Tibet marks 54th anniversary of abolishing serfdom

A flag-raising ceremony is held in front of the Potala Palace to mark the 54th anniversary of the abolishment of Tibet's feudal serfdom in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, March 28, 2013. Authorities have designated March 28 as the day to commemorate the 1959 democratic reform in Tibet, which ended the feudal serf system. The reform freed about 1 million Tibetans, over 90 percent of the region's population at the time, from a life of serfdom.[Photo/Xinhua]

A flag-raising ceremony is held in front of the Potala Palace to mark the 54th anniversary of the abolishment of Tibet's feudal serfdom in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, March 28, 2013. Authorities have designated March 28 as the day to commemorate the 1959 democratic reform in Tibet, which ended the feudal serf system. The reform freed about 1 million Tibetans, over 90 percent of the region's population at the time, from a life of serfdom.[Photo/Xinhua]