China’s influence pressures European museums to replace “Tibet” with its term, “Xinjiang,” erasing Tibetan identity.
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Countries seeking to improve relations with communist China through investment and trade are increasingly limiting anti-Chinese movements. This trend is visible in Europe, where museums have either avoided or removed references to Tibet in exhibitions over the past year, replacing them with terms like “Himalayan region” or Si-cang, which the People’s Republic of China uses for Tibet. Activists and observers suggest this change is due to pressure from China. For example, the Musée Guimet in France changed an exhibition title from Nepal-Tibet to “Himalayan World,” despite protests from activists who view the name change as politically motivated appeasement of the Chinese government. Similar incidents occurred at other institutions, such as the Musée du quai Branly, which replaced “Tibet” with “Si-cang.” Anthropologists suggest this pressure aims to erase Tibet’s existence from maps and consciousness. Tibetan exile leaders have protested these changes, stating that using “Si-cang” distorts Tibet’s history as an independent nation. Similar issues arose in London, where a Chinese-funded exhibition used the term “Si-cang,” leading to protests by Tibetan advocacy groups. Furthermore, Spanish cultural authorities confirmed they would use the term “Tibet” and update outdated records at their museum following inquiries from a newspaper. Pressure is also being exerted on other European museums to change their terminology regarding Tibet.
