(TibetanReview.net, Apr17’26) – Following China’s adoption last month of its law on so-called promoting ethnic unity and progress, mandating the predominance of Mandarin learning and use across the PRC, monks in Tibet are now required to take time off their traditional Tibetan grammar and scripture learning to study the language of their rulers.
As in many cases under Chinese rule in Tibet, where measures have already been under implementation for years before the laws on them are actually adopted, monks in Tibet have already been learning Mandarin (or Putonghua) for years. As a result, many have already gained efficiency in the language.
For example, monks at Dordong Monastery, located in Bome County of Nyingtri City, Tibet autonomous Region, have actively studied the standard spoken and written Chinese language and acquired knowledge relevant to modern society, reported China’s online Tibet new service m.tibet.cn/eng Apr 17.
Thirty-seven-year-old monk Tsewang Palden is a representative example, the report said. In an interview, he spoke fluent Putonghua, noting that the standard spoken and written Chinese language serves as a bridge connecting them with the broader society. He has reportedly recalled that in the past, when travelling to places such as Lhasa and Chengdu for medical treatment or other personal matters, language barriers often posed difficulties.
While learning a language out of personal interest for career advancement and to adapt to modern life is fully understandable, China’s plan is stated to be to eventually get all the Tibetan Buddhist texts translated into Chinese and to make the monasteries teach their students only in this language, the planned language also of monastic interactions.
Referring to the monk Tsewang Palden mentioned above, the report said that after a year of study, he is now able to communicate proficiently in the national common language in daily life. “In addition to attending classes diligently, he also uses the Internet for self-study, learning vocabulary for everyday situations such as seeking medical care and shopping. He has also been studying laws and regulations, ethnic unity, and the principles of patriotism and devotion to religion.”
The use of Mandarin language as an attempt to weaken the Tibetan people’s interest to focus on studying their language, culture, and religion and thereby widen, even divert, their interests in other fields could not, perhaps, be put more succinctly.
“With society developing so rapidly, we must keep pace with its progress,” Tsewang Palden was quoted as saying.