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Tibet sees forty years of marked progress
By Hu Xiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-09-02 05:34
LHASA: At the foot of the Potala Palace, more than 20,000 farmers, herdsmen, lamas and people of various ethnic groups gathered, with the clear blue Himalayan sky filled with clouds of pigeons and balloons.
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| Tibetan children in traditional costume wave flowers at a gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Tibet Autonomous Region in Lhasa yesterday. [Xinhua] |
Coloured flags and traditional decorative gateways adorned the streets of Lhasa. Smiling faces were everywhere as people celebrated the 40th birthday of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The people were smiling because, in many cases, they were thankful.
"In today's rural areas in Tibet, we all enjoy the guarantee of medical care. The government provides children with free education, and now all villages have roads," said Anu, a villager from Tohlung Dechen in Lhasa County.
Anu was just one person expressing his heartfelt support, saying he was proud to see farmers and herdsmen enjoying the freedom to believe in whatever religion they wanted and conduct normal religious activities, and to see their Tibetan customs, habits, history and cultural traditions being fully respected.
Jia Qinglin, head of the central government delegation, congratulated the Tibetan people on their remarkable achievements during the past four decades.
He presented regional officials with a banner of congratulations, written by President Hu Jintao, which is inscribed with the words: "Strive for common prosperity with joint unity and development."
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