China’s “coming out party” attracts buzz
By Joe Lowe, Staff Writer
May 9, 2008 | 3 p.m.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics have been mired in controversy since March when violent demonstrations broke out in Tibet. These protests, led by Tibetan Buddhist monks, resulted in numerous injuries and an unconfirmed number of deaths.
The situation grew worse as protesters in France, the United States and most recently Hong Kong attempted to disrupt the Olympic torch on its worldwide journey. While those attempts failed to extinguish the torch, they did succeed in focusing endless media attention on the controversy surrounding China, Tibet and the upcoming Olympics.
Now the media’s coverage has generated a debate of its own. Some Chinese students at Ohio University, disappointed with what they view as biased news coverage, recently organized an informational exhibit to present an alternative version.
The exhibit, entitled “Unheard Voices of Tibet,” incorporated pictures, a time line and captions to tell the story that the involved Chinese students believe is being ignored by major broadcasting news networks. “We think Tibet needs to be told as a full story. In the West, you only see a little slice,” said Ying Luo, one of the four Chinese graduate students hosting the exhibit.
The Chinese Student and Scholar Association sponsored the exhibit, which was held in the Baker University Center. The event ran from April 29 to May 1.
Divided into three parts, the exhibit dealt with Tibet’s past, its present state and the controversy surrounding recent events. The historical panel, which featured reproductions of grainy, black-and-white pictures, painted a bleak picture of life during Tibet’s long feudal period: begrimed peasants, one with his forearm hacked off, reportedly as punishment, with pained expressions framed by barren landscapes.
Luo stated that at the time of China’s entry into Tibet in 1950, 90 percent of the population lived as serfs, while the remaining 10 percent, mainly landowners and other religious leaders, lived comfortably. Alarmed by the egalitarian ideals espoused by Chinese communism, landowners and the upper echelons of the clergy fled to India.
The second section of the exhibit, composed of large, colorful photos, some taken by Luo, presented an upbeat portrait of modern life in Tibet. One featured a group of dancing monks. Another showed a candlelit shrine below a large portrait of the Dalai Lama. These photos intended to present Tibet in a different light than the one described by Tibetan exiles and other critics that claim the Chinese government has taken a hard-line toward the practice of Tibetan Buddhism.
Luo, who spent more than half a year in Tibet and characterized it as a “holy land,” said that she found most Tibetans to be happy with few complaints.
“You see pictures of the Dalai Lama everywhere," Luo said. "No one was forced to change their religion.”
“A minority [of Tibetan exiles] with enough power can silence the majority and have their views prevail,” said Jane Ma, another member of the Chinese Student and Scholar Association.
J.T. Schindler, a sophomore who visited the exhibit on the advice of a Chinese friend, said he was happy to see another view of events.
“It’s important to hear both sides," Schindler said. "This issue could blow up depending on what happens at the Olympics.”
Although he appreciated a different perspective, Schindler still had some reservations about the Dalai Lama’s situation. “For me the main thing is that the Dalai Lama is in hiding and can’t return to Tibet. That says a lot,” he said.
To provide examples of media bias, the exhibit featured several photos with captions below pointing out reporting errors. Most of those photos had run in The New York Times or European papers. Two prominent pictures showed Tibetan civilians beaten by police gangs in dark blue uniforms.
Luo pointed out, “Those police are not Chinese. The Chinese always wear green uniforms. They’re Nepali.” These photos, Luo said, were taken in Nepal during other protests.
Another photo, found by the Chinese students on Reuters wire service, presented viewers with an opportunity to compare the original with the edited version that ran in The New York Times. The cropped Times photo shows only a Tibetan man stumbling before a line of police while the unedited version reveals a row of Tibetan protesters angrily waving sticks in the background.
The exhibit drew a steady stream of interested students. “Many protesters are unaware of the real issues,” Luo said. “If you haven’t been there and don’t understand the situation, how can you speak for them?”
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