Karma Tsetan, chairman of the government of the Xizang autonomous region, speaks at a press conference, which is held on Friday in Lhasa, capital of the region, for the release of a white paper on the progress of human rights in Xizang. [Photo by Daqiong/chinadaily.com.cn]
A ceremony of raising the national flag and singing the national anthem was grandly held on Friday morning in the Potala Palace Square in Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region, to commemorate the 17th Serf Liberation Day.
Karma Tsetan, chairman of the Xizang autonomous region, delivered a televised speech commemorating the 66th anniversary of the liberation of one million serfs in Xizang.
In his speech, he stated that 66 years ago, 95 percent of the Tibetan population, consisting of serfs and slaves, were regarded as "speaking livestock" by the "three major lords."
"On the streets of Lhasa, one out of every eight people was a beggar; on the northern Tibetan grasslands, herders who couldn't pay the 'head tax' had their limbs cut off and could only crawl to survive," said Karma Tsetan.
People attend a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the Serf Liberation Day at the square in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, March 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
The serfs carried a debt that could never be repaid for generations, and a single handprint in the lords' account books could reduce a family to slavery, said Karma Tsetan.
"The democratic reform in Xizang completely shattered the feudal serfdom system that had enslaved the Tibetan people for thousands of years, and millions of serfs decisively bid farewell to the dark and cruel old society, marching proudly towards the socialist path of prosperity," he said.
This photo taken on March 28, 2025 shows the square in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]
"In just a few decades, Xizang has undergone a monumental transformation, leaping over a thousand years, creating a remarkable development miracle that has captured global attention," he added.
Official statistics reflect that the regional gross domestic product (GDP) of Xizang has increased from 174 million yuan (nearly $24 million) in 1959 to 276.49 billion yuan in 2024, and the population of the entire region has grown from about 1.22 million in 1959 to 3.7 million in 2024, with life expectancy rising from 35.5 years to 72.5 years per person.
