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It’s been 75 years since China invaded Tibet, the mountain territory it has long claimed as its own. With the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama approaching his 90th birthday, the long-running fight over the control and future of this contested land is reaching a critical juncture. China heavily restricts the international media’s access to the region. But tonight’s new FRONTLINE documentary goes inside the Battle for Tibet at this pivotal moment, drawing on undercover footage, expert interviews and firsthand accounts to investigate the struggle over the survival of Tibetan language, culture and religion, and the Chinese Communist Party’s rule over the tightly-controlled territory. “China only shows the beautiful and good parts,” Namkyi, who fled Tibet after protesting China’s rule, says in the documentary. “The true situation in Tibet isn’t allowed to be seen.” China insists that human rights are at their “historical best,” and that Tibetans’ religious freedoms are being protected. But the footage and first-person accounts from exiled Tibetan interviewees in tonight’s documentary paint a different picture. They describe China’s efforts to control their religion and culture — including placing Tibetan children in Chinese Communist Party-run boarding schools where they are taught in Mandarin, digital surveillance of Tibet’s monasteries, and China’s pursuit of a campaign to choose the Dalai Lama’s successor. For the full story, watch Battle for Tibet. From award-winning producer and director Gesbeen Mohammad (China Undercover, Putin’s War at Home), the documentary will be available starting tonight at 7/6c at pbs.org/frontline and in the PBS App, or at 10/9c on PBS stations (check local listings) and on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel. The documentary will also be available on the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel. Thank you for watching. |
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Senior Digital Writer, FRONTLINE |
