"While she could hear conversations in Tibetan everywhere, all of the signage was in Mandarin Chinese. Every shop and restaurant she passed appeared to be Chinese owned, not Tibetan. Every lamp-post was decorated with Chinese flags; an endless river of red flowing above them against a cloudy summer sky. It felt to her like Tibetan culture and identity was being erased."
"The experience started her on a path that would end with her arrest and disappearance. She always spoke about the problems in China faced by Mongolians, Tibetans and Uyghurs Kalsang Yarphel Her story appears to be the latest example of Beijing targeting activism taking place overseas. Last year the Chinese authorities put a bounty on a 19-year-old in Leeds for her activism in support of democracy in Hong Kong."
Zhang Yadi visited largely Tibetan areas in Sichuan and observed pervasive Mandarin signage, Chinese-owned businesses, and government flags that she perceived as erasing Tibetan culture. She shared photos and messages about the cultural landscape and became involved in pro-Tibetan activism after moving to France in 2022, writing for a newsletter run by Chinese Youth Stand For Tibet (CYST). Her activism and public statements about Mongolian, Tibetan and Uyghur issues preceded her arrest and disappearance. Chinese authorities have increasingly targeted overseas activists, placed bounties on dissidents abroad, proposed laws banning actions that damage ethnic unity overseas, and urged use of the name Xizang for Tibet.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]