The Chinese Communist Party
is pushing propaganda about Tibet
to unsuspecting Americans.
Welcome back to China Uncensored.
I’m Chris Chappell.
Tibet: It was an independent country in the early 20th Century.
Then, in 1951,
the Chinese Communist Party convinced Tibet
to officially become part of their new People’s Republic of China—
by invading Tibet and liberating the Tibetan people...
from their freedom.
And their religion.
And their lives.
Good thing they believe in reincarnation.
Although even that won’t save them now.
To be clear, that is not a joke.
China really did ban unauthorized reincationations.
Anyway, the Communist Party quickly integrated Tibet
into Chinese history books,
with the new narrative that Tibet
has been a part of China since ancient times—
despite that being clearly not true,
because you don’t have to invade a place
that’s already part of your country.
And in the seven decades since then,
the Communist Party has pushed the idea
that Tibetans are so much better off
under their benevolent rule.
Look!
Tibet has been liberated!
Look at Tibet’s bountiful harvest, thanks to Chairman Mao!
Look!
Tibet’s capital is the happiest city in China!
But the challenge with pushing a false narrative
is that you have to repeat it over and over again
to get people to believe you.
So in the year 2020,
while the rest of the world is busy worrying about
all the other terrible things happening in China—
the deadly coronavirus,
the concentration camps in Xinjiang,
the ongoing protests in Hong Kong,
and THE DEADLY CORONAVIRUS—
it’s easy to miss how the Communist Party
continues to push false narratives about Tibet.
Matt Gnaizda has more.
Queens, New York.
Famous for America’s worst airport;
That weird spaceship thing from the first Men in Black movie;
And Chinese Communist Party propaganda.
Ok, it’s not famous for the Chinese propaganda.
That’s part of the problem.
Chinese propaganda is hidden in plain sight.
And it’s making its way into
the nooks and crannies of mainstream America.
Even here, at the Queens Public Library.
Obviously, someone at the Chinese consulate screwed up.
I mean, who goes to the library?
The answer to that rhetorical question is: Tibetans.
They came here to protest what they call
a “politically motivated, oppressive exhibition”
at the Elmhurst branch of the Queens Public Library.
I went inside, and indeed—there’s a small exhibit
that tells people how great Tibet is
under the Communist Party’s rule.
“Unfortunately, the library is supposed to be a place
where people are learning, a true education, true knowledge.
However, unfortunately we see some false propaganda
with the partnership with the Chinese Consulate by Queens Library.”
That’s right.
This exhibit was sponsored directly by
the Chinese Consulate in New York.
Of course, it doesn’t say that anywhere.
There’s just this “introduction”
about how China has improved Tibet’s literacy rate,
economic development,
and environmental protection.
And there’s seven beautiful photos to prove their point.
I mean, China built them a train!
How could they not be a happy ethnic minority?
“What they have inside the library right now
is an exhibit talking about Tibetan identity
and Tibetan culture
that is created by the very people
that have suppressed this culture,
that have tried to virtually extinguish our culture,
and now they're allowing them
to have the monopoly on telling our story.
So that's why we said it's not an issue of points of views,
but rather it's an issue of cultural appropriation,
and it further silences Tibetan people
who have already been largely marginalized.”
“So you’re upset about the government
taking away your freedom of speech
and you're upset about cultural appropriation.
Are you far right or far left?”
“I see that it's not a left or right issue.
It's just an issue of humanity.”
So Tibetan activists met with Queens library officials.
Officials told them they plan to keep exhibit
up through the end of June—
and that the Chinese Consulate
actually plans to sponsor exhibits
at seven public libraries in Queens.
Officials told me in a statement
that the “Queens Public Library
is a forum for many different points of view,
including those that stir passionate debate.”
And nothing stirs passionate debate
like blatant lies from dirty communists!
That second part’s not from their statement.
Anyway, the library did agree to at least add a label
saying it’s sponsored by the Chinese Consulate.
But for the roughly 9,000 Tibetan people living in Queens,
that’s not enough.
They want the propaganda exhibit taken down.
They say it doesn’t exactly show a truthful perpsective—
considering that the Chinese Communist Party
is guilty of mass genocide in Tibet,
and continues a ruthless campaign of cultural destruction.
The Dalai Lama has called Tibet a “hell on earth.”
Surely Tibetans wouldn’t think so
if they would just follow orders,
and take down their portraits of the Dalai Lama,
and replace them with Chinese party leaders.
And show loyalty to the Communist Party.
Those who refuse, of course, are tortured.
So Tibetans in exile, understandably,
want Americans to know what’s happening in Tibet—
and not from the perspective of the Chinese consulate.
“Having an exhibit that is sponsored
by the Chinese Communist Party
in our local library,
when we have Tibetan-American students like myself
that like to visit these libraries,
that is silencing.
That is silencing for an entire group of people,
an entire community.
Having this exhibit is an automatic way
of further marginalizing an oppressed group.”
“What I'm getting from this
is that young people still go to the library.”
Maybe that’s the problem.
If only people could be a little dumber,
and stop going to the library.
This is Matt Gnaizda in Queens, New York.
Thanks, Matt.
So what do you think?
Leave your comments below.
Once again, I’m Chris Chappell.
Thanks for watching China Uncensored.