John Gittings on how Beijing is celebrating the anniversary of the quelling of the 1959 uprising

The organisers call it a "fusion of folk cos-tume and modern cou-ture creations". Models draped in gowns and drip-ping with jewellery strut along the catwalk, display-ing collections with such names as "Nobility".

On the streets of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, the creations of the cou-turier Wu Hajyan would be treated with incredulity.

But in the Beijing Exhibi-tion Hall they are part of an elaborate rewriting of history in an exhibition marking the 40th anniver-sary of the quelling of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.

First Beijing deprived the Tibetan nobles and monas-teries of their land and power; and pushed ahead with land reforms. Then followed the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76, when thousands of monasteries were destroyed and Tibetan culture was suppressed.

It is also 10 years since China declared martial law in Lhasa on March 8 1989, to counter pro-independence demonstrations. But resistance in Tibet contin-ues despite a heavy police and army presence.

The official Chinese ver-sion of events insists the Tibetan people were res-cued from serfdom. "We had to hide like dogs or the feudal lords would beat us," the wife of a black-smith is quoted as saying.

The organisers of the exhibition say they want to show the "cultural riches" of "Chinese Tibet" but Ms Wu was given only three months to research Tibetan history and design 50 dresses She and her four assistant designers are all ethnically Chinese.

It is not completely Tibetan but once you see it you will agree the Tibetan spirit is there," Ms Wu said.

Parts of the show will give deep offence to the Buddhist faithful. One of Ms Wu's collections is based on artistic motifs from the sacred thangka religious paintings. Another exploits the simple purple-red clothing worn by Tibetan monks and nuns. Texts from the Tibet archives which sup-port Chinese claims that China lids exercised sover-eignty over the region since the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) are displayed.

But Ye Xingsheng, a Chi-nese artist who has con-tributed to the exhibition, recalls how during the Cul-tural Revolution he saw wooden statues, thangkas and Buddhist sutras, or narratives burnt for fire-wood. Mr Ye was punished for secretly trying to save artistic treasures con-demned as "feudal curios".

A huge photograph of Chairman Mao talking to a "patriotic" (pro-Chinese) Tibetan official fills the entrance to the hall.

The exhibition brochure claims that Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and the present Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, have "from beginning to end shown loving care for the Tibetan people" .

The exhibition neatly combines propaganda with commerce. Its sponsors include the local Tibetan government, the Chinese state council information office - and New Silk Road Models Inc.

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Last updated: 9-Mar-99