China is Widening its Crackdown on Tibetan Culture
Why Beijing is Coming for a Beloved Yak-Milk Delicacy
Image via Flickr user dotstone, CC license
By Emily K. Scolaro
You would not think that something as innocuous as yogurt would rile authorities in China. But last August, a yogurt festival in Tibet was met with a police crackdown.
“Shoton” is the Tibetan Yogurt Festival, and typically includes traditional performances, a feast (involving yogurt, of course) and unveiling of the “Thangka,” a large portrait of the Buddha. But this year there was a decidedly different atmosphere: a heavy Chinese police presence, prohibitions on engagement in religious and public gatherings, and inspection booths to confirm the identities of participants and devotees. For an event so anodyne, such restrictions sent a clear message to Tibetans from Chinese authorities: your traditions are not welcome.
The incident at the yogurt festival is just one example of China’s far-reaching — and intensifying — crackdown on Tibetan culture and heritage.
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