After 1 959, Tibet began an epoch-making era reform.
This was conducted by the central government of China
pushing a primitive society of serfdom into the modern
society of civilization.
In the countryside
serfdom was abolished, rent and interest rates were reduced
and farm- land was assigned to the landless serfs and
slaves. In the pastoral areas after the reforms, the broad
masses of herdspeople possessed their own tools, livestock
and homes. Having cast of'! the heavy burdens of corvee,
taxes and exploitation by moneylenders charging high
interest rates, enthusiasm for production rose to an
unprecedented high. In 1 960, the total grain output of the
Tibet Autonomous Region had
risen 12.6 percent
from 1 959, while the amount of livestock rose by 31
percent. The Tibetan people had begun to possess the right
to live comfortably, with enough to eat and to wear.
The Democratic Reforms of 1959 put an end to
the political system of combining religious and political
rule by introducing the new political system of people's
democracy. In September 1959, the founding of the Tibet
Autonomous Region was proclaimed, the first Tibetan People's
Congress was held in Lhasa and the Tibetan people began to
exercise their rights to vote
and to stand for
election. Tibet practices regional national autonomy in
accordance with the policies of the central government,
which allows the Tibetan people to enjoy a high degree of
autonomy and some special preferential treatment. Thus Tibet
enjoys advantages over the interior in many aspects
including the treatment of ethnic groups,religion, economic
and social development and in the day-to-day life of the
people.
At present, many Tibetans have become
top leaders in both government and party organizations at
all levels in the Tibet Autonomous Region, such as the five
chairmen of the government of the Autonomous Region: Ngapoi
Ngawang Jigme, Tian Bao, Dorji Tshitan, Dorje Cering and
Gyalncain Norbu. Some of them also hold important posts in
the central government. The Standing Committee of the
National People's Congress which is similar to the national
parliament of western countries, has always had a post of
Vice-chairman reserved for Tibet. This is an unwritten
convention. This title was even reserved for the 14th Dalai
Lama during the first few years of his exile in India.
Nowadays the emancipated serfs have enough to
eat and wear. When they catch up with the pace of China's
reforms and opening up to the outside world they will be
drawing near to prosperity. By 1 993, the income per capita
in Tibet Autonomous
Region reached 1 ,660 yuan
RMB, although in the countryside it was only 515 yuan RM Be
Amduo County in northern Tibet, which is famous for its
animal husbandry has a regional income per capita of 1338
yuan RMB, which is much higher than the na- tional average
in rural areas. Savings deposited in both urban and rural
areas of the Tibet Autonomous Region reached 1.05 billion
yuan RMB by August 1994, 4400 times as much as was de-
posited in 1952. Modern electrical appliances, such as
colour televisions, refrigerators, tape recorders and
telephones are now popular in Tibet. The diet of the Tibetan
people has become much richer, with fresh meat, eggs and
vegetables appearing frequently. Traditional Tibetan
clothing has become even more beautiful with people wearing
Tibetan robes made from sheepskin otterfur rings and
bracelets made from agate and hats decorated with gold and
silver thread for their everyday clothing.
Today's Tibet is to some extent a typical dual
-structure community. The ancient mysterious Potala Palace
contrasts greatly with Lhasa's Holiday Inn Lido,where credit
cards are used. Under the socialist system. Tibetan Buddhism
has shaken off the influence of the ''dark Ages.'' It was
not suffocated by the democratic reform and
industrialization programme, rather, it is now rejected by
law. Particularly after China's reform and peeing up to the
outside world, religion in Tibet has been granted a new
lease of life. The Central Govern- lent has spent US $ 240
million renovating temples so be whole region now has 1,425
temples and religious laces for her 34,000 monks and nuns to
engage in religious activities and the key religious
festivals of the major religious sects have also been
resumed. The Jokhang Temple and the Samve Temple both of
which have long histories, have been completely renovated.
In 1994 the Central Government provided a large amount of
capital including gold, silver and other precious stones to
help renovate the Potala Palace, which is now open to both
monks and lay people. Religious personnel from Tibet enjoy
wide respect in China, and many of them have been elected to
the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference at various levels go
participate in the administration and discussion of state
affairs. Religious groups have Conducted academic ex-
:hanges both inside and outside China, with the help of the
government.
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