China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Emancipation day marked with joy and pride
Democratic reform turns slaves to free citizens, unleashes potential for social and economic growth
In the warm spring breeze, the pastures at the foot of Himalaya Mountains began to turn green, the willows along the Lhasa River began to sprout and the peach trees in Ningchi began to bloom.
This was also the time for the residents of this plateau region of Tibet to celebrate their new life.
On March 28, 1959, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, a democratic reform featuring the abolishment of feudal theocratic serfdom was launched in the Tibet autonomous region.
Since then, the region ushered in a new epoch, where millions of serfs were liberated, becoming the masters of their own destinies, endowed with all the legal rights of a free citizen.
Since 2009, March 28 has been celebrated in Tibet as Serfs’ Emancipation Day.
Over the past 64 changes have taken autonomous region.
Today, more than 3.6 million Tibetan residents are embarking on a journey to build a new socialist Tibet of abundance, modernization and harmony.
Taktse, a resident in the township of Jangra in Gyalze county, Shigatse, is a witness to such great changes.
When spring plowing begins in his neighborhood, this 78-year-old man likes to stand by one of the vast highland barley farms, to see how farm work proceeds with modern machines.
“This is another year promising a good harvest,” Taktse said. “We are expecting better yields and more revenue, which all belong to ourselves.”
Sixty-four years ago, however, the lands in his neighborhood belonged to various serf owners. They had the rights to dispose of all the yields and revenue, leaving serfs with a miserable life with no land and only endless labor.
Jangra township was not alone years, great place in the during that period. Official statistics showed that, about seven decades ago, almost all the wealth of Tibet was possessed by aristocrats like officials, nobles and high-class monks, who accounted for less than 5 percent of the region’s population.
In 1959 when the democratic reform was launched, Taktse’s family was assigned more than 3 hectares of farmland and a number of livestock.
“That was the first time that we had our own assets,” Taktse said. “And that was the beginning of a decent life.”
For the entire Tibet autonomous region, the democratic reform marked the beginning of miraculous development in both economy and society.
While the serfs, who accounted for more than 95 percent of the local population, lived in sheer poverty and had no social rights more than 60 years ago, today’s Tibet is owned and governed by the people through an system.
Tibet currently has more than 35,000 deputies of the People’s Congress at various levels, as well as 8,000-plus members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference at multiple levels, who, on behalf of the people, exercise the rights of legislation, supervision and consultation for the region.
In 2022, Tibet’s GDP totaled 213.26 billion yuan ($31 billion), a sharp contrast with the figure of 126 autonomous governance million yuan in 1951, according to local statistics.
The rapid and sustained development makes it possible for the local governments to allocate more resources to improve people’s livelihoods.
One major livelihood improvement initiative was a relocation program targeting poverty relief.
Tibet used to be one of the most impoverished regions in China because of its harsh living conditions like insufficient oxygen in high-altitude regions and poor connectivity in landlocked areas.
To improve the quality of life for people in these areas, Tibet launched a relocation program in 2016, moving people to places with better living conditions.
The five-year program saw more than 266,000 residents relocated to areas with lower altitudes and with better opportunities for life and work.
Dechen, a yak farmer from her home village in Nagchu city with an altitude of 4,500 meters, for instance, moved to the 3,600-meter Sinpori village in Lhokha city in 2020.
She said the relocation means a fundamental change for the life of her family, as well as many of her fellow villagers from Nagchu.
“Our diet is healthier” she said. “We didn’t have fresh vegetables and fruits on our diet before relocation. But now we have.”
Before moving to her new home, Dechen explained how access to basic public services was extremely limited.
“It was so difficult for us to go to hospital.” she said. “Our home was hundreds of kilometers away from the county’s hospital.”
Now, Dechen and her family have access to all the necessary amenities and enjoy the social aspects of village life. “Our life is far better than before,” she added.
The government’s efforts in improving livelihoods are also reflected in some minor but meaningful changes.
Tsentso, a resident in Nyanrong county, hailed the use of pressureenhancing cooking utensils as a “revolutionary change”.
Due to the high altitude and low atmospheric pressure of his locale, water usually boils at 80 C, which means that food cannot be cooked well and thus affects people’s health.
“Now with pressure-enhancing utensils, we can have thoroughly cooked yak meat, which is easy to chew and digest,” Tsentso said.
Guo Xiang, head of the autonomous region’s department of industry and information technology, said the promotion of cooking utensils suiting local conditions is one of the government’s detailed but significant efforts to improve the quality of life for locals.