U.S. to China after demolition report: ‘End interference in Tibetan religious life’

Rfa

Chinese authorities began demolishing approximately 200 monks' residences at Dza Sershul Thekchen Dargyeling Monastery in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on October 25 and 26. The demolitions aim to reduce monastic populations and enforce state assimilation under the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law enacted in July. Regional actors note that these actions form part of a systematic campaign also affecting the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sichuan province.

The Central Tibetan Administration states that such measures seek to dismantle Tibetan religious identity through political education and forced expulsions. Officials in Washington condemned the campaign and urged Beijing to cease interference in clerical succession customs. Authorities plan further restrictions to prevent displaced monks from remaining at the monastery site.

Comment

Structural assimilation campaigns in the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture reflect the implementation of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law across western administrative regions. State directives target monastic infrastructure not merely as urban planning adjustments, but as nodes of spiritual and social cohesion that resist party-state directives. Physical reduction of residences at Dza Sershul Thekchen Dargyeling Monastery parallels similar interventions at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, indicating a standardized administrative methodology for lowering demographic concentrations of monastics.

Administrative oversight relies heavily on institutional co-optation through the Religious Affairs Bureau and patriotic education campaigns managed by United Front work teams. These mechanisms enforce ideological compliance while systematically dismantling the autonomous succession frameworks traditionally maintained by institutions such as the Panchen Lama and Dalai Lama offices. Bureaucratic standardization across the Tibetan Autonomous Region and adjacent provinces ensures that monastic populations remain small and politically tractable.

Strategic Question for Discussion

What mechanisms of resistance remain available to local communities when monastic infrastructure and demographic density are dismantled simultaneously under the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law?

The pattern indicates that physical demolition leaves few avenues for local pushback outside clandestine religious practice. Decentralised community networks attempt to preserve lineage traditions, but state surveillance over monastic administration severely restricts their efficacy.

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