China has dismissed four local officials and launched legal action against a Canadian-owned outdoor brand after a fireworks show in Tibet’s high-altitude grasslands sparked outrage over environmental damage.
The 52-second display – created by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang and sponsored by the outdoor clothing company Arc’teryx – lit up the Himalayan slopes near Gyantse in Tibet’s Shigatse city on 19 September.
Videos of the show, shared widely on Chinese social media, showed a column of multicoloured smoke forming the shape of a “rising dragon” against the snow-capped peaks.
Officials in Tibet said the fireworks affected about 30 hectares of grassland, leaving behind plastic debris and firework remnants that were “not thoroughly cleaned”, authorities in Tibet’s Shigatse city said in a statement on Wednesday
The display caused “short-term disturbance to wild animals” and “damage to the soil and grass mat structure”, the statement added.
Authorities said the incident constituted a “human-induced disturbance in a high-altitude ecologically sensitive area”, noting that while direct damage was limited, ongoing monitoring would be needed to assess longer-term ecological risks.
Those removed from office include the Communist Party secretary and public security chief of Gyantse county, along with two senior officials from county and city environmental agencies, state media reported.
Local discipline inspectors have also launched an investigation into the county governor, according to the Tibet Review, which called the case “a rare instance of environmental accountability in Tibet”.
Cai’s art studio, owned by Hong Kong-listed Anta Sports and best known for directing the fireworks at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also issued an apology and said it would work with local authorities to help with the area’s recovery.
Arc’teryx, founded in Vancouver in 1989, has built its reputation around conservation and outdoor ethics. The brand operates more than 150 stores worldwide, including in the UK.
Arc’teryx and Cai have been ordered to compensate for environmental damage and assist in restoration.
Arc’teryx apologised after the backlash, saying the fireworks show was meant to celebrate mountain culture, but had been “out of line with Arc’teryx’s values”.
It added that the materials used were biodegradable and that the company would work with an external agency to assess the environmental impact.
The display was approved by county officials without a review, investigators found according to Chinese media. The probe determined that 1,050 firework pots were used at an elevation of 4,670 to 5,020m, in a region recognised as one of the world’s most fragile ecosystems.
