Museum naming controversies over Tibet vs. Xizang show cultural politics impacting global collections across Europe.
🔗 Read the article on hvg.hu
[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]
The media in France is reporting on “identity theft” or falsification, with the Paris Musée Guimet drawing significant attention for its exhibition titled “World of the Himalayas,” where it chose to use the Mandarin term “Xizang” instead of Tibet. This naming choice caused widespread controversy among museum professionals, leading sinologists and Tibetologists to criticize French cultural policy for appeasing Beijing and assisting in the falsification of cultural identities. A British Museum also used “Xizang” in a Chinese co-financed exhibition on the Silk Road, though activists claim this is merely adopting an official Chinese name. The Chinese Communist Party’s campaign over naming conventions took about a year to reach major European collections, prompting protests against perceived Chinese cultural suppression at the Musée Guimet. In contrast, Spain resists pressure and maintains the traditional name “Tibet” in exhibitions like “Las Manos Mágicas.” Italian museums show mixed responses; some curators express concern over renaming, while others assert they have not received requests from China to change names. In Hungary, Tibetan activists protested during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit by displaying a banner reading “Xi Jinping Dictator, Free Tibet.” Despite close diplomatic ties with China, the Hopp Museum maintains that its work is purely professional and uses Himalayan collection place names similar to the Musée Guimet’s decision.
