French Museums Yielding to China’s Pressure to Alter Historical Narratives (Op-Ed) A Collective Appeal A group of scholars criticises the passive stance of certain museums towards the interference of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in historical and cultural representation, specifically highlighting efforts to suppress particular cultural identities.

As France contemplates new laws to guard against foreign influence, the PRC’s encroachment on two of our premier cultural institutions—Musée du Quai Branly and Musée Guimet—remains unchecked. These museums have adopted language that aligns with Beijing’s goals of revising history and erasing non-Han peoples absorbed by the PRC. This erasure extends to both their cultural identities and historical territories. It’s particularly striking to observe the removal of “Tibet” from the Musée du Quai Branly’s collection of Tibetan artefacts, replacing it with the term “Xizang Autonomous Region.” This shift adheres to a law passed in 2023 by the PRC, signalling a clear intention to erase Tibet, a region colonised by China since 1950, from both history and public memory. At the Musée Guimet, the term Tibet has also vanished, replaced by the more generalized “Himalayan world” for its exhibit spaces. The Role of Confucius Institutes To provide context: while the leaders of Tibet, East Turkestan (Xinjiang), and Mongolia once maintained authority over their regions after recognising the Manchu emperors, direct rule by the Chinese government during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was limited to China proper. The PRC’s success in controlling these neighbouring territories has come at a significant cost to the local populations. Despite this being well-known among historians, the public is less aware of how China’s modern achievements have been built on the exploitation of these lands, the forced assimilation of their peoples, and the imposition of a dictatorial regime backed by Han Chinese demographic dominance. France’s museums, alongside several of our academic institutions which host Confucius Institutes (China’s propaganda arm), are increasingly unwilling to challenge the PRC. Anything deviating from the official Chinese narrative, particularly that influenced by “Xi Jinping Thought,” is viewed as separatism or provocation. In their desire to maintain access to Chinese archives, research sites, and financial support, many institutions are willing to appease China’s authoritarian demands to rewrite historical records and obscure cultural identities. Resistance from Nantes Yet, not all French institutions are willing to accept such interference. The Nantes History Museum recently resisted Chinese censorship when preparing an exhibition on Genghis Khan. Chinese authorities demanded the removal of Genghis Khan’s name and the erasure of Mongolian history in exchange for artifact loans. The museum’s director refused to comply, opting instead to collaborate with Mongolian museums and private collectors. As a result, in 2023, Nantes hosted a rigorously researched exhibition, free from Chinese influence. (See: Genghis Khan exhibition defies Chinese censorship at Nantes History Museum.) This fall, in celebration of 60 years of Franco-Chinese diplomatic relations, Musée Guimet plans to feature an exhibition on Chang’an, the Tang Dynasty’s capital (618-907). Will it acknowledge the Tibetan Empire’s conquest of Chang’an in 763? French museums’ acquiescence to China’s historical revisionism highlights a dangerous precedent. Our cultural and academic institutions must firmly resist the interference of authoritarian foreign powers to protect the integrity of history.