It’s nearly impossible for thousands of journalists, athletes, and media workers from abroad to see China because of China’s closed loop system for the Games.
The Games participants are staying in dozens of hotels that are isolated from Beijing. They can only be reached by taxi or bus to the airport, the press center, and competition venues.
Part of The Associated Press’ Olympics team was assigned to Beijing Tibet Hotel by chance. It has been constructed and equipped to evoke distant regions on China’s western border.
Although I have traveled extensively in China, I have not been to Tibet. This is a remote area that has been difficult for journalists and foreigners to access since before the pandemic. Foreign correspondents cannot visit Tibet unless they are on government-organized tours. So I was interested to see how the hotel looked.
Tibet is a place that brings back images of snowcapped peaks and crimson-robed monks, as well as prayer flags snapped in the Himalayan winds.
The vast Himalayan region was taken over by China’s Communist Party in 1951. In that year, troops overtook Tibet’s weak defenses. Eight years later, a rebellion led to a more harsh Chinese regime in the region. Rights groups accuse China of political repression as well as tightening control on traditional Buddhist culture in the area, which is home to Tibetans and other ethnic minority peoples.
China refutes the claims. China denies the allegations. While the government claims that its modernization efforts have helped Tibet escape isolation, critics claim that Tibetans have less control over their future than Han Chinese migrants.
The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing saw Tibet as a flashpoint. Protesters disrupted parts of the relay route and the flame-lighting ceremony.
I was curious about the connection between Tibet and the hotel. The waitress at the hotel’s restaurant confirmed that it was owned and managed by the Tibet Regional Government. According to the hotel’s website, it was owned by a Tibetan government-owned business that sells Tibetan medicine, food, and handicrafts.
It is not uncommon for Chinese provincial or regional governments to have hotels in the capital. Other Olympic visitors are also being accommodated at the Guizhou or Fujian hotels, which are located in the southwest of Taiwan and along the coast.
As they rise to the top, the hotel’s exterior walls gently slope inwards. This architectural feature is reminiscent of Lhasa’s Potala Palace, which was home to Tibetan traditional Buddhist leaders. The Elevator screens display scenes of Tibetan landscapes in an endless loop.
Some Chinese writing, such as the gold lettering in the coffee shop and banquet room, is reminiscent of Tibetan script’s distinct angular style.
These design elements were a tasteful appreciation for Tibetan culture? Or cultural appropriation in the Chinese style? It all depends on who you ask.
Shambhala, one of two hotel restaurants, is decorated with prayer wheels along one wall. This refers to Tibetan Buddhism and a mythical kingdom that lies in the Himalayas. Because there aren’t enough diners, it is closed during the Olympics. Another restaurant serves yak meat, which is a traditional Tibetan food. One evening I decided to order the yak stew for dinner. It tasted very much like beef.
The menu was missing yak butter tea and tsampa (cereal made with barley flour), as well as Tibetan signature delicacies.
It has so far seemed to be a fairly standard, innocuous display of local culture. There were some signs that the Chinese Communist Party was firmly in control of history.
I found a portrait of Chinese leader Xi Jinping in an unoccupied conference room. It had his name and title as party secretary underneath, both in Chinese and Tibetan.
Down one hall, you’ll find an extensive exhibit of Tibetan life under Chinese control, which explains how Xi’s strategy to Tibet will allow the region “enter a New Era socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
Images of Tibet’s beautiful scenery, people, and traditional attire are mixed with commentary about the Communist Party’s role as modernizers.
One section stated that the old Tibet was a purgatory for millions upon millions of serfs who lived miserable lives. The new Tibet is a happy place for people.
Photos of the Dalai Lama are conspicuously missing. This exiled spiritual figure, to which many Tibetans claim allegiance, is scorned by Beijing. There are no images of the Panchen Lama who is second in Tibetan Buddhism. After being selected by the Dalai Lama at 6 years old, he disappeared 25 years later. China then named another BO y to his position.
Instead, you will find photos of Xi as well as historical photos of Communist Party bosses signing an accord with Tibetan leaders in 1951. Unspoken message: Beijing calls the shots.
Xi’s trip to Tibet last year, which was the first Chinese leader in over 30 years, reinforced this message.
What did the real Tibetans say? Are there any working here? Prior Olympics had less restrictions, which allowed visitors to have more contact with locals.
I began asking around. The cleaning attendant came from Hebei province. The manager of the restaurant was a Beijinger. The attendant at the lobby convenience store was originally from Gansu in China, which is a province near Tibet.
I eventually found some Tibetans working at the hotel’s restaurant. One of them said that they were sent from Tibet to work in the hotel while they studied hospitality.
I asked another person what Lhasa looked like.
She said “Nice,” and gave me a thumbs-up.
The restaurant manager then appeared and said: I have any questions.
