Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 10 : A widely shared video on Chinese social media has sparked intense outrage among Tibetans both inside Tibet and in exile after it showed a Chinese tourist desecrating sacred items inside a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, according to a report by Phayul.
The viral footage shows the tourist drinking liquid directly from a shrine altar before pouring the remaining drink into a butter lamp, an action Tibetans say represents a grave violation of religious sanctity and cultural values. Tibetans online condemned the act as far more than mere disrespect, calling it a "shameless provocation" and a "direct insult," while stressing that monasteries are holy spaces and not places for tourists seeking publicity or social media attention, Phayul reported.
"Monasteries are not platforms for tourists to perform for attention," a Tibetan social media user wrote, urging judicial authorities and cyber police to take strong action against behaviour they believe threatens social stability and national unity. The Tibetan commenter stressed that the act cannot be dismissed as ignorance. "It's not about misunderstanding the rules. This isn't ordinary disrespect. It is humiliating. This is an open provocation," the user stated. "Cultural boundaries cannot be violated. I hope relevant authorities investigate thoroughly."
He further added that such conduct insults not only Tibetan religion and culture but also other visitors who genuinely respect Tibet. "Your actions are not only disrespectful toward Tibetan culture; they offend everyone who visits Tibet with sincerity," he said. Prominent Tibetan writer and poet Tsering Woeser also commented on the incident, linking such behaviour to what she described as prolonged tolerance by authorities toward tourists' misconduct in Tibet, Phayul reported.
"The shocking behaviour of tourists is the direct outcome of long-standing leniency," Tsering wrote on X. She explained that with "cultural tourism" promoted as one of Tibet's primary industries, tourists have gradually become "untouchable figures," while incidents violating Tibetan beliefs and traditions continue to increase. "We are exhausted," she wrote. "These serious incidents keep happening because local authorities deliberately ignore them. As a result, increasingly outrageous behaviour goes almost unpunished, while Tibetans who suffer are left with anger and rarely receive justice," Phayul quoted.
Bhuchung K. Tsering, Head of the Research and Monitoring Unit at the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), also expressed concern about the lack of official reaction. "A video of a Chinese tourist drinking an offering at a #Tibetan monastery and then desecrating a butter lamp by pouring the leftovers inside is circulating on Chinese social media," Bhuchung posted on X. "Yet there is still no indication of any action by Chinese authorities, whose censors are usually highly active," Phayul reported.