Lhamo also speaks and writes Chinese, which China mandated as its primary language for schools and government agencies in a sweeping new “ethnic unity” law implemented July 1. In Tibet — a remote Himalayan region officially designated autonomous but tightly controlled by Beijing — the stakes are particularly high. Beijing says the selection must comply with Chinese law and receive government approval. From highways to city streets in Lhasa and Shannan, billboards promoting ethnic unity are a constant presence. “Our mother tongue is the Tibetan language,” she said proudly.