September 8th marked the 50th anniversary of what China calls its Tibet Autonomous Region, which was first established in 1965. With last week’s military parade in Beijing featuring the nation’s military forces, the celebrations in Tibet were special in that they featured things that might not have been seen on September 3rd.
The Tibet celebrations took place in front of the local seat of power, the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
Besides showing off a collection of over-sized and miniature Chinese flags, the Tibet celebrations also featured a collection of China’s five Chairmen and Presidents depicted together. It also had a float that resembled a cresting wave or a yellow steamroller with a replica of the Potala Palace with a Chinese flag on top (as seen in the gallery).
And while there was some local culture on display, the Tibet celebrations also took after the Beijing parade by featuring marching soldiers:
But while the west was invited to come witness the September 3 military parade, the same was the same for the Tibet celebration. Western news organizations like the BBC reported that they weren’t allowed to attend the festivities.
