"The students, most wearing school uniforms, marched peacefully," he said.

"It's difficult to count the exact number, but there were not thousands of students protesting," Shao said. "The social order restored quickly on the same day."

Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic policy studies at Minzu University of China, argued that encouraging local people to learn standard Chinese would not marginalize Tibetan culture.

"The authorities' efforts to promote standard Chinese in ethnic regions could help local people better integrate into the mainstream society. Some local people might have misunderstood the goodwill," he said.

In addition, most of the advanced scientific knowledge is better taught in standard Chinese, Xiong said.

Xiong also suggested that local authorities conduct more research and listen to local people's opinions before implementing language policies.