Cai Guo-Qiang’s Himalayan Fireworks Performance Ignites Ecological and Cultural Backlash

<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-1582628 size-full-width" src="https://observer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/ff49d0e416240e2138f422aec822cd0a.jpeg?quality=80&w=960" alt="colorful smoke from Cai Guoqiang’s fireworks curls across a Himalayan valley in Tibet, set against snow-capped peaks and fragile high-altitude grasslands." width="960" height="540" data-caption='Artist Cai Guo-Qiang staged his contentious fireworks display in the Himalayas in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on September 20, 2025. <span class=”media-credit”>From Web</span>’>

Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang has long been celebrated for transforming one of China’s oldest traditions—gunpowder and fireworks—into a contemporary art form. But his latest spectacle, staged Friday, September 20, 2025, in the Himalayas of Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region in collaboration with Arc’teryx, maker of high-performance outdoor gear, has ignited backlash. Marketed as a gesture to “bring energy, awe, blessings and hope to the world,” the performance on the “Roof of the World” has instead drawn widespread outrage over ecological harm and accusations of cultural desecration.

Xizang, the official Chinese designation for Tibet, borders India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, with the Himalayas defining much of its frontier. The region is a critical reservoir of biodiversity, encompassing glaciers, high-altitude grasslands, deep gorges and sacred lakes that support a unique yet extremely fragile ecosystem. Species such as the snow leopard, wild rabbits, Tibetan antelope (chiru) and wild yak face increasing pressure from infrastructure projects—and now, critics say, from Cai Guo-Qiang’s pyrotechnics. Commentators argue that the fireworks disturbed sensitive wildlife, leaving many animals disoriented or permanently displaced. China’s Small Animal Protection Association backed warnings about severe stress responses, citing studies that show fireworks can trigger flight activity among birds across kilometers and significantly raise heart rates and stress levels in other animals.

Some environmental observers also warned that the sheer force of the blasts could generate damaging sound waves, posing additional risks to glaciers already destabilized by climate change, as rising temperatures continue to accelerate glacial melt across the plateau.

Culturally and politically, Xizang remains a deeply sensitive region. It is home to the Tibetan people and Tibetan Buddhism, with major monasteries including Drepung, Sera and Tashilhunpo. Since the 1950s, the region has been administered by the People’s Republic of China, and ongoing questions around autonomy, cultural preservation and governance remain central to international discourse on Tibet. Cai has been accused not only of ecological recklessness but of violating sacred ground and disrupting the spiritual energy protected by Tibetan tradition.

Organizers stated in advance that all fireworks used were biodegradable and eco-friendly. But critics countered that these so-called sustainable materials were only “less polluting” than conventional fireworks and not impact-free. Promises that livestock would be relocated, small animals diverted using salt licks and vegetation “restored” post-event struck many as hollow. As one report noted, the ecology of the plateau is so delicate that “even a tire mark can take decades or centuries to heal, let alone large-scale smoke and noise pollution.”

Local officials initially told media outlets there was “no visible” damage. But by Monday, both the local administration and the Communist Party branch had announced an investigation. State-run media, including CCTV and Xinhua, soon weighed in, publishing editorials and reports condemning the performance as a potential violation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Ecological Protection Law—China’s first legislation dedicated to protecting the plateau and its environment—signaling official disapproval at the highest level.

The brand issued an apology on Instagram, placing blame on its Chinese branch and the artist, and declaring the fireworks display on the Tibetan Plateau to be out of step with Arc’teryx’s values. “The event was in direct opposition to our commitment to outdoor spaces, who we are, and who we want to be for our people and our community. We are deeply disappointed that this happened, and apologize, full stop,” the post read. “We’re addressing this directly with the local artist involved, our team in China, and will change the way we work to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Following the backlash, the brand deleted all videos of the performance from its channels. For his part, Cai Guo-Qiang has not posted, issued a statement or responded to Observer’s request for comment.

In March, the Chinese artist brought his message of interspecies alliance to the skies above D.C. with the world premiere of Interspecies Love Letter: Sky Painting for EARTH to SPACE, created in collaboration with cAI, the artist’s custom A.I. model. The piece was presented as part of the Kennedy Center’s three-week festival “EARTH to SPACE: Arts Breaking the Sky.”

Now, as public anger spreads both within and outside China, users are flooding his Instagram post from two weeks ago—showing images of the Washington performance—with comments demanding accountability. Some cite the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Wildlife Protection. One user asks, “Is the art of arrogance and arrogance really art?” Another writes, “This is not art, this is an execution-style slaughter of nature.”

Speaking to Observer before the D.C. performance, Cai said his decision to work with gunpowder has never been explicitly political, though he acknowledged the results inevitably carry political weight. “Using explosives to create beauty rather than warfare and violence provides a sliver of hope for our shared human future.”

Cai further explained that Interspecies Love Letter: Sky Painting for Earth to Space was conceived not only as a performance but as a vision of an alternate universe—one that might foster a more harmonious coexistence and ensure the survival of all species. But something appears to have misfired in his latest intervention, where material and human interests seem to have overpowered any genuine consideration of nonhuman life. On the Himalayan plateau, interspecies harmony went up in smoke.