Beijing Resumes Demolition Of Major Tibetan Buddhist Academy

Eurasia Review  |  Noh Jung Min, Dickey Kundol

Chinese authorities expanded the demolition of residential quarters at Sichuan’s Larung Gar Buddhist Academy on July 13, 2026, targeting at least 1,060 residences belonging to Tibetan monks and nuns. Satellite imagery from August 14 confirms the clearance of approximately 2.5 acres across central residential areas using excavators and dump trucks, continuing a multi-decade campaign that has halved the institute's physical size.

Originally established in 1980 to revive Buddhist scholarship, the academy previously hosted over 40,000 monastics before facing mass expulsions and structural dismantlement under Beijing’s administrative directives. Accompanying physical demolitions, local security bureaus implemented heightened surveillance measures in Serthar county, forcing visitors to rent 200-yuan tracking devices, adhere to 90-minute time limits, and travel solely via state-managed shuttles. This coordinated campaign follows the July 1 implementation of China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which codifies coercive assimilation policies intended to systematically alter Tibetan identity and restrict independent religious institutions.

Comment

The codification of state authority through the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law marks a shift from ad-hoc municipal zoning enforcement to institutionalised legal coercion. By embedding administrative control over religious infrastructure directly into provincial statutory frameworks, Beijing establishes a standardised legal mechanism for structural dismantling. This statutory framing allows administrative bodies like the Serthar County Public Security Bureau to present population displacement and facility reduction as lawful urban regulation rather than political suppression.

Downstream, this statutory framework establishes an operational precedent for internal security organs operating across the broader Tibetan Autonomous Region. By replacing irregular police interventions with statutory compliance requirements—such as mandatory electronic tracking devices mandated in Serthar county—state authorities lower the administrative friction of long-term spatial control.

Strategic Question for Discussion

Which factor holds greater weight in enabling long-term state control over monastic centers—the statutory authority granted by the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law or the real-time movement monitoring enforced by the Serthar County Public Security Bureau—and how do these mechanisms reinforce one another?

The trajectory indicates that statutory authority provided by the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law serves as the primary enabling mechanism by establishing legal immunity for physical clearance. However, real-time spatial control enforced by the Serthar County Public Security Bureau provides the essential operational layer that prevents re-occupation and suppresses organized resistance. My assessment is that the legislative framework creates the permanent baseline, while tactical surveillance ensures daily compliance.

Share your assessment in the comments below.

To read in details click here