Source-International Campaign For Tibet
Tibetans within Tibet are voicing their frustration over Douyin, a major Chinese social media platform, which is blocking Tibetan-language broadcasts. Despite these growing complaints, Chinese authorities remain unresponsive, showcasing a broader agenda to replace Tibetan with Mandarin.
Livestreaming, a vital avenue for online retail in China, sees platforms like Douyin, Kuaishou, Bilibili, and Talkmate discriminating against Tibetan language users. This is particularly detrimental to young Tibetan entrepreneurs who depend on these platforms to market traditional products such as garments and religious artifacts.
One Tibetan livestreamer, in an undated video, challenged Douyin’s policies:
“Why is Douyin blocking our language when we speak Tibetan? The state claims to support cultural preservation, so why are we being restricted?”
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights & Democracy (TCHRD) highlights similar struggles faced by Tibetan medical practitioners. These professionals are forced to conduct online consultations in Chinese, which hampers communication with their predominantly Tibetan-speaking patients.
Restrictions extend to written Tibetan as well. Comments in Tibetan are often ignored, and Douyin even rejects Tibetan usernames. A frustrated Tibetan netizen on WeChat lamented that comments in Tibetan felt like “throwing a stone into the ocean.”
In 2021, Douyin deemed an image of a Tibetan-language poem by the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, as “not suitable for the public.”
Tibetans are attempting to distinguish between the actions of social media platforms and the policies of the Chinese government, holding out hope for intervention. However, the government’s silence suggests tacit approval. The 2022 regulation by the Chinese State Administration of Radio and Television mandates Mandarin use in livestreaming, even as officials claim linguistic freedom.
The Chinese government’s inaction aligns with its broader strategy to promote Mandarin over Tibetan. Activists like Tashi Wangchuk, who served five years in prison for advocating Tibetan language education, underscore the critical need to preserve Tibetan culture.
In its 2024 report, Freedom House noted that censorship in Tibet is especially severe, with bans on Tibetan language use on various social media platforms.
Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, is owned by Bytedance. The U.S. Congress recently passed legislation to ban TikTok unless Bytedance divests its stake by January 2025, citing concerns over Chinese authoritarianism.
