Xizang chairman delivers speech ahead of Serf's Emancipation Day

People from all walks of life across the Xizang autonomous region have held various activities in the days ahead of Serfs' Emancipation Day, which falls on Thursday.

March 28 marks the 65th anniversary of the abolition of feudal serfdom in the region. The annual event, now held for 16 years, celebrates the democratic reforms of 1959 in Xizang that ended feudal serfdom.

Art and cultural performances and other activities have been conducted across the region recently. A flag-raising ceremony involving people from all walks of life will be held at Potala Palace Square in Lhasa on Thursday.

The region has seen breathtaking changes under the leadership of the Communist Party of China over the past six decades.

"We will not forget, 65 years ago, that democratic reform broke the thousand-year-old shackles, and the last 'fortress' of feudal serfdom in the East was completely shattered," Yan Jinhai, chairman of the regional government, said in a televised speech on Wednesday.

"We will not forget, 65 years ago, the raging fire burned the contracts of indentured servitude, and nearly a million serfs, who had nothing but their own shadows, rose up and became their own masters."

Under efforts by the government, people of the region have been enjoying social prosperity in all aspects.

There are 172 domestic and international air routes in the region, linking 74 cities with air services.

The total mileage of roads open to traffic has exceeded 120,000 kilometers.

All the region's 74 counties and districts have been connected to the State power grid.

The number of students at school has reached 960,000, accounting for 26.3 percent of the total population in the region.

Over 400 major diseases can be treated within the region, and common minor illnesses can be promptly treated at county-level hospitals.

The participation rate in social insurance has remained at over 98 percent.

The growth rate of residents' per capita disposable income has ranked first in the country for nine years.

By the end of 2019, Xizang had lifted 628,000 registered impoverished residents and 74 county-level areas out of poverty, representing victory in the battle against extreme poverty that had plagued the region for thousands of years.

Kelsang Samphel, a 79-year-old man from the region's Zogang county, has experienced the new and old Xizang.

He recalled that as a child his family lived in unbearable hardship.

Having a small piece of land and some fruit trees, they had to pay heavy taxes, and most of the barley and fruit had to be given to the landlord. The remaining small harvest was shared among the entire family.

"In the old society, under the serfdom system of that time, people lived in unbearable hardship enduring exploitation and oppression," Kelsang Samphel said.

"After Xizang had democratic reforms, people got land, gained freedom, and sea changes for the better in all aspects have taken place over the past decades.

"More good policies have been performed by the government to benefit the people in different ways every year, and I believe our life will become better in the future."