Student group seeks to dispel myths about Tibet and China

In response to the Human Rights Torch Relay outside of Princeton Borough Hall on April 24, Ke Wan GS decided to organize a display in Frist Campus Center to counter anti-China sentiment on campus and promote understanding of Chinese culture, history and current events among students.

Wan said in an e-mail that on the night of the torch relay he overheard “somebody mention our campaign to support [the] Olympics as a campaign against human right[s]. I think they misunderstand our goals, and they may need more knowledge about China.”

Wan, who founded the student group Airs of China last November and currently serves as its president, set up a “Background of Tibet” exhibit to combat ignorance. The three-poster display included information on the history and recent events in the autonomous region. The group displayed the “Background of Tibet” exhibit from April 24 to 29 on the 100-level of Frist.

With the display, Airs of China hoped to educate the student body on recent events in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, Wan explained. He noted that he and other group members believe that there has been a lot of misinformation about the actions of both the Chinese government and the protesting Tibetans.

The posters were set up in Frist not as an objection to the Tibetan human rights movement, but instead as a form of protest against “arguments about China based on lies or biased information,” Wan said.

“Background of Tibet” highlighted three key issues that Airs of China hoped to bring to the public eye.

The first, which displayed the message “Olympics, No Politics,” was designed to convey the group’s objection to the use of the Beijing Olympics as a means to address political issues, Wan explained in a phone interview.

“The Olympics should be only about Olympics,” he said.

The leaders of several western nations, including Britain and Germany, have said that they are considering boycotting the games’ opening ceremony in response to the current situation in Tibet.

“A Brief Brochure of Tibet,” as the second board was titled, provided a description of various aspects of Tibet and its history. It also outlined what the group believes to be “myths” that Westerners hold about Tibet’s past.

An example of one of the “myths” the poster refuted was the idea that Tibet was previously an independent country. Another was the notion that the Chinese government currently suppresses Tibet.

The final section, “News ≠ Truth,” focused on the recent riots in Lhasa. The poster featured examples of what Airs of China characterized as Western news organizations’ false depiction of the riots. The poster included news as reported by Fox News, CNN and two German news channels as examples.

The Chinese Students Association (CSA), on the other hand, has chosen not to involve itself in the current controversy, CSA president Mark Jia ’10 said.

“Because of the divergent views of our membership, coupled with our mission of promoting Chinese culture on campus, a mission that is markedly nonpolitical, I have chosen not to involve CSA in taking a specific stance amidst these controversies,” Jia said in an e-mail.

He also noted that his personal opinion is that though media coverage of the events in Lhasa has not been entirely accurate, this is likely because of the minimal media presence in Tibet.

“Transparency on the Chinese side would undoubtedly lead to more factually accurate renderings by the western media,” he explained.

Airs of China is not solely focused on the Tibetan issue, however. The group plans to run another display in Frist later this month that will present recent developments in China. The posters will display the country’s city and rural landscapes to promote China to the University community.