Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Losar with Tibetan flavor?




Considering that the main issue in the dispute between Google and the Chinese regime is the 'cultural imperialism' supposedly imposed by the US firm on the Chinese people and considering that President Hu announced that Tibet should “go down the road of development with Chinese characteristics and Tibetan flavor”, I was surprised to see on a Chinese/Tibetan website the pictures of a 'Tibetan' fashion show organized for Losar (Tibetan New Year). 
Where is the Tibetan flavor?
The website says: "Twenty models from Beijing perform fashion show titled 'Image of Tibet' in rehearsal of the Tibetan New Year Gala, which will be held on Feb. 14, 2010. 
The 'chief director' of the gala proudly declared: "I hope to display the soul of Tibetan ethnic costumes by integrating international stylish elements."
Another news item showed 'Tibetan' dance in Lhasa. Tibetan 'flavor' again!

From The China Brief, Volume: 10 Issue: 2 (January 21, 2010) Willy Lam
The party-and-state apparatus’ tough tactics toward ethnic minorities were endorsed at a January 8 Politburo meeting devoted exclusively to Tibetan issues. In the meeting, President Hu, who was party secretary of Tibet from 1988 to 1992, heralded two goals for the TAR in the coming decade: “seeking a breakthrough-style [economic] development” and “maintaining long-term stability.” In an apparent effort to win the hearts and minds of Tibetans, Hu promised that the central government would help Tibet in four ways: boosting investment, transferring technology, and sending in more qualified officials as well as “experts and talents.”
The region’s GDP is set to grow by 12 percent this year, while fixed-assets investments are expected to grow by a whopping 18 percent. Under President Hu’s dictum of “going down the road of development with Chinese characteristics and Tibetan flavor” (zhongguo tese, xizang tedian), additional input has been focused on areas including infrastructure, tourism, mining and manufacturing. Little wonder that the share prices of a dozen-odd Tibet-related construction, transport and mining companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Market jumped sharply at the beginning of the year (Tibet Daily, January 9; Xinhua News Agency, January 9; People’s Daily, January 10).

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