China News Service, Beijing, March 27th: On the 65th anniversary of democratic reform, how can Tibet embark on the road to modernization?

　　The author is Kelsang Dolma, deputy director and researcher of the Institute of Social and Economic Research of the China Tibetology Research Center.

　　Gaerjie, intern researcher at the Institute of Social and Economic Studies, China Tibetology Research Center

　　This year marks the 65th anniversary of Tibet’s democratic reform. On March 28, 1959, the State Council of China issued an order to dissolve the former local government of Tibet, abolished the feudal serfdom system that had ruled Tibet for hundreds of years, and established a people's democratic regime in Tibet.

　　This is the most extensive, profound, and greatest social change in Tibetan history. Since then, Tibet has established a new social system, opened a new era in which the Tibetan people are the masters of the country, and written a glorious chapter in the history of human civilization.

　　Over the past 65 years, through the hard work of people of all ethnic groups, Tibet has embarked on a modern development path featuring social progress, economic prosperity, improvement of people's livelihood, and ethnic unity. At present, Tibet's economy and society are developing in an all-round way and are at the best stage of development in history.

Political system achieves historical leap

　　Before the democratic reform, Tibet had long been a feudal serfdom society that combined religion and politics. It was closed and backward, and its productivity level was very low. The democratic reform carried out in 1959 completely abolished the feudal serfdom that combined religion and politics, brought about fundamental changes in Tibet's social system, and achieved a great leap towards a socialist system.

　　In September 1965, the first session of the First People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region opened in Lhasa, announcing the formal establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region. This marks the comprehensive establishment of the system of regional ethnic autonomy in Tibet, and Tibet has achieved a historic leap towards a socialist system.

　　Today, Tibet's political systems are increasingly improving. Currently, there are 42,153 deputies to the four-level people's congresses in Tibet, 89.2% of which are Tibetans and other ethnic minorities. There are 24 deputies to the 14th National People's Congress, of which 66.7% are representatives of Tibetans and other ethnic minorities. The current level at this level in the Tibet Autonomous Region There are 129 effective local regulations and resolutions and decisions of a regulatory nature, covering education, medical care, culture, health, rural revitalization, environmental protection and other fields, focusing on the "four major events" (stability, development, ecology, strengthening border) and focus on the "four creations" (focusing on creating a national model area for national unity and progress, a pioneer area for high-quality plateau economic development, a national ecological civilization highland, and a national action demonstration area to consolidate borders, revitalize borders and enrich the people). .

On March 6, 2024, the Tibetan delegation attending the second session of the 14th National People's Congress held an open group meeting in the Tibet Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to review the government work report and answer reporters' questions. Photo by Cui Nan

Significant development and improvement of economy and people's livelihood

　　Tibet was once the only provincial-level concentrated contiguous poverty-stricken area in the country. By adhering to the people-centered development idea and taking improving people's livelihood and rallying people's hearts as the starting point and goal of economic and social development, Tibet's GDP has grown from 174 million yuan (RMB, the same below) in 1959 to 2023. 239.267 billion yuan. At the end of 2019, Tibet achieved a decisive victory in its fight against poverty, achieving its goal of eradicating poverty one year ahead of schedule, completely getting rid of the absolute poverty problem that had plagued the plateau for thousands of years, and setting a model for the world in alleviating poverty in ecologically fragile areas.

Villagers in Buzong Village, Shangchayu Town, Chayu County, Tibet have been running their own canteens for the second time. It is nearly a thousand kilometers away from Lhasa and is one of the most remote border villages in China. In 2020, the village's per capita disposable income reached 19,300 yuan, far exceeding the national poverty alleviation standards. Photo by Jiang Feibo

　　Currently, the income of urban and rural residents in Tibet continues to grow rapidly, with an average annual growth rate of more than 10%. In 2023, the per capita disposable income of all residents in Tibet will be 28,983 yuan, 2.4 percentage points higher than the national average, ranking first in the country.

　　In terms of education, the education “three guarantees” policy of “food, accommodation, and study fees” and high-quality educational resources have helped the development of education in Tibet. Data from the seventh national census show that there are 11,019 people in Tibet with a college degree per 100,000 people, and the average number of years of education per person in the newly added workforce has increased to 13.1 years.

Middle school students in Jiacha County, Tibet practice Changguozhuo dance, an intangible cultural heritage. Photo by Gongga Laisong

　　In addition, in terms of industrial development, non-agricultural industries have become the main source of wealth and employment in Tibetan society. The digital economy has grown from scratch, the clean energy industry has grown from small to strong, and the characteristics of modern economy have accelerated. In terms of social security, Tibet has established a comprehensive social security system with five major insurances including pension, medical care, unemployment, work-related injury and maternity insurance, achieving 100% social insurance coverage. These economic and people's livelihood developments have given people a greater sense of gain, happiness, and security.

In 2011, the first phase of the Shigatse Solar Photovoltaic Power Station Project in Tibet, a 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic power station, was connected to the grid to generate electricity, allowing farmers and herdsmen in Shigatse to use clean, green energy. Photo by Li Lin

National counterpart assistance to Tibet promotes exchanges

　　In Tibet, all ethnic groups have a profound and long history of uniting and striving for common prosperity and development. Various counterpart assistance activities to Tibet have greatly promoted the exchanges, exchanges and integration of all ethnic groups, and the work of building a sense of community for the Chinese nation is advancing steadily.

　　Over the past 65 years, a large number of cadres have entered Tibet, overcoming the difficulties of high cold and hypoxia, and working with the Tibetan people to build the Kangzang (later changed to Sichuan-Tibet), Qinghai-Tibet, Xinjiang and Yunnan-Tibet highways and promote the development of various undertakings in Tibet. In recent years, the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has been completed, and the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is also under construction in full swing.

The train runs on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Photo by Zhou Yuexiang

　　As the grassroots political system is increasingly improved and various social undertakings develop vigorously, cadres and masses of all ethnic groups live and work together, and many touching stories of ethnic unity emerge.

　　In 1994, the central government established a counterpart assistance system for Tibet. Relevant provinces, cities, and central enterprises provide counterpart assistance to different regions in Tibet. They not only provide financial project assistance, but also send cadres to Tibet, which are replaced every three years. From 1994 to 2022, 10 batches of 11,900 Tibet-aid cadres were sent to Tibet. During the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period alone, 17 provinces and cities planned and arranged 1,260 aid projects to Tibet, with a total investment of 20 billion yuan.

In July 2016, the eighth batch of 77 aid cadres from Liaoning Province set out for Tibet, carrying the entrustment of their relatives and the enthusiasm of the Liaoning people to work in Tibet. Photo by Zhao Jingdong

　　In addition to "bringing in" cadres, talents and capital projects, Tibet has also strengthened its "going out" strategy. In terms of student cultivation, since 1985, Tibet middle schools have been established outside the region, and as of 2023, a total of more than 160,000 students have been trained. In terms of cadre training, we will increase the scale of off-site training, temporary postings and appointments for Tibetan cadres. In terms of employment, since the launch of employment assistance to Tibet in 2012, high-quality mainland enterprises, institutions and government agencies have continued to provide jobs for Tibetan college graduates. According to statistics, more than 10,000 graduates have found employment in other places through employment assistance to Tibet. . After the third work conference on counterpart support for Tibet in 2022, the "invite in and go out" efforts have been intensified. Various groups such as grassroots cadres, women's representatives, wealth leaders, and student representatives have visited eastern provinces and cities for visits and exchanges. Some provinces and cities have actively Explore new forms of connecting villages and towns and jointly starting businesses.

In June 2022, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, senior high school graduates of Nantong Tibetan Middle School for Nationalities bid farewell to their alumni before leaving. Photo by Xu Peiqin

Snowy plateau continues to create miracles

　　Over the past 65 years, Tibet has achieved outstanding results in ecological and environmental protection. At present, 50% of Tibet's land area has been classified as an ecological protection red line, the forest coverage rate has increased to 12.31%, the grassland comprehensive vegetation coverage rate is 47.14%, and the overall air quality remains excellent, ranking among the top in the country. Tibet remains one of the cleanest regions in the world and a model region for global sustainable development.

Aerial photography of the Zhamo Highway, the first road into Medog, Tibet. Photo by He Penglai

　　At the same time, as an important gateway to China's southwest frontier, Tibet is an important national security barrier with a border line of more than 4,000 kilometers. "Strengthening the border" is one of the four major issues in Tibet's work. At present, the infrastructure and production and living conditions of 21 counties, 112 towns, and 670 administrative villages in the border areas have been comprehensively improved, and infrastructure construction has been comprehensively upgraded. The main power grid has been extended to all border towns (towns), realizing postal and mobile services in every village. Full communication network coverage.

　　As a frontier gateway, Tibet has also integrated into the development and construction of the "Belt and Road" with high quality and participated in promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind. Adhering to the concept of being a partner and being good to neighbors, Tibet has worked hard to build Zhangmu, Jilong, Purang, Rizi, Riya ports and the East Asia trade corridor, built dozens of border small-scale trade markets, and promoted interconnection in an all-round way. Improved interoperability. The advancement of border construction has also improved the production and living conditions of border residents, enhanced the ability to defend and consolidate the border, and made positive progress in stabilizing national defense and enriching the border.

A truck enters the Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Tibet Autonomous Region. Photo courtesy of Jilong Media Center

　　65 years of great changes and 65 years of brilliant achievements. Since the democratic reform, various undertakings in Tibet have flourished, residents' lives have improved significantly, and miracles have been created one after another on the snow-covered plateau. At present, Tibet has political stability, economic prosperity, active innovation, and people are happy. The society has shifted from sustained stability to long-term peace and order, the national economy has shifted from rapid development to high-quality development, the ecological environment has shifted from strengthening protection and effective governance to building an ecologically civilized highland, and border construction has shifted from stability to From strengthening the border to enriching the people and strengthening the border. Through the hard work of people of all ethnic groups, Tibet in the new era will continue to follow this path of Chinese-style modernization with Tibetan characteristics. (over)

About the Author:

In August 2020, Kelsang Dolma conducted research in Gyantse, Tibet. Photo provided by interviewee

　　Kelsang Dolma, a native of Lhasa, Tibet. In 1998, he graduated from the Minzu University of China, majoring in ethnic minority economics, with a master's degree. He is currently the deputy director and researcher of the Institute of Social and Economic Research of the China Tibetology Research Center. Since 1998, he has published more than ten papers in academic journals such as "China Tibetology" and participated in academic conferences and submitted more than ten papers. He has hosted and participated in more than ten national key projects and published the book "Feasibility Analysis of Grassroots Community Medical Policy Objectives" ” and participated in the editing of many books. The main research fields are Tibetology, ethnic economics, regional economics, etc.

Sister Gaer. Photo provided by interviewee

　　Sister Gaer, a Tibetan, is an intern researcher at the Institute of Social and Economic Research of the China Tibetology Research Center.