Spring Fishing of the Hezhe People

Ispent moree than two weeks of the spring fishing season with some Hezhe people at the Two-river Shore of Bacha Township by the Heilongjiang River in northeastern China. There I experienced their everyday life and their traditions of river-clearing and fishing.     

Thoughts on Serfs Emancipation Day

Fifty years ago, on March 28, 1959, Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council of the People＇s Repubfic of China, promulgated a decree of the State Council, declanng the Tibet local government controlled by Tibet＇s feudal aristocrats and upperstratum clergy dissolved on that day and resolving that the powers of the Tibet local government be exercised by the Preparatory Committee for the Founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region from that day on. This decision of great historic significance sounded the death knell of the feudal serf system in old Tibet, a theocratic system that was reactionary, corrupt and dark. The change of government cleared obstacles and created conditions for development and progress in Tibet. After that a broad democratic reform movement swept the plateau region. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the one million serfs in Tibet buried the feudal serf system and won their emancipation,     

Tibet in Our Eyes

During June 15 through 29,2005, two Japanese reporters, Yamaguchi Tomohide of Nihon Keizai Shimbun and Kiyotaka Oyagi of Jiji Press, visited Tibet Autonomous Region and Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province. They published a series of reports after returning to Japan. The following are some of their reports.     

RELIGIOUS TRANSFORMATION

Tremendous changes have taken place in Tibet in the 60 years since the launch of democratic reform.Abolishing the theocracy changed the previous social structure and conformed to the trend of world progress.The move also satisfied the demand of Tibet's social development,while guaranteeing the political right of people in Tibet to equally participate in state affairs and their autonomous right of managing local and ethnic affairs.This laid a solid social foundation for the modernization and prosperity of Tibet.     

A Way Out of the ＂Tibet Issue＂ and the Future of Tibet

HE ＂Tibet Issue＂ was conceived at a time when Western imperialists were determined to invade and carve up China. They wooed and promoted separatist forces in Tibet from among the serf-owning class, which likewise wished to split Tibet from China with the support of imperialists. Between them, the two sides colluded and fabricated the ＂Tibet Issue.＂     

LIFTING UP THE PEOPLE

A white paper on democratic reform and the development leap that has taken place in southwest China's Tibet as a result was issued by China's State Council Information Office on March 27,marking the 60th anniversary of the campaign in Tibet.Titled Democratic Reform in Tibet—Sixty Years On,the white paper lauded the drive as "the greatest and most profound social transformation in the history of Tibet.""By abolishing serfdom,a grim and backward feudal system,Tibet was able to establish a new social system that liberated the people and made them the masters of the nation and society,thus ensuring their rights in all matters," the document stated.     

Colorful Tibetan Clothes

YEARS ago, a friend of mine went to the "roof of theworld" - Tibet. Her initial physiological reactionto the high altitude made her feel depressed, untilshe saw the local men and women working anddancing in the thinnest air in the world. She was deeply affect-ed by the splendor of their beautiful clothes, and by the goodhumor and confidence radiating from them. She felt that theoptimism of the local people and their colorful clothes symbol-ized the charm and dignity of their life in this sec…     

The ’Roof of the World’Rises Higher Still

<正>They once owned nothing but their shadows and footprints.As"walking and talking tools,"the lives of serfs in Tibet 60 years ago were worse than those of their peers in Medieval Europe.Their misery finally came to an end in 1951 when the Central Government in Beijing and Tibet’s local government signed the agreement that brought about the region’s peaceful liberation.This year     

Harmony and Civil Mediation among Ethnic Tibetans＇

The 2000 census estimated the ethnic Tibetan population of China at 5,41 million, inhabiting a vast area encompassing Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai,Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan and other neighboring provinces. The ethnic Tibetans live on the ＂roof of the world.＂ at an average altitude of 3000m. Such ＂a land of snows＂ and the long history of their religious and cultural life have committed them to a unique concept of harmony and a dispute-mediating tradition, which, among other things, are worthy of our attention.     

Prison Life in Tibet Autonomous Region

For a long time, prisons and inmates in Tibet have been a focal point in the Dalai clique and its western supporters' attack on China. To give a true picture of the situation in Tibet's prisons, three correspondents of Xinhua News Agency, Duoqiong, Cui Feng and Zha Xin, went to the prisons in Tibet and obtained lots of untold stories. Following is their report.     

Ensuring a Safe Tibet

China is determined to maintain social stability and order in Tibet despite recent rioting in Lhasa March 17 was a normal workday for Deyang,Principal of the Jipenggang Primary School in Lhasa,capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Seeing all 100 teachers and most of the 1,500 students,accompanied by their parents,     

The Train to Tibet

J UST one year ago, there were two choices of travel to Tibet. You could either dig deep for an expensive ? ight, or take your courage in both hands and travel by four-wheel drive vehicle along the bumpy, unsurfaced plateau road to the Roof of the World. But in July this year, a cheaper and more comfortable means of transport to Tibet became available – the train. The price of a train ticket from Beijing to Tibet is RMB 1,500 cheaper than ? ying.The Train Inhabitants of the Qinghai-Tib…     

Voices

正"Tibet has been visibly transformed by uninterrupted double-digit GDP growth over two decades and has entered a new stage of development…As a result of this development,Tibet’s interaction and integration with the rest of China has deepened and its isolation from the rest of the world has been decisively ended,"     

Fifty Years of Sino-Norwegian Cooperation——An Interview with Norwegian Ambassador

Geographical distance has not hindered friendly relations, ongoing for more than two centuries, between China and Norway. Norway recognized the People's Republic of China on January 7,1950 and diplomatic relations were established on October 5, 1954. In 1955, the two countries began to exchange ambassadors. Since then their political, economic and cultural cooperation has steadily advanced. The year 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of establishment of Sino-Norwegian diplomatic relations. In honor of the occasion, China Today spoke with Norwegian Ambassador Tor Chr. Hildan on bilateral trade and economic cooperation.     

Basic Facts About Human Rights In Tibet

How are human rights in Tibet? This is an issue made a mess of on the international scene. A fair evaluation of the human rights situation in Tibet depends on an answer to these two questions: First, whether human rights conditions in Tibet have improved under the leadership of the Communist Party of China or remained unchanged or even worsened; and second, whether or not the unique interests and rights of Tibetans as an ethnic minority group have been effectively protected. I would like to provide some basic facts as an answer to these questions.     

SAY A LITTLE HARVEST PRAYER

Farmers in a village in Lhasa City,Tibet Autonomous Region,participate in an annual ceremony marking the start of plowing season.Against the brisk backdrop of early spring,villagers gathered in the fields to say their prayers,enjoy some butter tea and barley wine,sing and dance to express their hopes for a good harvest.     

Belgium-China Association President Van Duysen Hans Visits China

Van Duysen Hans, president of the Belgium-China Association (BCA), and his wifeHuang Wenfang paid a friendly visit to Beijing and Lhasa, Jiangzi, Xigaze and Zedang of Tibet from July 25 to August 2,2005 at the invitation of th CPAFFC.In Beijing, Mr. and Mrs. Hans had a warm and amiable meeting with CPAFFC President Chen Haosu. The two sides reviewed the friendly and cooperative relations between the two organiza- tions over the years and talked about the broad prospects for mutua…     

Democratic Reform in Tibet——Sixty Years On(Ⅰ)

Preamble The year 2019 marks the 60th anniversary of the campaign of democratic reform in Tibet.In traditional Chinese culture,the 60th year is always memorable as it completes a cycle called the Jiazi,a concept unique to the Chinese calendar.Tibet’s democratic reform that took place six decades ago gave a new life to Tibet and the ethnic peoples living there.These 60 years have changed Tibet completely.     

HARVESTING A BETTER FUTURE

正Modern agriculture improves lives and livelihoods in Tibet Autonomous Region Till two years ago, Tenzin was a struggling farmer in Lungsang, a village in the city of Xigaze in Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China. Lying at an average altitude of 4,000 meters, with long sunshine hours and fertile soil, the area is one of the region's major producers of highland barley. However, the crop had never brought the 75-year-old farmer any sizeable profit in his decades of farming.     

Repair and Conservation of Ancient Tibetan Architecture

SINCE the 1980s, the central government of China has invested huge sums in maintenance of ancient monasteries and construction of new ones. Tibetan temples are instantly identifiable by their gold roofs, red or black enclosure walls, colorful frescos and painted beams and pillars. There are 1,700 temples and palaces in Tibet, most of them hundreds of years old, and