A Tibetan-themed painting exhibition "Beauty of Tibet" was recently held in Hamburg and Berlin, and altogether 115 pieces of artwork on Tibet's local customs and folk culture are presented in Germany. 

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China and Germany establishing diplomatic relations, and the exhibition has played its role to promote the exchange of cultures.

Audiences are impressed by the artworks and many said the information they received in the past is neither complete nor accurate; they realize from these artworks that Tibetan culture is as special as ever, yet no longer distant.

Tibetan culture is not rooted in Shangri-La.
Actually many westerners have long been fascinated by Tibet and a trip to Tibet ranks high on people’s "bucket list".

Some westerners' knowledge about Tibet stops at the fictional place of Shangri-La in the novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. This is a fictional account of excursions among lamaseries in the Himalayas, where the protagonist encounters a people who are forever happy, mystically content, slow to age, and isolated from most ills that trouble the human race. The author depicts "Shangri-La", a monastery nestled in a misty mountain valley; its name has since become synonymous with earthly paradise.

But for Tibet itself, it is no Shangri-La. There was no real place named Shangri-la until recently the city of Zhongdian changed its name. And the modern city is not quite a dreamplace. Shangri-La is not even in Tibet, but situated in the north of China’s Yunnan province.

Tibetan culture is not closed.
Tibetan culture is not closed. It needs exchanges with the outside world. Thanks to the improved transport links including the highway, the railway, and the air links. More and more Tibetan artists travel across China and around the world to spread Tibetan culture.

Given the history of all cultures around the world, there has never been a simplex culture of any ethnic group, as culture is constantly enriched and developed in the course of mutual communications. It is universally known that culture is defined by masses of ethnic groups, not a self-centered clique.

In the industrial age, every country and people in the world has the double task of developing the economy as well as achieving social modernization while effectively preserving excellent national culture. The development and practice of each country and nationality fully proves that to explore and develop traditional culture by closing its door to the outside world will instead cause an ethnic group to lose its vitality because of the lack of competition, and it will become the first country or nationality to lose its national traditions.

The door-closing policy is virtually a policy leading to suicide of traditional culture. The best way to kill national traditions is to isolate the nationality from modern society under the excuse of protecting it. There is no contradiction between the democratic reform in Tibet and the preservation of the traditional culture. On the contrary, it will greatly promote and improve the inheritance and development of Tibetan culture.

To protect Tibetan culture through development
Things are constantly changing. Social, political, economic, and other changes are taking place around the world. The wheel of history is moving forward and human society is all along in the process of evolution and progress, so is the culture. And it will always be a losing battle to attempt to artificially restrict the development of a culture.

Tibetan culture has its own distinctive features and its own charm due to the influence of natural conditions, geographical environment, religion, historical changes, and other factors. But like many other cultures, it can only maintain its vitality through development, rather than stand still.

The development of society is a prerequisite and necessary assurance for the development of culture. For example, the democratic reform descended upon the snow-capped and reclusive plateau half a century ago has not only brought about the emancipation of the serfs, but also brought vitality into the ancient but long pent-up Tibetan culture.

Economic isolation and stagnancy can only be the barrier for culture development. Ordinary Tibetans do not want to live in a backwater museum to be exhibited to foreign visitors who can appraise how well their culture is "preserved".

Last but not least, labeling cultural exchanges as "extinguishing Tibetan culture" is either a misunderstanding or purposeful distortion of facts.