-by International Campaign for Tibet

Tibetans inside Tibet are circulating videos objecting to the fact that Douyin, one of the most important streaming and social media platforms in China, is blocking Tibetan-language broadcasts. Chinese authorities have not responded to these objections, revealing a new aspect of the PRC’s efforts to undermine the use of Tibetan and replace it with Mandarin.

Livestreaming has become the most popular online retail sales avenue in the People’s Republic of China, but Tibetans are facing discrimination from platforms which, like Douyin, restrict the usage of Tibetan. The list of these platforms includes major Chinese sites such as Kuaishou, Bilibili, and Talkmate.

Restrictions on spoken Tibetan

Tibetans use Chinese platforms that provide facilities for messaging, reels posting, playing music, ecommerce and livestreaming for discussion on topics that are seen not “sensitive” to the authorities; many of the major social media and streaming sites used in other countries are blocked in China. Younger Tibetan entrepreneurs have embraced livestreaming retail sales to capture the Tibetan market, selling items such as Tibetan garments, Dzi beads, and religious artifacts. Visitors who have traveled to Tibet recently reported that online business has been very lucrative for some of these Tibetan businesspeople.

Recently, however, videos have emerged on Tibetan-language social media in which Tibetans complain about Douyin preventing them from livestreaming in Tibetan. One such livestreamer is heard saying in an undated video, which has been subsequently posted on Youtube:

“Today, I have to mention that I am forced to speak out. Today, I want to ask whether our Douyin company holds more power or is it the nation, or whether Douyin company is more powerful than the legal system? Or does Douyin company have more power or does the government? What is it? For example, my question is, to give an example, our country’s very good policies give protection for a nationality’s cultural preservation and promotion of a nationality’s language. The state really supports these, as does the legal system, and the government, too, supports them. Therefore, why is Douyin company blocking (the livestreaming) in our language when we speak in Tibetan? I want to ask this here. It will not do [for me] not to ask this. Now, the state is saying we must promote a nationality’s language, so how can our nationality’s language be promoted? Where should we go, residing in our villages and speaking our language?” Click here to read more.