Whats so bad about the exhibition of minority and religious exhibits at Splendid China ?
A. “Minority” Exhibits Why we object to ‘Minority” exhibits The quick answer is that the Splendid China minority exhibits are a complete whitewash of the reality of minority life under Chinese rule. Tibetans, who regard themselves as an occupied people, not as a minority, are portrayed as happy, healthy and glad to be “Chinese.” In short, the park is a thinly veiled and politically motivated attempt to improve the image of the Chinese government. Regarding Tibet, the inclusion of the Potala Palace represents an effort of the communist party to identify a Tibetan structure as Chinese. The Potala has been the official winter residence of the Dalai Lama since the 5th Dalai Lama started construction in 1645 until 1959 when the palace was shelled by communist Chinese troops. This shelling and military attack was against the thousands of Tibetans that had gathered to form a human wall to protect His Holiness from a rumored kidnapping plot to be carried out by People’s Liberation Army forces.
