Arc’teryx’s fireworks on a Tibetan ridge cost four local officials their jobs.
Cai Guo-Qiang, who made the fireworks for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, lit the “Rising Dragon” up a ridge 5,500 metres high near Shigatse in September 2025. Chinese social media turned on it, and the brand apologised, “full stop”. An inquiry found 30 hectares of alpine grassland damaged. Four local officials were fired.
Arc’teryx on Brandseum