China | Chaguan

Why China takes young Tibetans from their families

Visiting a Tibetan region where children must attend Chinese-language boarding schools

Illustration of a group of chinese school students waving at a Chinese flag in front of a school with mountains in the background
Illustration: Chloe Cushman

AN AIR OF quiet piety hangs over Rongwo Monastery in the western province of Qinghai. The streets near this ancient complex draw pilgrims and Tibetan Buddhist monks in dark red robes. Local believers make circuits around the monastery’s yellow walls, turning a line of wooden prayer-wheels as they walk.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “How to smother an ancient culture”

From the June 15th 2024 edition

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