The Canadian mountain sportswear company Arc’teryx has been forced to apologise after staging a giant fireworks display in the Himalayas, mountains considered sacred to Tibetan residents.
The display of fireworks, exploding with colour as they climbed the mountain range near Tibet’s second city, Shigatse, was supposed to represent a dragon.
However, the fireworks also lit up China’s social media and its state newspapers with complaints. Residents and others said they were an offence against the region’s delicate ecology and impinged on local reverence for the mountains.
Critics said the display was an example of China exploiting Tibet
Initial criticism came from Tibet rights groups and were targeted at China and Beijing’s commercial development of the region. “Tibet is not a stage for corporate or political spectacle,” said the Tibet Rights Collective, an activist group.
