Zega Gyatso was arrested while seeking medical treatment. Geshe Shersang Gyatso, the monastery’s managing director, took his life after heavy police interrogation. The post Tsang Monastery: One Tibetan Monk Arrested, A Leader Commits Suicide first appeared on Bitter Winter.

China’s Brahmaputra mega-dam endangers India’s water security, ecology, and strategic stability, extending aggression from borders to rivers. The post From Galwan to the Brahmaputra: China’s Expanding Strategy of Coercion first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Beijing’s efforts to infiltrate Taoism in Taiwan continue. However, Taiwanese see China and the CCP with growing mistrust. The post Quanzhen: How China Weaponizes Taoism for Global Propaganda. 4. Shifting Sands first appeared on Bitter Winter.

The CCP would like to use Taiwanese Quanzhen Taoists for its purposes. However, it encounters an obstacle in the very structure of Taiwan’s Taoism. The post Quanzhen: How China Weaponizes Taoism for Global Propaganda. 3. Ready to Mobilize? first...

The global expansion of the Quanzhen sect of Taoism and how the CCP has used it as a tool of influence through the United Front Work Department. The post Quanzhen: How China Weaponizes Taoism for Global Propaganda. 1. International...

It is not the first time the CCP has destroyed religious symbols in Sichuan’s Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture—but this incident is the worst ever. The post Over 300 Tibetan Stupas and Religious Statues Demolished by the Chinese first appeared...

Inaugurated on July 19, the dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River will have a devastating ecological impact on Tibet and allow China to manipulate water flows against India. The post Weaponizing Water: Why the New World’s Largest Dam in...

The vote made history, although the Mayor vetoed the decision. A comment by the “Amsterdam’s Lonely Uyghur.” The post Amsterdam City Parliament Votes to Use “East Turkestan” Instead of “Xinjiang” first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Two different spiritual leaders share a passion for freedom of religion or belief and a common problem: the Chinese persecution of believers. The post The Two Holinesses: The Dalai Lama, Pope Leo, and China first appeared on Bitter Winter.

United Front chief Li Ganjie has indicated the doctrine announced in April by top CCP ideologist Wang Huning as mandatory. The post “Rule of Law on Religious Work” Now Imposed on All Religions first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Theological criticism surrounds the Taiwanese movement, known internationally as the Buddhist True Enlightenment Practitioners Association. Banning it in China is an entirely different issue. The post China Buddhist Association Asks the Government to Crack Down on the Zhengjue Fellowship...

The impostor traveled to Tibet in an attempt to divert attention from His Holiness’ 90th birthday in Dharamsala. He failed. The post Against the Dalai Lama, the CCP Deploys the False Panchen Lama first appeared on Bitter Winter.

A conference in Beijing insisted that the regulations that came into force on May 1 should be strictly adhered to. The post China, Religions Told to Strictly Enforce New Rules on Dealing with Foreigners first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Approval by the Chinese government was never the “most central step.” The “Golden Urn” Beijing mentions was used in a minority of cases and never replaced the traditional methods. The post Dalai Lama’s Succession: Unmasking the Chinese Communist Party’s...

By 2030, Xinjiang will build six more specialized hospitals. Why, given that the region has a very low organ donation rate? The post Transplant Facilities Greatly Expanded in Xinjiang—For More Organ Harvesting? first appeared on Bitter Winter.

His Holiness is aging, but his birthday is a day of joy and hope, not despair. The post The Dalai Lama Turns 90: A Look at Tibet’s Future first appeared on Bitter Winter.

A new regulation poses a threat to the existence of groups that view their founders and leaders as divine incarnations or messianic figures. The post Another Assault on Religious Liberty in Rwanda first appeared on Bitter Winter.

While Qigong has been traditionally recognized in the Sinosphere as a healthy practice, groups perceived as not supporting the powers that be have been persecuted. The post Who Is Afraid of Qigong? Repressing Qigong-Based Groups in China and Taiwan...

Further police repression against the Qigong-based movement is likely to follow. The post Chinese Communist Party Launches a Campaign Labeling Bodhi Gong as a “Criminal Gang” first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Their supply chains include critical minerals for the extraction of which forced labor is massively used. The post Dozens of Western Companies Connected with Slave Labor in the Uyghur Region first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Why is the CCP so fearful of what is, after all, just a humorous game about the conflict between China and “separatists”? The post “Reversed Front: Bonfire” in Hong Kong: Play a Mobile Game, Go to Jail first appeared...

China’s President waited a decade before meeting the highly loyal religious leader. The encounter was likely related to the Dalai Lama’s succession. The post Why Did Xi Jinping Meet the Fake Panchen Lama? first appeared on Bitter Winter.

China compelled them to leave their country. Exiled, they still speak with a powerful voice, Kunsang Dolma said. The post A New Book on Tibetan Women Writers in Exile first appeared on Bitter Winter.

China continues to “Sinicize” geographical names in an Indian state it claims as its own. Enough, says the Indian government. The post China’s Name War in Indian Arunachal Pradesh Continues first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Media often remain silent on religious persecution and discriminate against unpopular groups by calling them “cults.” The post The Fragile Balance of Press Freedom and Religious Liberty: The Harmful Impact of the Stigmatizing Language first appeared on Bitter Winter.

A mammoth document both praises the CCP’s work in the security field and calls for a more severe repression of groups identified as national security threats. The post The White Paper on National Security: Propaganda, Threats, and Promises to...

Then, if you protest, the Chinese will arrest you. This is what happened to Kelsang, a 42-year-old man from Dêngqên County. The post Tibet: If You Are a Dissident, We Will Cut Your Electricity and Water first appeared on...

Media Impact on FoRB and the Tai Ji Men Case The post Media Impact on FoRB and the Tai Ji Men Case first appeared on Bitter Winter.

The 2023–27 Five-Year Plan for Sinicizing Chinese Buddhism is reaching the end of its first two-and-a-half-year period. An event in Beijing discussed its results so far. The post Sinicization of Chinese Buddhism: What Does It Mean? first appeared on...

By publishing novels of their own, challenging the famous end-of-the-world franchise, the group presented its post-tribulationist millennialism.  The post The Jesus Christians. 5. Answering the “Left Behind” Book Series first appeared on Bitter Winter.