On 28th October a cultural exchange group from China’s Tibet successfully completed their exchange visit to France.

The delegation said that this exchange visit to France involved in a wide range of fields and was rich in content. Through various discussions, informal exchanges and media interviews, they introduced local people to the 50-year history of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and its great achievements since the 18th CPC National Congress, such as rapid economic development, comprehensive social progress, marked improvements to people’s living standards and sustained social stability in Tibet.

On the 28th the head of the cultural exchange group,Deputy Secretary-General of Tibet Foreign Cultural Exchange Association, Wang Nengsheng, when being interviewed by the media, introduced recent trends in tourism development and environmental work in Tibet. He added that, due to Tibet’s unique natural beauty, ecological and cultural environment and exceptional tourism resources, more than 15 million people visited Tibet in 2014. Revenue from tourism reached 20.4 billion yuan, making it one of Tibet’s pillar industries in terms of revenue. Alongside development of the local economy, he also mentioned the central government policies of protecting ecological resources and rational development; using sustainable development as a foundation; effectively controlling the number of visitors at tourist attractions; implementation of planning restrictions on various tourist routes; introduction of sanitary landfill for waste disposal; and reducing damage to the environment caused by tourism.

On the 27th the exchange group held discussions in Paris with a number of people from French cultural and media circles. The friendly exchanges included discussions on ecological protection, ethnic and religious policies, as well as protection and succession of Tibetan cultural heritage.

One of the attendees was French writer Bressler, who has travelled to Tibet twice. In her book, “Voyage au Coeur du Tibet”, she gives an account of her own experiences in Tibet. After the meeting, she told reporters that, through communication with the Tibetan delegation, she has learned more about the hard work done by the Chinese government and Tibet Autonomous Region in relation to ecological protection, environmental management and improving people’s livelihoods. This fully illustrates that China is booming and Western people are hoping to gain a greater understanding of China’s politics, economy and culture. Otherwise, it will lead to a backwards and outdated understanding of China, such as errors in interpretation and coverage of Tibet.

Bressler said that, in order to explore and understand the real Tibet, she spoke with many people from all walks of life, including entrepreneurs, doctors, teachers, students and others. she was able to experience Tibetan life and feel the rapid economic development in Tibet today. She added that she fell in love with China when visiting Tibet, which broadened her horizons and changed her way of thinking. More importantly, China is a country, which allowed her to learn a lot about the “wisdom of life”. She told reporters that she recently returned from Xinjiang and plans to visit Tibet and Inner Mongolia again in the future.

French independent documentary producer, Castor, said in an interview that he has travelled to China three times but has yet to set foot in Tibet. As a Frenchman having read Bressler’s book, he has a new understanding of Tibet. Everything he learned from the media in the past was negative regarding Tibet, such as reports involving religion, the glossing over of the Dalai Lama and others. Castor believes that these reports are not only biased, but also have no mention of Tibet’s current situation, economic development and the harmony existing among different ethnic groups in Tibet. Having read Bressler’s book and through communicating with the Tibetan delegation, he has a stronger desire to visit Tibet and plans to shoot a documentary about Tibetan life.

During this visit to France from 25th to 28th October, the Tibetan cultural exchange group held extensive discussions with a number of people including Amboise City politicians, Tours International Anti-racism and Anti-Semitism Association, French overseas Chinese, famous French writers and columnists, and Chinese and French media. They covered a number of topics including French and Chinese culture (especially Tibetan history and culture), religion, environmental protection, climate change, social development and others. From the 28th the delegation will also visit London to carry out further exchange activities.