some Tibetans, the situation is near to hopeless. A young Tibetan father in his early thirties lamented: “Tibet will look like a part of China within ten years. Already my own children watch Chinese television and live in a Chinese flat; if they're lucky they will end up working for a Chinese company.” An elderly monk went further, suggesting that the traditional commitment to non-violence may have to be abandoned. “Without fighting,” he said, “the Chinese will never leave.”
Spring 1997 | Manuel Bauer (Lookat) and related links | Archive | Back | Next | 10 of 12