As symbolically important as the passing of the Olympic torch may be, there is something even more important that must be passed.

Knowledge.

That was the thinking that motivated some members of Pittsburgh's Chinese community to gather on the University of Pittsburgh campus yesterday for an informational demonstration on behalf of their native land.

Ying Yang, 24, a member of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said the event was intended to dispel what they perceive as misinformation and misconceptions about the relationship between China and Tibet.

"Some American students think that the Chinese oppress or attack the Tibet people," said Miss Yang, a native of Beijing who came to Pitt in August 2006 in pursuit of a doctorate in communication sciences and disorders. "[People] think we support our government blindly without knowing the truth about Tibet.

"We want to let people know that we do care about Tibetan people, and we know some truth about it. A lot of us have been there and seen with our eyes what's going on. We want to show our own thinking and address those issues to our friends. We don't want to have this invisible wall between us because of those issues."

The issues are timely, she said, because Beijing is hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in August. But because of controversy regarding China's rule in Tibet, the traditional torch relay around the globe has been dogged by protests and demonstrations. After deadly anti-government riots in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in March -- and a subsequent crackdown in Beijing -- a number of people have called for a boycott of the Games.

Members of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at Pitt, and its counterpart organizations at other Pittsburgh universities, usually plan outings involving sports and fitness. Sometimes they go to the movies or play chess or sing karaoke. Hundreds of their friends and family members joined them when they celebrated the Chinese New Year in February.

But in the past few weeks, Miss Yang said, the members began to feel as though the Olympic Games -- which they've been looking forward to so much -- were becoming tainted by the controversy. So they decided to act.

The dozen or more Chinese students on the sidewalk outside Pitt's student union yesterday handed out pages of pro-China information and engaged passers-by in discussions of the issues. A computer was set up playing an informational video.

"We believe Buddhism is part of the Tibetan people's lives, and it is their cherished religion and they definitely have the right to believe it," Miss Yang said. "[But] Tibet is a part of China and has been for 700 years.

"We are not trying to argue back. We're just trying to clarify."

From a peacekeeping standpoint, it didn't hurt that the event was held after finals, during a week when a lot of the campus community is out of town.

"We don't mind if there are no confrontations," said David Bryan Clubb, director of the Office of International Services at the university.

Still, Mr. Clubb said, Chinese nationals represent the largest segment of Pitt's international population, with more than 700 Chinese working or studying at the university. And it's important to encourage their involvement.

In fact, Linda D. Williams-Moore, director of Pitt's Office of Cross-Cultural and Leadership Development, said university officials view such events as opportunities.

"Part of what we try to do is model what they're going to deal with when they get out in the real world," she said. "We're building leaders who think globally and can act globally. This is a global issue."

Miss Yang said part of the misconceptions come from a lack of knowledge about China, something she hopes that the opportunity to host the Olympic Games will overcome.

"The Games are not a political thing. It's supposed to be an event to bring people together, not to separate people," she said.Bincheng Wang, 30, who is earning a doctorate in material science and engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, hailed the effort to speak with people about the controversial topic of Tibet.

"We just want to show people the true picture of how it is. We don't want to persuade people how to think. But we do want them to know the facts," said Mr. Wang, who came to America from Hangzhou, China, four years ago.

Some people will still argue, he said, and others will continue to call for boycotts.

"That's freedom of expression. That's OK," he said. "That's the greatest thing about America."