{"id":13276,"date":"2025-09-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/?post_type=nieuws&p=13276"},"modified":"2026-05-12T12:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:01:12","slug":"the-arcteryx-fireworks-stunt-in-tibet-a-call-for-corporate-accountability-in-fragile-ecosystems-2","status":"publish","type":"nieuws","link":"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/en\/news\/the-arcteryx-fireworks-stunt-in-tibet-a-call-for-corporate-accountability-in-fragile-ecosystems-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Arc\u2019teryx fireworks stunt in Tibet \u2013 A call for corporate accountability in fragile ecosystems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 19 September 2025, Canadian outdoor apparel brand Arc\u2019teryx, in collaboration with Chinese pyrotechnic artist Cai Guo-Qiang, staged a promotional fireworks display titled \u201cRising Dragon\u201d at over 5,500 meters (18,000 feet) in Tibet\u2019s pristine mountains. The stunt has sparked widespread outrage, both within China and globally, for its blatant disregard for Tibet\u2019s fragile ecosystem and sacred cultural significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) demands a full independent environmental assessment, reparations for affected communities, and stricter global regulations on corporate activities in Tibet. Facing significant backlash over the stunt, Arc\u2019teryx and artist Cai Guo-Qiang issued apologies, and Chinese central authorities pledged to investigate. ICT considers neither the apologies nor the Chinese government\u2019s statement credible for the following reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Such an environmentally destructive stunt in Tibet has precedent. In 1996, Chinese filmmakers detonated explosives on the surface of Kharola Glacier in Tibet, near the site of Cai Guo-Qiang\u2019s recent fireworks stunt, for the filming of Feng Xiaogang\u2019s Red River Valley<\/em> (1997). A glacier that took centuries to form was blasted to create a \u201crealistic\u201d avalanche scene, with permission from local Chinese authorities for minimal compensation. The use of explosives caused irreversible damage to the glacier\u2019s structure, leaving visible scarring that persists nearly 30 years later.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The Chinese authorities have also shown blatant disregard for Tibet\u2019s environment. While they routinely use \u201cenvironmental protection\u201d as a pretext to displace Tibetan nomadic communities, they have conducted military drills employing heavy artillery, rockets, and tanks in many ecologically sensitive areas of the Tibetan plateau, disregarding the environmental consequences. Therefore, the Chinese authorities\u2019 assurance of launching an investigation into the fireworks stunt lacks credibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Another issue undermining the credibility of a government investigation is the business and political connection between Ding Shizong<\/a> (Chairman of the Board of Directors of China\u2019s Anta Sports, the majority shareholder in Amer Sports Inc.), and Xi Jinping. This relationship creates a conflict of interest<\/a> that compromises the independence of any investigation. Xi has known Ding since his time as governor of Fujian Province. Xi encouraged Ding to expand his outdoor apparel business, referring to it as an \u201cice and snow cause.\u201d Ding also serves as a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th Chinese People\u2019s Political Consultative Conference and vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, while previously serving as a deputy to the 13th National People\u2019s Congress (2018\u20132023), reflecting strong political and business ties. The intertwined political and business relationship<\/a> between Ding and Xi within China\u2019s opaque political system undermines the credibility of any government-led investigation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Arc\u2019teryx\u2019s damage control apology, posted on Instagram<\/a>, is disingenuous at best and misleading at worst. The apology deflects blame to the \u201clocal artist\u201d and \u201cits team in China,\u201d portraying the company as unaware of its local team\u2019s actions. However, Arc\u2019teryx, a formerly Canadian company, is now owned by Finland\u2019s Amer Sports, which is majority-controlled by Chinese companies, with China\u2019s ANTA Sports as the majority shareholder. In essence, Arc\u2019teryx trying to deflect blame to its local team in China is clearly misleading as it is a Chinese company. Additionally, the company\u2019s apology, as quoted by Global Times<\/a>, stated that \u201cwe will accelerate our established environmental protection plans in Xizang region and fully promote public welfare projects that contribute to local cultural development\u201d. The statement adopting the Chinese government\u2019s term \u201cXizang\u201d for Tibet is highly problematic as the company is appeasing the government by complying with the Chinese government\u2019s Tibet to \u201cXizang\u201d country name change policy in effect since fall 2021. This clearly shows corporate leaders\u2019 failure to take accountability in a genuine or meaningful way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang\u2019s remorse for the stunt, expressed after the backlash, also lacks credibility. Cai is aware of the environmental impact of fireworks in pristine mountain ecosystems, as Japan and France have previously denied<\/a> Cai\u2019s similar \u201cart\u201d projects on their soil. Yet, he obtained approval from Chinese authorities in Tibet for the stunt, which he described as a lifelong dream realized, at the expense of Tibet\u2019s delicate ecosystem. He claimed to have used \u201cbiodegradable\u201d fireworks and \u201csalt bricks\u201d to lure small animals away from harm. Environmental experts, Dr. Gu Lei and Lian Xinming, have debunked these claims on China\u2019s state media. In an interview with Beijing News<\/a> on September 21, Dr. Gu, a director of the China Wildlife Conservation Association and an associate professor at Capital Normal University, speaking on Cai Guo-Qiang and Arc\u2019teryx preliminary preparations and restoration measures stated:
    \u201cUsing salt bricks to lure pikas away from the fireworks display area is unfeasible. Pikas are timid and will not leave their burrows to forage, and salt bricks are unattractive to wildlife and birds. Beijing News further reported that \u201cDegradable materials\u201d are not a panacea either. \u201cThis activity could cause \u2018irreversible damage\u2019 to the fragile ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,\u201d a long-time alpine ecology expert at the Chinese Academy of Sciences told the Beijing News Zero Carbon Research Institute, stating that Arc\u2019teryx\u2019s so-called environmental remediation measures are ineffective in restoring the environment. He analyzed the ecological impacts from three perspectives: first, direct ecological damage to the fireworks display area. Artificial measures such as \u201ccovering the fireworks area with soil\u201d have already damaged the ecosystem itself; second, severe soil erosion will result, which will also have serious impacts on surrounding areas; and third, through runoff, fireworks residues may enter downstream waters, causing secondary impacts on the entire basin\u2019s ecological environment.This expert, who has long worked in scientific research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, pointed out that alpine meadow ecosystems take centuries or even millennia to form, and such fireworks activities directly damage the surface vegetation layer. \u201cOnce the meadows are destroyed, the loss of vegetation will lead to severe soil erosion, making recovery of the entire ecosystem almost impossible.\u201d Similarly,     Liu Xin<\/a>, a plant survey volunteer with the Qinghai Sanjiangyuan Ecological and Environmental Protection Association, added that: \u201cblasting can disrupt plant growth cycles, with the impact being particularly severe on perennial, single-flowering plants. The blasting could prevent them from producing seeds, \u201csevering their life cycle.\u201d She said natural recovery is long and uncertain, making it difficult to accelerate with human intervention. She expressed skepticism about the organizers\u2019 claims of \u201cvegetation restoration.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. According to Cai Guo-Qiang, the fireworks display titled Rising Dragon<\/em> symbolizes the \u201causpiciousness\u201d and \u201cendless vitality\u201d of Eastern dragon culture. However, for Tibetans, the dragon is strongly associated with Chinese identity and staging a \u201cRising Dragon\u201d fireworks show on the sacred snowy mountains\u2014a profound cultural symbol in Tibetan tradition\u2014is deeply offensive, considering China\u2019s decades-long illegal occupation of Tibet and its brutal repression of the Tibetan people. Cai also stated that he chose Ralung (Pinyin: Relong) for the stunt because the syllable \u201clong\u201d in the Pinyin rendering resembles the Chinese word for dragon (l\u00f3ng). In Tibetan, however, place name Ralung means \u201cvalley of goats,\u201d and imposing a Chinese cultural symbol on Tibetan land disregards its indigenous meaning. Beijing-based Tibetan writer-activist Tsering Woeser (@degewa) condemned the stunt, stating:
    \u201cIs this contemporary art? What we see is a cultural imperialist arrogantly showcasing his skills, using Tibet\u2019s mountains and rivers as mere props. Behind the fleeting minutes of explosions lies the ecological cost to the snow mountains and the erosion of cultural dignity. This is not a \u2018dialogue with heaven and earth,\u2019 but a nauseating performance by a cultural imperialist on the snow-covered plateau.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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