China has sharply scaled back, and restricted, the teaching of languages spoken by ethnic minorities in its vast western regions in recent years, promoting instruction in Chinese instead as part of a broad push to encourage the assimilation of Tibetans, Uighurs and other ethnic minorities into the dominant ethnic Han culture. The Education Ministry says a goal is to "make sure that minority students master and use the basic common language." And some parents have welcomed the new emphasis on teaching Chinese because they believe it will better prepare their children to compete for jobs in the Chinese economy and for places at Chinese universities.
But the new measures have also stirred anxiety and fueled resentment, with residents arguing that they threaten the survival of ethnic identities and traditions already under pressure by migration, economic change and the repressive policies of a government fearful of ethnic separatism.
Tibetan Entrepreneur detained for one and a half months according to his family. He writes and posts things to his Sina Weibo account and many of his posts express how he feels about the gradual extinction of Tibetan culture, he wants to enhance bilingual education. Chinese-ruled Tibetan regions have Mandarin taught as the main language and teach Tibetan like a foreign language.
