London — The British Museum has removed the Chinese word “Xizang” for Tibet and rewritten Tibet in its Silk Road exhibition. Tibetans in the UK and Tibetan activists have called on the museum to remove the word “Xizang” and write Tibet, as “Xizang” is a colonial term imposed by China to erase Tibet's true identity.
According to Tibetan activists in London on February 24, 2025, the British Museum has removed the Chinese word “Xizang” for Tibet and rewritten Tibet in its Silk Road exhibition, after Tibetans in the UK asked the museum to remove the word “Xizang” and write Tibet.
The Tibetan activist wrote, "In February, a group of Tibetan youth visited the British Museum to see if it had changed its signage to reflect the wishes of the Tibetan people. In a great win for the Tibetan community, the signs had removed all mention of "Xizang"."
Tibetans in London found out that the British Museum had written “Tibet or Xiang Autonomous Region” in its Silk Road exhibition in December, 2024 and asked the museum to remove the Chinese word “Xizang” for Tibet, complicit in Chinese government's propaganda by referring to Tibet by its colonial name “Xizang”.
The Tibetans said that "Xizang" is a colonial term imposed by China to erase Tibet's true identity. This is a small but significant step in challenging China's narrative and ensuring Tibet is represented on its own terms.
"The name “Xizang” is a symbol of the Chinese colonial occupation of Tibet. It is essential that organisations around the world know the truth. It's fantastic that the British Museum has listened to Tibetan voices and changed its information, but more needs to be done in future to guide organisations in the use of appropriate terms," they added.
"In recent years, the Chinese government has attempted to push the term "Xizang" instead of Tibet, against the wishes of Tibetans. Beijing's campaign to promote this name has gone international. It has to be challenged everywhere. So when the Tibetan community heard that the British Museum was using "Xizang" in its Silk Road exhibition, it reached out and demanded that it only use the correct name: Tibet," they said.
The British Museum has organised the exhibition “The Silk Road” from September 26, 2024 to February 23, 2025, exploring cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe between 500 and 1000 CE. However, the Museum's labeling of Tibetan objects has sparked outrage in the Tibetan community. In a letter to the Museum's director, Nicholas Cullinan OBE, the Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities and the Tibetan Community in Britain argue that this terminology legitimises the Chinese government’s claim over Tibet and diminishes its historical sovereignty and cultural distinctiveness.
