Paris — Tibetans Associations, Tibetan intellectuals, Tibetans, Tibet supporters and the Tibet Museum protested against the Musée du Quai Branly and the Musée Guimet in France for changing the name of Tibet to ‘Xizang’ and criticised the Museums for rewriting history and demanded Tibet should remain as Tibet in the Museum. The protesters said they will continue to protest against the Guimet Museum until the Museum change Chinese word "Xizang” to Tibet.
Tibetans expressed their anger and disappointment by sending written applications and protests outside of the the Musée Guimet in France on September 21, 2024, concerning the recent decision by the museums to replace the name "Tibet" with "Xizang Autonomous Region" or "Himalayan World" in the exhibition halls and online catalogue of the Quai Branly museum.
The Tibetan Community in France, Students for a Free Tibet (France), Tibetan Youth Congress (Paris), the Dhomey Association in France and Dokham Chushi Gangdruk in France and U-Tsang Association in France, submitted applications to the Museum of the Quai Branly and the Guimet Museum (the National Museum of Asian Arts-Guimet), and protest against the Museums, to express deep concern over change of Tibet to Chinese word "Xizang", which the Chinese government has decided to use throughout Tibet in recent years as part of its sinicisation policy.
The Tibetan Associations wrote," We are writing to you on behalf of several Tibetan associations to inform you of our deep concern about the decision of the Guimet and Quai Branly museums to replace the name "Tibet" with "Xizang Autonomous Region" or "Himalayen World" in the exhibition halls and the online catalogue of the Quai Branly Museum."
"Although the term Tibet is indicated in parentheses on the cartels of the exhibition hall of the Quai Branly museum, it does not correspond in any way to the historical reality of the objects presented, all dating from the first half of the twentieth century, at a time when Tibet was experiencing an internationally recognised period of de facto independence (1912-1950)," the application wrote.
"For Tibetans, this name change is not simply a semantic change, but is an additional step towards erasing our civilisation and a direct challenge to the recognition of our heritage, culture and identity. However, despite more than seventy years of occupation, Tibetans continue to fight to preserve this rich culture that is theirs, at the cost of the sacrifice of their lives, as shown by the over 160 Tibetans who immolated themselves," they added.
The Tibetan Associations stated that "Himalayan world", it does not cover Tibet in its entirety. The Museums are changing the name of Tibet in favour of the Chinese term "Xizang" or "Himalayan World", shows an alignment with the Chinese policy of Sinisation of Tibet and its cultural and linguistic identity.
The organiser said during the protest, after sending letter to the Quai Branly Museum, regarding the changing of Tibet to Chinese word “Xizang”, the Quai Branly Museum agree to change “Xizang” back to Tibet. The organisers and protestors said that they will continue to protest against the Guimet Museum until the Museum change Chinese word "Xizang” to Tibet.
The Tibet Museum, based in Dharamshala, has also expressed its deep concern about the change of the name of Tibet to ‘Xizang’ on September 18, 2024. The statement states, "We are writing to express our deep concern and disappointment regarding the recent decision taken by the Musée du quai Branly and the Musée Guimet in France, which have replaced the term "Tibet" with "Xizang Autonomous Region" in their catalogues and exhibitions. This decision, reportedly made under the influence of Chinese state pressures, is an alarming distortion of history and a denial of Tibet's cultural and historical identity."
“According to a recent article in Le Monde, these institutions have succumbed to external political demands, with the Musée Guimet even renaming its Tibetan exhibit spaces as the "Himalayan world." These changes, criticized by leading scholars including Tibetologists and sinologists, represent a grave act of cultural erasure. By adopting the Chinese term "Xizang," these respected French museums not only rewrite Tibetan history but also align themselves with an ongoing propaganda campaign designed to legitimize China's claim over Tibet,” the Tibet Museum stated.
"This is not merely a linguistic preference but a political tactic, part of China's long-standing campaign to reshape the world's understanding of Tibet, just as it has done with other occupied regions like East Turkestan (rebranded as "Xinjiang"). Such interference undermines the integrity of our cultural institutions, which should stand as guardians of truth and history, not as tools for geopolitical agendas. As a museum dedicated to preserving Tibet's rich heritage, we urge the Musée du quai Branly and the Musée Guimet to reverse these decisions immediately and restore the proper representation of Tibetan culture and identity in their exhibitions," Tenzin Tophen, Director of the Tibet Museum said.
Sikyong (President) of Central Tibetan Administration and Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile also expressed their deep concern over changing name of Tibet over “Xizang” in the the Musée du quai Branly and the Musée Guimet in France and urge them to change Chinese word “Xizang” to Tibet soon.
