A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs.

The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.”

“It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said.

Photo: Screen grab from Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan’s Facebook page

Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never visited his homeland, recalled meeting the Dalai Lama — widely regarded as the spiritual leader of Tibetans and the most prominent figure in Tibetan Buddhism — before founding the organization in 2016.

Tashi Tsering said that the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate told them: “You should not only focus on human rights in Tibet, but also care about human rights in China, and those of the Uighurs, Hong Kong and Taiwan.”

With that spirit in mind, HRNTT partnered with civic groups in Taiwan to organize the exhibition, aiming to raise awareness of Tibet’s struggle under Chinese rule and highlight the Dalai Lama’s broader human rights concerns, Tashi Tsering said.

The exhibition features quotes from the Dalai Lama supporting causes such as LGBTQ+ rights, the abolition of the death penalty, and solidarity with Hongkongers and Uighurs. It also includes artworks by artists from Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong inspired by those themes, HRNTT said.

Sharon Lai (賴宣任), one of the exhibition’s first visitors, said Taiwanese should care about issues related to Tibet, as Taiwan and Tibet “share a common, powerful adversary.”

“Taiwanese and Tibetans have different cultures from Chinese,” she said, adding that both of them strongly value freedom and democracy.

The mother of two said she felt “deeply inspired” by how the Tibetan government and its supporters continue to work tirelessly to keep their cause alive, despite living in exile.

The exhibition, which also includes talks on human rights in Tibet and beyond, runs through Sunday next week — the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday.