Arc’teryx Fireworks in Tibet: Marketing Stunt & State Propaganda

Arc’teryx was founded in 1989 in Vancouver, but today it is owned by Anta Sports, a Hong Kong-listed giant with deep ties to Beijing. Anta has built its empire on securing favor in the Chinese domestic market, making Arc’teryx part of a broader portfolio of brands being promoted aggressively in China. Arc’teryx has come under fire after staging a massive fireworks display in Tibet’s fragile Himalayan region. What the company called “art” quickly revealed itself as a reckless stunt—one that not only contradicted Arc’teryx’s conservationist image but also exposed Beijing’s exploitative use of Tibet as a stage for propaganda.