Horse racing festivals in Tibetan-populated regions are held to rejuvenate Tibetan tradition and culture as opposed to what some Western media claim as being political affairs with a propaganda goal, said an official in Northwest China's Qinghai Province.

A festival in Yushu was held for locals to celebrate the occasion, with necessary police presence to maintain order at such a large-scale event attended by over 100,000 people, Ma Shengcheng, deputy head of the publicity department of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The festival aims to develop Tibetan culture and its integration with tourism, as well as to promote ethnic unity and enhance regional stability, Yushu-based official news site yushunews.com reported in July.

As of July, some 130 companies in the prefecture are engaged in promoting traditional culture and marketing folk products, covering areas like horse racing, dancing and clothing, 13 of which have net assets of over 2 million yuan ($308,000), according to yushunews.com.

Preconceived notions 

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the Tibetan horse festivals like the one held in July on Batang grasslands are but "political affairs with a propaganda goal," which serve to counter the Dalai Lama's criticism and try to show that Tibetan culture is thriving.

The report also emphasized the presence of security personnel at the event, citing "two dozen ethnic Han members of a Chinese paramilitary unit" marched through the race grounds holding batons and wearing black body armor.

Ma said batons and helmets are part of the standard outfit of police officers responsible for maintaining public order.

"Government participation does not necessarily imply that the government plays a leading role in the festivals," Penpa Lhamo, deputy head of the contemporary studies institute of the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The arrangement is similar to activities planned by local governments across China during Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, she said.

Lian Xiangmin, an expert at the China Tibetology Research Center in Beijing, told the Global Times that it is the government's obligation to take security measures and provide traffic management support for a large-scale event, citing the Super Bowl in the US as an example.

He was quoted by The New York Times' Sunday report as saying that "there is nothing traditional about this horse festival … It's a tourist event organized by local governments."

"What I said was that some tourism events organized by local governments are not linked with tradition," he told the Global Times.

"The government's presence cannot change the tradition, as it has long been an important event among herders to make friends and do trading," Penpa Lhamo said.

Lasting tradition

The locals proactively participate in the event, which is an occasion for them to wear their most beautiful clothes and ornaments, she explained.

Experts said the arguments presented by The New York Times are consistent with their preconceived ideas.

"It is a paradox that the Western media accuse the Chinese government of excessively intervening in Tibetan traditions and at the same time criticize the government for overlooking the unique Tibetan culture and traditions if it steps back," Penpa Lhamo noted.

As more Chinese travel across the country and around the world, thanks to their swelling spending power, local governments have been using all means to attract tourists, including nurturing local folk culture or holding events.