The Musée du Quai Branly in Paris committed to removing the term “Xizang” — which the Chinese government uses in place of “Tibet” — from labels for relevant artifacts in its collection after allegations of cultural erasure from activists and Tibetan political leadership.
Activists discovered the institution’s use of “Xizang” amid criticism of the Musée Guimet in Paris, which changed the name of its Tibetan galleries to “Himalayan World.” The similar decisions at the two French museums triggered protests and a September 14 letter from Tibetan leader Penpa Tsering to French officials, as well as both museums’ directors and the French Senate’s Tibetan Support Group. An impassioned statement published in Le Monde by Asian studies scholars argued that “the terminology used in these institutions now reflects Beijing’s wishes to rewrite history and to erase the non-Han peoples.”
Tibetan activists, Penpa, and other political leaders say the use of the term appeases the Chinese government. Granted only limited sovereignty despite a centuries-long struggle, Tibet currently functions as an autonomous region of China rather than as an independent state.
“‘Xizang’ not only distorts the history of Tibet as an independent nation but also aids the Chinese government’s ongoing efforts to suppress Tibetan identity,” the Central Tibetan Administration said in a statement.
In October 2023, Radio Free Asia found that the term “Xizang,” originating from the Ming dynasty, had replaced “Tibet” in official Chinese state media and communications. The site reported that Chinese officials called the name “Tibet” “misleading” and replaced it in an effort to “enhance China’s international voice” with regard to the region. Tibetan leadership claims the name “Xizang” was propagated beginning last fall by the United Front Work Department, an organization under the Chinese Communist Party that advances ideological influence abroad, to erase Tibet’s status as an independent, discrete cultural entity.
During a September 25 meeting, Clemens Tougeron, international affairs advisor to the director of the Musée du Quai Branly, apologized to a delegation of six Tibetan organizations, including Students for a Free Tibet, promising to correct the name within three weeks.
In a statement to Hyperallergic, a Musée du Quai Branly spokesperson said the term “Xizang” had been used in their collections for years before the Chinese state formalized the name for the region in 2023.
“It has never been used on its own and a mention of Tibet has always been present,” the spokesperson continued. “We do, however, plan to amend them: Tibet will no longer be in brackets, and the Xizang name will soon be removed.”
The spokesperson added that some artifacts were not properly attributed to Tibet on the museum’s website due to a “technical problem” which will be resolved.
Musée Guimet has not responded to Hyperallergic’s request for comment.
Among the works in the Musée du Quai Branly’s Tibetan collection is “Life of Milarepa,” a 19th-century thangka painting depicting the legend of the titular Buddhist figure. As of this writing, the website lists the artwork’s origin as “China, Tibet.”
In his September 14 letter, Penpa, who was elected to lead the exiled Tibetan government in northern India in 2021, also stated that China is making a concerted effort “to erase the identity of Tibet” and called the name changes at both French institutions “disheartening.”
“Such action of pandering to the wishes of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government is deeply regrettable and that needs course correction,” Penpa wrote.
