Chinese tourist defiles shrine inside Buddhist monastery, triggers anger on social media

Public outrage intensified after a video of the incident began circulating online, quickly drawing condemnation across social media platforms.

The footage shows the tourist consuming a liquid taken directly from an altar before pouring the remaining drink into a butter lamp. Many Tibetans described the act as a grave violation of religious sanctity and a profound insult to their spiritual traditions.

According to a report published by Phayul, a widely read Tibetan news outlet, the individual was recorded engaging in behaviour widely viewed as desecration of a sacred space.

Tibetans from across the community strongly criticised the act, labelling it a deliberate affront to their faith rather than a moment of cultural misunderstanding. They stressed that monasteries are places of worship and reverence, not backdrops for sensational behaviour or online attention.

Online reactions reflected deep frustration. One social media user wrote that the incident could not be dismissed as ignorance, calling it humiliating and intentionally provocative. Another urged authorities to uphold cultural dignity and conduct a thorough investigation.

 “It’s not that I don’t know the rules. This is not a simple disrespect. It’s humiliating. This is blatant provocation,” said the X user, while another comment read, “The bottom line of culture cannot be trampled. I hope the relevant departments investigate this thoroughly.”

The incident also drew comment from prominent Tibetan writer and poet Tsering Woeser, who linked such conduct to what she described as prolonged leniency toward inappropriate tourist behaviour in Tibet.

Tsering Woeser, a renowned Tibetan writer and poet, said such behaviour to what she described as long-term tolerance by authorities toward tourists’ misconduct in Tibet. “The outrageous behaviour of tourists is a direct result of long-term tolerance,” Tsering wrote on her X account.