Miss Tibet Defies China, Quits Pageant
The second and hopefully last beauty pageant-related story of the week deals with 22-year-old Tsering Chungtak, Miss Tibet in the 2007 International Miss Tourism pageant in Malaysia. After participating in the preliminary events this week, Chungtak was forced to drop out of the competition Wednesday for refusing to add “China” to her title of “Miss Tibet.” According to reports Thursday, the Chinese government insisted that Chungtak wear a sash labeled “Miss Tibet-China” and refer to herself as such during competition. Chungtak said of the request, “I felt that this was not acceptable to me at all.” The 33 international beauty queens arrived in Malaysia on November 23rd to visit various tourist destinations in Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. After a week of publicizing the event, Chinese officials notified Miss Tourism organizers of the name change Saturday. Miss Tibet believed that her ability to participate in the preliminaries signified a change in the policy of the Chinese government. Wishful thinking.
While Chungtak, crowned Miss Tibet in 2006, objected politically to the name “Miss Tibet-China,” she could have just as easily objected on the grounds that it doesn’t make any sense. It sounds like a hyphenated last name. The official name of the region, if you ask the Chinese government, is the Tibet Autonomous Region, a name that wouldn’t fit on a beauty sash, isn’t recognized by the Tibetan people and doesn’t really characterize Tibet in any way. But the most ridiculous aspect of this story is that Chungtak isn’t the slightest bit Chinese. She’s ethnic Tibetan, a group that historically doesn’t recognize Chinese rule over the region. It would be like forcing Miss Palestine (if there is such a thing) to go by “Miss Palestine-Israel” or something. It doesn’t make sense. This is the not the first time China insisted a Tibetan beauty contest entrant go by “Miss Tibet-China.” In 2005, Tashi Yangchen pulled out of a competition for refusing to enter under this name.
•AP: Tibetan Beauty Quits Pageant
•Phayul: China Loses Temper at Miss Tibet
•Photo: BoingBoing
It’s funny because while reading this I was thinking how I was going to comment on how “Ms. Tibet-China” sounds like a hyphenated last name but you beat me to the punch. So instead, I’ll point out that despite the fact that Ms. Tibet (China) is pretty cute it’s still a pretty huge joke that she’s wearing a Champion bikini. Come to think of it, Champion is no longer nearly so ubiquitous as it once was. In fact, I barely ever see it anymore. Seems like Under Armour is today’s Champion.
I think China and the pageant organizers are being perfectly reasonable on this one. China sees Tibet as a state with a historical claim to autonomy and a sizable movement to claim that autonomy. The current “Miss Tibet” was crowned in exile by a community of expat ethnic Tibetans who are for the potentially violent succession of Tibet from China. A beauty pageant, in accepting a Miss Tibet, is tacitly endorsing this movement. Not even the government of India, the keepers of the Lama, recognizes Tibet’s autonomy. Do you really think a beauty pageant is gonna risk all that bad publicity and Chinese sponsor pullouts supporting a free Tibet movement. Come on now, I think it was generous of China to grant her even a Miss Tibet-China designation. The Taiwanese compromised (there’s a Miss Taiwan-China), and they actually have an independent government to speak of. She should be competing for the title of Miss China or Miss India. but Miss Tibet…there’s no such country and the fact that she’s ethnically Tibetan has nothing to do with her nationality. Do you think there should be a Miss America-North African and a Miss American-Anglo-Saxon?