IHT: “Test of Wills” in Tibet

Yesterday’s International Herald Tribune reported on a “test of wills” between Tibetans and the Chinese government, played out in an unlikely arena.

This battle is about fur… to wear or not to wear? The answer: not to wear, in a big “screw you” to the Chinese government.

With Chinese authorities ready to crack down on any perceived challenges in Tibet, it’s not surprising that resistance takes many forms. Two years ago, the Dalai Lama appealed to Tibetans not to wear animal furs. After fur bonfires spread across Tibet, nervous Chinese officials banned fur burning. Showing their true level of immaturity, they even tried to require Tibetans to wear the skins of endangered animals simply to spite the Dalai Lama.

Tibetans, however, continue to show their allegiance to the Dalai Lama. The IHT continues:

With so many security forces on hand in this modest town,… there was little chance of an outright demonstration in favor of the Dalai Lama. The test of wills played itself out instead around a theme unlikely to have been noticed by many of the tourists from China’s Han majority: whether or not to wear animal furs.

The ceremonial wearing of animal fur has been raised to the status of a political question in western China, since the Dalai Lama issued a statement two years ago urging Tibetans to reject the longtime practice as inconsistent with Buddhism…

As word of the Dalai Lama’s instructions spread across western China, some Tibetan communities responded by publicly burning their furs, while others have simply dropped the use of fur in ceremonies. This perceived act of obedience to a man whom the Chinese government has long vilified as a “splittist,” meaning secessionist, appears to have angered the authorities.

The IHT reports that Tibetans at the festival almost uniformly obeyed the Dalai Lama’s request, in defiance of the Chinese government:

[D]uring several days of festivities, a visitor was hard pressed to find any conspicuous displays of fur.

[...]

Asked whether he was wearing any animal fur, the man exclaimed, “Absolutely not!” What ensued was a very careful conversation in which the man insisted that wearing fur was against his religion and then acknowledged receiving “teaching” on the practice two years ago…

“The government told us we have to wear fur, but we’re not going to do it,” the man said.

Trying to defend his government’s policies, one Chinese official ended up making a fool of himself:

Zhou Hongyuan, deputy governor of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, denied that participants had been ordered to wear animal skins and furs, but supported the practice, saying: “We are an ethnic region, and we want to create a festive atmosphere and promote our uniqueness. It has been our tradition for thousands of years to wear fur.”

Comrade Zhou is Chinese. Not Tibetan, Chinese. So what does he mean “our uniqueness” and “our tradition.” Maybe his claim to know what Tibetans have done for “thousands of years” fits nicely with his apparently colonial-fetishistic-infantilizing approach towards Tibetans. But if he is so concerned about Tibet’s uniqueness, why is he patronizingly claiming Tibetan civilization for China? Unless Comrade Zhou somehow thinks he is a Tibetan after so long ruling them?

Despite Comrade Zhou’s mixed up sense of self-identity, this issue of fur is yet more proof that Tibetans remain loyal to the Dalai Lama. Given half a chance, they long for his return and for the ability to throw off Chinese rule once and for all.



No Responsesto “IHT: “Test of Wills” in Tibet”

1. Tibet Will Be Free » Blog Archive » NY Times: “Test of Wills” in Tibet, Part 2 says:

   August 16, 2007 at 9:24 am

   [...] Today’s New York Times carried an article about a “test of wills” between Tibetans and Chinese, first carried by its sister publication, the International Herald Tribune (which we commented on here).  [...]
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   February 25, 2008 at 3:53 am

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